From A Pastor's Perspective....

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

2012-02-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Essential Authority of Jesus Christ”
John 5:1-9
February 19, 2012

In this area of God’s Word, we see the revealing of the authority of Jesus Christ over all of life. He is due the same worship, obedience and service as God because He is equal with God. As God possesses life within Himself, so too, does Jesus possess life within Himself. As God has authority over all of life, so too does Jesus have authority over all of life. So, let’s read our text verses. There are various lessons that are pictured in these verses that we’ll consider over the next week or two. First,

1. The sick man -- pictures the needs of this world
2. Jesus meets the sick man-- pictures Jesus’ power to meet the needs of this
world.
3. The Jews and the sick man-- picture a dead, dry religion trying to meet the
needs of this world.
4. The man after being healed -- pictures the believer’s responsibility
5. The Jews and Jesus-- picture the world rejecting Christ. But let’s look at:

THE JEWISH FEAST -- John 5:1 “After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” What’s interesting to note is that these various Jewish feasts had been so corrupted, that they are no longer called “The Feasts of the Lord,” but rather “the feasts of the Jews.” They were just meaningless rituals that no longer had any impact on the Jews. Unfortunately, in the same way today, the modern church today has lost its true meaning and purpose which is to worship God. Communion and water baptism have become empty rituals to so many.

As a result, the meaning and purpose of church has been lost and people’s needs are not being met. Instead of the church focusing on worshiping and exalting Jesus Christ, they focus on exalting the skills of unbelieving, godless secular marketing gurus with slick ad campaigns about how to grow churches by taking down crosses, by showing how to improve sexual relationships, by allowing youth groups to be just one big pizza party, by refusing to talk about sin, by endorsing new age thought that God is in everyone, and embracing any and all religions regardless of their beliefs so that we can solve the social ills of a lost and dying world. The church isn’t called to do of that nonsense. The church is called to one thing -- preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. People who are desperate for help don’t need any of what the modern church of today offers. What do they need desperately?

What people are in desperate need of is the truth of God’s Word; they are in desperate need of the presence of God; they are in desperate need of a relationship with Jesus Christ; they are in desperate need of the moving power of the Holy Spirit. It was significant that Jesus attended this feast because it gave Him the opportunity:

TO REACH A LARGE CROWD -- Most of the people attending the feast would be God fearing people who would have their minds on God so they would be better prepared to hear the gospel. Second, it gave Jesus an opportunity to teach people to be:

FAITHFUL IN THEIR WORSHIP OF GOD – Jesus, Himself was faithful. If Jesus was faithful in worshiping God the Father, how much more should we be faithful in our worship of God? Now, let’s move on to the first picture here regarding the sick man who was a picture of:

THE NEEDS OF THIS WORLD -- John 5:2-4 “Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [ waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]”

The people lying around this pool were the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, the deformed, and the beggars. These folks are a perfect description of all of humanity. They are spiritually blind and spiritually paralyzed. They were waiting for the water in that pool to be stirred. The belief was that, at times, an Angel would come to this pool and stir up the waters and the first person into the water would get healed. This is the condition of so many today. People are looking for anything to grab hold of to help them get through life whether it’s a telephone psychic, or an astrological chart. In their search, people look everywhere except to Jesus Christ. Proverbs 14:12 reminds us that “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” The next picture shows Jesus meeting this sick man and to see:

THE POWER OF JESUS TO MEET NEEDS -- John 5:5-9 “And a certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, ‘Do you wish to get well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘ Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.’ And immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.”

This man’s plight was something that had plagued him for 38 years. And when Jesus saw him, He was moved with compassion. It’s a demonstration of how God wants to reach out to all who are hurting. This was Jesus reaching out to this man, not the other way around. Jesus sees and knows every person’s condition and He reaches out to everyone with compassion. He reaches out through His Word, through the witness of a friend or a family member, through the beauty of His creation, even through the thoughts of men about who He is and what He does and what He is like.

There wasn’t anyone there to help this man; no one to help him into the water. But there was Jesus, reaching out to him, offering this man His help. Then Jesus said to him, ‘ Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.’ If this man would just believe Christ and do what Jesus said to do, he would be healed. If he didn’t obey, then he wouldn’t be healed.

My friends, there are many times in the Christian life when we fail to receive God’s blessings because we fail to obey God. We want to rationalize things, to figure things out to see if they make any sense, we want to be sure that we are going to be secure and comfortable. We want everything to line up and if it all does, then we might obey God. When what we should be doing is obeying, trusting, believing and doing what God has said to do.

Job did that. He lost everything that he had in one day – his health, his wealth, and his 10 children. He was desperately in need. He was devastated. But hearing the God’s authoritative Word, Job came to this conclusion in Job 42:2 "I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” In the midst of total devastation, Job believed God’s Word, he remained faithful to God and the Lord blessed him greatly. We are reminded in Luke 1:37, "For nothing will be impossible with God." There’s a song we sing that says, “Only believe, only believe, all things are possible, only believe. Only believe, only believe, all things are possible, only believe.”

CALL ---- If you have never invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then understand that you are in a dangerous place. Jesus said in John 3:3, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. But know also that God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to heal your life so that you can have His peace and joy. Will you come to Jesus today and leave here with a brand new life with all of your sins forgiven and live for Christ from now on?

My friends we can experience the power of God if we will just believe in the Word of God, believe in Jesus Christ, and then obey Him. Are you hungry for more of the presence of the Lord? Are you desperate for more of the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to make a total surrender of your life for and to Jesus so that He can meet those needs? Are you prepared to say, “Lord, I want more of You and I surrender all to You – all that I have, all that I am, and all that I hope to be.” Let’s come together this morning around these altars and ask the Lord for more of His presence, for more of His Spirit. Ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit if you haven’t received it.

(Carmen – I feel Jesus, I feel Jesus, I feel Jesus in this place. Yes, my soul doth, burn within me, I feel Jesus in this place.)

Father, thank You for Your truth. Thank You for Your healing power. Thank You for Your love, compassion, mercy and grace. May we leave here this morning with a greater hunger in our hearts for more of You and Your Word. Holy Spirit, help us to surrender to Your absolute authority, to be obedient, trusting and believing in Your leading in our daily walk And may our lives continually reflect Your presence to the world around us. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-02-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“Faith Alone”
Romans 4:1-3
February 15, 2012

We’ve said before that many people over the eons of time have believed that they could be found as acceptable by God just by doing the best that they can or by being reasonably good; by being a good citizen or by helping others who are down and out. But the truth is that nothing that we DO can make us acceptable to God. We are told repeatedly in Scripture that we are guilty of sin; that we have a sin nature that does not allow us to be acceptable to God. Romans 3:23 declares that The only way that we are acceptable to God is through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Last week we talked about justification. What does that mean? It means to be found NOT GUILTY by God for our sins. As we look at this area of Scripture the Holy Spirit brings to the forefront, two men – Abraham in vs 1-5 and David in vs 6-8. These two men are examples of the truth that Paul has been talking about which is that God justifies the sinner on the principle of faith alone and not works.

Both of these men had a divine righteousness given to them, not because of anything they did in the way of works, but because they believed God and made Him their salvation. So, let’s first consider Abraham. First let’s look at:

THE LOGIC OF ABRAHAM’S JUSTIFICATION -- Romans 4:1-3 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’”

Abraham held a very special position in the Jewish nation because he was the founder of that nation. He was the man who God had challenged to be a witness to other nations of the world of the only living and true God.

God had come to Abraham and challenged him to leave his home, family, friends and country. Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

God told Abraham that if he would obey God without any question, he would receive two great promises; he would become the father of many nations and all the nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed. Abraham did just that. He didn’t have any idea where God was taking him, but he went without question and just trusted God and His promise to do just what He said he would do. To put it simply, Abraham just believed God. From a logical point of view, what we see in Abraham’s life a few things. First we see that Abraham:

WAS NOT JUSTIFIED BY WORKS -- If he had been justified by his works, then he could boast before men of his efforts. But, if he had been justified by his works, then he would not qualify to boast of those efforts before God. Human efforts do not qualify any person to glory before God. No act or work or combination of acts and works could ever elevate a person to such a height that he could become qualified before God. Second, we see that Abraham: PP

WAS JUSTIFIED BY BELIEVING GOD -- Abraham believed God and God took Abraham’s belief and counted it to him as righteousness. It wasn’t anything that Abraham did, but rather his faith that God took as being acceptable. It was an act of God that made Abraham righteous, therefore, all of the glory belongs to God.

God is perfect. He is perfectly righteous and no man can achieve perfection so, no man can live in the presence of God. But, God is love. So what God does for us is to take our faith (any person’s faith who is truly sincere) and counts that faith as righteousness, or as perfection. Therefore, because of God’s act towards us, we can live in His presence because of our faith ALONE and not our works.

Galatians 2:16 says, “…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.”

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus Himself makes it clear that works alone will not bring us into His presence. " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. " Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” It’s not working miracles, or casting out demons or prophesying that makes us righteous before God; it’s our faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear regarding salvation: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

Now, let me make a comment here regarding works and faith. There’s a great deal of teaching today in the church on the subject of faith that falls into the category of works. Take note of the word “gift” in Ephesians 2:8-9. Salvation and all of its attendant blessings that we receive from God is based on the principle of them being a “gift.” It becomes clear from God’s Word, that the moment a person offers their works to God as payment for His gifts, everything is nullified. Having said that, most modern Faith Teaching falls into this category and, as a result, nullifies itself.

Now, let me ask you a question. Why does God justify a person through faith? WAIT There two reasons. First, God loves everyone:

WITH A PERFECT LOVE -- It is the desire of our Lord for everyone to live with Him eternally. He is perfect, therefore, He alone can provide the only perfect way for us to live in His presence. Secondly, God: PP

LOVES HIS SON -- His love for His only Son, is a perfect love. Anyone who will honor Jesus Christ by believing in Him is accepted by God. That person receives the right to live in God’s presence in a perfect state of being.

God’s justification of a sinner is an action of His grace that is based upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. It is only because of Jesus and His sacrifice that God cannot only pardon sinners but He can declare that they are not guilty.

So, we’ve looked at the logic of Abraham’s justification that was his because of his belief in God. Next we’ll look at the logic of a worker in the kingdom of God and what the Holy Spirit has to say about works.

Father, once again we thank You for the comfort, counsel and guidance of Your Word. Help us to grasp the depth of these words that You spoke through Your Holy Spirit through Paul so that we can better understand the matter of our salvation as it comes through Jesus Christ. Help us to live with the understanding that our pardon from our sins comes only through You and our belief in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on Calvary’s Cross. Help us to live out our faith daily so that the lost around us will see Jesus and come to Him. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The Stages of Faith"

2012-02-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Stages of Faith”
John 4:46-54
February 12, 2012

At the outset, let me say that people respond to Jesus because they have a need. As Jesus comes into Galilee, one of the officials approaches Him and begged Him to heal his son who was very near death. In this story we see, not only the need this man had, but also that there are 5 stages of faith that every person should experience. Let’s read our text verses. READ The first stage of faith we see:

IS A BEGINNING FAITH -- John 4:46-47 “He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, and was requesting Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.”

This officer, lived at Capernaum and when he heard that Jesus was at Cana, he left his hometown and went to ask Jesus to heal his child. The actions of this nobleman demonstrate exactly what is involved in this beginning faith. First:

THERE WAS A NEED -- Everybody has needs. You can be the President of the U.S. or a ditch digger in Bend. Everyone has needs. Secondly,

THERE WAS THE HEARING ABOUT JESUS -- This man heard about Jesus, listened to His message. He didn’t reject Jesus, he didn’t think that he was to important to pay attention or that he wasn’t important enough. Thirdly:

THERE WAS THE COMING TO JESUS -- Capernaum, was about 20 miles from Cana where Jesus was. This man had to tear himself away from his dying son. This shows that he was willing to sacrifice everything to have his need met. The fact that he persevered and kept his eyes on the hope of Jesus, shows the faith in his heart. He didn’t let his position keep or what others said or his pride keep him from getting to Christ. That’s a great lesson for us today. Finally,

THERE WAS THE ASKING OF JESUS -- This man didn’t just ask Jesus for help, he begged and kept on begging. The 2nd stage of faith is:

THE PERSISTENT FAITH -- John 4:48-49 “Jesus therefore said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.’ The royal official said to Him, ‘ Sir, come down before my child dies.’” There are 2 lessons here. First there is:

A LESSON IN FAITH -- The man said, “Come down and heal my son.” Jesus was effectively saying, “Are you saying that unless I come down and you see this sign and wonder you will not believe?” Jesus needed to teach this man that belief in His Word is enough to bring the healing. Belief is what comes BEFORE signs and wonders. That word “you” there is in the plural meaning that Jesus wasn’t just talking to this man but to the crowds that were there as well. He knew the unbelief that was in their hearts and He wanted them to get the message that signs and wonders are not as important as believing in Jesus Christ. May God help us to get that into our hearts and minds. Our focus is to be our faith in Jesus Christ and not in signs and wonders. Our intention must be to exalt Jesus Christ so that lost souls will be saved and not exalt signs and wonders. Secondly, there is:

A LESSON IN INSISTENCE -- This man wasn’t in any position to argue theology or take time to sit down and have a short Bible study on what Jesus had said. He was desperate and he wouldn’t allow the rebuke of Jesus to stop him. He kept on asking and begging for Christ’s help.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.” Persistence in prayer shows that you recognize your need. Lack of persistence in prayer is believing that God WILL NOT answer. The third stage of faith:

IS TRUSTING, OBEDIENT, WORKING FAITH -- John 4:50 “Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off.’” Note a couple of things here. First, Jesus gives this man an order “Go your way.” Then Jesus gives this man a promise, “Your son lives.” Then it says that this man responded with belief and obedience. He acted on his faith immediately. He believed what Jesus said and that Christ had the power to heal his son. He didn’t say, “Your word isn’t good enough and my son isn’t healed. I live to far away for you to do any healing. Come to my house and physically touch my son.” If that would’ve been his position, he would have been pleading with God, but without any faith. It would have been dictating to God as to how He was to act. This man wouldn’t have been accepting and acting on the Word of God. Friends, apart from obedience to the Word of God, there is not faith. The fourth stage of faith:

IS A CONFIRMED FAITH -- John 4:51-53 “And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives’; and he himself believed, and his whole household.”

He took Jesus at His Word and left Cana and headed for Capernaum. The act of going was saying that this man, not only believed Jesus, but that he obeyed Jesus. That is crucial to receiving the blessings of God. This man’s obedience brought a confirmation of his belief in the Word of God. The final stage of faith:

IS WITNESSING FAITH -- John 4:53-54 “So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives’; and he himself believed, and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

This man told his whole house what had taken place – the Word of promise and instructions from Jesus. The result of his witness was that his whole house believed and committed to Jesus Christ. His witness might not have been easy. His testimony would’ve subjected him to mockery, ridicule and persecution. Maybe even the loss of friends, position, power and maybe even his own life. But he had a witnessing faith. He told others and they believed.

CALL ---Had this man not obeyed Jesus, his home would be a place of grieving and mourning because of the funeral of his son instead of being a place of joy. Jesus changes everything and all for the better. He never leaves a place worse than He found it but rather takes the person to heights of joy and peace. Do you need joy and peace in your life today? You can have that need met by just asking Jesus Christ to come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. You can leave here with a brand new life with all of your sins forgiven and forgotten by God. Will you do that?

My friends, does your faith honor Jesus? Does your faith diligently seek the presence of God? Does your faith cause you to want to worship the Lord? Does your faith cause you to want to have more of the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you have a need today? Have you been begging Jesus for help? Do you believe His Word and His promises as they are stated in His Word? Or are you dictating to God as to how He should meet your needs?

If your need hasn’t been met, maybe you need to check to see if you are being obedient. Has the Lord told you to do something but you’re waiting for Him to move first before you do? Don’t make deals with God. Just obey Him. Jesus wants to meet your needs, but He wants your commitment to Him to be deep and lasting and firm and unyielding.

Father, thank You for our time with You and Your Word this morning. Thank You for always being there to meet our needs as You promised that You would. Help us to be a people who have a persistent faith, a trusting and obedient faith, a confirmed faith and a witnessing faith. Help us to live out our faith in such a way that Jesus Christ will be exalted in our lives and our testimony so that the lost will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-02-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“The Faith Factor”
Romans 3:27-31
February 8, 2012

For many people, faith isn’t something that they think about in a conscious way for everyday things. However, many put their faith in the stability of the economy, the goodness of men, their own abilities and strength. Most don’t realize that their dependence on these things is actually a matter of their faith IN those things.

But for the believer in Jesus Christ, faith is the greatest tool that we can have. But as great as faith is, it often misguided. That happens when the object of your faith is not in Jesus Christ. There are lots of folks who CLAIM to have faith. But CLAIMING to have faith and HAVING faith are two entirely different matters. This passage of Scripture tonight talks about the power of true faith. It shows us 4 things about the power of true faith. First of all, true faith:

EXCLUDES BOASTING -- Romans 3:27 “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.”

Keep in mind that Paul was dealing with the Jews who felt that they were better than any Gentile. The Jews were boasting of their position as God’s chosen people because they had the Law of God that was given to them. Paul was showing them that the Law did not save anyone. In fact, Paul was showing the Jews that they hadn’t even lived up to the standard of the Gentiles which wasn’t very good either. Paul told the Jews that boasting was now excluded.

No man can boast in himself before God. No man can boast about their righteousness, or goodness, or their merit or their virtue. When you consider all that man has been able to do in science and technology, in medicine and health, in commerce and agriculture, in entertainment and recreation, it’s hard for many to grasp the idea that man cannot boast in themselves. I mean, what kind of law would keep men from doing that? It isn’t:

THE LAW OF WORKS -- In fact, the law of works promotes boasting. When man looks at all they have accomplished, they are led to boast in themselves. A law of works encourages man to be self centered, and self righteous. It causes man to stand before God and declare that he is more acceptable, more deserving, and more sufficient than others. So, a law of works doesn’t discourage boasting, rather it encourages boasting. So, if a law of works doesn’t keep men from boasting about themselves, then what law does? It is:

THE LAW OF FAITH -- Man has to boast in God when they believe what the Word of God declares; that God exists, that God is the creator of the universe and can be known by man, that God has provided a righteousness that makes them acceptable to God and that man is a sinner and falls short of the glory of God.

God is the one that has provided a way for man to be saved from sin, death and hell. So, man has to boast in God and not in themselves. So, it is the law of faith that eliminates man’s boasting. So, true faith excludes boasting. Secondly, true faith:

JUSTIFIES MAN -- Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

A man is justified by faith and not by the deeds of the law. If a man created himself and saved himself from sin and death by his own works, then they would be able to glory in themselves. But what person can do that? We didn’t make ourselves and we didn’t save ourselves. So, man isn’t justified by the deeds of the law but he is justified by faith – by believing in God and His righteousness that He gave to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It comes to us through our belief in the Cross of Calvary and the shedding of the blood of Christ.

Despite all of the remarkable achievements by man, mankind still can’t control things morally. What does that mean? They are unable to live in love, in joy or peace with others. Man can’t control the shame of selfishness and greed, or disease, accidents, sin and death. The only hope that man has is to come to God and place their trust and faith in Jesus Christ and the Cross. To have that hope means to humble ourselves before Christ and believe in the law of faith; to believe that only God can save us and justify use. Thirdly, true faith:

REVEALS THE EQUALITY OF GOD – Romans 3:29-30 “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”

There is only one God and He deals with everyone equally. There is only one God who created the universe and there is only one God who created all of mankind. 1 Corinthians 8:6 says, “…yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

God is the only God so, everyone is justified in the same way – by faith. God doesn’t play favorites. He doesn’t make it more difficult for some to be saved. He is God and He is perfectly just and equitable in all of His dealings with mankind. God will always do the right thing, all of the time, in all circumstances. Finally, true faith:

UPHOLDS AND ESTABLISHES THE LAW -- Romans 3:31 “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

Paul is declaring here that Jesus Christ is the Subject of the Law in all of its rites and ceremonies. Christ was and is the end of the Law. Everything about the Law pointed to Christ. Jesus was everything that God said a man should be. He was the ideal of all that God wants us to be. Therefore, Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly. Jesus didn’t only fulfill the statutes of the law, He fulfilled the penalty of the law. He took the penalty and the punishment that man should have had and put it upon Himself and died for man. So, man is thereby absolved from the penalty and punishment that the Law required.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Galatians 3:13 tells us “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, " Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree…”

Under the Old Test. law, man had no strength to enable them to obey the law. Under the New Test. Christ Himself becomes our strength. Because He lives in us, we then have the strength through Him to live out God’s moral life. Your victory over sin doesn’t come through your trying to live a moral life on your own. You will fail every time. But your victory comes when you place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ who strengthens you to overcome temptation.

George Williams said this, “Justification is not a religious emotion felt by the repentant sinner, nor an experience and degree of sanctity reached by him, but it is the action of God declaring him to be a righteous person. We are justified, found not guilty, not by anything we do, but we are declared not guilty through Jesus Christ and our faith in Him. And when we put our faith exclusively in Jesus Christ, we obtain right standing with God through the righteousness of God Himself that is now within us.

Father, we come to You now in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ to express our gratitude for what You have made available to us through the work of Jesus on Calvary’s Cross. To remember that the only righteousness that will make us acceptable to You is found in the person of Jesus Christ and to live out that truth daily that we would exalt Jesus so that others will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Faith Factor"

2012-02-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Faith Factor”
John 4:43-45
February 5, 2012

Last week we finished talking about the work of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well and her evangelism of the people of her town. The end result is that there was great evangelistic success there. Let’s move on to John 4:43-45. (READ) The first thing we see is that the ministry of Jesus:

MOVES TO GALILEE -- John 4:43, “And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee.” After two days, Jesus left Samaria and now enters Galilee which is where most of His ministry would take place. What’s interesting here is that Jesus:

PASSED BY HIS HOME TOWN -- John 4:44 “For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.” Why would Jesus make this statement of being dishonored? There are 2 reasons:

REJECTION -- Nazareth was His home town where He grew up as a child, He worked there, ate there, lived there, fellowshipped there, and was around the people there all of the time. But they rejected Him. The 2nd reason was:

PREPARATION -- Christ had to get His disciples prepared for the coming severe persecution and rejection at the hands of their own countrymen as did His own countrymen. Now, it’s interesting that in vs 44 Jesus mentions the rejection of the people of His home town in Nazareth. But then in vs 45, He refers to the acceptance of Him by the people of Galilee. There is within these 2 verses a statement made about the evidence of faith. The first evidence of a person’s faith is that:

JESUS IS HONORED -- Some would say, “Why should I honor Jesus?” First because:

HE IS THE SON OF GOD – John 1:1-2; 14 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ brought the presence of God to us. Jesus should be honored because;

HE IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD -- Jesus came to make it possible from all men to have eternal life free from all pain, suffering, sin and death. John 3:16 states this clearly, "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. Jesus should be honored because:

HE IS THE SON OF MAN -- He came to earth as a man to experience all of trials of life so that He might be touched by our infirmities and weaknesses so that we could find help in Him. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus understands everything we go through. He went through the same thing but never sinned. It’s important to remember that:

BELIEF HONORS HIM -- The word “honor” in the Greek is doxadzo which means to “value, to esteem, to respect.” This carries 2 ideas. First the idea:

OF WORSHIP -- When referring to Jesus, it speaks of great reverence. Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The 2nd thing is that it carries the idea:

OF COUNTING SOMETHING OF EXTREME VALUE -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” My friends, true honor of the Lord Jesus Christ means the giving of our entire life to Him. Jesus is due the payment of our lives. Not only is it important to understand that belief in Jesus honors Him, but also that:

UNBELIEF DISHONORS HIM -- This was seen in the people of Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. Someone who does not believe in Jesus, does not worship or reverence Him. Finally, a person who does not believe in Jesus does not see Christ as being of any value. The 2nd evidence of a faith in Jesus:

IS RECEIVING HIM -- John 4:45 “So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.” The Galileans welcomed Jesus. If you want the blessings of God IN your life, you must welcome Jesus INTO your life. These Galileans received the blessings of Christ because:

THEY OPENED THEIR HEARTS TO CHRIST -- They were attracted to Jesus, not because of the miracles, but because they wanted to hear about repentance, forgiveness and receiving the Kingdom of God in their hearts. We hear lots about signs and wonders today. But souls reaching out to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins and being reconciled to God is what’s important. Our faith must be in the PERSON of Jesus Christ and who He is – He’s our Lord and Savior. Jesus must be worshiped and loved because of the shedding of His innocent blood for our sins and not because of what He can do for us in a physical way.

The object of our faith is not signs and wonders – the object of our faith in Jesus Christ alone. No one can be led to believe in Jesus until they are open to Christ. There must be a willingness to HEAR the message of Christ not seeing the WORKS of Christ. Secondly,

THEY WERE SEEKING -- The people had gone to worship God at Passover and it cost them. But these folks were hungry for the presence of God. For that reason, their hearts were better prepared to hear and take in the message that Jesus Christ had for them. Anyone who sincerely and diligently seeks God will find Him. They are better prepared to receive His message. Thirdly,

THEY WELCOMED JESUS -- They wanted to experience Christ. They had heard about Him, they had seen His workings, and they wanted that for themselves.

My friends, let me close with this thought. When you welcome Jesus Christ into your life, you will receive Him and when you receive Christ into your life, you will experience Christ. John 1:12 reminds us “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,”

CALL---- Let me ask you a question. If you were to die today do you know for sure that you will go to heaven? If there’s any doubt, then will you ask Jesus into your heart today to be your Lord and Savior? Will you surrender your life to Him and receive forgiveness for all of your sins and know that heaven will be your eternal home? Just raise your hand.

Folks, welcoming Jesus, receiving Jesus and experiencing Jesus for yourself in is the greatest evidence of genuine faith in Christ. Are you demonstrating your faith in a real and genuine way? Can others see Jesus in you through the way you are living. Do you have a greater desire to be more in His presence? Are you totally surrendering your life to Him today and in so doing, bringing honor to Jesus? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way with you so that you are honoring Christ more and more? Let’s come and pray.

Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Lord and Savior. We want to bring greater honor to Jesus, we want to welcome His presence in our lives daily, we desire a greater hunger for Jesus. Holy Spirit, we invite You to work that hunger and desire in our hearts. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts to be open to Your moving in our lives so that others will see Jesus. While we want very much to see signs and wonders, help us to keep our focus on the person of Jesus Christ. As we do that, we know that You will honor our faith and manifest Your presence and Your power in our live and in this church. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

COMMUNION -- 1 Cor. 11.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-02-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“The Way To Be Right With God”
Romans 3:21-26
February 1, 2012

In every generation, men have assumed that God could be known by the wisdom of men. They have assumed that the way to gain God’s favor was by good behavior. They have assumed that despite sin, man could still become acceptable to God by doing good deeds. They have assumed that the way to get right with God was by acting religious. All too often, men put more trust in assumptions than they do the Word of God. God tells us what He requires from men who want to get right with Him. The term “righteousness from God” is used in 3 ways in God’s Word. First righteousness:

REFERS TO GOD’S CHARACTER – It means the righteousness, justice and perfection which God Himself possesses and shows. Secondly, righteousness:

REVEAL MAN’S LACK OF GODLY CHARACTER -- It refers to man’s sinful, unjust and imperfect nature. Thirdly, righteousness means the perfection that:

GOD PROVIDES IN JESUS CHRIST -- When a man allows Jesus Christ to take his sins, he then is given righteousness of God. So, let’s consider this righteousness and what it really means. First:

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS REVEALED -- Romans 3:21-22 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”

The word “now” points to a water shed moment in the history of mankind. It says two things. First it refers to God’s patience with man. God had put up with man trying to attain to righteousness through the law. But “NOW” the period of God’s righteousness has come and it’s found in His Son, Jesus Christ. Secondly, it refers to man’s inability to remove his sin. While man was under the law, they were continually reminded that it was impossible to secure God’s righteousness on his own. But NOW the righteousness of God is found in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. God’s righteousness:

IS APART FROM THE LAW -- It has to be that way for 2 reasons. First because,
the law:

DOESN’T ALLOW DISOBEDIENCE -- The law requires obedience. Anyone who breaks the law is a transgressor and is guilty and has to be punished. Second, the law:

CAN’T MAKE PEOPLE OBEY -- The law doesn’t have the power to keep people from disobedience. Instead, the law only shows a person’s inadequate strength to be obedient. Man is incapable of perfect obedience to the Law and, therefore, cannot attain to the righteousness of God. God, instead, displays His righteousness through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God. Romans 10:4 says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Another point about this righteousness is that:

IT’S FOR EVERYONE -- Romans 3:22-23 “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” God’s righteousness is for everyone who puts their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This righteousness:

IS NEEDED BY EVERONE -- There are two reasons for this. What are they? First, God’s righteousness is needed by everyone because:

ALL MEN ARE SINNERS -- Everyone has the sinful nature. Everyone is a sinner. And no one can keep from sinning. Isaiah 64:6 reminds us “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” The 2nd reason that God’s righteousness is needed by everyone is:

ALL MEN FALL SHORT OF GOD’S GLORY -- In the Greek, the meaning is that all men are in a continual state of falling short of God’s glory. The glory of God is God’s standard for mankind. It means His excellence, splendor, dignity, majesty and grace. It means the absolute perfection of God. If man wants to be in peace with God and to live in His presence, we must respond to His standards. On our own, we can’t do that. So God makes it possible for us to meet His standards through our faith in Jesus Christ. Thirdly, this righteousness of God:

IS POSSIBLE THROUGH JUSTIFICATION -- Romans 3:24 “….being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;….” What does “justified” mean? Justification means to be declared “not guilty” and it is a free gift of God. Man cannot earn it. We justified by God’s grace alone. This comes by way of the cross of Calvary – the redemptive work of Jesus in the shedding of His innocent blood. This righteousness:

IS AN ACT OF GOD ALONE -- Romans 3:25 “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”

God is the One who set forth Jesus Christ to be the atonement for men’s sins. God ordained the cross of Calvary for His only Son, Jesus Christ. It wasn’t the teachings of Jesus, or the power of Jesus, or the example of Jesus or the life of Jesus that makes Christ the atonement for sins. What was it? It was His blood – His sacrifice, His death, His sufferings, His Cross that causes God to accept Jesus as the one and only atonement for men’s sins. God accepts the shed blood of Jesus as the satisfaction for our sins, the payment of the penalty for our sins, and the appeasement of His wrath for our sins.

Jesus Christ was willing to die and shed His blood for man. He was the supreme sacrifice for our sins. And He did that voluntarily. Colossians 1:14 says, "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Righteousness has one purpose:

TO DECLARE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE -- Romans 3:26 “…for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God always does what is right. His righteousness is seen in that He forgives sin. It is seen in His patience with man’s sins and held back the punishment of sin. It is seen in His justice in that He accepted the death of Jesus Christ as the substitute for our sin. His righteousness is seen in His being the justifier of everyone who believes and puts their faith in Christ. All of these things show that God is righteous and just.

Let me close with this illustration. Someone said that it doesn’t matter what you believe; it’s how you live that counts. A. J. Gordon came across that thinking while riding on a train with another man. The man believed that he could get to heaven by his good works. So Gordon pointed toward the conductor that was walking through the train. So Gordon asked his friend, “Have you ever noticed that the conductor carefully inspects the ticket but doesn’t pay attention to inspecting the passenger.” Gordon continued by saying to his friend, “You see, the passenger and the ticket are accepted together. If the passenger doesn’t have a ticket or if he has the wrong one, he will be asked to get off of the train. It doesn’t matter how honest that man may look. Just as the ticket stand for the man, so does faith stand for you.”

Christ has already for our ticket. He has offered us a trip to eternity into God’s presence. The question for us is have we accepted His offer to us or are we still trying to achieve heaven and God’s righteousness on our own?

