Philippians 3:13-14 12/26/2023*

“Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Another Christmas is in the books and now we look to the New Year. Most of us didn’t accomplish everything we wanted this year, and we’ve had some good and some bad outcomes…  So, how do we deal with them?   We don’t, they are behind us.  We press on toward the coming year - a blank canvas that now becomes our focus. 

Getting stuck in my past can hurt me in two ways:  My failures can eliminate my confidence for the future. Or my past successes can cause vanity and open the door to my greatest enemy, pride. 

This passage tells me to abandon self-doubt, self-confidence … and pretty much self-anything that the past generates.   I must forget yesterday and lean into today. Press on and serve God, solely depending on His power not my own.  

We will move quicker and more precisely if we drop the baggage from the past. Time moves forward, so should you. This morning didn’t just happen, God created it and has a plan… I will rejoice and be glad. I will dive into today, and keep my head on a swivel, so I won’t miss the opportunities God has arranged for me.  I’m not fearful because what God has given me to do - He qualifies me to do. I am a new creation whose past is inconsequential because God has prepared me for what’s next.

Our New Year’s resolutions should just be one thing, “Chase what matters” … That was the phrase my buddy Bruce Hayes used to inspire his students, and it should inspire me as well. God’s plan for today is what matters. So, let’s forget what happened yesterday, focus on today, and keep “self” out of the way of God’s plan for this New Year. 

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Drop the weightiness of the past and use the lessons learned to run full speed towards a productive today… Serving Him is what matters.

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” —Vern McLellan

Romans 11:33 12/19/2023*

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

God’s not like me. His thoughts are not my thoughts, and His ways are not my ways. The enemy’s plan is to make me misunderstand the very nature of God. 

Reading the New Testament about God’s love is cozy compared to reading The Old Testament about His unbending Holiness. However, both attributes are essential in our understanding of The Lord.  

When I venture into the Old Testament, I realize that I don’t comprehend His power and complexity. I have created an image of God I am comfortable with…  Majoring on the love of the Lamb, to the exclusion of the wrath of the Lord of Armies.

Christmas is the collision of these two equally essential traits.  The pivot point of human history is the birth of Jesus.  This event marks the moment God demanded an accounting for my sin, and chose to suffer the payment for me.

Holiness and Forgiveness. Both inflexible conditions in a single Deity so complex that He is described as the Triune God… So magnificent that we only begin to understand if we consider Him three in one.   And yet Christmas morning He chose to come as a servant born in a shed. 

The enemy cannot deny the overwhelming magnitude and impact of Christmas, so instead he attempts to confuse it with lights, trees, and trinkets. It is wonderful to celebrate joy during this holiday, but we must not miss its meaning.  Christmas commemorates the launch of God’s rescue mission for you and me, instigated by His unfathomable love. The King of Kings made the impossible – possible, by paying an enormous price to free us from our self-earned destruction.  

You should relish Christmas, enjoying your family, food, and friends.  But don’t forget to meditate on the reason for our celebration. It was His Christmas gift to you in that manger that restored your fellowship with God and changed your eternal destiny from suffering to peace. That is truly the only gift that matters! 

"Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life." - Corrie Ten Boom

Matthew 19:24 12/12/2023*

“And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

We’ve all read this verse and yet somehow, missed the gravity of the statement.  Even the disciples were stunned by what Jesus said. So much so, that they asked, “then who can be saved?”  Jesus’ answers, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  He didn’t say, “don’t worry, that’s just a metaphor”.  He doubles down and says, only the power of God can get the wealthy into the Kingdom. And since by the world’s standards we’re all wealthy,  we had better examine that statement. 

Money is dangerous. The love of money is lethal. I must not allow the blessing of prosperity to become a poison. So, what’s my gameplan for dealing with something Jesus speaks so forcefully about? 

I must recognize that wealth doesn’t “qualify” me, or anyone else, for God’s work. It is actually a red flag that I must be wary of... Jesus’ uses cautionary words regarding wealth because there is great temptation for rich people to worship money instead of God. 

What about you?  Would your response have been different than the rich young ruler, who when told to sell all he had and follow Christ, went away grieving?  If you had to write a check today to be a Christian, how much would be too much?

Money is not the root of all evil, the love of money is… And love of money is closely related to love of self, and love of self opens the door to the most dangerous Idol on the planet … Me.  Maybe that’s what Jesus meant.

Since only God can get a camel through the eye of that needle,  you should consider a few questions… Which book influences your life more, your Bible, or your checkbook? Do you control money, or does it control you?  Are you neglecting God’s Kingdom, in order to build your own?  The answers to these questions matter.

So, handle money carefully, it is like working with a nuclear reactor… It has great power to do good… but dropping your guard, falling in love with its power, and pursuing it at all costs, will disqualify you for the Kingdom. 

“Money often costs too much.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

1 Thessalonians 4:3 12/5/2023*

“It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,  not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;  and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.”

We like to say we are searching for God’s will… but it’s not hidden. His Will is our sanctification. Sanctification means “to be set apart” and sexual sin “de-sanctifies” us. 

That’s a problem because our culture promotes it. We have invented ways to degrade ourselves which has produced innumerable perversions. It’s no longer possible to shock us with depravity. It has become commonplace.  

The Bible gives two reasons that this needs to change:

1. 1 Corinthians says “… the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” Your body is the temple of God… Sexual sin blasphemes that temple. This sin is distinctive because it violates your body which houses the Holy Spirit. If you want to know Jesus’ opinion of defiling the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, just read about His Clearing of the Temple with a bullwhip.

2. Sexual sin hurts people. God created sex to produce life, and to allow a husband and wife to become one … any other practice harms us. Every deviation ends in destruction. Look around at the demolished families, broken people, and the “spiritual roadkill” of ministries that have imploded because of this sin.  Like a disease immorality is malignant and progressive. Pornography is often the starting point and believing porn is victimless, will make you a victim.   

So, sexual sin degrades God’s Temple, and hurts His children. The Bible commands that we love God …and love our neighbor. This sin violates both elements of that commandment. You cannot ignore God’s law. If you plant immorality, you will harvest devastation.

Even though the consequences are obvious and irrefutable, our culture refuses to tolerate restraints on our sexuality … Truth is considered hateful, and facts about its harmfulness are disregarded. So don’t expect applause, you will be mocked and canceled... But God is clear on the topic, this sin is lethal, and you would be wise to avoid it, because it destroys everything it touches.

“Purity is to live according to original design.” - Josh McDowell