Father, thank You for reminding us tonight of the importance of accepting Your righteousness that comes to us through our faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ alone and not our works. May we always be mindful that the Cross of Calvary is the center of all human history and that it is only through the shed blood of Jesus that we are declared not guilty. We ask, in Jesus Name, that Your Holy Spirit would remind us daily that we must be in obedience to Your Word and live out our faith before the world and exalt Jesus Christ. In so doing, we believe that all men will be drawn to Him. And in so doing, You will build Your church in such a way that the gates of hell will not destroy it.” In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Working For God"

2012-01-30T10:31:00.001-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Working For God”
John 4:31-42
January 29, 2012

William Barclay said, “The great keynote of Jesus’ life is submission to the will of God.” God’s great desire for us is to be like Jesus. The life of every Christian should be one of total devotion to serve God, obey God and work for God. Let’s go to our text verses in John 4:31-42. In these verses we see the ongoing battle in life which is:

PHYSICAL NEEDS vs SPIRITUAL NEEDS -- John 4:31-35 “In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, " Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." The disciples therefore were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

George Williams, a great Irish preacher, said, “The disciples went into Sychar for food and they got it; the woman went for souls and she got them. People usually get what they go for.” The disciples were very human. Earlier, when they had first arrived at the well, Jesus was tired, worn out and hungry. But here they are now, eating the food that they had just purchased and they took note of the fact that Jesus wasn’t eating. They had come a long way and they had a long way to go. Jesus’ not eating some food concerned them. We need to note 2 things. First the disciples were concerned:

ABOUT PHYSICAL NOURISHMENT -- Their mind wasn’t on the Samaritan woman or her spiritual needs. Their lack of attention to this indicates that they hadn’t matured yet in their spiritual thinking. They didn’t have their focus on Christ and His mission to save the lost. They were focused only on their physical needs. The 2nd point is that Jesus :

WAS FOCUSED ON GOD’S WILL -- He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.” My friends, what should concern us every day of our lives is doing the will of God. And the will of God is that people would come to His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no greater work that needs to be done. God alone is God and His Will and His work alone are supreme. Just as Jesus was devoted to the work and will of God only, so too should every true born again believer. Jesus said in John 20:21 “….as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

God expected Jesus to do His will and work with obedience, faithfulness and perseverance and to work until the work was done. God expects the same of us. We are not to be overcome with complacency, sleepiness, cravings for money and power, or food or clothing. God expects every child of His to be faithful. Do what God wants us to do no matter what others think of us. John points out to us that there is an urgent task at hand. That urgent task:

IS EVANGELISM -- John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” A couple of points. First of all,

THE HEART OF JESUS WAS ON WINNING SOULS -- The hearts of men is on the harvest of the world – planting of seed and getting grain – they focus on investment of energy and money for the grain they raise. But the heart of Jesus is on PEOPLE. His focus is on planting the seed of the gospel and reaping of lost souls for God. The challenge of Jesus to us is:

LOOK AT THE FIELDS -- Jesus is saying, “Stop looking down at the fields of this earth and the affairs of this world. Instead look up and take a look at the field of people that are moving all around you in Prineville, in Bend, in Madras, in Redmond, in Mitchell.” I love that song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim; in the light of His glory and grace.” Christ is telling His church today that the fields:

ARE READY FOR HARVEST RIGHT NOW -- There is in people’s hearts a growing sense of sin, a loneliness and emptiness, a sense of meaningless living of life with no direction. People are looking for something that will satisfy the thirst in their spirit. They keep coming to well of the world to satisfy that thirst with the water of sex, drugs, power, money, alcohol, relationships – and they leave that well only to come back because the water they got doesn’t satisfy their thirst. They need the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Loren Triplett once wrote an article entitled, “Carrying Out The Great Evangelism Cause.” He speaks of the Great Calamity—the fall of man-- , the Great Cause –God’s campaign to restore man; the Great Calvary—the centerpiece of God’s Great Cause; the Great Commission—the believer’s mandate to work with God’s Great Cause; and the Great Obligation—our obedience to be involved in God’s Great Cause. God’s Great Cause started at the Great Calvary and is carried out in the Great Commission. Let me add to that, as we are faithful to God’s Great Cause and carry out God’s Great Commission:

THERE WILL BE GREAT REWARDS -- John 4:36-38 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. "For in this case the saying is true, ' One sows, and another reaps.' “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." Jesus mentions 6 rewards and benefits. First:

THE LABORER WILL RECEIVE WAGES -- God is going to pay everyone.
THE LABORER GATHERS FRUIT TO ETERNAL LIFE -- The work of the believer is lasting and will endure forever. Third
THE LABORER EXPERIENCES GOD’S JOY -- There is joy in working with other laborers and there is no conflict between them. Fourth:
THE LABORER HAS A SPECIFIC PART IN GOD’S WORK -- It may be sowing, or reaping – it doesn’t matter. It is God’s work and our privilege to work in it.
THE LABORER HAS A PRIVILEGE IN BEING CHOSEN – Jesus chose us, we didn’t choose Him. Finally,
THE LABORER HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING WITH GREAT MEN AND WOMEN. After all of that we see:

THE RESULTS OF OUR LABOR -- John 4:39-42 “And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, " He told me all the things that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Many believed because of the testimony of the Samaritan. Kirk McManus said something to me last week about this woman. He said she came to the well with her pot to be filled with water, but she left AS A pot full of Living Water to go to her townspeople and bring them to meet Jesus. She was an evangelist.

An effective method of evangelism is for you, the born again Christian, to live what you say you believe. We must be ready to give an answer for the hope of Christ that is within us. That preparation comes through prayer. The only way this world will change is when people’s hearts change. The truth is that I believe that many do want to change but we must pray and live what we say we believe so that they can see Jesus in us and then come to Him.

CALL---Are you searching for something that will satisfy your thirst for giving meaning to life, to bring you lasting peace? Jesus is your answer. Will you come to Him this morning, surrender your life to Him, receive forgiveness for your sins and leave here with a new life? Just raise your hand.

My friends, ever since the Garden of Eden, people have been looking for a place of peace, a paradise that will satisfy the thirsting of their hearts. It’s in Jesus Christ. The Samaritan woman left her worldly pot at the well and she became a pot herself, but full of the Living Water of Jesus Christ. Are you will to become that pot full of the Living of Christ and go out to your families, your neighborhood, your work place and be a vessel that, under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, pour out the Living Water of Jesus? We must pray. We must plant. We must open our eyes and see that the fields are white with harvest. We must work while there is light. Daily work done for God has eternal value. God is stirring people’s hearts and He needs you and me to be willing to be vessels of honor for Him.

Father, we praise You. We honor You. We worship You. We come to You in the name of Jesus to ask You to fill us to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit so that we might be vessels of honor poured out for You. Stir our hearts this morning, Father, to work with You in Your Great Cause – the winning of souls. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Working For God

2012-01-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Working For God”
John 4:31-42
January 29, 2012

William Barclay said, “The great keynote of Jesus’ life is submission to the will of God.” God’s great desire for us is to be like Jesus. The life of every Christian should be one of total devotion to serve God, obey God and work for God. Let’s go to our text verses in John 4:31-42 READ In these verses we see the ongoing battle in life which is:

PHYSICAL NEEDS vs SPIRITUAL NEEDS -- John 4:31-35 “In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, " Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." The disciples therefore were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

George Williams, a great Irish preacher, said, “The disciples went into Sychar for food and they got it; the woman went for souls and she got them. People usually get what they go for.” The disciples were very human. Earlier, when they had first arrived at the well, Jesus was tired, worn out and hungry. But here they are now, eating the food that they had just purchased and they took note of the fact that Jesus wasn’t eating. They had come a long way and they had a long way to go. Jesus’ not eating some food concerned them. We need to note 2 things. First the disciples were concerned:

ABOUT PHYSICAL NOURISHMENT -- Their mind wasn’t on the Samaritan woman or her spiritual needs. Their lack of attention to this indicates that they hadn’t matured yet in their spiritual thinking. They didn’t have their focus on Christ and His mission to save the lost. They were focused only on their physical needs. The 2nd point is that Jesus :

WAS FOCUSED ON GOD’S WILL -- He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.” My friends, what should concern us every day of our lives is doing the will of God. And the will of God is that people would come to His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no greater work that needs to be done. God alone is God and His Will and His work alone are supreme. Just as Jesus was devoted to the work and will of God only, so too should every true born again believer. Jesus said in John 20:21 “….as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

God expected Jesus to do His will and work with obedience, faithfulness and perseverance and to work until the work was done. God expects the same of us. We are not to be overcome with complacency, sleepiness, cravings for money and power, or food or clothing. God expects every child of His to be faithful. Do what God wants us to do no matter what others think of us. John points out to us that there is an urgent task at hand. That urgent task:

IS EVANGELISM -- John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” A couple of points. First of all,

THE HEART OF JESUS WAS ON WINNING SOULS -- The hearts of men is on the harvest of the world – planting of seed and getting grain – they focus on investment of energy and money for the grain they raise. But the heart of Jesus is on PEOPLE. His focus is on planting the seed of the gospel and reaping of lost souls for God. The challenge of Jesus to us is:

LOOK AT THE FIELDS -- Jesus is saying, “Stop looking down at the fields of this earth and the affairs of this world. Instead look up and take a look at the field of people that are moving all around you in Prineville, in Bend, in Madras, in Redmond, in Mitchell.” I love that song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim; in the light of His glory and grace.” Christ is telling His church today that the fields:

ARE READY FOR HARVEST RIGHT NOW -- There is in people’s hearts a growing sense of sin, a loneliness and emptiness, a sense of meaningless living of life with no direction. People are looking for something that will satisfy the thirst in their spirit. They keep coming to well of the world to satisfy that thirst with the water of sex, drugs, power, money, alcohol, relationships – and they leave that well only to come back because the water they got doesn’t satisfy their thirst. They need the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Loren Triplett once wrote an article entitled, “Carrying Out The Great Evangelism Cause.” He speaks of the Great Calamity—the fall of man-- , the Great Cause –God’s campaign to restore man; the Great Calvary—the centerpiece of God’s Great Cause; the Great Commission—the believer’s mandate to work with God’s Great Cause; and the Great Obligation—our obedience to be involved in God’s Great Cause. God’s Great Cause started at the Great Calvary and is carried out in the Great Commission. Let me add to that, as we are faithful to God’s Great Cause and carry out God’s Great Commission:

THERE WILL BE GREAT REWARDS -- John 4:36-38 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. "For in this case the saying is true, ' One sows, and another reaps.' “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." Jesus mentions 6 rewards and benefits. First:

THE LABORER WILL RECEIVE WAGES -- God is going to pay everyone.
THE LABORER GATHERS FRUIT TO ETERNAL LIFE -- The work of the believer is lasting and will endure forever. Third
THE LABORER EXPERIENCES GOD’S JOY -- There is joy in working with other laborers and there is no conflict between them. Fourth:
THE LABORER HAS A SPECIFIC PART IN GOD’S WORK -- It may be sowing, or reaping – it doesn’t matter. It is God’s work and our privilege to work in it.
THE LABORER HAS A PRIVILEGE IN BEING CHOSEN – Jesus chose us, we didn’t choose Him. Finally,
THE LABORER HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING WITH GREAT MEN AND WOMEN. After all of that we see:

THE RESULTS OF OUR LABOR -- John 4:39-42 “And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, " He told me all the things that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Many believed because of the testimony of the Samaritan. Kirk McManus said something to me last week about this woman. He said she came to the well with her pot to be filled with water, but she left AS A pot full of Living Water to go to her townspeople and bring them to meet Jesus. She was an evangelist.

An effective method of evangelism is for you, the born again Christian, to live what you say you believe. We must be ready to give an answer for the hope of Christ that is within us. That preparation comes through prayer. The only way this world will change is when people’s hearts change. The truth is that I believe that many do want to change but we must pray and live what we say we believe so that they can see Jesus in us and then come to Him.

CALL---Are you searching for something that will satisfy your thirst for giving meaning to life, to bring you lasting peace? Jesus is your answer. Will you come to Him this morning, surrender your life to Him, receive forgiveness for your sins and leave here with a new life? Just raise your hand.

My friends, ever since the Garden of Eden, people have been looking for a place of peace, a paradise that will satisfy the thirsting of their hearts. It’s in Jesus Christ. The Samaritan woman left her worldly pot at the well and she became a pot herself, but full of the Living Water of Jesus Christ. Are you will to become that pot full of the Living of Christ and go out to your families, your neighborhood, your work place and be a vessel that, under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, pour out the Living Water of Jesus? We must pray. We must plant. We must open our eyes and see that the fields are white with harvest. We must work while there is light. Daily work done for God has eternal value. God is stirring people’s hearts and He needs you and me to be willing to be vessels of honor for Him.

Father, we praise You. We honor You. We worship You. We come to You in the name of Jesus to ask You to fill us to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit so that we might be vessels of honor poured out for You. Stir our hearts this morning, Father, to work with You in Your Great Cause – the winning of souls. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-01-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“God’s Case Again Men”
Romans 3:13-20
January 25, 2012

Last week we began talking about Paul’s dealings with the Jews that they felt that, they were better than the Gentiles. He then goes on to talk about the sin nature of man. What did Paul say about that sin nature? WAIT It was ignorant, indifferent and selfish, crooked, useless and evil. Paul then says that the tongue is sinful because:

IT IS FOUL AND CORRUPT -- Romans 3:-13a “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,"

The words “an open grave” is a symbol of corruption. Man’s mouth is dirty, obscene, polluted and offensive. By their wicked words they bury the reputation of all men. The whole verse speaks to men’s habit of lying and slandering, etc.

The obscene mouth can range from, off colored humor to plain filthy jokes to immoral suggestions to outright propositions. The point is that a person with a foul mouth stinks just like a decaying body in an open grave. Man’s filthiness causes not only the character of others, it also decays the character of the person who is speaking filth. That person becomes as offensive as that of a decaying corpse. The filthy mouth kills character, integrity, morality, honor and godliness.

James 3:6 says, “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” Then Paul says that the tongue is sinful because:

IT IS DECEITFUL -- Romans 3:13b “With their tongues they keep deceiving,"
Psalm 5:9 says, “They flatter with their tongue.” They make professions of friendship; but everything they say is hollow and full of deceit. A person who is deceitful has a tongue that is false, lying, cheating, misleading, treacherous, and deluding.

The word “deceit” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of man who is not only guilty of deceiving, constantly hiding his true thoughts and feelings with the purpose of protecting himself to allow him to get what he wants. Then Paul says that the tongue is sinful because:

IT IS PIERCING AND POISONOUS -- Romans 3:13c “The poison of asps is under their lips.” The Greek word for “asps” refers to the cobra. God charges man with having a tongue that is just as piercing and poisonous as the tongue of a deadly cobra. A poisonous tongue talks and gossips about others, it strikes out against others, it poisons the character and reputation of others, it wants to cause suffering for others, it lies in wait like a coiled snake just waiting for the right moment to strike. Colossians 3:8 says, But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Then Paul says that tongues is sinful because:

FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS -- Romans 3:14 " Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;” A cursing tongue is a sinful tongue. Men use profanity. They curse both God and men. Their cursing may range from what society considers to be a mild word of slang to using God’s Name in vain. No matter how mild or how acceptable it is to society, it is sin.

And folks, I want to caution you in the use of the name of God. Far too many today, including those in the church who profess to be born again, use the name of God flippantly. “Oh my God.” That is using the name of the Lord God in vain. Exodus 20:7 states the 3rd commandment, " You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

Man’s tongue is also full of bitterness. It is often sharp, resentful, cold, harsh, distasteful, unpleasant and relentless. Any expression involving any of these is sin to God. God want men to be filled with joy, love and peace and to express those things in his life. So what can you do when you are around someone who is using language that is off colored, foul, mean spirited or untrue? WAIT Then Paul moves on from a tongue that is sinful to

SINFUL ACTS -- Romans 3:15-18 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Paul states that sinful acts:

ARE MURDEROUS -- Men are ready to spill blood out of their hurt and shame; or to get what they want. Men are cruel and their object is to inflict pain and suffering; grief and injury. Then Paul shows that sinful acts:

ARE OPPRESSIVE -- They destroy and cause misery because man is full of pride, selfishness, and greed and his destructiveness brings heartache to his own family, neighborhood, and city. Sinful acts are:

ARE GODLESS -- They ignore and neglect God living as if there were NO God. They don’t fear God or God’s anger and wrath. They have little or no desire to worship God, or honor God. So these things are God’s case against man. Finally, Paul addresses:

THE CASE OF THE LAW -- Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” The law or the Scriptures:

SPEAKS TO EVERYONE -- It’s an obvious truth that cannot be missed. God’s Word charges everyone with sin and that everyone is subject to sin’s power. No one can escape God’s case against sinfulness. The law or the Scriptures:

STOPS ALL BOASTING -- In light of the sinfulness of man’s nature and man’s tongue, who can boast about man’s goodness and righteousness? God’s Word declares that no man is good. So, man is silenced and doesn’t have any reason to brag about his goodness. The law or Scripture:

MAKES ALL THE WORLD GUILTY -- All of the world today stands face to face before God as being short of His glory and guilty of sin. The law or the Scriptures:

SAYS NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS -- There is no law or work that can say that man is justified or righteous in God’s sight. Finally, the law or the Scriptures:

SHOW MAN’S SINFULNESS -- What’s the purpose of the law? It’s to point out that all men are sinners. Its purpose is to show man that he needs to seek God for forgiveness and that they need a Savior who is Jesus Christ.

Father, again we thank You for Your Word and just how grateful we must be for the work of Jesus Christ in Calvary’s Cross. Without the Cross and the shedding of the innocent blood of Jesus Christ, we would stand forever guilty for our sinfulness and condemned to an eternity separated from Your love, peace and joy forever. Help us to be mindful of the gift that we have received from You and to know that our life must be lived in view of the Cross where we can find forgiveness and acceptance from You. Let us live that fact daily so that others will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. In Jesus name, I pray. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus, The Messiah"

2012-01-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Messiah”
John 4:25-30
January 22, 2012

One of the great truths to come out of this story is that God is greater than geography, race, class, sex, and religious tradition. True worship is about who you are and who God is. God wants worship that is based on a wholehearted personal commitment to him. It’s not a matter of actions but a matter of attitude. So, let’s go to John 4:25-30. READ This woman at the well begins to sense that she was speaking to One who might just be able to satisfy the longing of her soul. That’s what so many are looking for today. She was beginning to sense that:

JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH -- John 4:25 “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming ( He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.’”

She is coming to the realization that this is no ordinary man that she is talking to. The subject of her sin and the matter of worship that He spoke of was stirring her heart to reach out for God. She sensed that no man could speak to her as Jesus did unless He had a very special relationship with God. She believed two things:

THE MESSIAH WAS COMING -- Even though the Samaritans did not believe all of the prophetic writings, the belief of the coming of the Messiah, which was believed among the Jews, was generally received among the Samaritans also. The 2nd thing she believed was the Messiah:

WOULD BE THE SUPREME AUTHORITY -- “He will declare all things to us.” She didn’t deny the Messiah or in His coming or His authority. But her belief in the Messiah was not a saving belief, a saving faith, not a belief of commitment. But it was what many have today -- an intellectual belief; a belief of knowledge. She didn’t reject Jesus. She listened to Him and so God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, was able to give her a sense of His Divine presence. A person who listens to the Word of God and believes intellectually, has a mental belief about the facts of God’s promises. For that person, there is a great opportunity to be reached for Jesus than there is for someone who totally rejects Christ. But, someone who only has a mental belief can hear and reject the gospel so much, that they become so hardened against Christ that they might never trust Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.

This Samaritan woman has a longing for truth. She is fed up with religious ceremonies that she had been involved in for so long. She realizes that her Samaritan religion hadn’t changed her life at all. The fact that she had been married 5 times is evidence of that fact. But Jesus ignores the sins that she has committed and she hears:

THE GREAT CLAIM OF JESUS -- John 4:26 “Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” The idea that Jesus clearly reveals Himself to a woman, and a Samaritan woman who was living a grossly immoral life, is something that self righteous people don’t understand. “How could Jesus save someone like that?” But the truth is, my friends, the fact that Jesus saves those we consider to be worthless is the underlying power and beauty of Salvation. One commentator said this, “To be qualified for (God’s) grace is to be unqualified and know it. One has to admit that they are lost, before they can be saved.” Amen. Now, we move from the claim of Jesus that He is the great I am to:

THE SPIRIT AGAINST JESUS -- John 4:27 “And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He had been speaking with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why do You speak with her?’” Just as Jesus finished making His claim to her, the disciples show up from going after some food. We see the evil spirit of pride rear its ugly head. The disciples were amazed at what Jesus was doing with this woman for two reasons. First,

SHE WAS A WOMAN -- The Rabbis of that day would not be alone with or talk to a woman in public; not even their wife or their daughters. The feared what the public might say. Now, there is some merit to this. A person, male or female, should always guard themselves and their thoughts around the opposite sex. We need to avoid the very appearance of evil. Not only was this a woman:

SHE WAS SAMARITAN WOMAN -- She was considered by the Jews to be a despicable, worthless outcast who was not fit to be seen in public. But Jesus tore down the barriers of both of these problems. Note too, that the disciples didn’t say anything out loud. Psalm 39:1 gives great advice, “I said, ‘I will guard my ways, That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle, While the wicked are in my presence.’” There’s a great lesson there that, as Christians, we need to guard our tongues, especially in the presence of unbelievers.

One of the miracles of the ministry of Jesus Christ was to do away with man’s prejudices against women and lift women to their true position as help mates to men. The attitude of Jesus toward women and what He has done for women’s rights is totally contrary to what we hear about how Muslim women are treated in places like Afghanistan under Sharia law. They are beaten, treated as just personal property, totally subservient o men, covered from head to toe when they go outside and, in some cases, are killed. This kind of thing is just another result of man’s journey into religious activities. This woman’s heart had been touched by Jesus and now she begins to:

WITNESS FOR THE MESSIAH -- John 4:28-29 “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?’”

When this woman left her waterpot it was because she was excited about Jesus. The Messiah had confronted her and met the need of her life and heart. So, she had to go tell everyone. She became the first preacher of the gospel to the Gentile nations. She was so effective in her preaching, that a revival started. George Williams said, “She became a vessel to received and then to minister the gift of life.” She was an outcast of society but because she met Jesus Christ, all of that changed. She could now face everyone and tell them that they, too, needed to meet Jesus. That’s a powerful example for every believer in Jesus Christ. Finally we see

THE PEOPLE’S RESPONSE -- John 4:30 “They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.” Jesus had a mission to carry out in Samaria – to meet the heart needs of people. There were hungry hearts in Samaria. There are hungry hearts in our world today. People are searching for hope and for truth. So it was in that day when this woman, with her dynamic witness for Jesus, caused a huge response. The people kept on coming to Christ to find what this woman had found – the One who would meet the needs of their heart. We are minded of what Jesus said in John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Jesus did it then and He is still doing it today.

CALL---Many people have the sense that we are in the final chapter of human history and they are fearful of the future. Without Jesus Christ in their lives, they SHOULD be fearful because Jesus is coming soon. That’s a very sobering thought because, even though the Bible gives us a glimpse of heaven and what it will be like, the Bible also shows us clearly that there is coming horrible bloodshed, terror and death on planet earth. You can avoid those coming days by trusting Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. The next great event to take place is the rapture of the church – the catching away of billions of born again Christians who are taken to be in the presence of the Lord forever. But those who are not truly born again, will be left here to experience the most devastating, horrifying events man has ever know when God pours out His wrath on planet earth. Will you invite Jesus into your heart this morning and receive forgiveness of all of your sins as did this Samaritan woman? Will you allow Jesus Christ to give you a new life? Just raise your hand.

My friends, the example of this woman at the well provides for Christians, a lesson in what we should do for Jesus because of what He has done for us. There are many in Prineville, neighbors, fellow workers, friends, family – who are searching for hope, for someone who can ease the pain in their hearts and bring release from guilt, condemnation, anxiety and fear and bring them hope. You have the solution to their problems. It’s Jesus Christ. We need to ask for the same boldness in our witness that this Samaritan woman had and begin to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah – that He has the answers to life’s problems and that there is hope in Him who will give us a better way to live. Let’s come to these altars this morning and seek for more of the power and boldness of the Holy Spirit to do just that. The countdown continues for mankind experiencing the coming horror. We must reach them by any means and at any cost. Will you commit to that calling?

Father, thank You for what we have learned from this woman at the well. A woman who was an outcast of society and had been judged worthless by men. Grant us the grace to always believe that anyone can change if they will yield to the Lord Jesus Christ. Give us a greater boldness, Father, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to our city so that others will sense that Jesus is the answer they are looking for. May they see Jesus in us so they will come to Him and put their trust in Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“The World Getting Right With God”
Romans 3:9-12
January 18, 2012

Someone said, “Guilt is like the red warning light on the dashboard of the car. You can either stop and deal with the trouble, or break out the light.” Guilt is a very strong force in a person’s life. You know when you’ve done wrong and you know that there’s a price to pay. Guilt won’t let you forget what you’ve done. Guilt comes when you get pulled over by a policeman for driving too fast; guilt comes when you go over the limit when you’re fishing or hunting and the game warden finds out; guilt comes when you turn down an invitation to a lunch gathering because you don’t feel good only to run into the host of that lunch somewhere else that same day; guilt comes when you say something that is ugly and you don’t have the chance to pull those words back; guilt comes when you get caught spreading rumors and gossip.

No matter who you are, sin always has a lethal pull to it. You can come to a place where you might begin to wonder, “What’s the use. I don’t have any hope in this matter.” But there is a hope and it’s in a person, Jesus Christ.

As we consider these verses, let me give you a quote by one Bible commentator in which he stated, ”In looking at such passages as this, a person must keep in mind the whole point of the passage. The point is not to charge man with sin, nor to berate man; it is not to look upon man with cynical contempt. The point is not to call man to hopelessness and despair, leaving him with a hanged head and low self-esteem. The point is to give man hope; to challenge man to seek a right relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Man must never minimize his sin, lest he ignore or neglect the right way to God. But neither must he minimize the redeeming power of Jesus Christ, lest he hang his head in hopelessness, or wallow in self pity or roam the world in despair.” So, let’s consider a few things sin and condemnation. First of all:

ALL MEN ARE UNDER SIN -- Romans 3:9 says, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;”

The words “under sin” means to be subject to the power of or under the authority of. A person who is living outside Jesus Christ is under the power of sin and he is helpless to escape from it. Paul was dealing with Judaizers of his day who held the opinion that they were better than the Gentiles. It angered them greatly to hear Paul say that they were on the same level as the Gentiles. They didn’t have any problem with giving up the law for God’s grace, but what Paul was saying was just too much.

Paul told the Jews, “You are under sin just as are the Gentiles. Just because you are Jews doesn’t make you any more acceptable to God than are the Gentiles.” WE have the same mentality today where some in the church would say, “Aren’t we better than others because we have the Bible; or because we profess God; or because we know the will of God? Aren’t better because we know the truth?”

Paul said, “No way. You’re no better than are others. You are all, Jews and Gentiles alike, under sin. The truth is that God has a case against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man; God has a case against the Gentiles and He has a case against the Jews.”

Romans 3:23 says clearly, “….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” As well, 1 John 1:8 states, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So, no one is exempt – all are sinners. Let’s then consider:

MAN’S SINFUL NATURE -- Romans 3:10-12 “… as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.’” A sinful nature:

IS UNRIGHTEOUS -- There’s not one single human being who is righteous, perfect and sinless – not by nature or by an act. No man has ever lived a perfect life in thought, word or deed. “There is none righteous, not even one.” A sinful nature:

IS IGNORANT -- No human being understands perfectly God, man, the world, where it all comes from, what is the purpose and destiny of everything. No one understand where they came from, why they are here or where they are going. “There is none who understands.” A sinful nature:

IS INDIFFERENT AND SELFISH -- “There is none who seeks for God.” The word “seeks” in the Greek is ekzeteo (ek-zee-THE-o) which means to pursue and search for. The idea is that of a diligent, careful, determined seeking and searching. No on searches and seeks after God, with so careful and a determined spirit. Why is that? WAIT Because they are indifferent and selfish. Men want to do their own thing and their own way and they want gods that will allow them to do that.

If God is the only true and living God, then that means that He is Supreme and the only One who should be honored, glorified and obeyed. But men won’t do that because they are selfish and indifferent. They want things their way all of the time. And if God doesn’t allow for that, then they reject Him. A sinful nature:

IS CROOKED -- “All have turned aside.” The Greek means that man has turned away of turned aside from God, and God’s ways and turned to another way. They are crooked and not straight with God. They don’t follow His ways. They want another path. A sinful nature:

IS USELESS -- “Together they have become useless.” The word “useless” in the Greek is achreioo (akh-ri-O-o) which means to become sour, bad, and worthless. Men without Christ are like sour milk – worthless, bad. A sinful nature:

IS EVIL -- “There is none who does good, There is not even one.” The word “good” in the Greek is chrestotes (khray-STOT-ace) and it means moral goodness, kindness, graciousness, gentleness, justice. All men fail in being good toward God and their neighbor in being kind, gentle, just and gracious.

Man comes too short, too often and too much. Paul was telling the Jews that, just like the Gentiles, no does good. God is looking down from heaven to see if there were any that feared and sought after him; and could find none! And therefore we may safely conclude there was none to be found.

Think of a day when you thought you were on your best behavior. Were you perfect? Did you live beyond temptation? No matter how good we think we are, we still need Jesus Christ; we still need the power of the Holy Spirit; we still need the guidance and counsel of God’s Word. Why? Because everyone is a sinner and we continue to sin. As bad as these verses say that man is, there is no reason to despair or be without hope. Because, in Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to overcome sin and our sinful nature and to be seen as holy and perfect by God.

What Paul was reminding these Jews of, and of us today, is that when men live in habitual sin outside of Jesus Christ, they become proud and arrogant. They can no longer see that they are living a life that is evil and sinful. But God reminds over and over again, sin is nothing to be proud of. But there is hope for man – that’s why He sent His only Son to be our Savior.

Father, what we have looked at tonight in Your Word is pretty negative and it may offend our senses to think of ourselves in this way. But as hard to accept as these verses are, we are again reminded that there is nothing that we can do that will make us acceptable to You except that which is through Jesus Christ. May we never take our relationship with You for granted so that we become sloppy, lazy or indifferent toward You. Holy Spirit, we ask that you continue to remind us of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and empower us to live our life reflecting His hope in us so that others will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The Wonder of Worship"

2012-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Wonder of Worship”
John 4:19-24
January 15, 2012

Last week we talked about Jesus as the Living Water of spiritual rebirth as He talked to the woman at the well in John 4:1-14. And in His continuing conversation with this woman, Jesus begins to speak of a matter that I would like to talk to you about this morning -- worship. So let’s read vs 19-24.

For many people, worship is raising their hands, or singing in the Spirit, or bowing or kneeling. To be sure, these are elements that become evident in times of worship. But true worship isn’t about actions. True worship is about attitude. And having a right attitude about worship, will move us to true worship. In this area of Scripture, we see that this Samaritan woman is troubled. Why? It’s because:

JESUS CONFRONTED HER SIN -- John 4:19-20, “The woman said to Him, " Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. " Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

She didn’t react in anger or ignore what Jesus said to her nor did she argue with Him. But she sensed two things:

THAT JESUS WAS A PROPHET -- She sensed that Jesus was in touch with God, so therefore, He could help her. Secondly,

SHE SENSED HER SIN -- She sensed that she needed to take care of this sin in her life so that she could worship God. May God bring us across the paths of people like this woman. And as He does that, we will be prepared to give them the direction to Jesus Christ. But the question for her was where should she go to worship God? Samaritans could only worship at Mount Gerizim while the Jew could only worship in Jerusalem. But Jesus is about to change all of that and He points out a few things to her. First, Jesus points out that:

THE PLACE OF WORSHIP IS NOT IMPORTANT -- John 4:21-22, “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” The worship of God was going to be radically changed when Jesus died and rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit would come.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” It is for this reason that you can worship God in your car, in the church, in the shower, in prison, in a hospital, in a grocery checkout – anywhere because God lives in our hearts.

What’s important is not the PLACE of worship but the OBJECT of worship. You can be sitting in this church this morning and not be worshiping God. To worship God in a way that pleases Him, you have to have your whole being focused on Jesus. Satan will work to distract you with thoughts that have nothing to do with God. You have to resist the devil and get your attention focused on Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Open your mouth and praise Him out loud and you’re less likely to be distracted. When you cheer for your favorite team, are you quiet about it? Hardly. You are consumed with the intensity of the game and your attention is focused. You don’t want any interruptions. How much more should we praise and worship the Lord openly and not allow any distractions to our worship? Jesus then points out that:

WORSHIP AND SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS -- John 4:23" You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

Jesus Christ was a Jew and it was through Him, a Jew, that salvation has come. The Jewish people were God’s special people. They were born by a special act of God. And God wanted 4 things. First, He wanted a people who would:

LOVE HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE -- God wanted a people who would love Him totally, completely and supremely and who would give Him their first love. God still wants that. He wanted a people who would:

WITNESS HIM TO THE WORLD -- God wanted a people who would show the world that He was the one true God. God still wants that. He wanted a people through whom: PP

HE COULD SEND A SAVIOR -- God wanted a people through whom He would send His one and only begotten Son who would be the Savior to the human race. God still wants that. He wanted a people through whom:

HE COULD SEND HIS WRITTEN WORD -- He wanted to preserve His Word for all generations to come and He wanted a people who would allow Him to do that. And God still wants that.

He searched for that people and couldn’t find anyone. He found Abraham, and it was through Abraham that God created a new people and a new nation who would be His chosen people—the Jews. But, time and time again the Jews failed God by not listening to His messengers. Finally, God sent His only Son through a virgin woman. But they rejected and crucified Him. That was the final blow. The Jews and the Romans represented the entire human race. So, the entire human race was involved in the execution His only Son. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God began to put together a people that is now made up of all nations on the earth who want to love and follow His Son, Jesus Christ. Finally, Jesus said that:

TRUE WORSHIPERS WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH -- John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jesus spoke of several things concerning worship. First He spoke of:

A CHANGE IN WORSHIP -- Before Jesus, men worshiped God in places like the temple. But now the location meant nothing because Jesus opened the door into the very presence of God. Secondly, He spoke of:

THE NATURE OF WORSHIP -- We are to worship God in spirit seeking intimate fellowship with God. We are to worship in truth and come to God in the right way which is through Jesus Christ. We are to worship sincerely and truthfully not half heartedly with wandering thoughts and sleep eyes. Thirdly, Jesus spoke of:

THE REASON FOR WORSHIP -- God created us to worship Him and fellowship with Him. Truth and spirit are at the very core of worship that is alive and not dead. Knowing WHO we worship is crucial to true worship. When we worship in Spirit, the Spirit will lead us to truth. And we He leads us to truth, we will worship in Spirit. As we live our lives in Jesus Christ, we will be brought into truth. John 16:13 says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Keeping our focus on Jesus Christ allows the Holy Spirit to bring us into the presence of God the Father and we will then worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

CALL---The Samaritan woman was looking for something that would cleanse her from her sins. She was searching for help to get rid of the guilt of her sin. She found that in Jesus Christ. He’ll do the same for you today. Don’t ignore Jesus or argue with Him. Just surrender your life to Him – confess to Him that you are a sinner as we all are and that you want His forgiveness. Do that with your heart and He will give you a new life.

True worship comes from a heart that desires the presence of God, to love and adore Him. It comes from a heart that will set aside all things just to praise Him and fellowship with Him. Doesn’t He deserve our attention: Doesn’t He deserve the fruit of our lips, our voices singing praise and worship to Him? Can we take some time this morning and just come and worship Him.

Father, we desire to be in Your presence. Holy Spirit, as we lift our voices in praise, lead us into truth and help us to worship God in a manner that is please to Him and that will exalt Jesus Christ. Remind us daily that we can be in the presence of God and worship anytime, anywhere under any circumstances because of the cross of Calvary and the shed blood of Jesus Christ that opened the door into the Throne Room of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2012-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“The World Getting Right With God”
Romans 3:1-8
January 11, 2012

The object of these verses is to set in our minds and hearts, just what true religion really is – that which is living, eternal and true.

All through history, there have been men who have challenged God every step of the way. They would rather argue with God and His ways rather than to just simply obey and believe Him.

We continually hear that there are many ways to God. Those that hold that position are in hopes that they can change God’s mind about His Son, Jesus Christ, being the only way to heaven and to get into His presence. They would rather believe that joining the right church, that living a good moral life, that performing church rituals will get them there. There is that hope that God will accept them on their terms and, thereby, avoid the cross of Calvary and the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

There is that hope in these people that they can, somehow, prove that eternal life does NOT come through Jesus Christ. But the Biblical truth is that there is only one way to be accepted by God and that is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our life and living for Him. God isn’t going to change His mind. He’s not going to make an exception for anyone. That’s the truth.

Paul has stated that there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile. Every human being stands guilty of sin before God and every human is condemned because of that sin. Now, at this point in Paul’s presentation, the Jew begins to see the weight of what Paul has been saying. So, rather than accept Paul’s message, they present arguments to counter Paul’s position. The arguments they presented to Paul are the same arguments that many in the world today present. The first argument the Jews present is that if everyone is guilty before God, then:

WHAT’S THE VALUE OF BEING A JEW OR CHRISTIAN -- Romans 3:1-2 “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

What’s the point of being circumcised or being baptized or being a church member? What do you do with the Jews who are the seed of Abraham? The promise of God to Abraham was that his seed – the Jewish nation – would be the children of God. So if a man is born into a Jewish family, and he professes to be a follower of God, then why isn’t he acceptable to God? And if that Jew isn’t acceptable to God on those terms, then what’s the point of being a Jew or a child of Abraham?

That application to the Jews is applicable to every man today. If a person is born into a Jewish family or if a person is born into a Christian family or has the right heritage and they are NOT acceptable to God because of that heritage, then what’s profitable about being or saying that you are a Christian? What are the advantages of that heritage. So, what are the advantages a person has if they are born into and raised in Christian home?

The privileges are enormous. A person that has been born into a Christian home that has the Word of God has every advantage of coming to God and living for God. Those privileges are so great that they are without excuse if they fail to love and live for God.

God has done so much for us. The gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, should compel every believer to live only for Him. However, different things or events come our way that distract us from living only for Jesus. We ignore the privileges that we have as Christians. As New Testament Christians, we have to ask ourselves just what are we doing with the privileges that we through our relationship with Jesus Christ? The 2nd argument that the Jews presented to Paul was:

DOES UNBELIEF VOID GOD’S PROMISES – Romans 3:3-4 “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, " That Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, And mightest prevail when Thou art judged."

If some disbelieve and reject God’s Word does their unbelief cause God to void His Word and His promises? The Jews were promised a special place and privileges through Abraham and His seed. If some Jews didn’t believe those promises and then God condemns them, isn’t God voiding His Word and His covenant thus making Him a liar? I mean, God’s Word couldn’t be just based on the heart of man alone or on moral character alone. There has to be something else that shows we are special – maybe it’s circumcision, or water baptism, or church membership, or some other ritual that would make us acceptable to God. Two points: First,

GOD IS NOT UNFAITHFUL -- God never breaks His Word when a person is rejected. If a person has the Word of God and they do not obey the Word of God, they are not acceptable to Him. God doesn’t want religious rituals –He wants a relationship. He wants a heart that not only has His Word, but will obey His Word. He wants a life that is focused on Jesus Christ and has given their heart and life to Jesus. Secondly,

GOD NEVER VOIDS HIS PROMISES -- God is not and never will be a liar. He has promised salvation and eternal life to men. Even if there wasn’t a single person who believed His promise, God’s promise would still stand. He will save any person who does what He said to do.

That’s the problem. Doing what God says to do –coming the way He said to come –through Jesus Christ alone. But that’s too hard for men – they want to create their own way. Why? They want to do something to get it over with and then they are free to live anyway they want to live. They prefer to be saved by being religious – joining a church, being baptized, going to Bible studies, buying a Bible – then they are free to go about their lives. But they don’t do what God says to do – give their heart and life to Jesus Christ by obeying, worshiping and serving Him. Finally, they present the question of:

IS GOD UNJUST FOR PUNISHING THE UNRIGHTEOUS? -- Romans 3:5-8 “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? ( I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say), " Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.”

If a person’s unbelief and sin give God a chance to overcome and to show His justice, then my sin brings greater joy to Him and it gives God a chance to fulfill His Word. That being the case, then how can God punish me for that? Isn’t He unjust for punishing that person? Three answers:

NO WAY! MAY IT NEVER BE
GOD IS MORAL -- He must judge the world because if He didn’t then He would not be just and moral.
CONDEMNATION IS DESERVED -- These arguments are what has and is taking place in every generation. Mankind cries out, “A God of love cannot take vengeance. He is too good and loving. He will be denying His very nature of love if He judges me.”

What this argument fails to see is that genuine love is just. God’s love is perfect, unbiased and impartial. It is shed upon all humans. His love cannot indulge sin because God’s love is perfect. It demands justice and God cannot be accused of being unloving when He executes His justice. The cross was where God exacted His perfect justice upon His Son, and it is the perfect example of that truth. The cross of Calvary is the perfect demonstration of both the love and the justice of God.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Mankind will be judged and condemned if they have rejected the love and salvation of God that He gave us in His Son.

I read that the geographical center of London is called “Charing Cross.” All distances are measured from it. It’s simply referred to as “The Cross.” One day a little child got lost and was found by a London policeman but the child couldn’t tell the policeman where he lived. After sometime and a lot of tears, the little boy said, “If you will take me to the cross, I think I can find my way from there.” The Cross is the point where men come to be reconciled to God. To find your way home to God, you must first come to the Cross.

Father, thank You for the Cross of Calvary and for the death of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to daily obey your Word and to walk in the Light of Jesus Christ. And may the Light of Jesus shine through our lives of obedience to Your Word so that others will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

Reply to Post

2012-01-11T10:11:00.001-08:00

I noticed this morning that someone had posted a comment regarding the teaching on the Book of Romans which is posted to this blog on a regular basis. Here is the question that was sent in -- Where do we find the continuation of this study?

I attempted to reply to this comment with no success. So, I'm using this posting to answer that question.

We will be posting the teaching on the entire book of Romans on this blog site each week. The teachings are held each Wednesday evening during a Bible study but they are posted to this blog usually on Thursday. Sometimes they are posted later depending on how busy I am with other things.

In addition, we are also posting the entire teaching the Gospel of John as well. Those teachings are given each Sunday morning.

So, if you're reading this post and you are the one who asked about Romans, just check this blog each week and you'll find the entire book being posted here.

God bless.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The Living Water"

2012-01-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Living Water”
John 4:1-14
January 8, 2012

As we continue our look at the gospel of John, John the apostle, introduces us to an unnamed woman and the ministry of Jesus to her. Let’s go to our text verses. (READ) The first thing we see here is that:

JESUS LEFT JUDEA ON A MISSION -- John 4:1-9 “When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus •said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) There were 2 reasons for Jesus leaving Judea.

IT WAS NECESSARY -- The crowds were leaving John and coming to Jesus. The religious leaders used that situation to downgrade John’s ministry. Jesus didn’t want to create a scene of competition between Him and John and maybe damage John’s ministry which was still very viable. The 2nd reason is:

A NEED HAD TO BE MET -- Note that vs 4 said that “he HAD to go through Samaria.” The word “had” in the Greek is edei and it means “of necessity, a compulsion.” Jesus had to go through Samaria to meet a need. Where there is a need, Christ is always there. He’s here this morning to touch your point of need.

Samaritans were half Jews by birth because of intermarriage with pagan tribes during their Assyrian captivity around 720 BC. They were half Jews by religion. With intermarriage during their captivity, they got involved with the idols of other nations. So, there was no love lost between the Jews, who believed in spiritual purity, and Samaritans. But that wouldn’t stop Jesus from bringing the gospel to the Samaritans.

My friends, we can never allow our personal bias and prejudice to keep people from hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are here to bring that message and to exalt Jesus Christ so that all men will be drawn to Him – not just those we like. In meeting this need, Jesus would bring a profound message about Himself and, strangely, it would be to a Samaritan woman. That message was that:

JESUS IS THE LIVING WATER -- John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’”

This statement by Jesus of His being the living water was meant to stir this woman’s heart and to point to the Holy Spirit. John 7:38-39 Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive;” He meant by His statement that this living water:

IS OF GOD: -- It is of Jesus who has always been living, is living now and will always be living. Psalm 36:9 says, “For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light.” Secondly, He meant that this living water:

IS A GIFT OF GOD -- It doesn’t have to be earned or bought. It’s a free gift from God just as salvation is a free gift from the Lord. Thirdly, Jesus meant that this living water:

IS ASKED FOR -- Notice that Jesus said “….if you knew the gift of God…you would have asked Him .” Jesus was that gift of God and this woman had never received this living water; she knew a little about God but not His plan of salvation.

So many in our world today rely on rituals and ceremonies, water baptism, church membership, communion, to give them the assurance of acceptance by God. They really don’t know that the only way to be accepted by God is through faith in Jesus Christ and His death on Calvary’s Cross. It’s our calling, as Christians, to bring that plan to them so that they too can have this Living Water. That’s the Biblical mandate for every Christian. This Living Water comes from:

A PERSON GREATER THAN RELIGIOUS FATHERS -- John 4:11-12 “She said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?’”

She asked Jesus two questions: Where do You get this living water and are You greater than the patriarch Jacob who had to dig a well for water for his family? To her, Jesus was claiming to be greater than Jacob and that He had access to much better water to quench men’s thirst.

Throughout Scripture, Jesus claims to be greater than the temple (Mt.12:6) greater than Jonah (Mt. 12:41) greater than Solomon (Mt. 12:42) greater than Abraham (Jn. 8:53) greater than Jacob (Jn. 4:11-12) and worth of a greater honor than Moses (Heb. 3:3) Finally, this Living Water is the only water that:

WILL QUENCH MAN’S THIRST -- John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’”

Men have two kinds of thirst – physical and spiritual. They know how to take care of the physical thirst but spiritual thirst is another matter. Mankind senses their thirst for purpose, meaning, significance, satisfaction and fulfillment and to be free from anxiety, stress and pressure. The problem is that they try to quench that thirst with the stagnant waters of the flesh and the world -- lust, immorality, drunkenness, pride, alcohol, drugs, money, cars, houses, land, clothes, luxurious living, position and power. But these things are like salt water – they only create more thirst.

Jeremiah 2:13 says, "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, That can hold no water."

This woman at the well is a picture of the human race – thirsting for things that will fulfill their life. Jesus Christ is the only way that they will find what they are looking for. Until they come to the Living Water they will continue to thirst.

It was April 14, 1912. John Harper had just led a young Englishman to Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Later that night, John walked the deck of the ship with his daughter and said, “It’s going to be beautiful morning.” But for 2100 passengers on the Titanic, that night would be there last as the Titanic sunk. But for John and other Christians on that boat, the next morning would be beautiful for them with their sunrise on their first day in heaven. Their thirst to see Jesus and heaven would be quenched.

CALL---If you died tonight, do you know for sure that heaven would be your eternal home? You can be sure if you will you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. You can leave here with all of your sins forgiven and have a new life. I remind you of Jesus’ words, that unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God. Just raise your hand.

Folks, there are many in the church today that try to satisfy their spiritual thirst worship, Bible study, buildings, programs. Those things are good and needed to carry out the ministry of the church. But by themselves, they will never quench the inner spiritual thirst people have. That’s why so many in the church are frustrated, depressed, fearful, confused and without a sense of spiritual satisfaction. Is that where you are. Do you need to come to the well of the Living Water and be refreshed?

Do you have a hunger for a deeper revelation of God? Do you know Jesus as well as you want to know Him? Do you need more of the Holy Spirit? Do you need a fresh anointing – a fresh power – a fresh infilling? Let’s come to these altars and pray that whatever your inner thirst is that the Lord Jesus will satisfy it through a new infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Father, there are so many today who, because of the condition of the world, are suffering from thirst – a thirst that is not physical but spiritual – religion can’t quench it – money, power and position can’t quench it – drugs, alcohol and immorality of all kinds can’t quench it. Grant that the Holy Spirit will give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we can know Him better.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS -- "Religious Hypocrisy"

2012-01-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“Religious Hypocrisy”
Romans 2:21-29
January 4, 2012

Last week we talked about what is called “The Religionist.” Can anyone define for me, based on that teaching, what is a “religionist?” WAIT Basically it’s a person who teaches Biblical principles to others without applying those same principles to others. In others words, a religionist “talked the talk” but didn’t “walk the walk.” That was the position of the Orthodox Jews of Paul’s day and is true today in much of the modern church. So, the “religionist” then is a person who:

DOESN’T LIVE WHAT THEY TEACH -- Romans 2:21-24 “….you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For " the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written."

As we consider these verses, we find that there are several points to think about that that Paul poses as questions that reveal religious hypocrisy. The first is seen in the question in vs 21:

“….you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? -- This question that Paul presents is not only for those who are classified as “teachers” but it applies to all of us. Why is that? We all have times of claiming to know some truths about morality and how people should live and behave. And when we share these truths that we know, we are actually teaching those truths.

The question that needs to be asked today is what right do we have to teach others how to live when we don’t teach ourselves the same thing? Hypocrisy, then was the issue of the Jews of Paul’s day and it’s the same issue with much of the modern church today.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:28 “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” The Paul poses the 2nd revealing question which also seen in vs 21:

You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? – If you’re stealing from others, what right do you have to tell others that they should not steal? Many would say that they don’t steal at all? What about when a cashier gives you more change back than you should you have and you keep it? “Well, it’s their mistake? I just consider it a blessing from God.” WRONG It’s stealing. It doesn’t belong to you.

Have you ever been shopping in a store and gone by one of those containers that has loose, bulk candy and just taken one piece that you didn’t pay for? That’s stealing. What if every customer that came into that store did the same thing?

Listen, if enough people take what doesn’t belong to them, you wind up with a world that is full of chaos. Stealing is stealing – whether it’s just a piece of fruit that you didn’t pay for or it’s government greed and corruption.

Ephesians 4:28 states, “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.” The third question that Paul poses is in vs 22 which says,

You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? -- How many want to have a spouse that is pure or children that are pure? I believe that all of us want that and we would teach that. But what about what you look at or read or hear? Do you allow TV programs to come into your home that you see as entertainment that suggest immorality and lust? “Well, I don’t allow my kids or grandkids to watch that. I send them out of the room.” Big deal. It’s immorality and it’s coming into your home. Do you dress in a way that is suggestive or that exposes your body? “Yeah, but everyone dresses this way. It’s the style.” Then be different.

So, if we look and watch, read and listen to sexual suggestions, we have our thoughts being centered on the desires of the sinful nature. That’s why there is such a breakdown of morality in our society. Then Paul moves on to the next question also stated in vs 22 which is:

You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? -- The KJV uses the wording, “do you commit sacrilege?” The Greek word for “sacrilege” is hierosyleō (hee-er-os-ool-eh'-o) and it means “robber of temple.” It refers to violating a commitment to God – robbing God of a commitment that a person has made to Him. Many say that they worship God and abhor idols. But they take what belongs to God – their commitment to prayer, to Bible study, commitment of their talents, skills and abilities, and even their commitment to your finances through tithes and offerings. In spite of a commitment to God of these things, they are given to someone or something else. Something else becomes more important than God. It becomes an idol. Finally, Paul brings up the final question which is stated in vs 23:

You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? -- Do we dishonor God when we talk about His Word and then break His commandments? When we do that, we give occasion to the world to mock, blaspheme, curse, ridicule, deny and insult His Name.

Paul was telling these religionist Jews that they have dishonored God by their actions and they are hated by the pagans of the world instead of being respected by them. He pointed out the problem they were facing and that was that they thought:

RITUAL SECURED GOD’S BLESSINGS – Romans 2:25-29 "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written. For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?”

Today we have many who think that church membership, water baptism brings acceptance by God. While these are important, if a person doesn’t keep the Word of God, then none of this counts for anything. The point to be made is that obedience and not ritual is what brings acceptance of a person by God. Finally, Paul brings all of this about the religionist to a head when he shows that:

A TRUE RELIGIONIST IS RIGHTEOUS INWARDLY -- Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

This is a crucial point. Everyone needs to hear this and do something about it. Everyone breaks the law – we have all sinned and continue to sin. But we must put our faith, not in the rituals of men, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross. We must put our faith in Jesus Christ, and obey the Word of God continually. Salvation is based, not on our works, but our faith in Christ. The righteousness that is acceptable to God is not based on anything but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

If a church is demanding that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ PLUS snake handling, hail Marys, water baptism, church membership, shaking the pastor’s hand etc., those things nullify the grace of God. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ will forgive sin and bring salvation. A changed heart produces a changed life. A faith in the atoning work of Christ is what produces a changed heart.

Father, as we leave here this evening, help us to remember that all of us have sinned against You and have fallen short of Your glory. We have all had those moments when we taught one thing and lived another. Grant us Your continuing grace to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit to see those times when we take on the characteristics of a religious hypocrisy. Help us to remember that when we DO fail You, that if we confess our sins You will be faithful and just to forgive us those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus Alone...."

2012-01-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus Alone….”
John 3:31-36
January 1, 2012

Well, Christmas 2011is over and, as usual, the kids made out like bandits. I read that Americans used over 28,million rolls of wrapping paper, over 16,million packages of tags and bows, 372 thousand greeting cards, and 35million Christmas trees during the Christmas season. All that remains now is to wait for the new year and for the credit card bills to come in. But, it was a wonderful Christmas and I hope that you all had a great time.

But, let’s return to study of the gospel of John that I’ve entitled the Revelation of Jesus Christ. So, let’s pick where we left off at John 3:31. The first thing that we see here is that Jesus alone:

IS FROM ABOVE -- John 3:31 (NASB) “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”

I was born in Johnstown Pa in a little burg called Moxham. I know about Moxham. I can tell you about the schools I went to that are now just parking lots; I can tell you about the local grocery stores, the churches. I can tell you about the Johnstown flood and how, at one time, Johnstown boasted of having the steepest incline plane in the world that ran up the side of the Westmont mountains. How do I know about all of this? It’s because I’m from there. Now if you want to know about Moxham and Johnstown, PA, then you shouldn’t talk to someone who was born in Bend, OR. You need to get your information from someone who’s been in Moxham and Johnstown and who’s lived there.

If you want information about heaven, if you want to know the language of heaven, if you want to get information about God, then Jesus Christ is the one you go to. When a man speaks of these things, it’s only speculation or conjecture, because that man has never been there. But, when Jesus speaks of God the Father and the Holy Spirit and heaven, He’s speaking from firsthand experience. It’s not second hand information. Wm. Barclay in his commentary said, “…because Jesus alone knows God, then He alone can give us facts about God and those facts are called the gospel.”

Jesus came out of a spiritual world into a physical world. He came out of what was incorruptible into what is corruptible. He came from that which was glorious to that which is dishonorable. John 3:13 says, “And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man.” Jesus alone:

IS GOD’S SPOKESMAN -- John 3:32-34a “What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness. He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God;….”

An ambassador from the U.S. to another country goes to that country and presents what the leadership of this country has to say. Jesus came as God’s ambassador to tell us what God wants us to know. But John said that there are so many people who refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus.

But the good news is that there are many who DO accept that gospel of Jesus. And when they do that, then those men affirm that what Jesus said is true. In those days when a man wanted to give his full approval to a document, he put his seal on the bottom of that document. That seal was the sign to all that he agreed with the contents of that document and that he regarded that document as binding and legal. When a person accepts what Jesus has said they accept it as being 100% correct and true. John then tells us that Jesus alone:

HAD THE FULL MEASURE OF THE SPIRIT -- John 3:34 “….for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

We can believe what Jesus said because God the Father poured out His Spirit on Jesus in full measure. God didn’t keep back any part of His Spirit from Jesus; He gave it all. The Holy Spirit was of the same Being with Jesus; the Holy Spirit is in perfect harmony, communion and fellowship with Jesus. There was no limit to the presence of the Holy Spirit in Jesus as there is in man. To the Jewish mind, John’s statement about the Spirit was significant to the Jewish mind. The Jews believed that the Holy Spirit revealed God’s truth to men and that the Holy Spirit enabled men to understand that truth.

So to say that the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus without measure was to say that Christ knows and understands perfectly the truths of God. In other words, to listen to Jesus is to listen to God.

Jesus states clearly the purpose for this full limit of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4:18-19 He states, " The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." Finally, Jesus alone:

DETERMINES MAN’S DESTINY -- John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John brings us to the crossroads that is stated in Joshua 24:15, “…. choose for yourselves today whom you will serve….” John comes back to the central point that what matters is man’s response to Jesus. If person accepts the message of the gospel of Jesus, then that person will receive eternal life. But if that person rejects the message of Christ, then he has condemned himself and brings on himself the wrath of God.

God wants us to accept and allow His love for us to change and develop us. He has shown us this truth by sending His only Begotten Son to earth – first as a baby in a manger then to the Cross of Calvary to die for our sins. Sin is what keeps people away from God’s love. So, what will you choose – will you accept or reject the gospel of Jesus?

CALL----Today is the first day of 2012 – a brand new year. Will you begin this year with a new life in Christ and leave here with all of your sins forgiven, or will you reject His message and leave here with yet another year of fear, doubt and confusion? You acceptance of the gospel is more than just a mental assent – it requires your obedience as well. It’s your choice. If you will accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior eternal life is yours or reject it and incur the wrath of God that is never ending. God loves you and wants you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If that’s your choice, just raise your hand.

My friends, the once for all event of the removal of sin took place on Calvary’s Cross over 2000 years ago. But before He did that He met with His disciples for one last meal and said to them in effect, “In a few days, I’m going to the cross to die for you. My body will be broken for you and My blood will be shed for you. I don’t want you to forget Me.” So, He set up a memorial for us so that we wouldn’t forget. It’s called communion. Jesus said, “Take communion whenever you can so that you won’t forget Me.”

Communion is a time to remember and to be reminded about Calvary and the work of Jesus on the Cross --- our sins are forgiven and heaven is our home. To be reminded that our past life is gone and we have new life in Him. Let’s come to communion and renew our commitment to Him – to obey Him and love Him and share Him. Let’s come to these altars and prepare our hearts for communion.

Father, as we begin this new year, grant us the grace to live a more committed life in Christ, to love Him, share Him and exalt Him daily in and through our lives. Help us to walk in the light of the Holy Spirit and in the light of Jesus so that others will be drawn to Him. Grants us a fresh infilling presence of Your Holy Spirit so that we find the power and strength to serve You faithfully. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Christmas Message -- "Six Miles To See Jesus"

2011-12-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

“SIX MILES TO SEE JESUS”
Matthew 2:1-6
December 25, 2011

I’ve calculated that Carol and I live about 3 miles from the church office or about 6 miles round trip. I’ve often thought about trying to walk that distance but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten with it – just a thought. For some folks, who are in good shape, that’s not too much of a walk.

The city of Jerusalem was about 6 miles from Bethlehem. Most of the key events in the Bible took place within 100 miles of Jerusalem and the mode of transportation was walking. In fact, the most important event in history took place just six miles from Jerusalem in Bethlehem. Against that backdrop we read Matthew’s account of the coming of the Magi in our text verses.

The teachers of the law knew a great deal about the coming Messiah. They knew He would be born of the Seed of the woman. Genesis 3:15.
He would be a descendant of Shem. Genesis 9:26.
He would be of the seed of Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3.
He would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 22:18.
He would be a descendant of Jacob. Genesis 28:14.
He would be of the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10.
He would be a “son of David." 2 Samuel 7:11,12,16.
He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14.
He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2.

If they knew the truth about all of this concerning the coming of the Messiah, then why didn’t they go with the Magi just 6 miles to Bethlehem? Let me offer three answers to that question. First of all:

THEY WERE INTELLECTUALLY LAZY -- The Jewish religious leaders had the truth about the Messiah. They were experts in the Law of Moses. In spite of that knowledge they weren’t interested in going 6 miles to check it out for themselves.

The truth is that there are many people who study long and hard; they read tons of books and consider so many different ideas and opinions about God but they never get around to making a commitment to Him. They have the opportunity to know the truth. They have the Word of God, they study the Word of God, they know the Word of God and they think about the Word of God. But with all of that, they won’t make a commitment to Jesus

Speaking of the condition of men in the last days, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:7 that men are “….always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Knowledge is good but at some point you’ve got to decide what you personally believe. What use is your great knowledge about Jesus if you never make a personal commitment to Jesus? The 2nd thing about these teachers of the law is that:

THEIR RELIGION MADE THEM SPIRITUALLY INDIFFERENT -- One Bible teacher said this: “Religion, even good religion, even Bible-based religion, can deaden the heart and mind. It’s easy to fall into the spiritual trap of saying, “I’m Baptist” or “I’m Catholic” or “I’m Lutheran” or “I’m Presbyterian” or “I’m Pentecostal” as if going to heaven is determined by church affiliation. It’s too easy for all of us to “play by the rules” of whatever church we attend and feel spiritually secure but still keep Christ at arm’s length. As long as Jesus is just a theory to us, He will be of no benefit to us personally. The 3rd thing about these teachers of the law is that:

THEIR BACKGROUND MADE THEM CULTURALLY ARROGANT -- Think about this for a moment. One day some strangers show up in your town, claiming to have seen a star in the east that led them in search of a baby born “king of the Jews.” What a bizarre story. And who are these guys anyway? They look different. They talk different. They dress strange. Everything about them screams, “We’re not from around here.” And what was this star? Why can’t we see it? Strange doings in Jerusalem for sure. It’s always easy to discount people who aren’t like us. (Biker in Paisley)

Charles Spurgeon put it this way about these Jewish leaders: “Those who should have been leaders were no leaders; they would not even be followers of that which is good, for they had no heart towards Christ.”

The heart is always the issue. If the heart is not right, no amount of religion or Bible knowledge can make up the difference.

Perhaps these teachers of the law feared Herod’s anger if they went with the Magi. But so what? Such fear shows how far the Jews had sunk in spiritual bondage. They were just six miles from Jesus and they wouldn’t go six miles to see Jesus.

Six miles from Jesus. Six miles from salvation. Six miles from forgiveness. Six miles from eternal life. They were too busy studying the Bible and accumulating head knowledge to go and see for themselves.

The Bible scholars knew that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but their knowledge condemned them all the more because they did nothing about the truth they knew. Let no one miss this solemn lesson: It is possible to know a great deal ABOUT Jesus and still miss the TRUTH about Jesus. These Jewish leaders, in spite of their head knowledge about the Messiah, wouldn’t commit to just 6 miles to find the Messiah. Many in our world today make the same mistake – they have a lot of head knowledge about Jesus, but the won’t commit to the 18” trip from the head to the heart to find Jesus.

At the end of life’s road you will find that Jesus stands there for all of us. There can be no middle ground. To ignore Jesus altogether means to live as if he doesn’t matter at all. But no one can ignore him forever. We all have an appointment with Christ sooner or later.

The ultimate question is not how someone else responds but how you respond to Jesus. That’s really the only thing that matters. Are you with Herod or with the Wise Men? Are you hostile to Jesus? Are you too busy to get involved? Are you coming to worship him as Savior and Lord?

One final story and we are done. Baptist pastor Jess Moody tells of meeting Rose Kennedy (mother of President John F. Kennedy) many years ago at a Bible study he was teaching. That night he challenged his hearers to make their hearts ready to meet the Lord because life is short for all of us, and no one knows what the future may hold. When the meeting was over, Rose Kennedy spoke to Jess Moody privately. “I’ve done what you were talking about tonight,” she said. She went on to say that as a young bride, she had been enamored by the power of money. She became selfish, living only for her own desires. Then she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who had been born with severe mental retardation and would have to be institutionalized for her entire life. She said that she and her husband were devastated by the news which eventually to enormous anger at God. “How could you have done this to us?” she asked the Lord.

One night a maid who worked for the family spoke to her. “Mrs. Kennedy, I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks and I’ve seen how angry you are. If you don’t do something, it’s going to ruin you. I think you should pray this prayer: “O Lord, make my heart a manger where the Christ child can be born.” Mrs. Kennedy was so angry that she fired the maid on the spot. But that night when she went to bed, she couldn’t get that simple prayer out of her mind. Finally, she knelt by her bed, and in an act of deep surrender she prayed, “O Lord, make my heart a manger where the Christ child can be born.”

In that moment, in the depth of the night, when she cried out in anguish, she opened her heart to Christ in a new way, and her heart did indeed become a manger where Christ could be born in her. Love replaced the anger that had gripped her soul.

CALL--- Is anger, worry, fear, doubt, and other inner distractions draining all the joy from your heart? If so this is the invitation from the Lord to you. Open your heart. Let go of your doubts and fears. Give up your anger and bitterness. Let go of the things that chain you to the past. Christ never turns away from any heart that is open to him. Those who seek him will find him every time. Will that be your experience during this Christmas season? Will you invite Jesus into your heart and make that commitment to follow Him from now on? Just raise your hand.

I pray that this Christmas will be a wonderful time for you and your families. Let the light of this Christmas season be a time when we renew our commitment to allow the Light of Christ shine in and through our lives. Let’s renew our commitment to lift up Jesus so that the lost will be drawn to Him.

Father, thank You for the Christmas season. As we celebrate with family and friends, help us to remember that You gave us the most wonderful gift that the human race has ever received – Your only Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

2011-12-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“God’s Case Against The Religionist (Jew)”
Romans 2:17-29
December 21, 2011

Let’s begin tonight by posing a question that each of us should consider. Here’s the question: How genuine is your faith? In our current culture, being viewed as a spiritual person is in vogue. The whole issue of spirituality, good and bad, is something that many consider. People want to be appear to be spiritual for a variety of reasons and with a variety of motives. Significance in life is something that modern man is looking for but in all of the wrong places. The end result is that man investigates what he is looking for in the way of significance and then they create a religion which is false. In an effort fool or impress others or himself, and maybe even God, man has embraced a cheap imitation of the real deal.

Consequently man winds up being impure with a false heart and without a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. In this area of Scripture, Paul presents his case against the Jews who thought they were better than anyone else just because they were Jews. In this same context, Paul’s presentation is also for the church and the Christian of today. Paul states basically 4 points about God’s case against what we will call “religionists.” The first point is that:

THE RELIGIONIST PROFESSES RELIGION -- Romans 2:17-20 (NASB) “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth….”

Let’s pose another question. Why is spiritual pride such a trap to people? WAIT If you had to describe the difference between a true believer and a person who is considered to be a religionist, what would you say? WAIT

A religionist accepts the name of his religion no matter what it is – Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, JW’s whatever. They show enough interest in their religion to make them feel secure. There are several mistakes that the religionist make and that Paul addressed to the Jews.

First, they rest in the law or the Word of God. They have the Scriptures in their homes, they carry the Bible to church with them, they honor the Word of God and, they even read it. So, they feel that they are pleasing God because they have and honor the Word of God. But that is a mistake of the religionist because God does not accept a person who happens to have His Word in their possession. God DOES accept a person who DOES the Word of God – they live it and they obey it. James 1:22 states But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Second, the religionist professes God. To profess means to boast, to glory, to feel proud about their profession of God and their religion. In other words, they openly profess their belief in and about God. He’s not ashamed of their religious affiliation or his beliefs. So, he believes that God accepts him because he professes his belief. But here again they make a mistake. God is not interested in a man’s profession but He is interested in a man’s life – a man who lives for Christ and doesn’t just profess and talk about the Lord – a man or woman who not only talks the talk but walks the walk.

Another thing is that a person who is a religionist is someone who knows the will of God. Vs 18 says, and know his will. He knows what God wants done; he knows the commandments and know right from wrong. So he feels that he’s ok with God. They fail to see that just KNOWING the will of God isn’t enough. God wants people to DO His will.

Ezekiel 33:31-32 “And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.”

The religionist is someone who is taught the Word of God by his family, his church, his friends and because he is taught the Word of God by someone, he thinks that he has a right relationship with God. But, once again, God isn’t interested in what a person knows but what a person does. God expects us to take what we have learned from Him through others and put it into practice. God wants us to live what we have been taught.

Another thing is that a person who is a religionist thinks that he is a sure light to those who are in darkness and who can’t find the light. He feels that, since he has found the light that he, therefore, is a light to those who are searching for it. But the mistake here is that religion is not the light of the world. Jesus Christ is.

John 8:12 says, Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Finally, the religionist has the Word of God at his disposal. He has every opportunity to know the truth. But again, having and knowing and thinking is not enough. God accepts and uses only those who live the Word, who keep The Word.

2 Timothy 3:5 says, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Being totally honest, how often does the Bible sit on a table in your home? Is there any real security in just having a Bible? What is it that separates the religionist from a true believer in Jesus Christ?

A true believer follows Jesus Christ and not a religion. Christ lives in another world, in a spiritual dimension. The believer is in touch with Him every day communicating through the Holy Spirit and through prayer. What the true believer does is follow Jesus and live the life of Christ and not the rules of religion. They live out the truth of Galatians 2:20 which says, It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Father, we love Your Word because it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Grant us Your grace to not only be people who possess Your Word but to be a people who DO Your Word. And in so doing, may our lives reflect the Light of Christ in us so that we can see all men being drawn to Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

BETHLEHEM SUNRISE

2011-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

“BETHLEHEM SUNRISE”
Luke 1:76-79
December 18, 2011

I ran across this quote from Tim Keller. He says, “Christmas is the end of thinking you are better than someone else, because Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you. It is telling you that people who are saved are not those who have arisen through their own ability to be what God wants them to be. Salvation comes to those who admit how weak they are.”

“Christmas is the end of thinking you are better than someone else.” That might make a good banner to hang over the front door of every church. At least it would serve up a bit of humility every time we passed under the banner. But the point is that God came down to us.

We didn’t go up to him because ever since Babel, we’ve been building our towers to heaven and they keep on collapsing. I read the other day how people seemingly are getting back to basics this year. So many have come to the end of this year just barely hanging on.

If people were in the market heavily this year, they’re net worth has probably taken a big hit. Maybe they’ve lost their job or they’re worried that it might happen soon. For many people this will be a different sort of Christmas, one that is less materialistic and more family-centered. Certainly people are thinking more about the future and wondering what tomorrow will bring.

None newspaper article had this to say, “All this has hastened and added to the real decline in faith-the collapse in faith-the past few years in our institutions. Not only in Wall Street but in our entire economy, and in government. The reigning thought process seems to be every man for himself.”

“Every man for himself.” Where have we heard that before? That’s a paraphrase of Judges 21:25, where it says “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes”.

We like to say that God helps those who help themselves. But if Christmas means anything, it teaches us that God helps those who admit they can’t help themselves. We’re so helpless that God sent a baby to help us out of the darkness we’re in. With that background, let’s go to our text verses. What does the coming of Christ mean to us in the Christmas season? First Christ coming means that it is:

LIGHT TO THOSE IN DARKNESS -- Luke 1:78 “Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us,….”

If you have ever stayed up with a sick child, you know how long the night can last. If you have waited for a loved one to come home, you know how long the night can last. If you have stayed awake worrying about the future, you know how long the night can last. If the cares of life have stolen your sleep, then you know how long the night can last. The last few hours before sunrise seem to go on forever. But, when the sun rises and the light shines, we see everything differently. Our problems don’t seem so large and we have courage to keep on going.

In John 8:12 Jesus said of Himself "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Christ is the light and He has come into this world and nothing can ever be the same again. Without Jesus as our Light, we live only in darkness, misery, and death.

Adam Clark in his commentary said that if a person follows Jesus Christ they shall be saved from ignorance, infidelity, and sin. If a person will come to Jesus, and believe on His name, the Holy Spirit to will bear witness to him, that he is a child of God.

No one needs to walk through this life with the darkness of despair, guilt, condemnation, anxiety, fear and confusion. When a person comes to Christ, they are given a light that will remove all of that and bring life to them that is eternal.

One writer notes that “there are a great many dark places in our life, but there is no darker place than our sins.” We all have those “dark places,” and we don’t know what to do about them. The wisest of man has no answer for the problem of sin. But through the message of the cross, with the shedding of His innocent blood, Jesus Christ says to all “If you will come to Me, and believe in Me, and trust in Me, I will come into your life and give you my Light and all of your sins will be forgiven and you will receive a new life.” That’s the Christmas invitation? Second, Christ coming means that it is:

PARDON TO THOSE CONDEMNED TO DEATH -- Luke 1:79 “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,…."

It must be obvious to everyone that the world is not the world that God made because that world was “very good” There is no darkness like the darkness of not knowing how to get out of the trouble you are in.

Christmas means the end of thinking that you are better than anyone else—we’re not. Apart from the grace of God, we’re all going down together. It is a big advance spiritually to be able to say, “I am a sinner too." As long as we pretend we’re okay, or as long as we blame others, or as long as we make excuses for our bad behavior, we are still living in the darkness of denial.
I understand that in the Holy Land is a place called the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Mary supposedly gave birth to Jesus. To get to the church, you come to a very small entrance so small that you have to duck down low to get inside. The entrance is deliberately made low because several centuries ago the local big shots liked to ride their horses right into the sanctuary. The priests felt that was inappropriate so they lowered the entrance to force the great men to dismount before entering the church.

The same is true of salvation. If you want to go to heaven, you’ve got to get off your high horse. Until you do, you’ll never be saved. Thirdly, Christ coming means that it is:

GUIDANCE TO THE LOST – Luke 1:79 "To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."

When we think of guidance, we tend to focus on the decisions of life. Should I get married? Is this the right job for me? Does God want me to be a missionary? But the sort of guidance Christ provides guides us through the darkest moments of life, and giving us strength and peace to face the most difficult circumstances. Jesus gives us “peace that passes all understanding. ” The world can’t buy that peace, or duplicate that peace or take it away from the believer.

Christmas means that Jesus Christ has come and with Him in our life, there is light for the dark days, that our sin is forgiven and removed and we’re free from sins grip, and that we no longer have to despair. Jesus gives us the peace that we need for the tough times.

De Witt Talmage told the following story about an experience he had. “I have read that near the North Pole, the night lasting for months and months, when the people expect the day is about to dawn, some messengers go up on the highest point to watch; and when they see the first streak of day they put on their brightest possible apparel, and embrace each other and cry, “Behold the sun!” and the cry goes through all the land, “Behold the sun!”

One Bible teacher puts it this way, “On the first Christmas morning the sun began to shine in Bethlehem. And from that sunrise, the light still shines 2000 years later. The light from the manger has encircled the world, setting free those who sat in darkness and giving hope to those who could not find their way home.” Christmas is here. “Behold the Son!”

CALL------- Has the light of Christ ever shined into your heart or are you still in the darkness? No question is more important. What is your answer?

Good news! The light of heaven has come to earth. Will you open your eyes to see it? Will you let the message of Christmas this year, draw you to Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior and live for Him from this day forward? Will you welcome him into your heart?

Christmas is only a few days away. That means that we have a wonderful opportunity to set our hearts right with Jesus Christ and renew our commitment to live and serve Him. Let’s come to prayer this morning and ask the Holy Spirit to refill us with His presence and power. Let’s come and thank the Lord for the message of Christmas which brings the eternal truth that God has at last come to His people. Christ’s birth brought God to man and Christ’s death brought man to God. Let’s come and give thanks to Him for what He has done to us and for us.

Father, the Christmas season is a wonderful time of year. It’s a time for families to come together, to love each other and to bring gifts to each others. But, Father, help us to remember the awesomeness of the Gift You have given to us in Bethlehem. Through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, help us this Christmas season to behold the Son. In Jesus Name I pray. AMEN

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "No Distinctions"

2011-12-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“No Distinctions”
Romans 2:11-16
December 14, 2011

Let me read to you a short illustration from Donald Grey Barnhouse that is in his commentary on Romans that applies to this area that we want to look at tonight. He writes, “As I drive in and out of Philadelphia, the main road passes the old Quaker meeting house at Horsham, where William Penn frequently attended divine service. Across the road from the old colonial edifice, there is the large and well kept graveyard, in which each of the hundreds of grave stones is exactly alike. Every stone rises as a marker above a grave, a simple rounded headstone about a foot above the ground. If you read the names that are there, you will find that masters and servants, parents and children, rich and poor, have stones that are precisely the similar. With the old Quakers a great truth had taken hold – that whatever the inequalities of life, all were equal in death.” Now, the truth that Barnhouse expresses in this story sort of sets the stage for our study tonight. As we begin, the great truth of this area is that:

GOD DOESN’T SHOW FAVORITISM -- Romans 2:11 (NASB) “For there is no partiality with God.” There are 4 principles of the judgment of God. The first is:

God will judge men according to truth, secondly, God will judge men according to the measure of wrath men have stored up for themselves, thirdly, God will judge men for their life choices whether for righteousness or unrighteousness, and fourthly, God will judge men without favoritism.

The word “partiality” in the Greek is prosopolemptes (pros-o-pol-APE-tace) and it means literally “an accepter of a face.” Literally translated, vs 11 would read this way, “For there is not receiving of face in the Presence of God.” In other words, God does not accept a person because of their personal merits. He doesn’t accept anyone because they are rich or poor, a person of power or a person with no influence. Simply put, God doesn’t show any level of partiality. Everyone is on equal footing before God and His judgment. It’s clear that:

ALL SIN WILL BE JUDGED -- Romans 2:12-16 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”

The basis for judgment is sin. The man who sins without the law and the man who sins in the law will both be judged. Why do some people feel that God will judge them differently using a different set of rules? WAIT

The man who sins without the law will also perish without law. The word for law is a general word. It refers to the law of God in both the Scriptures and nature. In other words, man who does NOT have the law of the Scripture DOES HAVE the law of nature to guide. If he sins against the law of nature, he will still be judged. He had the opportunity to know God through creation – through nature itself.

Romans 1:19-20 reminds us of this. “….because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Man has a God given conscience and he has an inner sense or awareness of that which is right and that which is wrong. Romans tell us that man can know God and His invisible attributes, His power and His nature through His creation. It’s clear from God’s Word that man has the ability through this awareness that he would be drawn to know God. Having said that, man is then without excuse. However, man has chosen NOT to know God.

The man who sins “under the law” will be judged by the law. His judgment will be greater because he had the privilege and opportunity to know God through the law. The point is that God will not show any partiality when it comes to His judgment.
Everyone will have to answer for their sins whether they were under the law, as were the Jews and some Gentiles, or whether they were NOT under the law which was the case for most of the Gentiles.

There is another distinction here and that is that a person must be:

A DOER OF THE LAW -- The doers and not the hearer of the law will be justified. It isn’t enough to just have the Word of God. It’s not enough to just hear and see the Word of God. It’s not enough to understand and know the Word of God. It’s not enough to possess and profess the Word of God. A person must not only be a hearer of the Word of God, they must be a doer.

With the law of Moses was the KNOWLEDGE of sin and consequent guilt. But man didn’t have the power to AVOID SIN. The law of Moses was given by God to man to show how man should conduct himself toward God and his fellowman. Nothing was left out. At that time, the law of Moses was the only law known to man and it was equal for everyone. Within that law there was provision for sin in that there were sacrifices to be offered that would cover sin, but not take it away.

The sacrifices of the law of Moses told man that he was a sinner and couldn’t save himself. The law taught man that there had to be the shedding of blood from an innocent victim pertaining to animal sacrifices. For the most part, the Gentiles, even though this law was available to them should they choose to follow it with the Jews, they chose not to do so. Consequently, they lived outside of the law and will be judged by their choice.

Now, what about the matter of those who do not have or heard the Word of God? Where to they stand? What kinds of things has God put into their heart that can lead them to God? WAIT Well, the heathen have a 3 fold witness that is strong enough to lead them to God. First of all:

MEN HAVE THEIR NATURE -- These verses in Romans 2:12-15 state that men may not have the law (the Scriptures) but they can DO the law by nature.

There is that within man, within his nature, that can stir him to do the law. Man has an instinctive knowledge of right and wrong. His very nature gives him the chance to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.

Man can look at nature and see that he is part of it. Secondly:

MAN HAS A CONSCIENCE -- When they do right, there is that sense of approval. When they do wrong there sense a reproach. So their conscience gives them the opportunity to live righteously and do good. Thirdly:

MAN HAS REASONING ABILITY -- That ability can approve or disapprove, excuse or accuse them and others. Their thoughts bear witness as to how they should or should not live. Why do they reject those things? WAIT Finally, judgment will be:

EXECUTED BY JESUS AND HIS GOSPEL -- Romans 2:16 “on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

A specific day of judgment is coming. In that day, the “secrets of men” will be exposed and judged. And Jesus is the One who will do the judging. He alone has earned the right to judge men because He obeyed the Father perfectly and lived a sinless life. And the standard for His judgment is the Gospel.

Father, once again we thank You for the truth of Your Word. Holy Spirit, we ask for Your help to keep us sensitive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can, not only hear it but obey it. And in that process may we so live our life that the lost will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE CHRISTMAS QUESTION -- "Why Did Christ Come?

2011-12-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

THE CHRISTMAS QUESTION
“Why Did Christ Come?”
Luke 19:1-10
December 11, 2011

I want to take the next few weeks and look at some great truths about the Christmas season. We’ll get back to our study in the gospel of John following right after Christmas. Now, let me pose a question about Christmas? That question is “Why Did ChristCome ?” I believe that most people know what Christians believe about Jesus. However, I suspect that many want to know the answer to the question I just posed --- why did Jesus come to earth and why does it make any difference? In dealing with this question I came across some thoughts by Dr. Pritchard that became the foundation for this message.

Jesus Himself gave us the answer to that question in a very familiar story found in Luke 19:1-10. Let’s read those verses. I want to focus on vs 10 where Jesus answered this question when He said this, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Vs 10 is a very simple statement yet it’s chock full great truth. To be sure that is the case." So let's look at some of the elements in this vs that will answer the "Christmas Question: Why Did Christ Come." First of all, in vs 10 we have:

A HISTORICAL FACT -- Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come….” Theologians call birth of Jesus “the incarnation”….God in human flesh. The birth of Jesus is different than our birth. Jesus came in obedience to His Father’s will. We didn’t. You and I are here because of the choices of our parents. But Jesus came in accordance with the plan of God. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,…” The birth of Jesus was no accident – every detail of His birth was planned in heaven by God.

The core of our faith is stated in the Christmas season which is that God came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:9 “He who has seen , Me has seen the Father….” So, in Luke 19:10 we have a historical fact and we have:

A SIGNIFICANT MISSION -- Luke 19:10“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save ….” Jesus came seeking adulterers; He came seeking blind beggars; He came seeking lepers; He came seeking fishermen, politicians, physicians, tax collectors, rich men, poor men, prostitutes, drunkards, drug addicts, murderers, child abusers, gays, atheists, agnostics, and self righteous religious hypocrites like the Pharisees. You name the person and Jesus came seeking for them. And when He hung on Calvary’s Cross, head swollen the size of a basketball, beaten almost to death with some of His internal organs exposed, huge spikes through His hands and feet, 4 inch thorns in a crown that pierced His skull, unable to swat a fly, bleeding profusely, He was seeking He was seeking you and me. Jesus came as the seeking Savior. In Luke 19:10 we have a historical fact, a significant mission and we have:

A DESCRIPTION OF HUMANITY -- Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Look at the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 and then turn on the news on TV or pick up the local newspaper and see if you don’t agree with Jesus’ assessment of the human race – men are lost without God.

Isaiah 53:6 reminds us of the state of mankind. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;” We don’t have to be taught to run from God – it’s our nature to do that. Truthfully, if Jesus Christ did not come to us, we would never seek Him. Being truly lost means lost without God, lost without hope, trapped forever in sin. How do we escape this hopelessness? The answer is found in the words when Jesus said that He “came to seek and saved the lost.” He didn’t come as a tourist, or as a philosopher, or an intellectual. Jesus came as a seeking Savior. So, just what are the implications of the mission of Christ? There are 3 implications. First when Jesus came:

MAN’S REPONSIBILITY INCREASED -- Luke 12:48 “And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required;…” If Jesus hadn’t come to earth, we would all be going to hell condemned by our sins. Romans 3:23 tells us clearly, “….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,….” But Jesus DID come to earth to reveal God to us. In Christ we see, God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s kindness, God’s justice and God’s holiness.

He came to earth and man heard His Words, saw His miracles, and we put Him to death. So what will be our end if we neglect the truth that Jesus brought to us? God’s Word is clear on this question. If, after hearing the truth about Jesus, we choose to ignore and neglect Christ, we will be condemned to hell forever. If a man will not come to Jesus for salvation, then Jesus will come to that man for utter destruction. Secondly, if Jesus came to save then:

THE SINNER HAS NO EXCUSE -- John 3:16-18 puts it this way, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. " He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

That’s the condition of the human race – condemned, judged already. Sin has infected the entire human race – their mind, their will, their words, their deeds. Every part of our lives is affected and by sin. What mankind needs is salvation. And what sinners need, Jesus Christ came to provide. So we are without excuse. The old song says, sing it with me, “What can was away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Hallelujah! PTL Coming to the cross, applying the blood of Christ is the only thing that will set us free. Thirdly, if Jesus came to save the lost then:

THE WORST CAN BE SAVED -- Romans 3:23 tells us “….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,….” You can’t tell by looking at a person what’s in their heart. Only God can do that. I read the other day of a British novelist, the name I don’t know, who said, “If all of man’s thoughts were made public, would they not deserve hanging 12 times a day?” We deserve more than that. But the good news this Christmas is that Christ DID come and He came to save sinners like you and me.

Luke 19:10 doesn’t put limits on the grace of God. And our sins can be forgiven INSTANTLY when we come to the cross and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. One preacher said, “You may come to church without Jesus, but you don’t have to leave without Him. You may come guilty, but you can leave forgiven.” That’s the great message of Christmas and the coming of Jesus to earth. Jesus is a better Savior than you are a sinner. The moment you believe in Jesus, that’s the moment your sins are pardoned and you are made clean by the blood of Jesus.

All of us here this morning have had thoughts and spoken words that we rather not talk about; of greed; of foolish choices. We are all sinners in need of forgiveness.
The good news of Christmas is that Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and save the lost.

CALL-------If you are here this morning without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I want to tell you that no matter what sins you have committed, how often you did them or how bad they were, Jesus Christ came to save you. Your past doesn’t have to determine your future when you invite Christ into your life. Jesus has come to seek you. Will you come to Him?

The Christmas question of why Jesus came is that He came to seek and save the lost. If you have been saved by accepting the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary, received salvation, then you have a responsibility to share that with others. One day the church of Christ will no longer be on earth. It is our call as Christians to tell the good news of the Christmas season – Jesus came to save them. We must pray fervently that the Lord will give us a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit to see the opportunities that God presents to exalt Jesus Christ. And if we will do that, then the lost will come to Him. Let’s pray.

Father, thank You for allowing us into Your presence this morning and reminding us that if Jesus had not come as a baby in a manger, we would be lost forever. May this Christmas season be a reminder that Jesus DID come as a baby and that He would die on a cross for our sins that we might be forgiven. Help us to share that message with the world around us that we might see a harvesting of souls. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE ROMAN ROAD- "Judged -- Heaven or Hell"

2011-12-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“Judged –Heaven or Hell”
Romans 2:6-10
December 7, 2011

Mankind is divided into two classes. Those who obey God and those who do not. There is a sharp dividing line between the two and that dividing line is the Cross of Calvary. On one side of the Cross there is a group that is characterized as those who seek glory, honor and incorruption. On the other side is the rest of the human race. In both cases, each person will be judged by God. No one is going to escape His judgment.

Paul is writing to the Jews who thought that they were above the judgment of God because they were God’s chosen people. But Paul makes it clear that they are dead wrong and that no one

IS GOING TO ESCAPE JUDGMENT -- Romans 2:6 (NASB) “God, who will render to every man according to his deeds:”

Note that this judgment is based on our deeds. That does not mean that faith is not necessary. On the contrary, there is no such thing as faith without works. Nor are there righteous and acceptable works without faith. The works that please God and that are truly of God are the result of faith.

Man believes in and works for many different things – religion, service organizations, social clubs etc. But God has a demand for mankind that says that man must believe in Him and work for Him reaching out to a world that is lost.

When a person truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will work for the kingdom of God. They are more interested in impacting the kingdom of God than they are the kingdom of darkness. And as we walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit will show us what and how we should do that. That is the reason that this church has made a decision to discontinue the harvest festival on Halloween.

That particular event, while billed as an outreach to the community, nonetheless does nothing to promote the Light of Christ and His kingdom but rather promotes the darkness of Satan and his kingdom. And the church of Jesus Christ has no business promoting, supporting, sponsoring, coordinating or assisting in anyway the kingdom of darkness. We are here for the explicit purpose of glorifying and exalting Jesus Christ. We are NOT here to glorify, advance or promote Satan and his kingdom.

God is either going to reward or punish every man according to what he/she has done for God. We’re not talking about salvation by works. Salvation is received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And salvation is MAINTAINED by faith in Jesus Christ. That, however, doesn’t set aside the importance of good deeds or accepting the responsibility for doing bad deeds. All believers will have to give an account as will all unbelievers. Now, let’s take a look at:

THE REWARD OF TRUE CHRISTIANS -- Romans 2:7 ` to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;

There are some things that we need to consider when we look at the reward of the true Christian. First, note that these well doers of God:

SEEK GLORY, HONOR AND IMMORTALITY –The Greek word for “glory” is doxa (DOX-ah) which means to possess and to be full of perfect light; to dwell in perfect light, brilliance, splendor, brightness, luster, and magnificence with God.

The Greek word for “honor” is time (tim-MAY) which means to be acknowledged, recognized, approved, accepted, esteemed and exalted by God. It means to be privileged and exalted to a position of responsibility and service to God.

The Greek word for “immortality” is aphtharsia (af-thar-SEE-ah) which means living forever with God in a world that will last forever. Note that the Christians see this glory, honor and immortality:

WITH PERSEVERANCE -- The Greek word for “perseverance” is proskarterēsis (pros-car-TEAR-ay-sis) and it means to be steadfast and constant. It means to endure and continue. So what’s being said here is that the true Christian in seeking for glory, honor and immortality does not just start seeking but he finishes seeking. It means that they continue to live with good deeds and doesn’t give into hardship, or difficulties or opposition.

Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." The reward for their perseverance:

IS ETERNAL LIFE -- Their life will be one of inheriting a world of glory, honor and peace. Now, let’s consider:

THE REWARD OF THE WICKED -- Romans 2:8 "....but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. The wicked and evil of this world will be judged...."

ARE SELF SEEKING AGAINST GOD -- They don’t like what God says so they fight against it. They simply refuse to buckle under and surrender their lives to God and His will. They are interested only in dealing with what they find pleasing instead of what pleases God. The fact it that no one should argue with God, or bargain with God or question God. The truth is that God always has our best interests at heart. In all honesty, this contention against God is the main problem with the world.

They don’t want to obey God, or follow God so they deny Him and resist Him. The attempt to ignore Him and they then make up their own religion which they claim is serving God when, in fact, it is self serving. That is contention against God. The end result is twofold in that:

THE WICKED WILL NOT ESCAPE -- Romans 2:9 "There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, . God’s judgment will involve His wrath and anger, and the wicked will experience trouble and distress."

The Greek word for “tribulation” is thilipsis and it means oppression, suffering, and affliction. The Greek word for “distress” is stenochoria (sten-ok-o-REEH-ah) which means to be put into a narrow place; to experience extreme pain, sorrow and affliction.

This is the reward for those who will not surrender to God, who refuse the truth of God, and who persist in doing evil. Finally:

THE CHRISTIAN WILL BE REWARD – Romans 2:10 "....but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

No true Christian will be overlooked. They will receive immortality, glory, honor, and peace. Everyone will be on equal footing at the judgment seat of Christ. In the Old Testament scheme of things, the Jews believed that they were better than anyone else because they were God’s people. But in the New Testament covenant, everyone is equal. At the foot of the Cross, the ground is level.

Father, as believers in Jesus Christ, we look forward to that time when we will receive our reward from you for our belief and trust in Christ that directs our life to do good. Help us to live daily with that understanding that, no matter, how bad things get in this world, we have the promise of Your Word that the wicked will receive their reward for their unbelief. Yet, Father, we know that You don’t want anyone to perish. Grant us the grace to let the Light of Jesus show through us so that all men will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

LESSONS FROM THE WISE MEN

2011-12-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

LESSONS FROM THE WISE MEN
Matthew 2:1-12
December 4, 2011

With our children’s program this morning, we kick off the Christmas season. This morning, I want to take just a few minutes to look at the birth of Jesus through the eyes of the wise men to see what we can learn from them. So, let’s go to our text verses in Matthew 2:1-12. Lesson #1 is that if you look for God:

YOU’LL ALWAYS FIND JESUS –Matthew 2:1-3 (NASB) “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.’ And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

These men were learned men devoted to religion and who were held in high esteem. But spiritually speaking, they were not wise but unwise. However, God was going to change their flawed thinking through the birth of Jesus Christ.

These men would’ve known that Daniel had prophesied 500 years earlier, that a decree was going to be issued to authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem that was then in ruins. (Daniel 9:25-26) Daniel wrote that 483 years following the date of that decree, the Messiah would be in Jerusalem. So, these wisemen knew when Cyrus gave that decree and they just added 483 years to that date. They knew WHEN the Messiah would come, they just didn’t know WHERE.

So, they stopped by Jerusalem and asked “Where?” The prophet Micah would answer that question in Micah 5:2(NASB): " But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."

It’s interesting that the first words spoken by a human in the New Test come from these wise men when they asked in Matthew 2:2 “Where is God?” And for 2000 years, people are still searching for God. They ask, “Where was God when my child died – or my husband – or my wife?” Or, “Where was God when I lost my job and my home?” Let me say to you that if you are genuinely and diligently seeking God, you will always be led to Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NASB)says, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” For it is in Jesus Christ that the answers to all if life’s problems are found.

The wise men searched earnestly for God and they found Him in Jesus Christ. Likewise, if you are searching for God, you’ll find him in Jesus Christ. Lesson #2 is that if you are wise:

GIVE JESUS YOUR TREASURE -- Matthew 2:11-12 (NASB) “And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.”

One of the nice things about Christmas is the giving of gifts. But real gifts are motivated by love. Love always gives. In John 3:16 (NASB) we see real love in action. "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." Someone said, “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” The gifts that the wise men brought were perfect. If you are truly wise, you’ll open your life’s treasures and give Jesus some valuable gifts as well. Gifts like:

GOLD REPRESENTING YOUR FIRST AND BEST -- When Jesus becomes the Lord of your life, it means that He is the King of your life and He deserves the best of your time, money, skills and talents -- not your leftovers. Give a gift like:

INCENSE REPRESENTING YOUR JOYFUL WORSHIP -- Incense was used by the priests in worship as an offering to honor and praise God. We should attend church to give praise to God, give a hug or encouragement to someone who’s going through a hard time. Give a gift like:

MYRRH REPRESENTING YOUR LIFE AND LOYALTY -- The myrrh represents the need for us to offer Jesus our lives. That’s what He did for us when He went to the cross and shed His innocent blood for us. Lesson #3 is that when you meet Jesus:

YOU’LL ALWAYS CHANGE -- Not only did the wise men go home a different way, they were different men as they left. Once you meet Jesus, you have a different way of living, a new way of thinking, a whole new set of values.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When you search for God, you will find Jesus. And that discovery will give you truths that will change your life forever. The wise men weren’t wise because they were seeking Jesus, but they were wise because they found Jesus. Will you come to Jesus this Christmas and open your life to Him?

CALL--- Are you searching for purpose, or for truth or the meaning of life? Or maybe you don’t know WHAT you’re looking for. But if you will seek God with all of your heart, you WILL find that search will always lead to Jesus. Will you open your heart to Jesus this morning and ask Him in to be your Lord and Savior?

If you’re already a Christian, you might be thinking “What truth can I take away with from this message? I’ve already met Christ and given Him my life.” The application for you my friend, is that God wants to use you to go out into this world, and be a guiding and leading star to Jesus Christ. A good place to start that journey is right here in this service. Let’s take a few minutes this morning to come to these altars to worship the Lord. If you’re coming to Christ for the first time, we’ll meet you here and pray with you privately. But if you’re already a Christian, then come with a prayer that asks the Lord to make you like a star that will guide others to Christ.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful Christmas season and the lessons we’re are learning from our time together. There’s a lot of darkness in our world, but Lord we want to be wise and shine like the stars by turning others to Jesus. Give us the grace, anointing and opportunity to be that star for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "Is God Just?"

2011-11-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“Is God Just?”
Romans 2:2-5
November 30, 2011

Last week we took a look at God’s case against the moralist. We talked about all of the points of what a moralist is and what they think. In summary, what would you say is a moralist? WAIT The moralist is someone who elevates their personage while running down others. Tonight, we want to move on by looking at some misconceptions that man has regarding God’s judgment. God’s justice is perfect and His judgment:

IS BASED ON TRUTH: -- Romans 2:2-5 “Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,….”

What is your definition of truth? God’s judgment will be executed in perfect justice. The word “truth” in the Greek is aletheian and it means true as opposed to false. It means what really is; what actually exists; what exactly takes place. In other words, God’s judgment is perfectly just, exactly what it should be, nothing more and nothing less.

His judgment is based on what really happens, what the facts are, what actually takes place and what a person really is within his heart and what that person actually did.

1Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God knows the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. His judgment will conform exactly to our deeds and it will match those deeds perfectly.

God, is omniscient – He knows everything including the motives of our hearts. Mankind operates on the premise of subjective truth – what may be truth you is not truth to me. So truth is relative and changes according to circumstances. So, in reality then such truth is no truth at all.

But the type of truth that Paul mentions here concerning God is always objective truth – it’s truth that never changes. In real life terms real truth cannot change because if it does, then it’s not truth at all. So, God’s judgment is based on perfect truth and cannot be denied.

Now, man operates with a misconception about truth and God’s judgment. Now, thinking about this moralist person, the moralist thinks that :

HE WILL ESCAPE GOD’S JUDGMENT -- The problem here is that the moralist forgets that all of mankind sin and fall short of God’s glory. He forgets that God sees the inner recesses of man’s heart. They forget that God will judge men not only for their deeds but for their thoughts as well. For their lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Secondly, this moralist thinks that:

GOD IS TOO GOOD TO PUNISH -- They think of God in terms of His riches – things like God’s goodness, kindness, grace and love. They think of God’s holding back and controlling His justice. They think of God’s longsuffering and being patient and slow in judging sin. And all of that is true about God.

But there is another side to the goodness of God that the moralist doesn’t see. And that is that God’s goodness is not a blank check to sin; it’s not a license to sin; it doesn’t condone sin; it does not overlook sin.

God’s goodness leads men to repentance and not sin. The fact that God WILL forgive sin should stir men’s hearts to seek God’s forgiveness and learn how to please God. If a person goes out and sins, thinking that God will just overlook that sin, he is despising God’s goodness. But they are wrong. God does not overlook sins. It will be judged.

1 John 3:7-8 says, “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Thirdly, the moralist thinks that:

MAN IS BASICALLY GOOD -- Their thinking is that man can be good enough for God to accept. He thinks that God is only looking for the good in man and that within man there is enough good for Him to accept. There is a thinking that God’s
Goodness accepts man’s good works, good thoughts, good behavior, good feelings, good nature and good tendencies.

The problem with that thinking is that God can only accept perfection. No man is perfect in nature, thought or behavior. So, all of mankind is unacceptable to God.
God’s goodness should lead all men to confess their sins and to seek God’s acceptance through the cross and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Finally, the moralist:

HARDENS HIS HEART AGAINST GOD -- They refuse to repent. Notice at the end of vs 5, it speaks of “righteous judgment.” That means just, fair, impartial, correct, exact. That means that God’s judgment is just what it should be. In fact, God must judge for God is love.

As love, He must straighten out all the injustices on earth. He must right all of the wrongs. He must correct the injustices of man. He must judge man with a judgment that is perfect.

Take note of the words But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath The person who hardens their heart against the Lord and refuses to repent, is storing up more and more of God’s wrath for themselves when the day of judgment comes.

John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ is man found acceptable to God and therefore permitted to enter into heaven. We are not saved BY our good works, we are saved to DO good works. Don’t think that God is too good to send a person to hell. It’s clear from His Word, that the wicked will perish in hell. The cross is the only way to accept that judgment of God and God’s judgment will come to all men who refuse to accept Jesus Christ.

Father, we ask that Your Holy Spirit will drive these truths into our hearts so as to help us live a life that is pleasing to You. May we daily understand that we must take Your love, mercy and grace for granted but that these are available to us only through the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray that we will live out this truth to such an extent that the lost around us will be drawn to Jesus and surrender their lives to Him as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "From Old To New"

2011-11-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“From Old To New”
John 3:22-30
November 27, 2011

Life is full of transitions. From the time we are born, life is about moving from one phase of life to the next. In this area of Scripture we see a transition that is crucial. While it is directed primarily at Israel, it is directed to us today as well. So, let’s read our text verses in John 3:22-30. In these verses we see:

JESUS AS THE NEW MASTER -- John 3:22-26 (NASB) “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. And John also was baptizing in Aenon (EYE-non) near Salim, because there was much water there; and they were coming and were being baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. There arose therefore a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. And they came to John and said to him, " Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him."

Following His talk with Nicodemus, Jesus moves out into the country side of Judea where He and his disciples were are baptizing people. At the same time, John and his disciples were also baptizing in Aenon near Salim. But more people were going to Jesus instead of John. Note as well, that Jesus spent time with His disciples. It was in these times that Jesus hared with them and ministered to them. It was in those quiet times that their relationship with Jesus grew and matured as Jesus nurtured them.

Some of the Jews questioned the value of John’s baptism. If John’s baptism was really cleansing people’s hearts, why were they now flocking to Jesus? Now, let me address this cleansing of the heart with some facts. First:

HUMAN HEARTS CAN BE CLEANSED -- Every human wants to have that certainty that they can have their heart cleansed by someone at some place. They want to be rid of guilt and conviction. Secondly:

MAN WILL FOLLOW SOMEONE -- There’s the question of who do they turn to for this heart cleansing and to released from this sense of failure? Some will seek Christ for that cleansing. But others turn to religion –church attendance--giving to charity—doing some good work. But the truth is that only Jesus Christ can really cleanse and purify a man’s heart and give them a true cleansing from sin.

Romans 8:1-2 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” When Jesus went to the cross He suffered the fullness of condemnation. And it was done for anyone who would believe in Him.

John could have felt hurt or neglected or forgotten with people flocking to Jesus instead of him. But instead John told his disciples that:

GOD APPOINTED JESUS AS THE MESSIAH – John 3:27-28 “John answered and said, " A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven. "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ' I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.’”

God is the only One who appoints men to particular service and then equips them with His gifting. And if God doesn’t do the appointing and the gift giving, then those men are false prophets and false apostles. No one can confer any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on anyone else. John’s whole message was that Jesus was the Messiah and not him. John knew what God had appointed him to do and he wasn’t looking for anything greater. There’s a great lesson there for us – don’t try to be more than God wants you to be. Just be where God wants you to be, do what God wants you to do and work for Him with all of your heart.

True servants of God serve and trust God to take care of him; they don’t envy others. Every ministry of God is valuable for the proclamation of the gospel and the plan of salvation. God does the appointing, the anointing, the equipping and the providing. Man cannot do any of that. If it isn’t from God, it’s going to fail. John was saying that:

JESUS IS THE OBJECT OF LOYALTY -- John 3:29-30 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. And so this joy of mine has been made full. "He must increase, but I must decrease.’”

John paints a picture of a bride and the bridegroom. Israel’s relationship to God was like that of a bride to a bridegroom. Israel went after other gods and God said that Israel was like a prostitute who was unfaithful to her loving husband. In the New Test, the church takes on the role of the bride of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the bridegroom of Israel. But John said he was a friend of the bridegroom.

To the Jews, the friend of the bridegroom had a unique place. He sent out the wedding invitations, arranged the wedding and set up the wedding feast. But he had one special duty – he was to guard the bridal chamber and not let anyone in except the bride and the bridegroom – no false lovers. When the friend recognized the bridegroom’s voice he would open the door and let the couple in. Once he did his job, he would rejoice and then fade out of the picture. John said that he must increase and he, John must decrease. John’s loyalty was to Jesus and now his work was done.

So we see here a transition from the old covenant to the new covenant –from the law to grace –from John to Jesus. And in that transition we see that man can find freedom from guilt and condemnation – through Jesus Christ only.

CALL --- This freedom brings true joy and peace which comes from realizing that we are in a right relationship with God through His Son, and that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. And knowing that because Jesus died on the Cross, all of our sins are forgiven. We get a new life free from guilt and condemnation? Would you like to leave here with a new peace and joy? Will you ask Jesus to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior? Just raise your hand.

My friends, Jesus is the Bridegroom. As Christians, our focus should be on Jesus alone. Jesus is the ultimate object of our focus. We are to carry out His will as He shows it to us in His Word. We’re not to envy others and what God may or may not have done to or for them. We’re to be humble, accept where God has us and rejoice in that position. It may be a position of humility, or playing 2nd fiddle, but we’re to be satisfied with where we are and trust God to provide for us. Our only object in this life is to exalt Jesus in our lives so that others will come to Him. Do you need more help? The Holy Spirit is your answer. Let’s come and pray and ask the Lord to give us the grace and the power to fulfill His will in and through us.

Father, help us to understand that Jesus is to be the focus of our loyalty – that His voice is the only voice that we are to respond to as revealed through Your Word. Grant us, Father, that fresh anointing and filling of the Holy Spirit which only can give so that we will have the power, boldness and courage to do our part in carrying out Your plan of salvation in the lives of those around us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE

2011-11-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE
“Humility, Simplicity, Integrity”
Psalm 131
November 23, 2011

We’re taking a break in our study of John and dealing with the subject of Thanksgiving.
Well, in a few days Thanksgiving will be here. Thanksgiving has become a preparation for Christmas. The reason for Thanksgiving seems to have lost its meaning. That’s a shame because the art of giving thanks is one of the noblest things a person can do. When we say “thank you” we’re acknowledging that we have received something that we didn’t earn or deserve. A person who understands that all of life is the ultimate gift from God is a happy person indeed. Life itself is the ultimate gift. Which is why the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “….in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

When we can’t do anything else, we can always be grateful. As someone has said, “If you can’t be thankful for what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped.” With that in mind, let’s go to our text verses.

Charles Spurgeon said that this Psalm is “one of the shortest to read, but one of the longest to learn.” There are 3 qualities for us to think about this Thanksgiving. The first is:

THE QUALITY OF HUMILITY -- Psalm 131:1 says, “O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.”

We live in a culture that doesn’t value humility. From the moment we are born, we are urged to look out for number one. And our level of success is measured by the car we drive, the home we buy, the clothes we wear, and the friends we keep. For many, the attitude is one where your love for others is measured by how much you spend. It’s a sad commentary on the way we live.
David describes humility in terms of how he looked at his own limitations when he said, “Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.” David was saying, “I don’t know have all the answers to life’s problems and I don’t try to figure them out.”

Proverbs 3:5-7 echoes David’s view when it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” No one here this morning is smart enough to have all of the answers all of the time to all of the problems. We all have limits.

Lately, the New Age gurus we’ve been learning about, talk to us about our unlimited potential and the untapped resources within us – that we are God. The truth is, our potential is very limited and the only untapped resources are the ones we discover when we come to the end and admit that we are limited but God is not.

It’s been said, “Happy is the man who knows his limits and still does the very best he can.” The 2nd quality that this Psalm speaks of is:

THE QUALITY OF SIMPLICITY -- Psalm 131:2 “Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.”

The picture is one a mother can fully understand. When a child is born they look to mother’s breast as the source of breakfast, lunch and supper. But the day comes when he has to learn how to take a bottle. He cries, big tears roll down his face, his arms reach out but his mother pushes them away. This woman, who used to be his friend has now become his enemy. Mom knows that she will feed him but never again in the same way.

When he learns to eat with his brothers and sisters, then the child comes, lays his head on his mother’s breast, not to be fed, but just to love her and be near her. Once he could not live without his mother’s milk; now he no longer needs it. What we need is:

A CHILDLIKE TRUST IN GOD – David is saying, “I’ve come to the place where the things I thought I had to have, I don’t need anymore. Now my soul is quiet and content.”

Most of us think that our level of contentment is determined by how many of our needs are met. “ If only I had a new car, or a new job, or a new husband or wife, then I could be really happy.” But if contentment is measured by how much of the world’s goods you possess, can you ever say, “I have enough.” Since life is hardly ever that simple, we stay frustrated when we ought to be happy.

No wonder Christmas is a nightmare and that people are never satisfied. Instead of being weaned from the world, we are welded to it. So our soul is anything but quiet, our countenance anything but peaceful.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” There is something children can teach us at Thanksgiving. They can teach us what it means to have a simple and uncomplicated trust in God.

How does God go about weaning us from our dependence on the things of the world? I read a three-part answer from a Bible commentator writing over a century ago. First, he makes the things of the world bitter to us. Second, he removes the things on which we depend. Third, he gives us something better. In the end, we find that we no longer need the things we used to think we couldn’t do without. And our walk with God is stronger than ever before. The 3rd quality this Psalm speaks of is:

THE QUALITY OF INTEGRITY -- Psalm 131:3 “O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever.”

The word “hope” in Hebrew is miqveh (mik-VAY) and means to wait with confidence. It means you know the thing you are waiting for will happen because the person you are waiting on is trustworthy.”

God weans us from our dependence on the things of this world so that we will not be bribed into trusting him. What credit is it to you if you trust God because you have a mate, a house, a job, a happy home, a secure future, and good health? What will you do when you lose those things and life falls in on you -- what then?

Integrity is all about choosing to put your confidence in God alone. It’s coming to the place where you don’t measure your spirituality by your prosperity. It’s learning that the things you used to crave aren’t so important anymore.

The song says, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” The surprise is not just in the outward material blessings of the last year. It is also in the times of pain and suffering which seemed to be for no good purpose but turned out to be blessings in disguise. That, too, is the goodness and grace of God.
Christians ought to be the most thankful people on the face of the earth because our hope is in Jesus Christ. Our hope isn’t in our government, or our denomination, or possessions, or people. Our hope is in Jesus Christ both now and forever.

CALL ---- The greatest blessing in this life is to know that we are in God’s family because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross--to know that all of our sins can be forgiven – that we can have a new life – and that when we leave this life, heaven will be our eternal destiny. It’s all because of Jesus dying for us and shedding His innocent blood. Will you accept Jesus this morning as your Lord and Savior?

Friends, this Thanksgiving ask the Lord to help you live your life with simplicity, humility and integrity. And put your hope in the Lord.

Father, to say thank You for all of the blessings that we have received from You hardly seems adequate. Help us to be people who live with the quality of humility that shows us that we do not have all of the answers to the problems in life. But instead may we live with the understanding that a dependence on You will guide our steps. Help us to be a people of simplicity and to have that child like trust in You that will bring us contentment. Finally, help us to be a people of integrity with a complete confidence in You in both the good times and the bad times. May these qualities become so Christ-like in our lives each day, that others will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "The Moralist"

2011-11-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“The Moralist”
Romans 2:1-16
November 16, 2011

This epistle shows us that we must realize that we are in desperate need of a Savior. We must realize that if we are to escape the coming judgment of God, we must turn to Christ and commit our lives to Him on a daily basis.

This area of Scripture is a study on judging and criticizing others, the judgment of God, self righteousness, the moralist and the legalist. It also deals with the judgment of the heathen and answer the question that so many ask. That is, “What happens to the heathen who have never heard about Jesus Christ?”

Chapter 2 begins with the word “therefore.” Generally speaking, when this word is used it is referring BACK to something in the previous discussion. It’s used when there is a conclusion from a preceding study. But in this instance, this word “therefore” does point BACKWARDS to the previous chapter, but rather it points forward as to what’s coming next. It might be better translated, “For the following reason, you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment.”

How many of you remember the phrase that was coined some years back that was aimed at helping people say no to drugs? It said, “Just say no.” Now, that may have helped some, but the truth is that drug abuse has continued and even escalated. Just having someone on TV that is a notable personality, like the wife of the President, say no to drugs didn’t stop the problem.

Now, to be sure there are lots of people who have never taken drugs. They are good people from all outward appearances. They are the people who obey the laws, who write letter to the editor taking issue with some level of immorality in their community. They have a perfect family, the perfect resume, the perfect reputation and yet they are addicted to a habit forming narcotic that is NOT chemical. Anyone take a guess as to what that is? It’s self righteousness. It’s the belief that they are good enough within themselves; that have the belief that God will accept them because of their own goodness. They are just too good for God to reject.

The point of this area of God’s Word is to show us that our conscience, which we all have, recognizes sin in other people because we see it in ourselves. It shows us that, truthfully, we have never lived up to the light of our own conscience. Even the best critic has been guilty, to some degree, of the thing that they judge in others.
No one has ever criticized others for lying without having been guilty of the same sin. So, this 2nd chapter begins by showing God’s case against:

THE MORALIST -- Romans 2:1 (NASB) “Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

What do you think is the definition of a “moralist?” Webster defines this person this way –“A person who is concerned with regulating the morals of others.” In the view of God’s Word, a person who is a moralist is someone who lives a moral and clean life, but they judge others because they do not live as HE thinks that they should live.

This is a person who has strong values, standards, principles. They are people who are well disciplined, able to control their life, lives just the way others think they should live, they know right from and they live, the know how to behave and they do it. They are good neighbors, excellent workers and providers. In other words, a moralist is a person who is a good citizen they are what society thinks a person should be. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? But note a couple of things about a moralist. First:

THEY JUDGE OTHERS -- The word “judge” in the Greek is “krino.” Sunday I mentioned this same word to you in speaking of man’s condemnation and coming judgment by God. It means “to summon for a trial.” Again, note that it doesn’t mean “a summon to hear evidence.” The evidence is already presented and now comes the sentence. But at the same time, this word means a judgment that is a derogatory appraisal.

In this area of Scripture we see that vs 1 is directed primarily to the Jews. They held themselves in pretty high esteem. They had the thinking that all Gentiles were born in sin and condemnation. The Jews were the judges of others. However, what the Jews failed to remember was the same principle on which the Gentiles were condemned, also condemned the Jew as well.

When a person, like the Jews in this case, finds fault with others they are a moralist and in the judgment of others the moralist says that they, the moralist, is living by a rule that the other guy isn’t; the moralist is saying that they are more moral than anyone else; that they are better than others; that they are more acceptable to God, as the Jews felt about themselves, and that they, therefore, are more righteous than the other guy.

The moralist, in their judgment of others, is saying, “Look at me, but ignore him.” They are saying, “Esteem me, but put the other guy down.” “Be my friend, but reject him.” Such was the thinking of the Jews who had put themselves on a pedestal with the rest of the world beneath them.

Simply put, judging others raises the person doing the judging to a higher level while, at the same time, lowers the level of those being judged. There is a self righteousness, a self exaltation, a self centeredness in a person like this and this, in the eyes of God, is sin.

James 4:12 states, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?”

Romans 14:13 also states, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.” Another point about the moralist is that:

THEY ARE INEXCUSABLE -- The Greek word for “inexcusable” is anapologetos (an-ap-ol-OG-ay-tos) and it means to be without an apology or defense. A moralist, or in this case the Jews, cannot offer a defense for their action of condemning others for the very same that they themselves are doing. He fails just as the person he is judging also fails.

In the eyes of God, sins is a matter of the heart. Every sin that is ever committed begins in the heart and mind. It’s not just an act of sin but the thought of sin. In other words the thought and desire makes a person just as guilty as the act itself.

For instance, in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said this, " You have heard that it was said, ' You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

He also said in Matthew 5:21-22 " You have heard that the ancients were told, ' You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, ' Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

God knows that many of us would carry out our thoughts if we had the courage and/or opportunity. God knows our hearts and our minds. He knows our thoughts and motives. Sin, whether it’s in the thoughts of the mind or an open act, sin comes short of the glory of God.

All of us stand guilty before God. The moralist, therefore, as person who judges others, is as guilty as the one they judge. It is for this reason that we are not to criticize and find fault with others. Instead, we should look for the good in others.

Galatians 6:1-5 says this, “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one shall bear his own load.”

Father, we come to You in the Name of Jesus, asking for the grace to become less judgmental and more accepting of others and their faults, weaknesses and failures. Keep us from being puffed up with pride when we see those weaknesses and remind us, through the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts, that we are no better than they are. Keep us from judging the spiritual life of others from the standpoint of our own self righteousness. For Your Word tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. But the righteousness that we DO have is on the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross. Help us to always be aware of the message of the cross and our call to keep exalting Jesus so that others will be drawn to Him. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Man's Condemnation"

2011-11-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Man’s Condemnation”
John 3:18-21
November 13, 2011

Last week we looked at John 3:16 which speaks of the awesome love of God. But this morning, we come, not to God’s love, but to God’s judgment. There is a belief system called “universalism” that teaches that ultimately everyone gets saved, including Satan. However, our text verses this morning refute that teaching and belief system. Let’s read those verses in John 3:18-21: Let’s consider:

WHO IS CONDEMNED -- John 3:18 tells us. It says "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

The word “judged” in the Greek is “Krino” pronounced “kree-no” and it means to, “to summon to a trial for judgment.” Note that it doesn’t mean to “summon to a trial to hear EVIDENCE.” It means that the evidence has already been presented and now comes the sentence. The one being condemned is the unbeliever.

The true born again Christian is NOT called to judgment before God as long as they maintain their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I’m not talking about a person who SAYS that they are a Christian, but I’m talking about those who are diligently seeking Jesus Christ and who put their faith in Him and Him alone. Hebrews 11:16 “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” God does NOT condemn the true believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has taken away ALL of their sin through His shed His blood for them.

But the unbeliever is condemned and is summoned to trial and will experience the judgment of God. They don’t think about Jesus Christ and they will not listen to or trust Jesus. Now, let’s consider:

WHEN ARE THEY CONDEMNED -- John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

The answer is “they are ALREADY condemned.” It doesn’t make any difference if they live in the darkest jungles or in a penthouse in L.A – if they do not trust Christ they are ALREADY condemned. They are already perishing and they are cut off from God. An unbeliever who is “judged already” means that their condemnation is:

ALREADY A SURE THING -- Nothing can stop that judgment from coming to the unbeliever. Ignoring it, denying it, struggling against it, will not change one single detail about. It’s coming to every person regardless of race, color, creed, position, education, or social status. Secondly it means that they are:

ALREADY UNDER THE CURSE OF SIN -- Ever since Adam and Eve fell, the world has been under a curse. That curse will not leave until Jesus Christ comes and God sets up His Kingdom on this planet. Until then, the curse remains and the unbeliever is under that curse.

Ephesians 2:12 says, “….remember that you were ….separate from Christ, ….strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Thirdly, it means that they are:

ALREADY GUILTY -- The unbeliever stands guilty of every sin that they have every committed. Every time someone sins against God, they are immediately guilty. The judgment is already pronounced. Galatians 3:10 tells us “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them." Now, let’s look at:

WHY ARE THEY CONDEMNED -- John 3:18-20 " He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. " For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” They are already condemned because:

THEY REJECT JESUS CHRIST -- They deny the truth about Jesus – that He is the Son of God --they abuse and curse that Name that is above all Names – Jesus Christ.

John 3:26 states, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Jesus said in John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." The only remedy for the sin of mankind is through His Son, Jesus – not Mohammed, not Buddah, not Hinduism – only Jesus Christ. So, when they reject and refuse to believe in Jesus, they commit the sin that condemns them to the pits of hell. They are condemned because:

THE LIGHT HAS COME INTO THE WORLD -- The life of Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. There is no other. The Light shows man the way that God wants them to live. The Light shows man the truth of God and of man and the world. The Light shows man how to save their life and avoid things that will cause him to lose their life. Anyone that rejects light automatically walks in darkness. Rejecting the Light of Jesus Christ keep a person condemned to walk in darkness. Thirdly, they are condemned because:

THEY LOVE DARKNESS -- Why do they love darkness? Because they don’t want anyone to see what they are doing. Light would expose what they are doing. They can’t stand the conviction of any light that is shed on their sin. They love the feeling and stimulation and comfort and ease of sin that gives them the fame, fortune, power, possessions that sin brings to them. They have so much pride that they refuse to confess their sin and even deny that they are living in sin. How many times I’ve heard people say that living with someone they are not married to is not sin. They plainly deny the Word of God because they don’t want to admit that it’s sin and, thereby, have to give it up.

They love darkness because they fear shame, embarrassment and the consequence of their sin. They don’t want to face the shame of being found out. They are comfortable where they are and they shun anything that gives them any light – the church, the Bible, other believers, prayer, and any type of conversation that mentions the name of Jesus. So, let’s look at:

WHO ESCAPES CONDEMNATION -- John 3:21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." For a person to escape God’s judgment they will live with:

TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS -- They know what is right and they do it. They practice truth continually and habitually. We’re not talking about living with sinless perfection. We all sin. But it means that when they do sin they turn to God and confess and repent. Only someone who desires the truth of Jesus Christ will escape God’s call to trial. Secondly, to escape God’s judgment, they must:

BE BORN AGAIN -- If you’re not born again, you are condemned and you will not see God’s Kingdom. Only Jesus, the Light, can get rid of the darkness in man’s life. It won’t happen any other way. Finally, a person can escape if they:

SHOW FRUIT OF BEING BORN AGAIN -- They walk, talk and listen to the Word of God and they don’t make excuses for not obeying. If we say that we love Jesus Christ, then we will obey Him. 2 John 1:6 says, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”

If you don’t do what Jesus tells you to do, then don’t make the claim that you love Jesus. Loving Jesus means that you obey Him. Obedience will follow our confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Obedience is what brings us to the life of righteousness. As you obey God’s Word, holiness will develop you.

CALL----Maybe there’s someone here this morning that realizes that they have been walking around in darkness and are unable to explain why they are doing that. You don’t know any peace or satisfaction with how you’re living. But this morning you’ve heard God asking you to come out of the darkness and into the light of Jesus. Will you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and receive forgiveness for your sins and leave here with a new life? Just raise your hand.

My friends, we should not be quick to point a finger of condemnation to unbelievers. You may be saved and secure in your born again experience as you follow and live for Jesus. But there will be a judgment for you as well – the judgment seat of Christ. There you will be judged for your life and how you lived it. Perhaps the greatest accountability on that day will be the call to account for the sins of OMISSION –the little things that we should have done but didn’t do. The little acts of kindness we didn’t do – the little acts of service that we didn’t do – the anger, resentment and bitterness that we kept in our hearts – the wrong attitudes that we displayed. We know that unbelievers must ask God for His forgiveness. But do you need to as well? Do you need to say, “Lord, forgive me too.”

Father, thank You for the Light that You sent into a world full of darkness – Your one and only Son who would show us the way out of darkness. Thank You for the message of the Cross which tells us that we can be forgiven, we can avoid Your condemnation, heaven can be our home. We ask that, as we surrender daily to You, Your Holy Spirit will continue to show us our sins so that may confess them, repent of them and in so doing, reflect the love and presence of Jesus and His Light in us so that all men will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN.

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "What's In Your Heart?"

2011-11-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“What’s In Your Heart?”
Romans 1:30-32
November 9, 2011

As we have said in previous weeks, mankind has just pushed God out of his mind and, therefore, God has turned men over to a depraved mind.

Romans 1:29-32 lists the end result of being given over to this depraved mind. “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

We’ve been looking at each of these sins and the end result of being given over to a depraved mind. Let’s move to the next sin which is that:

THEY ARE SLANDERERS -- The Greek word for “slanderers” is katalalia (kat-AL-al-los) which means “evil speaking, railing, defamation, accusation.” This word differs from the quiet, secret slanderer or gossip. This is a person who is loud, who is an open slanderer, who broadcasts a tale. It doesn’t matter if the tale is true or false. This backbiting slanderer burns with a desire to tell the tale to everyone that they can. They don’t just whisper a tale in another’s ear as if to keep it quiet. They will make the tale known in a manner that everyone can hear it. Then Paul moves on to the next sin which is that:

THEY ARE HATERS OF GOD -- The Greek word for “haters of God” is theotugeis (theh-os-too-GACE) and it means simply being hateful toward God.

This is a person who dislikes the commandments and restraints of God. They are a person who doesn’t want anything to do with God and His Word. They are a person who wants the license to do just what they want to do without restrictions of any sort. They want to be the god of their own life. They want to be in control of what they should or should not do. Paul then moves on to the next sin which is that:

THEY ARE INSOLENT -- The Greek word for “insolent” is hubristes (hoo-bris-TACE) which means insulting, defying. It is a spirit of spite, of attack and assault. This could either be physically or verbally or both.

It is despising and attacking that inflicts injury by word or act. It is a person who lives his own life as he wishes, ignoring both men and God. It is a person who lives as thought their rights and affairs are the only thing that matter. It is a person who will go toe to toe with both God and man acting like they don’t need either one. This is a person who is so independent in life that they will dare God or man to get in their way. This person does what they want, when they want and it doesn’t matter who they hurt. The only objective is to get what they want. Paul then mentions the next sin of the heart which is that:

THEY ARE ARROGANT -- The Greek word used for “arrogant” is huperephanos (hoop-er-AY-fan-os) and it means to exalt one’s self, to be conceited, to being haughty. This person puts themselves and their needs about that of others. They are people who have a condescending, looking down their nose to others. They are full of scorn and contempt for others.

Take note that pride can be hidden in a person’s heart as well as being displayed openly. James 4:6 reminds us of a very important fact which is that God gives grace to the humble but He opposes the proud. That word “opposes” carries with it the meaning of God being arrayed in battle armor against people who are proud and set themselves above others. Paul then moves on to the next sin of the heart which

THEY ARE BOASTFUL -- The Greek word for “boastful” is alazon (al-ad-ZONE) which means “braggart, pretender, boasting in what they have or what they can do. Pretends to have what they don’t have and what they can’t do.

Bragging can involve a job, a possession, an achievement. Anything that may impress others. This is a person who feels the needs to push himself above others even if it involves deception, make believe or lies. Next Paul comes to:

THEY ARE INVENTORS OF EVIL -- The Greek word for “inventors of evil ” is “epheuretes” (ef-yoo-ret-ACE) and it means inventors of new sins, of more sensational forms of excitement and vice. It is a person who is tired of the old forms of sin and who feels the need to seek out new ways and forms of sin and evil and vice. Next, we see that:

THEY ARE DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS -- The Greek words used here is anupotaktos (an-oo-POT-ak-tos) which means refusing to be obedient to authority primarily of a parental nature. It is a person who is in rebellion and dishonors parents. A child who disobeys parents is wide open to all forms of evil through the spirit of rebellion. Then we see that man:

THEY ARE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING -- The Greek word used here is asuntheos (as-OON-ay-tos) which means foolish, stupid, without conscience. It is a person who ignores experience, who will not learn no matter who the teacher is, who refuses to heed the truth, who closes his mind and eyes to the truth and who rejects conscience. Next:

THEY ARE UNTRUSTWORTHY -- The Greek word here is asunthetos (as-OON-thet-os) which means breakers of promises, breakers of agreements, treacherous, untruthful. It is a person who does not keep their word. They are totally undependable. Next we see that:

THEY ARE UNLOVING -- The Greek word here is astorgos (AS-tor-gos) and it means abnormal affection and love, without human emotion or love, a lack of feeling for others, abuse of normal affection. For this person, other people become little more than pawns for man’s own use and benefit, pleasure and purpose, excitement and stimulation. In this person, sexual perversion is the order of the day. Next we see that

THEY ARE UNMERCIFUL -- The Greek word here is “aneleemon” (an-eleh-AY-mone) which means without pity, unwilling to show mercy. This is a person who craves to have and to possess others regardless of their welfare. They crave to use others any way that they want to use them regardless of the hurt and shame involved. This person craves to satisfy their own pleasure even if it means the injury or death of the other. What matters is their own pleasure and rights. Now, we come to the end result of man being filled with all of these sins and that end is that:

GOD ASSURES FINAL JUDGMENT -- Romans 1:32 “and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” That final judgment is that man will be eternally separated from the presence of God. Men will be judged because they sin and they approve of others who also sin by doing the same things. Finally, men will be judged because they are without excuse. They know through an inner sense that the judgment of God is coming and that there is a higher power that is going to straighten things out in the final analysis.

If you want to know why the world is in such a mess it’s because of the sins in man’s heart. It’s more than just man being tempted, but these are habits in people’s lives. There is no protestation or indignation in society against these abominations. And evil will grow worse and worse as we are seeing currently.

Father, we see clearly what happens when people reject You and Your Word. Their hearts fill with the sins we’ve just studied and we see why the world is in such turmoil. But help us to understand as well, Lord, that while these sins are done openly, without regard to Your Word or our conscience, they can also reside in our own hearts without the action being committed. Holy Spirit, continue to put Your Holy spotlight in our hearts and lives so that we can see where any of these sins might be residing. And then bring us that conviction that will draw us to repentance. Help us to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ to this corrupt, ruined world so that others may be drawn to Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "God's Great Love"

2011-11-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“God’s Great Love”
John 3:16-17
November 6, 2011

Communion reminds us of the eternal and perfect love of God that is in Jesus Christ. You might say to yourself, “Well, Pastor, I’ve been walking with Jesus for many years and I know that God loves me. This is pretty fundamental stuff.” True enough. But, consider for a minute the love of a husband and wife for each other. It gets pretty fundamental but it’s always good to remind each other of that love so that it will continue on and on. Can you say AMEN?

Charles Spurgeon in speaking of communion said, “It is wise to come to Him afresh, as we came in that first day when, helpless, needy and heavey-laden, we stood weeping at the Cross and left our burden at His pierced feet. There we learned to look, live and love and there would we repeat the lesson till we rehearse it perfectly in Glory.” The love of God is even more wonderful when we consider that it was given to a world that is lost, guilty and ruined. With that thought, let’s read the words of John 3:16-17. . First, let’s consider that:

SALVATION STARTS- WITH GOD -- John 3:16, speaking of God’s love, begins by saying, “For GOD…” God is the one who took the initiative to present salvation to us. The shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, changed God’s attitude from condemning man to forgiving man. His only motive for sending Jesus Christ, was His love FOR man and not His anger WITH man. God could have had us to pay for our own sin and that would have satisfied the requirements of the law because as Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death….” The problem there is that this would have destroyed the entire human race. There is no way for us to pay for our sins. So, God is the one who took the first step in His plan of salvation for mankind. All we do is accept it or reject it. The second point is that:

GOD’S NATURE AND CHARACTER IS LOVE -- John 3:16 states, “For God so loved….” For many people their picture of God is one of an old man, with a long white beard, sitting on some golden throne, just gritting His teeth and clenching His fist and saying, “I’m going to break these people so much that they will not have any choice but to come back to Me.” But God didn’t send Jesus to earth for HIS sake, but for OUR sake. He sent Jesus, to satisfy His desire TO love and His desire FOR love.

In Luke 15 we read the story of the Prodigal Son-- a son who rebelled and went his own way. In time, he learned that the world with all of its pleasures couldn’t satisfy his need to be loved. So, he returns home to his father, broken and humiliated. His messed up life didn’t happen because his father did anything to him. His brokenness was because of his own wrong personal choices.

Well, as he comes down the road, his father sees him from a long way off. You can almost see the father sitting on the front porch and he leans forward in his chair. He thinks that he sees something but he’s not sure. So he squints his eyes and he leans forward a little more. Then he cautiously stands to his feet and strains his eyes toward what he is seeing. Suddenly, he realizes that what he is seeing is an answer to his prayer. His son, his rebellious son, he wayward son is on the way home. Luke 15:20 says, "…. his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.” Then the son confesses that he has sinned and really messed up. But take notice that the father doesn’t say one word about the sins of the son. He doesn’t say, “I told you that you wouldn’t make it out there. You really blew it. Now get up to the house and get cleaned up. You’re in big trouble.” NO. There’s absolutely no mention of the sins of the son. Instead, the father rejoices because his son has come home. Folks, the SIN of the son wasn’t the issue. The RETURN of the son was. What a great picture of God who just loves us and doesn’t remember our sins that He has forgiven.

Psalm 103:11-13 speaks of this: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” Then we see:

THE IMMENSITY OF GOD’S LOVE -- John 3:16 continues, "For God so loved the world,…”.

It isn’t just the Christian that God loves. God’s love is for the whole world. He sent Jesus Christ to die for every human being – homosexual, murderer, prostitute, drug addict, alcoholic, the wife beater, the child abuser, the liar, the gossiper, the hypocrite, the atheist, the agnostic, white people, black people, brown people, new agers, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons, JW’s, poor people, rich people, educated people, serial killers, abortion doctors and nurses. Jesus came and died for people who have no one to love them, who never think of Him, who never work for Him. Should we do any less? God’s love for us isn’t based on WHAT we are or WHO we are. It’s based totally on His own nature.

True love isn’t dormant or stagnant or complacent. It doesn’t just sit there in a house or a job site or a church pew. True love is active; it moves; it acts. True love always wants to show itself to others. 1 John 3:18 says, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” The love of God did something – it gave sacrificially and supremely. God’s purpose in His great display of love was twofold. First:

TO SAVE MEN FROM PERISHING -- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish….”

The Greek word for “perishing” is “apoletai” and it means to be lost, to destroy utterly, to lose totally and completely, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off. Perishing means to be without purpose or meaning for living. Perishing means to be without peace, without confidence, without assurance and the security of God’s keeping power, without hope of living forever, to be in a lost state in the world that is to come. It means having to face the judgment of an awesome God. It means to be condemned, it means to partake of eternal suffering. It means eternal separation from God and all of our loved ones. It means experiencing all that hell is.

But Jesus Christ came to this earth to die on a cross for everyone to save us from perishing and all that it means. That is the message of the cross. God gave, but we have to accept. God’s second purpose is:

TO SAVE MEN TO ETERNAL LIFE -- John 3:16-17 "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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”

The proof of God’s love is in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God coming to this planet. Jesus was not sent by His Father to condemn or judge the world. We deserve judgment and condemnation because we are guilty of sinning against God. Jesus came to save us FROM perishing and save us TO eternal life. The message of the Cross is that Jesus brought salvation that was: Once for all -- “Your faith HAS saved you.” Luke 7:50 Continuous – “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are BEING saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18 Futuristic – “And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation IS NEARER to us than when we believed.” Romans 13:11

The love of God is immense. Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor 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.” The only thing that can separate you from God’s love is YOU.

CALL – If you will believe in Jesus Christ, He will wipe out every sin you have ever committed no matter how horrible. You will get to start all over again with a new life that God will give you. If you will believe in Jesus Christ you will not perish but you will have eternal life as you follow the Lord Jesus from this day forward. Will you raise your hand if you want to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior.

My friends, the desire and burden of every born again Christian should be to see the lost come to Christ. We must not lose sight of our God given responsibility to bring the message of the cross to every person. Sadly, that burden for the lost is diminishing in the modern church today. What about you? Is your love for Jesus inactive? Do you see the lost as Jesus sees them – in need of a Savior? Everything that this church does must be motivated by preaching the gospel to the lost. Otherwise, to say that we must win the lost and then do nothing puts us in the
position of the Pharisees – hypocrites. Will you recommit your life today to “preach the gospel” with your life? Will you say as the prophet Isaiah, “Lord send me.” The Word tells us that the fields are white with harvest. What is needed is laborers to engage in bringing the harvest of the lost. Will you commit yourself to do that as God enables you and gives you the opportunity? If that’s what you desire, then let’s come and make that commitment this morning.

Father, forgive us for taking your love for us for granted. Forgive us for allowing that love to become, in anyway, dormant, inactive, complacent. Help us, Lord to love others as you have loved us – with an active love. Lead us in that way, Lord. Holy Spirit, we ask that You point out the opportunities that You give us to express Your love for others by sharing Jesus Christ with them. Help us to always be looking for opportunities to lift up Jesus so that He would draw them to Himself. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN.

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "God's Case Against Man"

2011-11-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“God’s Case Against Man”
Romans 1:29

Last week we discussed the position of man rejecting God. Romans 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, ….”

The end result of this disapproval and rejection of God is that man is allowed to do just exactly what he wants to do and they are enslaved more and more in their depravity. They are storing up for themselves the wrath of God which will be revealed on the Day of Judgment. But in the meantime, because man has disapproved of God and has pushed the knowledge of God out of their minds, God has in turn abandoned men.

In Romans 1:29-32 we find a listing of the various kinds of evil that fill men’s hearts. “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

We started going through these “sins of the heart” covering “unrighteousness, wickedness and greed. I want to continue looking at these sins of the heart. First of all, the words “being filled with all” has the meaning of “filling up.” And so with the list of things we’ll be covering here, this presents the cause and the reason for the problems that exist in American and, for that matter, the entire world for all of human history since Adam and Eve. Those who disapproved of the knowledge of God then and now, were and are completely filled with these sins. Let’s go on by looking at the fact that man is filled:

WITH EVIL – “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, EVIL;” The Greek word for “evil” is “kakias” which means not only “doing” evil, but becoming “evil.”

This means that a person is given over to being hateful, vicious, full of ill will, spiteful, carries a grudge. They have no shame or embarrassment in breaking the law. It means that a person has turned their heart completely over to evil so that they no longer have any good within them. This person actively pursues evil with a vengeance. They not only DO things that are vicious and hateful, they actually BECOME vicious and hateful. Then we see that this God rejecting people are filled

WITH ENVY -- “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of ENVY”
The Greek word for “envy” is zelou” which means a jealousy which makes war on the good it sees in another. In other words, this person goes way beyond jealousy. They not only want what the other person has, they begrudge that the other person even has it. They not only want what the other person has to be taken away, they want that person to suffer through the loss of them.

With every thought this person has is full of grief that another person has something – honor, power, influence, money, bigger house, etc. -- often with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed." Then those who reject the knowledge are given over by God to be filled:

WITH MURDER --"... being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, MURDER, ..."

The Greek word for “murder” is phonos which means to kill, to take the life of another, one who commits homicide. Often this act is the result of envy where one person wants what another has so much, he will kill them to get that thing.

The 6th commandment “thou shalt not kill” is violated by this sin. The word “kill” in the 6th commandment is actually translated “murder.” Otherwise, killing in an act of war would be a violation of that commandment. This is an act of premeditation in the taking of another’s life just to get something from them that a person wants to have themselves. Then those who reject the knowledge of God are given over to be filled:

WITH STRIFE -- "....being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, STRIFE...."

The Greek word for “strife” is eridos which means to be contentious, fighting, quarrelsome, full of dissension. It means that a man fights against another person in order to get something the other person has and he fights in a way that is dishonest, evil and full of envy.

These are people who are looking for some kind of “thing” in another individual that they can criticize about that person. The motivation is to make themselves look good while making the other person look bad. People who reject the knowledge of God are given over by God to be filled:

WITH DECEIT -- "....being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, DECEIT ...."

The Greek word for “deceit” is apatao which means to seduce, to bait, to ensnare, to mislead, to be crafty so as to give a false impression by word, act or influence. This person is guilty of misinterpreting the words or actions of others, or putting the worst construction on their conduct.

It is a person who connives and twists the truth to get his own way. He plots and deceives, doing whatever has to be done to get what he is after. Much of the business world operates this way. God rejectors are given over to be filled:

WITH MALICE -- "....being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, MALICE ...."

The Greek word for “malice” is kakoetheia which means to have an evil disposition; a person who is evil in nature. This is a person whose spirit is full of character that is as evil as it can be. It is a person who always looks for the worst in other people and always passes on the worst about that person to others.

This person often ruins other people in both reputation and in body and mind. He or she is so full of evil that they are always ruining others either by word or by violence. Finally tonight, those who reject the knowledge of God:

ARE GOSSIPERS -- "....they are GOSSIPERS...." The Greek word for “gossipers” is psithuristea (psith-or-is-TEA) which means to be a secret slanderer, an accuser, a backbiter.

This is a person who talks about others behind their backs and they are always chewing up and tearing up others. They pass on tales to others whether it’s true or not. This person is engaged in trying to destroy the reputation, character and integrity of others.

All of the above are the result of people rejecting the knowledge of God are given over to these things by God. These are people who don’t want anything to do with God in their lives. Therefore, they just push Him out of their minds. They ignore Him and His Word they refuse to acknowledge His existence. The end result is that they are given over to depraved minds – they are given over to minds that are incapable of understanding things with respect to salvation. Thus, the Light withdrawn. They disapprove of God, so God disapproves and abandons man. That’s the reason for the mess in our country and in the entirety of the world. We’ll continue looking at these sins of the heart next week.

Father, may Your Holy Spirit search our hearts to see if there is any wickedness in our heart, any envy, or strife, or maliciousness or gossip. These sins of the heart are dangerous to us in that they can overtake our hearts and our minds through the working of Satan and his efforts to render us to be ineffective in our service to You. Grant us the grace and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit to be constantly examining our lives to be sure that the Light of Jesus Christ shines brightly to a world that is corrupt, guilty and condemned. None of us are perfect, Father, and we need Your help to convict us sins that dishonor Your name and keep others from Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The New Birth - Pt. 2"

2011-10-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The New Birth – Part 2”
John 3:9-15
October 30, 2011

Last week, we read in John 3:3 the most important words in all of human history. Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nowhere else do we find stronger statements about subjects of the new birth, and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

It is in those verses that Jesus Christ reveals to the human race the matter of “the new birth.” It is the creation of a new and godly nature, that is totally radical and changes the human life completely and thoroughly. And there are no better words to describe this experience than being “born again.” We said that this “new birth” was imperative because without it, no one gets to the Kingdom of God. We learned that the “new birth” is a spiritual experience through the Holy Spirit. You are born again only by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross of Calvary.

This morning we come to the 2nd part of this conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and Nicodemus. Let’s read our text verses in John 3:9-15 READ First, it must be stated that the “new birth”:

IS A TRUE EXPERIENCE -- John 3:9-10 (NASB) “Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?”

Nicodemus is told about being “born again,” and he said, "How can these things be?" He was still thinking in the natural because that was the only way that he could think. Nicodemus wanted to know more about what Jesus meant by being “born again.” He wanted to know, but he didn’t know. That’s the key for so many when it comes to the things of God – wanting to know. That kind of desire comes only from the Holy Spirit. It certainly doesn’t come from man.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Nicodemus was spiritually ignorant and if this spiritual ignorance existed in Israel’s expert teacher—the expert in Jewish Law, then what was the spiritual condition of the Jewish people ? The teachers or pastors of Israel had stopped giving spiritual food and knowledge to them. Truly, the blind were leading the blind, and both of them were falling into the ditch. In spite of Nicodemus’ apparent desire to know more:

HE REJECTED THE NEW BIRTH -- John 3:11-12 (NASB) "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and you do not receive our witness. "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Jesus was speaking of earthly types and events in the Bible such as the Sacrifices and feast days which Nicodemus had, no doubt, read about many times. But he was blind to the lessons they contained. They didn’t have any spiritual meaning to him. The words that Jesus spoke were not believed or accepted by Nicodemus. So, he did what so many do today -- rejected Jesus.

Many today do not want to know or believe that Jesus is God, that He is the Savior of mankind, that He is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit, that He is the Healer and that He is coming again to set up His kingdom on earth. John 12:48 gives the result of rejecting Jesus: " He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” This unbelief in Jesus Christ will cause a person to lose their soul. This new birth:

IS REVEALED ONLY BY JESUS -- John 3:13 "And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man.” Jesus said two things here. First, He said that:

HE CAME FROM HEAVEN -- No earthly man can go up to heaven or penetrate the spiritual world. Flesh is flesh – it is born of the earth so it is earthly and not heavenly. But Jesus was different from all other men. His origin was in heaven and not earth – He came out of the spiritual world. Secondly:

HE IS TIMELESS -- He came from heaven. Therefore His existence and His experience are timeless. John 13:3 states: "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,” John 17:5 states: "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” Jesus is eternal. Finally:

THE NEW BIRTH IS SECURED BY JESUS -- John 3:14-15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life.” The new birth experience is available because of two things. First:

THE DEATH OF JESUS -- Jesus illustrated this point by going back to an Old Testament story about Moses lifting up a bronze serpent in the wilderness. Let’s go to Numbers 21:4-9. In those verses we wee that Israel had begun to grumble and complain about the trials that they were going through. They had begun to wish that they had never left Egypt which was their comfort zone. They didn’t like the changes that God was making in their lives. Does that sound familiar? So, God disciplined them by sending poisonous fiery serpents to bite them. It worked.

The begged God for mercy and deliverance. God met that need by telling Moses to make a bronze image of a serpent and then hold it up on a pole. The person who looked upon that bronze serpent that was lifted up was healed of the poisonous bite of the serpents.

Jesus said that He, the Son of Man, must be lifted up as was the bronze serpent that Moses made. Why would Jesus use the ugly image of a serpent to speak of Himself? There are several points to this. First, the serpent was a symbol of sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tell us that Jesus was made sin for us so that we might be free from sin. Second, The serpent was lifted up on a pole – Jesus was lifted up on a cross. Next, those who were sick received healing by looking on the serpent – so to others have received healing by looking to Jesus. Next, God didn’t provide any other remedy for those bitten by snakes – so too, there is no other remedy to receive salvation except Jesus.

Just as the Israelites had to have faith in the bronze serpent for their sin and healing, so it is with men today who must put their faith in Jesus Christ. As God’s Power was the invisible force in the bronze serpent remedy, so it is with salvation through Jesus Christ. As the serpent on the pole brought peace and reconciliation with God, so Christ on the cross brings peace and reconciliation with Him. As confession of sin and prayer were necessary for Israel to receive the benefits of the bronze serpent, so too are they necessary to obtain the benefits of Christ and the Cross. So the new birth experience is secured first by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and then secondly it is secured:

BY MAN’S BELIEF IN JESUS -- The man who believes in Jesus Christ being lifted up on the Cross of Calvary will not perish but will have eternal life.

If an Israelite who was bitten by a poisonous snake would look upon the bronze serpent and believe the message of God, he would be healed of that poisonous bite. If, however, he did not believe God’s message, and refused to look on the bronze serpent, he would not be healed and he would die. So it is today. Every human being,-- Donald Trump, Bill Gates, George Soros, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey-- every human being must believe the message of Jesus Christ in order to be healed of their sin and be “born again.” Without that belief, your soul and their souls will be lost for eternity.

Today many have an intellectual understanding about the “born again” experience. It’s discussed and talked about and debated. The words “born again” have been bantered about until they have lost the pure meaning that Jesus gave to Nicodemus. These aren’t just words that God wants us to add to our vocabulary. It’s an experience that He wants to add to our lives. But what this really is has gotten lost in church growth movements, false teachings about who Jesus is and who we are in Jesus, cultural chaos, eastern mysticism that denies what Jesus did on the cross and who He is – the Son of God. It’s critical for us to understand that being “born again” is the experience that is the foundation of all that we are and all that we do.
Coming to Jesus Christ and lifting Him up in our lives so that we are healed and so that others will be drawn to Him and be healed as well.

CALL---------------Do you need Jesus Christ in your life? Do you need to be “born again?” Do you need a new life free from guilt and condemnation? Do you need to be healed in your relationship with God? Come to Jesus. Lift Him up – put your faith in Christ and He will come into your heart and life, forgive you for all of your sins and give you a new nature.

My friends, when we set aside our hurt feelings, our anger, our bitterness, our ego and our opinions about others and just focus on Jesus Christ, His love, His power, then we would see more souls come to Jesus Christ. Let’s come and ask Him to help us lift Him up higher and higher so that He will draw all men to Him. Let’s ask Him to give us a greater hunger to see a harvest of souls and in that process, God has promised to move with His great power.

Father, the cry of our hearts today is for the Holy Spirit to come and gives us a greater revelation and understanding of Jesus Christ. We want to know Him better and lift Him higher so that lost souls will be drawn to Him. Let the cry of our hearts be that knowing You will become the joy of our life. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS -- "God On Trial"

2011-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“God On Trial”
Romans 1:29-32
October 26, 2011

I came across an interesting commentary by George Williams who was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1850 and died in 1928. In his commentary he offered the following thoughts on this particular area of Scripture. “The Gospel reveals a righteousness from God on the principle of faith, as opposed to merit, for those who are justly exposed to the wrath of God not only because they are without righteousness but because they are wholly unrighteous and corrupt; and all humanity is here declared to be sunken in this corruption. The heathen world, then as now, debased the gift of reason, degraded God to a “creeping thing,” and conduct being determined by creed, they gave themselves up to vile affections. Twenty-four of these are particularized, all of them together proving fallen human nature to be sunken into an appalling abyss of moral putridity. This true picture of sinful man is fiercely denied by modern thinkers, as energized by the evil author of ancient and modern thought.” In other words, the corruption of men and the ultimate denial of God is denied by men as being the product of the devil, when in fact, their corrupt is, in fact, the product of the devil. In these verses we find that:

MAN PUTS GOD ON TRIAL -- Romans 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, ….”

The idea here is that the human race put God on trial to see if they would approve or disapprove of Him. Does God meet their specifications that are to their liking? Since God didn’t meet the criteria, then man refuses to approve of Him and they reject the idea that He is a God worthy of worship. And since God doesn’t meet the acceptable specifications of mankind, then God is pushed out of their minds.

God in turn, then disapproves of mankind and gives them a minds in which the divine understanding of right and wrong are lost and the ultimate end result of all of this is that God’s condemnation falls on man.

Now, can you think of anywhere is our society in this country where, as Scripture states, people “….did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer,”? Well, the public school system in this country, despite the hundreds and even billions of dollars being thrown at it, continues to get worse and worse. Our school system in America is godless – void of the knowledge of God – and in turn then is full of Satan and his devices. We have God less education, which means that what knowledge the students do have is largely messed up, warped, and twisted and they are not prepared for life. One Bible teacher said, “We have God less directions, consequently we have erroneous ways.” (Jimmy Swaggart)

The terms “depraved mind” in the Greek is “adokimon noun” and it means a mind that is rejected, disapproved, degraded, and depraved. It’s a mind that cannot stand the test of judgment. Kenneth Wuest, one of the greatest Greek scholars of our time said that this “depraved mind” of mankind is “incapable of discharging the function of a mind with respect to the things of Salvation.”

So, the fact that man didn’t see fit to keep the knowledge of God in their minds, God gave them over to a mind which doesn’t have any way of understanding God at all. These are people who are totally and completely perverted in their thinking and who have spiraled downward to a place where they are doing the most perverted, despicable evil ever. Are we seeing that today? We are.

The end result of this disapproval and rejection of God is that man is allowed to do just exactly what he wants to do and they are enslaved more and more in their depravity. They are storing up for themselves the wrath of God which will be revealed on the Day of Judgment. But in the meantime, because man has disapproved of God and has pushed the knowledge of God out of their minds, God has in turn abandoned men:

TO BE FILLED WITH EVIL -- Romans 1:29-32 “….being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

I think for the most part, when we think of sins against God, we would think of the “biggy” sins – adultery, theft, lying, idolatry etc. But in these 4 verses, I want to take some time to talk about sins that we don’t hear a lot about that could be considered “sins of the heart.” More often than not, these are sins that are not only DONE but are also in just our thinking as well. So, we’ll take them one at a time and see just what the Word of God is saying to us.

First of all, the words “being filled with all” has the meaning of “filling up.” And so with the list of things we’ll be covering here, this presents the cause and the reason for the problems that exist in American and, for that matter, the entire world for all of human history since Adam and Eve. Those who disapproved of the knowledge of God then and now, were and are completely filled with these sins. The first word is:

THE SIN OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS -- “being filled with all unrighteousness.” The Greek word is “adikia” and it means unjust, injustice, that which is not comfortable with justice, that which is evil. It carries the meaning of not only mistreating God, but mistreating others as well. It is focusing on oneself to the point of making our self the center of the universe. It is grasping after everything – possessions, power, attention that we can get – and in that process of abusing and ignoring others. Can you think of a situation when this would be the case? WAIT

This unrighteousness is 180 degrees opposite the righteousness of God. And in spite of everything man does to improve people’s lot in life through education, medicine, environment, government, this unrighteousness remains.

How many times have we found ourselves in a place where we not been fair in our treatment of someone for whatever reason – the color of their skin, the social status, the condition of their car or their home, the neighborhood they live, the level of education a person has, the type of work they do, etc. and others tend to look down on people with indignancy and disapproval?

The only thing that will stop this kind of thing, this kind of injustice is to bring Jesus Christ into the center of that situation. Then and only then will the situation be solved. The next in this list of sins of the heart is:

THE SIN OF WICKEDNESS -- “….being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness,” The Greek word for “wickedness” is “athesmos” which means lawless, unprincipled, not in conformity to acceptable custom. It is a word that is used for depravity, evil purposes and desires. Sodom and Gomorrah and their homosexuality would be an example.

This word is used in Ephesians 6:12 for the followers of Satan when it refers to the battle that we face as not being against flesh and blood but against, “the forces of wickedness in heavenly places.” The next is the:

THE SIN OF GREED -- “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed…” The Greek word is “pleonexia” which means a lust for more and more, an appetite for something, a love of possessing, a crying to give more. It’s a craving after and for possessions, pleasure, power, fame. It lacks restraint. It lacks the ability to discriminate. It wants to have in order to spend in pleasure and luxury.

Greed, or covetousness, is an insatiable lust and craving of the flesh that just cannot be satisfied. It is a lust that is so deep that a person finds his happiness in things and pleasure instead of God. It is idolatry and an intense appetite for gain, a passion for pleasure that things can bring. It is active, it is aggressive, and it’s constantly reaching for more and more without any level of a person finding satisfaction. We’ll stop there for now.

Father, we continue to see what happens when man abandons their relationship with You and no longer desires to have you in their life and their thinking. And yet Lord, these that we’ve talked about tonight are sins of the heart that many of us face and battle even daily. Holy Spirit we ask that You search our hearts as we continue in this discussion and see if there is any of these sins in the recesses of our hearts. And when You show them to us, grant us the grace to confess them and seek Your strength, help and guidance to overcome them. And in so doing, may our lives then reflect to those around us that Jesus Christ is in our lives and that through Him alone, through His precious, He is our Victor over these matters. May that lifestyle draw others to Jesus so that they too may live with victory daily. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The New Birth"

2011-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The New Birth”
John 3:1-8
October 23, 2011

Charles Spurgeon in a sermon delivered on May 3, 1857 on these text verses said this in part, “….the subject of regeneration…. is one of absolute and vital importance; it is the hinge of the gospel;…. It is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation. It is the very groundwork of our hopes for heaven; and …. so should we be very diligent to take heed that we are really born again, and that we have made sure work of it for eternity. There are many who fancy they are born again who are not. It well becomes us, then, frequently to examine ourselves;.” (Charles Spurgeon –May 3, 1857 – Royal Surrey Gardens)

In this area of God’s Word we find the most important words in all of human history. It is here that Jesus Christ reveals to the human race the matter of “the new birth.” It is the creation of a new nature, a godly nature. It is an experience that is beyond the understanding of the human mind. It is an experience that is so totally radical and changes the human life so completely and so thoroughly, that you come to realize that it could come only from the God. And there are no better words to describe this experience than being “born again.” So, let’s read our text verses in John 3:1-8. In these verses we are introduced to Nicodemus and he:

REPRESENTS THE HUMAN RACE -- John 3:1-2 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, " Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

Nicodemus is said to have been one of the three richest men in Jerusalem. He is mentioned only in the gospel of John where we see him as someone who has a sincere interest in the person of Jesus Christ. We see him mentioned on chapter 7 where he show courage in protesting the condemnation of Christ without giving him a hearing. Finally, we see him in chapter 19 where he is said to have brought a lavish gift of spices to anoint the body of Christ and where he seem to have take a bold stand for Jesus.

Nicodemus represents the entire human race to the extent that he was confused, ignorant and searching for truth. He was:

A PHARISEE -- He was a member of an elite group of men called the “chaburah” or brotherhood. That meant that he took a pledge in front of 3 witnesses that he would spend the rest of his life observing every detail of Jewish law. He was either the leading official or the leading teacher of Israel who was authorized and accepted by the public. In John 3:10 Jesus said of him, “Are you the teacher of Israel?” He was no ordinary man but rather one of the religious elite of that day and an expert in theology. Nicodemus:

REPRESENTED THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY -- Jesus was pretty well known by then because of all that He had said and done. Some of these leaders believed Jesus was who He said He was. Others, like Nicodemus, were pretty skeptical. Some teach that he came at night because he was ashamed of Jesus. But the Word of God doesn’t show anything like that. More likely he came at night as a move of caution because he feared those who opposed Jesus. But that the fact that he came AT ALL, is a work of God’s grace. In coming to Jesus, Nicodemus had to overcome lifelong teaching and training that created a lot of prejudices in him. So, God did a great work in his heart to move him to this point. He:

ACKNOWLEDGED CHRIST WAS FROM GOD -- He saw the works of Jesus and could only conclude that Jesus was, in truth, from God. He saw the miracles that Jesus did and was convinced by them. It’s important to note that Jesus didn’t address the matter of signs and wonders. What was more important was that this man needed to see that Jesus Christ was the door to salvation and that Jesus paid the price for man’s redemption when He died on the cross. As important as miracles are, God’s order of things is the salvation of souls, who then become candidates for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The miracle of redemption is the priority of the church. That’s what should stir the hearts of believers and then the other signs will follow to confirm the gospel. When you get those turned around with a greater interest in signs and wonders instead of God’s imperative of salvation of the lost, that can open a door for Satan to bring all kinds false things into the church. What Jesus shows us here is that:

THE NEW BIRTH IS IMPERATIVE -- John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” Two facts show this truth. First, there is a strong assertion that a man MUST be “born again” Man must be born all over again in the sense of a 2nd time and man must be born from God.

John 3:18 Jesus states, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” A failure to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, a failure to confess our sins and repent, will result in a person never seeing the kingdom of God.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life is found only through Jesus Christ. He must become our Lord. We are all sinners and we all have come short of God’s glory.

But 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Secondly, the words unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God is important. This tells us that:

THE NEW BIRTH IS SPIRITUAL -- John 3:4-8 “Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”

Nicodemus was baffled by what Jesus said about being born again. He thought that Jesus was saying that a man had to be born a second time through his mother’s womb again. But Jesus gave the source of this new birth with the words “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Being born of water has to do with a natural human birth. It’s not water baptism as some teach. Christian water baptism, at this time in Jesus’ life, hadn’t come into being. It would be after the ascension of Christ into heaven. Being born of the Spirit has to do with that which is solely of God. When Jesus said you MUST be born again, He was emphasizing the absolute necessity of this experience. And that new birth is possible because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.

Jesus likens this born again experience by picturing the wind. The Spirit of God works likes the wind – we can’t see the wind but we can see its effects. We may not know how the Holy Spirit works but we can see the results of His working because of a life that has been changed totally and fully. How that happens is beyond human comprehension.

My friends, if a person doesn’t want to be “born again,” if someone doesn’t want to be changed, they will shut their ears and eyes to the truth. For many, when Jesus came to them with an offer to change their lives, to forgive every sin that they have ever committed, to give them a brand new life, their honest answer is, “No thanks. I’m comfortable just the way that I am. I don’t need or want to be changed.” And that decision to reject Jesus Christ will cost them their soul and spirit to be consigned to an eternity separated from the love and presence of God in an eternal hell.

CALL ----- Has the Holy Spirit spoken to you this morning about the need to have Jesus as your Lord and Savior? He’s telling you that there’s still time for you to do that right here and right now. He’s telling you that it’s not too late to surrender you life to Jesus Christ and to leave here with all of your sins forgiven with a new life. This isn’t a decision to take lightly. This is a total and complete change of how you live, how you think and how you act. Jesus will be there for you every step of the way. Will you come to Him right now?

My friends, what’s really important in life isn’t signs and wonders and miracles. What’s really important is that we lift up Jesus Christ in our life so that we can be healed and that others can be healed. We lift Him up when we set aside our egos and our pride and our hurt feelings and just focus on Jesus Christ, His love and His power. If we will spend more time doing that we will see others coming to Jesus.

So, let me ask all of you. Is it your desire to know Jesus better? Is it your desire to set aside your opinions of others and just focus on Christ and His Word? Is it your desire to have more of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life so that you can be a powerful witness for Jesus? Is it your desire to have the Word of God come alive in you so that people will know that you have been with the Lord Jesus? Let’s come and pray together this morning.

Father, this morning, we come to You with a cry in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to come and give us the wisdom and revelation understanding of Jesus Christ so that we may know Him better. Search our hearts and know what our deepest thoughts are. Show us the things that keep us from knowing You in a greater way. May it be the cry of our hearts to know You and that knowing You will be the joy of our life. And may that increased heart knowledge of You life Jesus higher in our life so that others will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "God Abandons Mankind"

2011-10-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“God Abandons Mankind”
Romans 1:24-27
October 19, 2011

In these last 9 verses in Romans 1, we find, as one commentator puts it, “the most terrible in the Bible. This is the description of mankind abandoned by God and the scene is a frightful one.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse)

Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…”

In this area of God’s Word, we see that there are 4 ways that God reveals and shows His wrath. All 4 of these ways concern judgments that come upon man because man is godless and wicked. All 4 ways have to do with history, with human experience and with a moral universe. That is that God’s wrath is shown from heaven day by day throughout history, in man’s experiences and within a moral universe.

3 of these judgments are present; they are taking place today in the lives of many in the human race. The 4th judgment is to be the final judgment that will take place in the future and will be the final judgment upon men. So, how does God reveal and execute His wrath and His judgment on man? First, God gave men over:

TO DO AS THEY WILL -- Romans 1:24 “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.”

Four times in these verses there is this horrific statement and announcement that the human race was abandoned by God. And as He takes His hand off of humanity, mankind declines further and further into the muck and mire of sin. And that muck and mire of sin gets worse because man sinks further and further into it.

Donald Grey Barnhouse said, “This picture is not that of a “segment” of the most awful paganism. This is the human heart as it is without Christ. It is the heart of
American as well as the heart of India….the….filth of even our own land….is on par with the vilest that the lands of Hell can produce.”

Since mankind chose to give up God and worship the creature rather than the Creator, God could do nothing but give men over to the sinful things that they desire and preferred.

Secondly, God gave men over:

TO SEXUAL IMPURITY -- Romans 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

The word “lust” in the Greek is “epithymia” and it means a passionate craving, longing, desire. This was what their hearts wanted. The phrasing “so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.” Carries with it more than just the satisfaction of a natural lust but rather it is bestiality. That refers to an impurity that is physical, social and spiritual. In other words, man is grossly immoral. It carries with it the idea of all sexual impurity including adultery, pedophilia, bestiality, lesbianism and homosexuality.

When men turn from God to live unclean and immoral lives, God then abandons man to their choices. They are condemned to sexual impurity. The reason that mankind is condemned to sexual impurity is because of their sinful desires. They covet and seek and long for things that displease God and that dishonors their bodies. It’s a sin of their hearts. The end result of living an impure life

IS IDOLATRY -- When man has exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worships and serves the created things rather than serving the Creator, the give their lives to either serving themselves or serving other gods. They begin to imagine what God is like and then they worship him either in their minds or in some kind of graven image. The point is that when we abandon the only true and living God we begin to live a life that is unclean. Thirdly, God gave men over:

TO SHAMEFUL LUSTS -- Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

The Greek word for “degrading” or KJV “vile” is atimias and it means dishonor, disgrace, infamy. It carries with it the idea of passions that cannot be controlled; that run loose no matter how much a person tries to control them.

To “dishonor” a person is to treat them disrespectfully, to show no value to their worth. Paul is using this in the sense of the world putting an incorrect estimate upon the dignity and purity of the physical body which was made by God and is God’s image. In other words using the human body in a way that dishonors that image.

Kenneth Wuest said in his commentary, “In that this was what the world wanted, they were given over to a “condition” and not merely to an evil desire.” In other words, it is one thing for a person to do something that is very evil, but something else altogether for that same person to BECOME what they do.

The phrase For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions shows once again that mankind purposely and with forethought reject God. Instead, they desire a way of gross evil and the Lord removed His restraints and gave them access to what they desired without any restrictions.

We’ve encountered many men and women over the years who are hooked on drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography and a host of other vices. It all begins with the first drink, or the first pill, or the first throw of the dice or the first pornographic picture but it accelerates and become harder and harder to stop. And without the help of the Lord, it becomes impossible to stop.

The phrase for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, speaks, of course, of lesbianism. The word “women” as used here is the Greek word “thelus” which means “a female.” Paul is saying that the women tried to “change” the purpose of their gender and their purpose as women respecting the sexual sense. In other words, they were changing what God had designed and in so doing were in rebellion against God. They went from a higher use to a lower use.

The word “natural” in the Greek is “phusis” and means the nature of things, the laws, the order of nature. That which is “unnatural” then is that which is against God’s laws and laws of nature which are one in the same in this regard.

The phrase men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error means that men abandon the natural sex act designed by God between men and women and move to a lower, more despicable act of sex between men. The natural way made by God is set aside in favor of that which is a lower act.

The word “burned” in the Greek is “ekkaio” which means to “burn out” and can be explained as “the rage of lust. One commentator says that it can be explained as “to enflame with lust.”

In other words, this type of lust of men toward men and women toward women satiates or consumes the entirety of the individual. It is an all out endeavor to satisfy their totally depraved natures.

The phrase receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error tells us that there is a natural result of this sin which pays them back for what men and women have engaged in. The violation of God’s laws requires that a price be paid. People involved in leaving the natural instincts created by God will get steadily worse and worse unless they are set free by the blood of Jesus Christ. The penalty is the many people in this sin who have had their physical, emotional and even mental appearance changed and for the worse.

The true story is told of a school principal in New York city who found one of the students involved in homosexuality and took the boy to a leading psychiatrist who told him that this was a normal manifestation. The world will have us believe just that – this is just a normal manifestation and the end result is that lives are ruined.

The numbers of people involved in this lifestyle are increasing by the thousands. The church must take the attitude that the people need to experience the love of the Lord Jesus Christ but the sin must be hated. There is hope in Jesus only and nowhere else in this world can they be helped.

Father, we are living in an increasingly wicked and depraved world where Your laws are being violated continually. We know and understand that there is a price to pay for that violation. Help us, Father, as Your children to have the spiritual mindset to love the sinner but to hate the sin. Grant us the grace to live out the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ daily so that we show people that there is a better way to live this life with joy, hope and peace and to show them that Jesus died for them just as He died for us. May we show kindness and Godly love toward homosexuals and to treat them, as far as is possible, with respect and dignity. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus Sees Us and Knows Us"

2011-10-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus Sees Us and Knows Us”
John 2:23-25
October 16, 2011

We live in a time that is very dangerous both physically and spiritually. We’ve been telling you that we are seeing the fulfillment of prophecy that the Apostle Paul wrote about in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB) which states, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,….”

And 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB)“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”

In this area of God’s Word, we are confronted with a truth that can and should be disturbing to many, and especially the false teachers of today who should be fearful. They may deceive you and me, but they cannot deceive Christ. One commentator said, “They may wear a cloak of religion, and appear,…. beautiful in the eyes of men. But the eyes of Christ see their inward rottenness, and the judgment of Christ will surely overtake them, except they repent. Christ is already reading their hearts, and as He reads He is displeased. They are known in heaven, if they are not known on earth, and they will be known at length to their shame, before assembled worlds, if they die unchanged. It is written, ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead.’” (Rev. 3:1.)

It doesn’t matter who you are, or how famous you are, or how much a person works at deceiving others, the unalterable truth is the Jesus knows you and everything about You. With that thought, let’s look at our text verses for today. There are two facts that are revealed here. First:

MANY BELIEVED IN HIM -- John 2:23 (NASB) “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing.” The Greek for the word “believed” is “pisteuo” (pist-YOO-o) which carries the meaning that they believed once for all. Their belief wasn’t going to be swayed by every wind and wave of teaching that came down the pike. Their belief wasn’t in a doctrine or a denomination. It was in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and forever. Jesus doesn’t change and neither should our belief.

Notice, however, that John said “many believed” –not ALL believed. There were those who didn’t have a genuine belief and they only “professed to believe.” And the fact that Jesus knows all men was the reason He didn’t trust Himself to them. And the fact that Jesus didn’t trust Himself to them, shows that their faith in Him was weak. Their belief in Christ was based on the signs and wonders that Jesus worked.

Their faith only turned to Jesus just for what they could get out of Him. It was a self centered faith; a faith that was ignorant of the cost of discipleship; it was a faith and belief that didn’t pay much attention to what Jesus was SAYING but only to what Jesus was DOING. It’s still the same today.

A few years ago there was a survey done that revealed people’s toward the WORDS of God. They found that 84% of professing, born again Christians held as least one non-biblical view of eight statements of biblical teachings presented in their survey. For instance, 80% of those Christian surveyed agreed with the statement that, the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves. 49% agree that Satan is not a living being but is only a symbol of evil. They also found that 39% of those Christians believe that if a person is generally good, and does enough good things in life, they will earn a place in heaven. 30% claim that Jesus Christ was a great teacher but that He did not come back to life following His crucifixion. 29% held that when Jesus lived on earth, Jesus committed sin. 29% say that there are some crimes, sins that people might commit that God cannot forgive. Keep in mind that those surveyed, claim to be born again Christians.

So, the first thing seen in these verses is that many believed in Him and the second thing is revealed is that:

JESUS DID NOT COMMIT HIMSELF TO THEM – John 2:24-25 (NASB) “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Jesus didn’t pay attention to their praises which they brought because of the miracles He did. Their faith was shallow and not rooted in God’s Word. Rather it was on outward observances of the miracles. They had not awareness of sin and their ultimate doom. They only had an awareness of the experiences themselves.

Sadly, that is all too often the case today. So many run after the various so called “religious” phenomenon that is continually taking place all around the world. For many there is little or no burden for the lost of the world. There is little excitement when a person comes to Christ and is delivered from sin by the Power of God. One commentator said that people receiving salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ is often met by much of the church with little more than a “yawn.” It’s not exciting enough. Rather many in the church have a self centered faith and they only want to “experience” the latest “miracle.”

When a true miracle takes place there are 3 things involved. First, people are amazed at what has happened. Second, there is the power which heals sick bodies or minds. Thirdly, there is the sign which tells of God’s love for men that He would do such a miracle. There are 2 reasons why Christ made this refusal. First:

HE KNEW ALL MEN -- The idea here is that He knew each one of these people personally. No one escaped His attention or His knowledge of them. That’s still true today. There is no one who is unknown to God. No matter where they are – in the deepest jungles on this planet or floating around in outer space, God knows them all. The 2nd reason why Christ made this refusal to trust them is that:

HE KNEW WHAT WAS IN THESE MEN -- We don’t need to tell God about anyone. He already knows what people are all about. He knows the nature of man; He knows that their heart is exceedingly wicked and that people are pre-disposed to evil of all sorts. He knows that we are fickle; He knows our motives; He knows our prejudices; He knows our every thought.
Jesus knew these people and that He could not trust them. He knew that they would say that they believed in Him and then they would turn right around and betray Him, and deny Him under pressure, and return to their godless ways. He knew that they were weak and easily influenced; that they lacked zeal and didn’t have a genuine commitment to Him. He knew that they lacked the courage to stand for Him. Ask yourself, when you are around unbelievers and they are mocking God’s Word or Jesus or Christianity, do you laugh right along with them or do you take a stand for Jesus? Are you easily influenced by the ways of the world? Are you drawn to the filth on TV and movies right after you leave church? Is your zeal and commitment to Jesus Christ limited to Sunday morning?

It’s a sad commentary today that some never really receive the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ. They really don’t have saving faith. So, Jesus can’t trust them or commit Himself to them. It means that He can’t give them the assurance of their salvation or His Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s power. It means that Jesus can’t trust them with His mission. That’s true for individuals and for churches.

Just what is “saving faith?” It’s not head knowledge and believing historical facts ABOUT Jesus. It’s believing in Jesus and who He is and what He has done. It’s a commitment of your entire life to Him. It’s entrusting all that you have and all that you are or hope to be into the hands of Jesus. It’s acknowledging every day that Jesus Christ is in every area of your life. It’s a faith that seeks to have the instruction of Christ for your life and then following those instructions. That’s saving faith. How’s that working for you?

CALL-----Jesus knows you. He knows exactly where your heart is and He knows if you have committed your life to Him as your Lord and Savior. Salvation is not difficult. It’s a matter of realizing that Jesus loves you and died for every sin you have ever committed. All you need to do is admit that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness, accept the fact that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that He rose from the dead giving us the assurance of eternal life. It begins by taking the first step and asking Christ to come into your heart and life. Will you do that this morning?

Folks, I believe that we all want to see a sovereign move of God in our lives, our city and this church. But we need to ask ourselves why we want to see that. Is it just to see miracles so others will see how spiritual we are? Do we just want the blessings without the paying the price? Or do we want to see a great harvest of souls being won to Jesus? God will confirm His Gospel with signs and wonders. That’s Bible. But can He trust us with His power? Will signs and wonder cause us to be prideful. Are we willing to step out and do what we can, with the help and direction of the Holy Spirit, to reach this city with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Or are you content with just saying that you are saved? Are you ready to make a deeper commitment to Jesus and proclaiming His gospel? Let’s come and pray together and ask the Lord to help us to commit to a total dependence on Him.

Father, there isn’t anything about us that You don’t know. You know our hearts, our motives, and our desires. This morning, we are asking You to send the Holy Spirit to us and search our hearts, search our motives, search our lives and clean out anything that is offensive to You no matter what it is. Give us the desire to live a committed life before You and this world so that all men will be drawn to Jesus. In Christ’s name I pray. AMEN.

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "God's Case Against Man"

2011-10-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“God’s Case Against Man”
Romans 1:20-23
October 12, 2011

I want to go back to verse 19 for a minute and that verse reads, “….because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” (NASB)

One Bible commentator said this, “This is one of the key lines of the whole Bible….It is the boundary between what man thinks about God and what God has been please to make known about Himself.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse) In the next verse, we see that God’s wrath is on man because they refuse to accept:

THAT CREATION REVEALS GOD -- Romans 1:20 (NASB) “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

The entirety of the universe reveals and declares the existence of God. Mankind can look at creation and see more than the simple fact that God is the Creator. There are, in fact, two things that man can see. First:

GOD’S ETERNAL POWER -- Man can look at the earth and outer space, at plants and animals, at man and women and see a number of things. What would some of those things be? WAIT He can see their bodies and their structure, their variety and beauty, their arrangement and order, their purpose and laws. If man will look at such things with an honest spirit, he won’t have any doubt that the world and all that’s in it is made by a Creator.

But as well, man can see that God is a God of life, of intelligence, of power, of purpose, of majesty, of glory and honor, of morality and of mystery in that there are secrets that are not yet discovered. The very first universal witness to God is His Creation. Verse 20 states that anyone on the face of the earth, regardless of tribe, culture or race, can stand and look up at the starry sky and know that there has to be somebody out there that did all of this. The problem is that much of mankind has wholeheartedly embraced an idea about creation. What is that idea? They have embraced humanism and evolution. It happened by chance.

Accepting that the entire universe and everything in it, all of the planets and everything on them, came into existence is like looking at Mt. Rushmore and saying, “Wow. That must have been some earthquake that took place to carve those 4 figures.” Or, “Wow. Look at what the erosion by wind and water did in carving those 4 figures.” You’d know that some intelligent designed was behind those carvings. But to say that the universe in its entirety came into being by accident is even more illogical. So, in creation, man can see God’s eternal power and second man can see:

GOD’S DIVINE NATURE -- Man, if they are honest, when they look at creation, they can see clearly that the Creator is a God who cares and provides for His creation and that this Creator deserves worship and obedience. Creation is the witness to the existence of God.

In view of this, Scripture then says, “man is without excuse.” Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Look at Psalm 97:6 which says, “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”

Man has every evidence within creation that directs him to God, yet man continues to reject that knowledge of God. When man stands before the God of all creation someday, he will be without any defense; he will have no answer, no reason that can or will justify his rejection of God. God shows His wrath toward because:

THEY DO NOT GLORIFY GOD -- Romans 1:21 (NASB) “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Paul is speaking of man in the past tense of what men had done in the past; but of course, men still do the same today. Man can clearly know God both within themselves, in their own thoughts and reasoning and they can know God through creation and nature.

Man can know that God does exist and He gives them life and provides for them. They can know that God runs everything in an orderly fashion and that He has a plan for everything and everyone. So, with that kind of knowledge, man should worship God and give Him thanks.

But they didn’t and they don’t. They do not worship, obey or serve God. They do not give Him thanks; they do not praise, or express any level of gratitude to Him. There are two things that happen when men push God out of their minds. First:

THEIR THINKING BECOMES FUTILE -- The word “thinking” means thoughts, reasoning, and conclusions. The word “futile” means empty, unsuccessful, senseless, and worthless.

When men push God out of their minds, their minds become void of God. God is not in their thoughts. Instead their minds are filled with some other god. So, their thinking becomes futile and then, secondly:

THEIR HEART IS DARKENED -- The word “foolish” means senseless, without understanding. The word “darkened” means blinded, unable to see. So, men suffer empty thoughts and darkened hearts because they do not glorify God and they do not offer thanks to God. That’s another reason why God shows His wrath toward man. Finally, God shows His wrath toward men:

BECAUSE THEY TURN AWAY FROM GOD -- Romans 1:22-23 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

Man’s pride turns them away from God. They think that they are too wise to believe in God; that they are too intelligent to believe in the fables of the Bible; they are too capable not to look at and to self; that they are too resourceful not to create their own world and future; that they are too reasonable and rational not to create their own standards and laws to control their life. But when they deny God, Scripture says that they make two mistakes. First, when they claim to be wise:

THE BECOME FOOLS -- Why? Because God does exist and He is clearly seen with the thoughts’ of men and through creation. So, when man’s heart doesn’t have God in their heart and mind, they have to have some other god, some other guiding light or principle. So when God is de-throned in man, they have to create their own god in their mind to give them guidance. To that guide, they will give their life. The second thing that happens when they deny God is that they:

THEY EXCHANGE IMMORTAL GOD FOR AN IDOL -- God is immortal which means that He does not pass away. He is eternal. God always has been, He will always exist. Men swap God for humanism. They make themselves and mankind the god of life; the master of the world; the maker of their own destiny, the standard by which their lives are to be governed.

Man wants to control his own life to do as they wish and be honored themselves. So, they turn from God make their own gods in their own image. That’s another reason why God shows His wrath toward men.

Father, thank You for again revealing Your eternal truths to us. Help us to never forget or take for granted that we are sinners that are saved by grace and that, through the work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary, we have the guarantee of eternal life. Help us to see that our purpose is to tell others the gospel of Jesus so that they too might be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus, The Head of the Church"

2011-10-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus, Head of the Church”
John 2:12-22
October 9, 2011

It has been said that if you’re going to be angry and not sin, then don’t be angry at anything BUT sin. In this area of Scripture we see the anger of Jesus and that His anger was directed at sin. So, let’s read our text verses. We see here:

THE DETERMINATION OF JESUS TO WORSHIP -- John 2:12-13 (ESV) “After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

Following the miracle at Cana, Jesus and His disciples went to Capernaum along with His mother, Mary, and His brothers. “His brothers” literally means the half brothers of Jesus who were James, Joses, Simon and Judas. He also had some sisters as is stated in Mark 6:3 which says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” Mary had other children but Jesus was the firstborn as is stated in Luke 2:7. The Greek word used in that verse is prototokos which means “the first of others.” If Jesus had been her only child the Greek word used would be monogenes as used in Luke 7:12 which means “one and only born.”

So this refutes the teaching by the Roman Catholic Church that Jesus didn’t have any brothers or sisters and so upholds the perpetual virginity of Mary. These mentioned here, according to the Roman Catholic Church were cousins or nephews.

Capernaum was a very special city to Jesus. In Matthew 9:1 we find it being called “His own city.” Even though this city was a familiar and even comfortable city for Jesus, nothing was going to stop Him from going to Jerusalem for the Passover. He was DETERMINED to get to that festival with other Jews.

The point here is that if our commitment to Jesus is genuine then we will be willing to place our own comfort and convenience in second place to our personal relationship to God. Anything less than that can result in many backsliding.

Much of what we do for the Lord is strictly a matter of attitude and personal determination. I WILL get to church. I WILL worship the Lord. I WILL tithe. I WILL listen to, obey and apply God’s Word to my life. I WILL serve the Lord in any way that I can regardless of how I feel and regardless of my circumstances. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem:

HE FOUND EVIL IN GOD’S HOUSE -- John 2:14 (ESV) “In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.”

Jesus found the Temple of God being desecrated. There was a great deal of commercialism taking place with its walls. So, how did this kind of commercial activity find its way into the Temple? Simple. Greed. Those who wanted to worship needed oxen, sheep, doves, incense, meal, oil, salt and other items used in sacrificial offerings. People coming from foreign lands would need to have a currency exchange.

At some point in history, the priests decided to take over this market themselves and let retailers from the outside reap huge profits. So, the priests set up booths in the Court of the Gentiles and leased space to outside retailers. Many times these retailers were family members of the priests. The owner of these retail booths was the High Priest who at this time as Annas.

The court of the Gentiles or the outer court was the place where Gentiles would worship. Gentiles were not permitted to go beyond on this point. A high wall separated this courtyard from the other interior courtyards. There were signs hanging all around the wall that threatened death to any Gentile that went beyond this wall. So, the Gentiles could find anything they needed and the atmosphere was one of commercial traffic and commotion and not one of worship and prayer. All of this was prompted by greed.

It was into this courtyard that Jesus first entered and it was there that Jesus found this commercialism. There was a fee charged for everything. People who were poor were getting ripped off in the name of God. It’s no wonder that He did what He did. In fact :

JESUS HAD THE RIGHT TO CLEAN THE TEMPLE -- John 2:15-17 “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”

Jesus could not stand by passively. So, He picked up a whip and stated cancelling leases. One of the early church fathers by the name of Jerome said this, “A certain fiery and starry light shone from His eyes and the majesty of Godhead gleamed in His face.” Now, there are 3 points here regarding the fact that Jesus had the right to cleanse the Temple. First of all there was:

THE WHIP OF CORDS -- This whip was the symbol of His authority; the symbol of His righteous anger. It was His right to enforce obedience. It was a symbols of God’s cleansing power and judgment that causes men to tremble before God.

Jesus went through the temple chasing out everyone who was buying and selling. He threw over the tables of the moneychangers and money flew everywhere. He threw over the chairs of the dove sellers. God’s house was being abused.

We can have the same kind of abuse today when we forget what worship is all about; when we misuse the facilities that God has given to the local church. We abuse His church when we ignore God’s holiness and forget our duty to show reverence for the Lord. We abuse the House of the Lord when we allow activities that are questionable and non-worshipful like yoga or rock concerts or dramas that fail to exalt Jesus. Secondly, Jesus had the right to cleanse the Temple because of:

HIS RELATIONSHIP TO GOD -- Jesus called the temple, “My Father’s House.” Jesus said that because the Temple was a place of worship of ALL people and no one should be excluded; brown people, black people, white people, Jew and Gentiles, rich poor – everyone is welcome to come and worship God. Thirdly, Jesus had the right to cleanse the Temple because of:

HIS CONSUMING ZEAL -- The zeal that Jesus had for His Father was the fulfillment of prophecy in Psalm 69:9 which says, “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.”

The House of God was being abused. It’s to be a place of reverence and worshipful meditation on God and His Word. But the Apostle Paul reminds us of another temple that we need to watch over and not abuse. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” So, Jesus had the right to cleanse the Temple and He also had:

THE POWER TO BUILD A NEW TEMPLE -- John 2:18-22 “So the Jews said to him, ‘What sign do you show us for doing these things?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

The church leaders questioned Christ’s authority to do what He was doing. Jesus claimed that the Temple belonged to His Father but these people wanted proof that His claim was true. His sign was to going to build a new meeting place for God and He would build that new place in 3 days. The puzzled these folks because it took 46 years to build this current temple. How could Jesus build another one in just 3 days? But Jesus wasn’t speaking about a building but about His death, burial and resurrection of His own body. He would become that new meeting place where men could worship and be reconciled with God. That would be the sign these people were looking for.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Jesus’ answer baffled these men. They couldn’t understand what Jesus was telling them so they mocked and rejected Him.

How very human they were. So many rely on their own logic and intelligence and something doesn’t sound rational and logical, they reject it. That’s why so many are without Jesus. These things are spiritual matters and cannot be understood using human logic and rationale. These religious leaders wanted a Messiah that they could accept. So many today want THEIR kind of Messiah. That’s why we’ve seen a system of faith in Jesus decline to where it’s a matter of glitz, of contracts, of marketing agents, of advance publicity.

Let’s fact it my friends. Many of us know little about the costliness of discipleship or the calling of God to be His servants. We can only understand that when we submit ourselves daily to Jesus and commit ourselves to Him on His terms. And when we make that commitment daily, He will commit Himself to us and then we will see the release of God’s power and not before.

Call--- If you haven’t made a commitment to Jesus Christ, this is your day and your time. Will you ask Jesus to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior? Do you want to have every sin you’ve ever committed to be forgiven and leave here with a new life a new beginning? Just raise your hand.

Ask yourself, “Am I a Temple of the Holy Spirit? Do I need the Lord to cleanse some area of my life?” Let’s come and stand together and pray this morning to ask the Lord to cleanse these Temples of the Holy Spirit.

Father, the zeal of Your Son, Jesus caused Him to cleanse Your House of those things that were offensive; that were of the spirit of greed; that kept people back from enjoying worship in Your presence. Lord forgive us for those times when, by our conduct, our words, our attitudes, our behavior, we have created a barrier to the lost that would keep them from being drawn to You. Forgive us for our prejudices, our wrong opinions, and our lack of sensitivity that has cast doubt on people’s minds and search out our hearts that we might be cleansed and have a holy zeal for the things of our God. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE ROMAN ROAD -- "God's Wrath"

2011-10-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“God’s Wrath”
Romans 1:18-19
October 5, 2011

For the past 5 weeks or so, we have spent time in Romans looking at and studying what many would consider the “introduction” to the gospel. Tonight I want to start by saying that the introduction to the gospel of Jesus Christ is over. We now turn to the beginning of what one Bible teacher calls “the beginning of a great argument that might be called the charge of the prosecution in the case against man.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse)

Barnhouse goes on to say this, “The line of reasoning is that man, the creature of God, has a history of sin and a present condition of hopelessness. Before there can be a remedy, there must be a diagnosis, and before the diagnosis there must be a case history. This case history starts by revealing that man, all mankind and every individual man, collective man and particular man, is necessarily under the wrath of God.” This entire passage can be summarized into three points. First,

Men who sin bring upon themselves the judgment of God and they need God’s righteousness. (Romans 1:18-2:16)

Men without the law are taught by nature and conscience. It’s important to remember that man has sinned by falling short of the standard of God’s righteousness that He has given to them. (Romans 1:18-32)

All the world becomes guilty before God and needs God’s righteousness. (Romans 3:9-20) As we begin this study, we first see:

THE SUBJECTS OF GOD’S WRATH -- Romans 1:18 (NASB) “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,….” A few points here. First:

THE WRATH OF GOD IS A REALITY -- There are many today in the modern church who have a hard time with the idea of being a God of wrath. But if He did not hate evil, then He could not love good. God must do both or neither. Anyone who fails to take into account the hatred of God toward evil, has failed to understand one of the most important truths in the universe. God is love toward the sinner, but He is also hatred toward sin.

Hebrews 1:8-9 says this, “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;”

The Greek word for “wrath” is “ORGE” and it means a decisive anger that comes from a thoughtful decision by God that is righteous and just and good.

This is an anger that stands against the sin, the evil, the violence, the slaughter, the immorality and the injustices of mankind. As one commentator puts it “It’s God’s personal emotion with regard to sin.” (Vincent) This is an anger by God that is deeply felt. It has to be that way if evil and sin are to be erased from planet earth and new heavens and a new earth are to come into being. So, the wrath of God is a reality. Secondly:

THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN -- In Romans 1:24-32, it’s revealed 4 ways that God shows His wrath. By giving men over to do as they willed; by giving men over to sexual impurity; by giving men over to shameful lusts; and by giving men over to depraved minds. We’ll look at those in depth later. God shows His wrath and becomes angry with two classes of men. First:

MEN WHO ARE GODLESS AND WICKED -- The Greek word for “ungodliness” is “asebeia” (ah-SEB-ee-ah) and it carries the idea of a failure to love God.

These are people who do not live holy, pure, moral and godly lives. They don’t even make the effort to develop a godly nature. They do not honor God with by their words or their deeds. They do not worship or obey God. They only give lip service to God if they even do that. They totally ignore God in their daily living.

The Greek word for “wicked” is “adikia” and it carries the idea of men failing to love others. They don’t treat others as they should. Instead they cheat others, steal from them, lie to and about them, they are abusive verbally and physically, they try to destroy them and they take advantage of them. The point here is that God is angry with men who are ungodly and unrighteous. The other class of men that God shows His wrath to are:

MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH -- The Greek for the word “suppress” is “katechonton” which means to hold down, repress, stifle, hinder. Men know the truth from nature, from reason and from the Word of God. Yet despite having the truth, they do all they can to get rid of the truth.

Note that the Scripture says that they “suppress the truth by their wickedness.” In other words they while they know the truth they go about living in wickedness. So, they are without excuse when it comes to experiencing the wrath of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (ESV) states, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”

The wrath of God follows when men reject the Light of His Righteousness. Paul writes in Acts 17:30-31 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

This tells us that the Judgment of God is even more severe now than it was in the Old Testament times. But since Jesus came and died on the cross of Calvary and paying the debt of sin, and rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit now has much more access to the world and to men in general, providing a much greater opportunity for people to accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Man is without excuse. God’s wrath shows His wrath:

BECAUSE MEN REJECT WHAT IS WITHIN THEM -- Romans 1:19 “….because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

That is that men reject their consciences and their thoughts and their reasoning about God. But there are things that can be known about God. They are plain and made evident within man in their hearts and their conscience. God has made it known to them. He’s made it evident and clear. If man wants to know about God, they can if they want to. The problem is that they don’t want to know about God.

They have a sense about God but they suppress it and try to get rid of it. That is certainly the case with men today. So, God reveals His wrath to man.

Now, the truth about the condition of mankind is something that is fiercely resisted then and now. Man doesn’t want to hear that they are corrupt, evil, wicked. They look their condition and say, “Well, it’s not my fault. It was my parents fault. It was my German heritage. It was the neighborhood.” They do not want to hear that they are responsible for their own actions. They resist the idea that they are evil, wicked and godless. Sadly, many modern churches promote that nonsense. Instead of telling people that they are sinners, they promote the notion that God is within all of us. We just have to find it through meditation or psychology or hypnosis or yoga or that they were born that way or whatever.

But God makes it clear that man is without excuse for not turning to God and recognizing Him and His Word. And His wrath will be poured out on them because they are godless, wicked and unrighteous. Men know about God but they refuse to worship Him as God. Man can know and grasp that God exists and the He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. But they don’t’ want to know God. They reject even that which is within them. So, this is the first reason as to why God reveals His wrath. Next week we will take up how man can know God through His Creation.

Father, thank You that we can know You. Thank You for the revelation of Yourself through Your Word, through Your Creation, through Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to be continually aware of how we live our life each day. To live each day in a way that, through Your Holy Spirit in us, we can show that You are a reality; that You are a God love but that You are also a God who judges those who resist You, reject You and suppress Your Truth. May we live each day in a way that will reflect Your Son Jesus to others so that they will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The Creative Power of Jesus"

2011-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Creative Power of Jesus”
John 2:1-11
October 2, 2011

As we continue our look at the Gospel of John, this morning we will begin to look at the aspects of the different revelations of Jesus Christ. The first revelation of Jesus as the Son of God is His creative power as seen in the first recorded miracle of Jesus. So, let’s begin by our text verses in John 2:1-11.

It’s important to remember that God never does anything without a reason. He doesn’t have knee jerk reactions and nothing catches Him off guard. So, with that thought let me say that the reason for this first miracle was:

TO REVEAL GOD’S CREATIVE POWER -- John 2:1-2 “And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding.”

The occasion was a marriage feast. It was a joyous occasion involving a wonderful time of feasting, full of laughter, joy and, to the Jews, it was probably the largest and most festive social event in the community. It would often last a week or more.

Relating this miracle scene to a spiritual line of thought, commentator George Williams said this, “On this day, the poor water of man’s efforts will be changed into the rich wine of God’s provision. This tells us that the Millennial Kingdom will be the Father’s house of win; and the joy of that house will be the joy and love of an eternal marriage feast.” What a great analogy.

Mary, the mother of Jesus was there. Most Bible teachers believe that Joseph was already dead for some years. But what’s important to see is that, Jesus was there. Here we see:

THAT JESUS WAS SOCIABLE -- He enjoyed people and people enjoyed Him. He was a people person and He enjoyed having a good time. Now, the fact that I said Jesus enjoyed a good time might offend some who think that being a Christian means going around looking like they’ve been sucking on a lemon all day. But Jesus was not a fan of isolationism or being unsociable. “But, doesn’t the Bible teach that we are have separation from the world?” Yeah, separation but not isolation from the world. How are you going to show Christ to an unbelieving world if you isolate yourself in a cave and wear burlap and sing chants all of your life?

While God is a holy God, He is also a God of joy and happiness and peace. In His presence there is no despair, no gloom, no depression, and no sadness. Look at Psalm 16:11 (ESV) “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Listen, man is a social creature. Jesus is teaching us here that we shouldn’t get so busy that we can’t be sociable with others. But, we need to have balance. We can’t spend ALL of our time being with others. We need time to be alone with God and listen for His voice. There are many who spend TOO much of their time socializing and not working, producing and making their God called contribution to the world. The 2nd thing it shows us is:

THAT JESUS HONORS MARRIAGE -- He demonstrated His approval and honored that marriage by being there and ultimately meeting the need of the couple being married. Jesus was invited to that marriage. When I do pre-marital counseling, I will tell the couple to invite Jesus Christ into their marriage; make Him the focal point of their relationship and their family. When they do that, then God will bless that marriage meet that family’s needs. Now let’s consider:

THE CONCERN OF JESUS’ CREATIVE POWER -- John 2: 3-5 “And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’” Mary’s concern:

WAS OF A SOCIAL NATURE -- The need that had come up was no small thing.
They had run out of wine and the celebration had just begun. These Jewish wedding celebrations would often last a week and during that time, the married couple would have an open house and have to provide refreshments for that entire week. So, this problem would affect everyone in the entire community who would be celebrating with this newly wedded couple. The couple would be humiliated and would be the target of continual jokes and harassment. So Mary’s concern was one of social nature. She wanted to see the social needs of this couple met. So, she brought the problem to Jesus. While Mary had a social concern:

JESUS HAD A DEEPER CONCERN – While Mary was concerned about social needs, Jesus was concerned about spiritual needs. He saw this as an opportunity to begin familiarizing Mary and the others with the truth of who He really was – the Son of God. Jesus always focused on His purpose for coming to this planet. He was always focused on the cross and the work that was essential for man’s salvation.

Man has many social needs for health, comfort, housing, peace, justice, etc. The need of this hour at the wedding was social and Jesus met that need. But He never stops with just meeting physical and material needs of our world. He goes on to meet the deeper needs of man – life, love, satisfaction, meaning, significance, etc. It’s important to see:

MARY’S CONFIDENCE IN JESUS -- She had total confidence in Jesus to meet this social need. But, the point here is not so much that Jesus would meet this social need but that He would demonstrate His creative power that was and is essential for mankind to experience redemption. Man needs to experience the:

CLEANSING OF JESUS’ CREATIVE POWER -- John 2:6-8 “Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it.”

Now, there a couple of things to notice here. First, these 6 water jars were used for both drinking and for the purifying and cleansing of the Jews – that is the ceremonial and religious cleansing of the hands and utensils. Jesus used these water pots to show that He had the power to purify, cleanse and satisfy men.

The need that Jesus was desiring to meet was man’s need for spiritual purification and inner cleansing. In this miracle, Jesus was showing for the first time that He had to power to create newness in man. He would do this for man at the cross of Calvary where He shed His blood for our cleansing from sin. But before we can be the new man we must believe that:

CHRIST’S POWER CREATES MAN’S NEWNESS -- John 2:9-11 “When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

The results of this miracle were threefold. (1) The couple had their needs met. (2) Christ’s glory was revealed. (3) The faith of the disciples in Jesus was strengthened. When it was all said and done, the master of the banquet gave testimony to the beauty of this miracle when he said, “You have saved the best till now.”

Call---- If you haven’t invited Jesus into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior, then know that Jesus loves you and He wants to enjoy the greatest miracle in this life – forgiveness for every sin you have ever committed and to be in right standing with God. That can only happen when we come to Christ, ask for His forgiveness for sins and receive Him into our lives as Lord and Savior and to live our life for Him. Do you need Jesus? He’s here to meet you and all of your needs.
Will you come to Him and experience a new life?

Folks, we serve a God who cares for us and who will meet our needs. There is no need to great or small. Often we think that the other person’s need is greater than ours. But God is able and willing to meet everyone’s needs right here and right now. God wants to touch you this morning at your point of need. Give it to Him and don’t allow your pride to keep you from experiencing the power of Jesus Christ to refresh and renew you this morning. Don’t doubt Him. Just place your confidence in Him and let His Holy Spirit touch your life. Let Him save you, fill you, heal you, and give you His peace and joy.

Father, I ask that at this moment that the Holy Spirit move in this place and help us to realize that You are concerned for every need in our life – big or small. Holy Spirit will you help us to lay that need before you and to believe that, through Jesus Christ it will be met. Be glorified Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE ROMAN ROAD

2011-09-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“Paul’s Love For The Gospel – Part 2”
Romans 1:16-17
September 28, 2011

Donald Grey Barnhouse begins his commentary on these verses with this statement, “The worst thing about good people is that they are often such cowards.” Now that may seem a bit harsh, but it carries a great truth. More often than not, people tend to shy away from fighting for what it right and true. There is a natural tendency in man to want to appear to be no better than anyone else. So, they develop the “herd syndrome” and follow the herd rather than taking a stand for what is right, proper, and good.

Now, these two verses carry probably the greatest declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that have ever been written. The great truth in these two verses is that God’s power will save anyone who believes in Christ no matter what their condition or place in life is, or has been. And Paul makes it clear that he is not ashamed of this gospel or what taking a stand for it might bring. First, Paul wasn’t ashamed of the gospel because :

IT WAS GOOD NEWS FROM GOD HIMSELF -- Romans 1:16a “For I am not ashamed of the gospel,” (NASB)

This statement is said in reference to the cross of Christ. Paul was very much aware of the fact that, Greek philosophy would find the message of the gospel of the cross of Christ as foolish. The message of the gospel would simply not line up with their intellectual senses. And the truth is, that is the case even today. The miracle of redemption and salvation through the cross, has been softened to a large degree today. But Paul wasn’t ashamed of this message of the cross because the good news of salvation was from God Himself. But, in the minds of some, Paul might have had good reason to be ashamed of the message of the cross. Why?

Paul lived in a day when there was terrific moral degeneracy. Rome was, in the words of one commentator, “a moral sewer, a cesspool of detestable and inconceivable wickedness. Such a day stood diametrically opposed to the moral righteousness of the gospel.”

Furthermore, Paul was by birth, a Jew. Many in that day saw the Jews as being sub-human that deserved nothing more than being cursed, abused and enslaved. So Paul, in the flesh, might have been tempted to stay away from non-Jews. As well, the message of the gospel was just about totally unbelievable. Not only was Paul a member of a despicable race of the Jews, but the Savior of the World was also a Jew. He was just a man like all other men and his manner of death would be different than that of other men. Also, this member of the Jews was said to have been raised from the dead and that would be proof that He was the very Son of God. So, these claims from the gospel would have been contemptible in the minds of many. So, a natural reaction would be to shy away from making these wild claims.

Finally, Paul was rejected by whole communities, thrown in jail in Philippi, run out of Thessalonica by the religionists, threatened with death in Berea, laughed out of Athens by the Greeks, and to his own people, the Jews considered him to be a stumbling block. There were many times in Paul’s life when he could have given up in shame and ran off to some remote part of the earth to start life all over again.

Sadly, today, many are ashamed of the gospel. They fear that the gospel doesn’t measure up intellectually and it isn’t for the scholar or the philosopher. In addition, many fear that if they accept and proclaim the message of the cross, they will face ridicule, they will be rejected, they will be cut off and maybe left without a job or family and friends. And finally, many fear being killed.

But let’s look at the words of 2 Timothy 1:7-8 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,” Paul wasn’t ashamed of the gospel because it was from God Himself, and because it is:

THE POWER OF GOD TO SAVE -- Romans 1:16b “….for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (NASB)

Paul uses the Greek word for power which is dunamis which describes the effectual working of the Holy Spirit in the good news. As one Bible commentator said, “The Gospel is the inherent, Omnipotent Power of God operating in the Salvation of a lost soul that accepts it.” The end result of someone who believes the gospel of Christ is that they are saved.

Vincent’s Word studies says this, “Not merely a powerful means in God’s Hands, but it itself a Divine Energy.” It’s energized by the Holy Spirit. From the word “dunamis” we get our word “dynamite,” so it would be correct to say that the gospel of Christ is the “dynamite of God.” However, the Gospel does not refer to an explosive powder as is dynamite, but rather a message from God of His mercy and grace which the Holy Spirit makes operative in the life of someone who comes to Christ. But, at the same, time the gospel of Christ IS an explosive power to Satan and the world of spiritual darkness.

The only hope for the world is the salvation that comes from God through the cross of Calvary and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The Greek word for salvation is “soteria” and it means deliverance, to be made whole, to be preserved. So just what is it that man is saved from? WAIT Well, let’s look at 5 things that the Word of God pictures for us. First of all Salvation means:

DELIVERANCE FROM BEING LOST -- Man is pictured wandering around life as though it were a dark forest. He’s trying to go some place but he can’t find his way. As he struggles to find his way through the underbrush and the thorns, he loses his energy and, at some point, he lays down and dies. His only hope is for someone to see that he is lost and then set out to find him. God sees man as being lost and He sent Jesus Christ to seek and save him. Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Salvation means:

DELIVERANCE FROM SIN -- It means deliverance from mistakes, from corrupt ideas and thoughts, from immorality, from a lifestyle in this world that is perverse. It frees men from guilt and shame and places a sense of health and peace in our relationship with Jesus. Salvation means:

DELIVERANCE FROM FUTURE EVIL -- It means that we are delivered from wasting away, decay, hell and death. It means we are delivered from the coming wrath of God. Salvation means:

DELIVERANCE FROM ENEMIES – The world we live in is full of dangers and enemies that we have to confront almost daily – enemies of the mind, soul and body. Man faces all kinds of trials, temptations and difficulties. What are some of those things? We have to fight enemies from a hostile environment, an uncertain future, aging, lust for more and more, pride and ego, greed, accidents, diseases etc. Salvation doesn’t mean that we are delivered FROM those things but it means that we are delivered THROUGH those things. Salvation means:

MEANS TO BE MADE WELL AND WHOLE -- Man is seen as suffering from sickness, tragedies, accidents etc. Christ is concerned with our sufferings and He saves and delivers man; He restores and rescues in body and in spirit. Paul says that this salvation is available to everyone who believes. Believes what?

The sinner must believe the Truth that they are lost and can’t save themselves. He must believe that God loved this world enough to give His Only Son to pay the price for all of humanity. The sinner must believe that Jesus did pay that price on Calvary’s Cross. He must believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day and gained victory over sin and death. If the sinner believes these things, he is saved.

It’s not just a mental affirmation. The sinner must take this unto himself believing that all of this was done for him. Finally, Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is:

THE REVELATION OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS -- Romans 1:17 (NASB) “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” Note two points here. First of all, man has a serious problem of:

THINKING HE IS RIGHTEOUS -- He thinks that he is good enough and righteous enough and does enough good to be acceptable to God. However, man is not perfect so God cannot allow man to be in His presence. The only way a man can be made righteous enough to be acceptable to God is through the Cross – the shed blood of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The 2nd point is that the answer to man’s problem:

IS FAITH – He has to believe the gospel which is the message of the Cross and that Christ saves him. We’re still imperfect and still corruptible but the belief in Jesus Christ honors God’s Son and that is what makes a person acceptable to God. But one final point. A person must CONTINUE to believe – to live by faith, from the very first moment of belief to the very last moment of life. The life of a believer in Christ is to be a life of enduring faith.

Father, thank You for the message of the Cross that comes to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for showing us the depth of what it means to be saved and what the results are of living a life of righteousness in and through Christ. Help us, through the working of the power of the Holy Spirit, to continue daily to live by enduring faith so that others will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus, God's Mediator"

2011-09-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus, God’s Mediator”
John 1:50-51
September 18, 2011

This morning we are going to finish up on our study of John chapter 1. In these past weeks we have talked about Jesus and His different aspects. This morning we are going to look at Jesus, the Son of Man, God’s Mediator. The experience of Nathanael in vs 46-49 is the background for this morning’s message. So let’s go to those verses. (READ THEM) We see in these verses that:

JESUS IS THE REVELATION OF GOD -- John 1:50 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.’”

In the Greek this verse would be better rendered, “You believed because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree.” Jesus is saying, “You believed.” Yes, he believed in Jesus and his belief drew Nathanael to say, “ Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." Two points here. First his belief in Jesus Christ:

BROUGHT GREATER THINGS -- Because he believed in Christ, Nathanael could expect to receive greater things from God. When Jesus told Nathanael that he would see greater things, He was effectively saying that faith begets faith – faith grows. Jesus was saying to Nathanael, “Nathanael, you haven’t seen anything yet. You’ve just gotten in on the beginning of things.” Nathanael would see greater things when he would see the wonderful miracles performed by Jesus – things that the world had never seen before. And to be sure, those things continue in our world today and they will increase as we place our faith in Christ every day.

When we place our faith in Christ, greater things are given. If we can just get that one lesson in our spirit then even the weakest of Christians will see that there is no limit to what can be done in and through Jesus Christ. Secondly, the greater things that Nathanael would see would:

BE REVEALED BY JESUS HIMSELF -- It is Jesus Christ that reveals these greater things. Jesus Christ it the embodiment of the revelation of God. God’s Word declares in John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Jesus Christ is the communicator of the revelation of God. John 1:14 states, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

And Jesus Christ is the Liberator of the revelation of God. John 8:31-32 says, “Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” So Jesus is the Revelation of God and:

JESUS IS THE MEDIATOR OF GOD -- John 1:51a “And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to , you shall see the heavens opened,.’”

This has to do with Jacob and a dream he had in Genesis 28:11-13 which says, “And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.”

Jacob was dreaming of a day when man would have access to God. That's what that ladder represented -- from earth to heaven-- and angels were ministering to keep that ladder open, to keep it available, to keep it working so that man could go to God.

That ladder is Son of Man. Jesus said to Nathanael “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
You shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending not upon a ladder but a man. You know what He was saying to Nathanael? He was saying, "Nathanael, you now have permanent open access to God through Me. I am that golden ladder." And you say, "What are the angels doing there?" Who ministered to Christ after His temptation, through His life? The angels did. Who ministers to God? The angels. Who ministers to us? The angels. That's a busy place, you see them up and down, up and down.

Genesis 28:11-13 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus alone could open Heaven, because He alone is the way to God. Not only did He open heaven, it remains open up to this very moment and it will remain open for all of eternity. Prior to this, access to God had been closed because of our sin. But now, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, because of His shed blood, the way to heaven has been opened permanently. That access to God in heaven, is through Jesus Christ and Him only.

Jacob’s ladder is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who reaches from heaven to earth. Jesus is the One who carries man’s communications to heaven. Now, man CAN approach God and through Jesus only. And man CAN have constant communication with God through Jesus Christ who is our mediator.

1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” Notice that it doesn’t say that the mediator between God and man is a Roman Catholic priest, or an evangelist, or a pastor. It’s Jesus alone who is our Mediator. So, Jesus is the revelation of God, He is the Mediator between God and man and finally we see that:

JESUS IS THE SON OF MAN -- John 1:51b “… and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus is the Son of Man. That doesn’t mean that He was born of a man. It means that He is more than what an ordinary man is, He is more than a son of some man. It means that Jesus:

IS THE IDEAL MAN -- He is the perfect picture of a man. Everything God wants a man to be is seen perfectly in Jesus Christ. Jesus is perfect man, the perfect pattern, the perfect role model of what a man should be and can be. It means that Jesus :

IS THE IDEAL SERVANT OF MAN -- This term stresses the sympathy for the poor, the broken hearted, the blind, the wounded, the outcasts. Jesus is the perfect model of concern, compassion and caring.

Jesus is the contrast between a man of God and man of the earth – between a heavenly man and an earthly man. Jesus Christ is our All in All. He is our Lord and our Savior. So, we conclude the verses that began the work of Jesus Christ and we will see some exciting things through the Apostle John.

Call --------- There are two sides of salvation – man seeking Jesus and Jesus seeking man. If you honestly want to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, if you want forgiveness for all of your sins, if you want a new, fresh, exciting life with Jesus, then He’s available to and for you. And when you meet Him you have open access to heaven. If want to put your faith in Jesus Christ and begin to live for Him, then come and stand with me.

My friends, Jesus promised Nathanael that, because of his faith in Him, he would see some great and exciting things. That’s true for us here this morning. We, as individuals and as a church, need to put more trust in the Lord. We to be the men and women of God that will exalt Jesus Christ every day so that others will be drawn to Him to experience a freedom from slavery to sin, guilt and condemnation. Again, we are reminded of our need for more of the Holy Spirit. We need His power, wisdom and guidance to be the men and women of God that the Lord wants us to be. Are you that person yet? Let’s pray.

Father, as we have looked at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ as seen in this gospel of John, we have been reminded of who Jesus is, what He has done, and the example that He has set. Help us to serve others as Jesus served others. Grant us that fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit so that we can be the men and women that You want us to be. Help us to see the opportunities that You present to lift up Jesus. And in so doing, allow us to see a great harvest of souls for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE BOOK OF ROMANS -- "Paul's Love For The Gospel -- Pt 1"

2011-09-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

THE ROMAN ROAD
“Paul’s Love For The Gospel—Pt 1”
Romans 1:8-15
September 14, 2011

As we read the letters written by Paul, it becomes clear to us that he had one great desire which was that he only wanted to do what the Lord Jesus Christ had called him to do. That’s a great example for every true believer of Jesus Christ – to do ONLY what Jesus has called them to do. Paul knew that there were many people that Christ died for and they need to hear to gospel. His greatest joy was to hear of a person’s great faith. He was always wanting to see that faith grow and become all that the Lord wanted it to become. That is certainly the case in his letter to the church at Rome.

Paul had never been to Rome and he had never met or seen the believers from that church, yet here he is writing to them. I think that the question in Paul’s mind was how could he stir their interest to such an extent that they would, not only read what he was writing but that they would apply what they were reading. That really is the subject of this particular area of Scripture. Paul wanted the believers in Rome to know that he had a great interest in them and that he was compelled to write to them because he couldn’t do anything else. He was compelled to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the whole world including the capital of the world, Rome itself. The first thing he tells them is that the church in Rome:

WAS A GREAT CHURCH -- Romans 1:8 (NASB) “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

Paul didn’t know this church personally. He only knew what he had heard about it. But take note that this church’s testimony for Jesus Christ was so strong that it was being talked about throughout the whole world or, as it is better translated, throughout the Roman Empire.

Wherever Paul went he heard about the strength of this church. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if all of Central Oregon heard about the testimony of First A/G for Christ. What would’ve made this church so strong? Two things. First, these believers:
WERE LIVING PURE LIVES -- In the midst of a very immoral society in Rome, a society was full of greed, selfishness, injustice, drunkenness, gluttony, materialism, idolatry, pride and all manner of sin and wickedness, these believers were standing firm for Jesus Christ and proclaiming His gospel. They were telling their world that Rome need to have morality and justice among all men. Secondly, these believers:

WERE SERVING CHRIST FAITHFULLY -- No matter where they went, at home or travelling, there were always sharing Jesus and ministering to people so much so that some of them were known by name all around their world. Paul himself had apparently run across some of them as they were travelling around.

Folks, the Roman church stands as an example for everyone in the church today. No matter how immoral, polluted and corrupt our society becomes, it’s vital that the church stand firm for Jesus Christ and His gospel. It’s vital that we proclaim continually the message of the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to live a life that is pure, moral with integrity and with a burden on our hearts to share Jesus with others no matter where we are – at home, travelling on business for just on a vacation – we’re to be busy sharing Christ.

Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 tells us: "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

We are not to live like the world, talk like the world, think like the world or be like the world. We are to be separated – not isolated – separated from worldly ways so as to present a testimony of Jesus that will draw the lost to Him. Paul tells these Romans that the gospel:

SUBJECTED HIS HEART TO CHRIST -- Romans 1:9 “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son,” Every Christian should subject their whole life in service to Jesus Christ. The Greek word for “serve” latreuo and it means to have a service that is bought. Paul said that “I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of His Son. Three things here. First, the believer’s labor and service:

IS BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” Secondly, the believer’s labor and service:

IS OWED TO CHRIST -- Once a person has surrendered to the gospel, they have no choice but to work and serve the Lord Jesus with diligence. Thirdly, the believer’s labor and service:

IS TO BE IN BODY AND SPIRIT -- If the believer is serving the Lord in spirit, then he is serving the Lord in body. For example, a believer may feel down, depressed and oppressed; but if his spirit is strong, he gets up and conquers his feelings. He overcomes those oppressive circumstances and lives victoriously day by day. It’s a choice to change his focus from his circumstances to focusing on serving the Lord. But if his spirit is weak – whether at work or play, he often finds himself wallowing in self pity, he goes around grumbling and complaining about everything. Often days stretch into weeks, and weeks into months and months into years until they are down more than they are up.

The point is this. The believer in Jesus Christ is to serve the Lord in his spirit and in his body. They are to keep their spirit strong so that they can overcome their emotions and weaknesses – the ups and downs of life. Whenever a believer in Christ does this, then they can serve the Lord to the fullest possible extent. For Paul, the gospel:

STIRRED HIM TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING -- Romans 1:9b “is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,…”

Paul was a man of prayer who always prayed for others. Paul called upon God to bear witness that he prayed. He didn’t just talk about praying, or tell people that he would pray for them just to be courteous. He didn’t just pretend to pray or spend just a few minutes in some religious exercise. He really prayed.
He took the time to ask the Lord to strengthen and help other people. He even prayed for churches and people that he didn’t know. Paul had never met most of the people in the church at Rome yet he prayed for them and the church.

Scripture is strong in its charge to Christians. We are to pray constantly and we are to pray for all believers throughout the world. Our prayers are not to be limited to a few minutes each day or just for our loved ones and close friends.

Colossians 4:2-3 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing…” That doesn’t mean that we have to on our knees 24/7. But the attitude of our heart should be one of being in constant communication with our Lord not only for our own needs, but for the needs of others.

Paul’s statement that he prayed for this church unceasingly shows a deep affection for them. Paul had a universal love toward all those who believed in Jesus Christ. But he also had a universal yearning for all men to come to know Christ. The love that Paul had for this group of believers in Rome was a true love. Even thought he had never met them, these believers were in the family of God and he sought the Lord earnestly for them. What a wonderful lesson for us today. Let’s stop there and we’ll pick this up in 2 weeks as we consider Paul’s evangelism style.

Father, tonight we have read of the Apostle Paul’s love for the church in Rome. Lord, stir our hearts in the same way that Paul’s was, with a great love for our fellow believers in the body of Christ. Grant us the grace to continually petition You for their needs. But as well, Father, give us a deep yearning to always look for opportunities to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to our lost world. We ask for that precious anointing of the Holy Spirit which comes only from Him, to see and take advantage of those opportunities that You would present to us to lift up Jesus so that all men will be drawn to Him and see this church, which is Your church, become all that You want it to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "Jesus, the King of Israel"

2011-09-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus, the King of Israel”
John 1:46-49
September 11, 2011

Last week we looked at Philip and how his first concern after meeting Christ was to go and tell his good friend, Nathanael. Philip finds Nathanael and he said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

Philip’s testimony reveals he understood that Jesus was the one that Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy and that Jesus was the One that the prophets spoke about. Nathanael had a different response to this news. Let’s read the text verses in John 1:46-49. First of all, let’s consider:

NATHANAEL’S EXPERIENCE -- John 1:46 “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”

And I love Philip's answer, same answer. "Well let me sit down and discuss with you the merits of Messiah." No...no. He says unto him, what does it say at the end of verse 46? "Come and see." Same thing again. Don't stand around speculating about who Christ is, if you're really honest and you want to know if He's the Son of God, invite Him into your life and find out.

The honesty, that's the greatest apologetic in Christianity, did you know that? That's the most simple and most profound defense of Christianity there is...come and see. You can stand up and say you can disprove evolution, you can prove the Bible is scientifically accurate, you can lay out all the prophecies under the sun but nobody is going to get saved until they come and see. And you can't argue with that one, can you? If you're ever talking to someone about Christ, that's the one argument that they'll never be able to argue against.

All right, you've got a lot of intellectual arguments, why don't you just invite Christ in and see? Then you've gotten down to the basis, haven't you? Come and see, come and see. We found Him, come and see...see, of course, with a spiritual eye.

There are a couple of points here to mention. Nathanael heard the good news about Jesus:

FROM HIS CLOSE FRIEND PHILIP -- Nathanael so deeply loved by Philip that he was the first one that Philip went to find so that he could share the most important experience of his life.
Maybe that’s what happened in your life. Someone you cared for and that cared for you, came along and told you about Jesus. You wouldn’t listen to anyone else, but this person that you honored and loved, you DID listen to and the end result is that you came to know Jesus Christ. If you have a close friend who isn’t saved, you may be the only person that they will listen to about Jesus. Give that some thought – pray that the Lord will give you the opportunity to tell that close friend about Jesus. And when God provides that opportunity, take it. The 2nd thing about Nathanael is that he was:

GRIPPED BY DESPAIR AND PREJUDICE -- He rejected Philip’s testimony with skepticism. “Nazareth! Can and good thing come out of Nazareth?” He questioned what Philip had told him and he rejected it. There is a sense of hopelessness and despair in his response.

My friends, there are lots of voices in our world that so many have listened to and followed in their life. But, in the end, they’ve been let down, they’ve been hurt over and over. The result is that they have lost hope. So many in our world have been promised so much, but they are left empty, hopeless and still searching. Nathanael was that person. So, why should he listen to Philip? Why should he follow another voice only to be let down and disappointed again. That’s the situation of so many around us today.

There are lots of people out there who are always promising a life of fulfillment, joy and satisfaction. But soon their claims are found to be false. Their claim to be able to heal someone is false; their promises for people to find wealth are false; their claim that God told them to quit their job and move to wherever is false. Over and over, they’ve been let down. They wind up with an empty heart that continues to wonder about their real purpose, meaning and significance of their life.

Job felt that and he said in Job 10:1 "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” But as well, Nathanael was also prejudiced. What was wrong with Nazareth anyhow? Nazareth was a little obscure village in Galilee and Galilee bordered Gentile or heathen nations. It was sometimes called Galilee of Gentiles.

The Jews were deeply prejudiced against the Gentiles. They considered anyone or anything touched by a Gentile to be unclean in the sight of God. Nazareth was despised by the Jews because it was on the border of the Gentile country and was commercially touched by the Gentiles. It was despised also by the Romans because its citizens were a conquered people. So, from Nathanael’s experience we look now at:

NATHANAEL’S CONFRONTATION –John 1:47-48 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." In this confrontation with Jesus we see that Jesus knew:

NATHANAEL’S BELIEFS AND CHARACTER -- Jesus said that Nathanael was a true Israelite. He was everything that an Israelite should be – he believed the promises of God; he tried to live up to the standard of God set for Israel, he was looking for the messiah. Jesus knew his beliefs.

Jeremiah 17:10 states, "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds." Jesus knows the beliefs of every person. He knows what our hearts are set on; both good and bad. He knows the intentions of our thoughts if they are for good or for evil. And Jesus knew Nathanael’s character. He said that Nathanael was a man in whom there was no “guile.”

The Greek word for “guile” is “dolos” and it means to be deceptive, or crafty. Jesus said that Nathanael didn’t have those character traits. He was straightforward, open and honest, not a hypocrite.

One of the greatest tragedies today is that the legacy of so many people is that they are full of “dolos” – false traits, deceptiveness, and they intentionally mislead others. That’s especially tragic in the church world and many are falling for these deceptions. There are few people today who are straightforward, honest and open and free of hypocrisy. It’s each person for themselves. Get all you can and can all you get. And it doesn’t matter how you get it. You can lie to get it, you can cheat to get it, you can get it through hypocrisy.

We are told in 2 Peter 3:14 “…. be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Nathanael is a lesson for us in that he was sincere, simple of speech, and he didn’t want to appear to be more that what he is before God and man. Jesus not only knew Nathanael’s beliefs and character, He knew Nathanael’s:

INNERMOST BEING -- Jesus knows everything about every human being. Nothing escapes the eye of our Lord, not even a single thought. This thought presents a great warning to the person who goes their way thinking that their sin hasn’t been seen and is hidden and will not be judges. God has seen it and He will judge it. But in Luke 12:2 Jesus reminds us “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Everything you do, everything you say, everything you think is known and seen by God.

Jesus was telling Nathanael that He knew everything that there was to know about him, even the deepest longings of his heart. Jesus knew his sense of despair and hopelessness; he knew that he was longing for peace. That was enough to bring Nathanael to Christ and devote the rest of his life to him. That can kind of assurance, peace, joy, and freedom can be for anyone here who would make that decision for Jesus Christ. That discovery of Jesus brought:

NATHANAEL’S CONVICTION -- John 1:49 “Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’” He confessed that Jesus Christ was the Prophet, the Son of God and the King of Israel. And he made these confessions, without hesitation, without question, without skepticism, without doubt. The One who fulfills the prophecies is the Son of God and was to be the King of Israel.

Nathanael clearly grasped who Jesus was and that conviction was of the Holy Spirit. It needs to be emphasized that God cannot be learned or even approached by human intellect or education. It comes only by faith. On then does the Lord reveal Himself through the Holy Spirit. When Nathanael looked upon Jesus, he saw God. But when the Pharisees looked upon Jesus, they saw nothing. Such is the way of the world.

CALL------Has the Holy Spirit been speaking to you this morning about your need to ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart? Will you make that decision to follow him for the rest of your life, receive His forgiveness for all of your sins, and leave here with a new life and a clean slate? Just raise your hand.

My friends, there are many people around us who are just like Nathanael – skeptical, doubtful, hopeless, despairing. But Christ is that answer to all of that. It’s up to you and me and to this church to do all that we can to introduce Jesus Christ to them. To show them that God understands their fears and their concerns and that He stands ready to give them freedom for those issues. Will you make yourself available to the Holy Spirit this morning and say to the Lord, “Lord, send me to them and help me to present Jesus to them as Philip did to Nathanael.” We need the help of the Holy Spirit to do that. So, let’s come to these altars and ask for that fresh infilling presence of the Holy Spirit and for His boldness and His anointing to tell others about Christ.

Father, once again you have shown us who Jesus is and what He has done. He is the King of Israel, He is the Son of God, He is the Lord, He is the Lamb slain for the sins of this world. May we never forget that His shed blood on the Cross of Calvary is the beginning of a new life in Christ. Help us to see the opportunities to share with others this wonderful news this week, so that they may see Him as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

THE BOOK OF ROMANS -- The Calling Of Paul-- Pt 3

2011-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

THE BOOK OF ROMANS
“The Calling of Paul – Part 3”
Romans 1:1-7
September 7, 2011

Last week, we consider the point that Paul was, not only a bond-servant to Jesus Christ and that he was called to be an apostle, but that he was separated or set apart for the gospel of God. Paul didn’t say that he was set apart to some kind of man made religion or denomination. He didn’t say that he was set apart to a gospel of social justice or welfare and those are important issues. But Paul said that he was set apart to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, Paul was set apart by God from all of mankind to his role as an apostle.

The gospel concerns “the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is both the subject of the gospel and the author of the gospel. By Him and through Him the gospel, the good news, is both created and proclaimed. Jesus brings this good news of God to man. This gospel is profound and critical. It proclaims the divine nature of Jesus Christ BEFORE He came into this world. He is declared to be the Son of God by the Holy Spirit that dwelt in Him. He was and is the very embodiment of holiness, purity, morality and justice. He is declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus died and rose again and walked on this earth AFTER His death and is alive today sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. That’s the gospel that Paul was set apart by God to proclaim – Jesus is the Son of God.

Now, in Paul being set apart for and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see that Paul:

HAD RECEIVED GOD’S GRACE AND MISSION -- Romans 1:5 “….through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake,….”

If we are to understand the meaning of this verse, we need to ask just who is Paul talking about? Paul states that “we” have received grace and apostleship. We’ll see in a little bit that Paul was talking all of the believers in Rome in this group of “we.” So, Paul isn’t just talking about himself and his helpers. The group is a lot bigger than that. But at the same time it’s important to say that the group is a lot “smaller” than the entire human race.

One of the biggest tragedies we see today in the modern church is the thinking that everything in the Bible is for everybody. Nothing could be further from the truth. There isn’t anything in the Bible for the Buddhist, or Mohammed and the Muslims, or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or for the Moonies, or any unsaved person period except for God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. If that offer is rejected, then there is a certain promise of judgment.

The new age movement, which is running rampant in the modern church, who believe and teach that God, through His Word, is speaking to all of the human race. Their position is that God is “in everything and in everyone.” When you see that kind of statement, you are dealing with a new age mindset because, for them, that’s the bottom – God is NOT in everyone – only believers in Jesus Christ. Paul’s “we” here is just for those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on Calvary’s Cross.

Now, one more point. Through Jesus we have received grace and apostleship. Notice that Paul writes that we have received grace and apostleship. That’s past tense – we have RECEIVED them. So, Paul is saying that there IS grace and there IS apostleship and we HAVE received them if we are saved. Note that:

GRACE COMES FIRST -- Donald Grey Barnhouse said this, “Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.”

If anyone thinks that they are good enough, lovely enough or lovable enough to go to heaven on their own, then they do not understand either the holiness of God or the sinfulness of man. If anyone thinks that they do not deserve hell, they don’t know that God is holy and that man is sinful. But Jesus Christ rose from the dead, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and is the author of grace in our life. And in that we can be secure knowing that our sin HAS been dealt with and our sin IS being dealt with. Following grace:

COMES APOSTLESHIP -- Now, there are today men who claim to be apostles but they are not because they haven’t received God’s grace. They are self appointed. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

So, how can someone be a false apostle? The answer is anyone that appoints themselves as an apostle, and is operating in their own power and might, is sent by Satan and not by God. Grace has to come first. If a man is born again, then Satan cannot send him. But even a man who has been born again may get ahead of God and go out on their own strength when, in fact, they are not sent by God.

In the Old Testament, the priests had their office by succession. But there is no such thing as apostolic succession and is being taught today. And the end result today is that there are heretics teaching all sorts of nonsense under the guise of being an “apostle” when, in fact, they are not but are rather “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” We must be discerning in these days because these self appointed prophets and apostles are wreaking havoc in the church.

So, Paul states that as believers in Jesus Christ who are born again that we have received God’s grace – we have received His favor, His mercy, His love, His salvation. Now, God’s grace includes His love:

FROM ETERNITY PAST -- 2 Timothy 1:9 “….who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,….” God’s grace includes His:

SAVING US FREELY -- Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” For our salvation didn’t cost us anything. It’s free. God’s grace includes His:

CARE FOR US DAY BY DAY -- Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God’s grace includes His:

PROMISE OF ETERNAL REDEMPTION -- Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Finally Paul:

ACKNOWLEDGES THE SLAVERY OF BELIEVERS -- Romans 1:6-7 “…among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul states 3 things about believers. First believers are:

CALLED TO BELONG TO JESUS -- Believers are called to be saved by Jesus Christ. Believers are called to God’s mission to obey Him and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Secondly, believers are:

LOVED BY GOD -- Believers are precious to God the Father. He holds them close and they are counted as deeply loved by Him. Thirdly, believers are:

CALLED TO BE SAINTS -- The idea here is not that a believer works themselves into sainthood, but that they ARE saints the moment they make Jesus Christ their Savior and Lord. The title “saint” is God’s word for every true born again believer. There’s been some confusion on this matter of a person being a saint due, in large part, to the Roman Catholic Church which has made up its own set of rules regarding this issue of sainthood. They determine who is fit for sainthood. But God will not accept that stuff. Why? Because it’s manmade and not from the Lord. Sainthood by merit goes against everything that the Scriptures teach.

This grace and apostleship comes through obedience to God and His Word and is done for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Christian in a sense, has an apostleship. We are to be witnesses for Jesus no matter what we do in life. There’s a story about a very wealthy man in the Mid-west who was a great Christian layman. People would ask him, “What do you do?” He replied, “I am a witness for Jesus Christ but I pack pork to pay the expenses.” Your apostleship may different in degree than was Paul’s but not in kind from the apostleship given to Paul by God.

Grace and apostleship are not earned – they are received from God through the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross. The calling is a work of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is answer to the grace and apostleship that is offered to us.

Father, thank You for showing us tonight that we have received Your grace and an apostleship to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. Help us to faithful in that call by living a life that will reflect Jesus to the lost of our world. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.