John 19:30 6/24/2025

“…It is finished…” 

This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about this pronouncement that Jesus made on the Cross  … It’s worth revisiting though because without this verse, humanity has no security.  Without this declaration, we would be in jeopardy every day, fighting a force we are incapable of defeating.  We would be slaves to sin, and our eternal destiny would be uncertain. 

BUT GOD instigated a rescue mission, and Jesus finished it on the Cross.  Its completion means that the ransom due for my sin has been paid … Jesus’ death is applied to me, and I am reborn into a new life.  All the shame, all the disappointments, all the failures have been washed away by the Cross.

When I woke up this morning:

I didn’t need to perform any rituals to be a child of God ... It Is Finished.  

No work was required of me to secure my salvation …  It Is Finished. 

My faith alone assures my eternity in Heaven … It Is Finished.

When the enemy begins to list my failures, when he reminds me of my unworthiness, when he questions how God could ever love someone like me … I point at the Cross and say IT’S FINISHED.  

The same is true of you …if you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as your own. If you follow Him as your Lord, and cling to Him as your Savior … then it’s  FINISHED.  Take a deep breath… You are free… Rest in the liberation Jesus Purchased for you.  No need to do good things, in order to be saved; your good works are simply a product of your already purchased salvation.  Jesus said it is finished. There is nothing else required for your redemption. God loves you, and Jesus proved it.  Your adoption is airtight and permanent.  

So, go out today and focus on Loving God and loving others -  because your destiny has been determined … Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you  from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus your Lord.… IT IS FINISHED. 

“The central basis of Christian assurance is not how much our hearts are set on God, but how unshakably his heart is set on us.” - Tim Keller

1 CORINTHIANS 3:18 6/17/2025

“Take care that no one deceives himself. “ 

We really missed the boat on this one… Not only do we not take care to avoid deception… we pursue it because it normalizes our sin. We put on blinders, deceiving ourselves and allowing others to do the same. Once deceived, we go to great lengths to keep the misinformation alive… Nothing is more important than our ability to maintain our comfort, and self-importance.  

If truth breaks through and exposes our sin, we call it hate… This, of course, changes nothing so we become the victim, refusing to own any consequences.  No matter how ludicrous the proposition, we collect “experts” who will strengthen the sham, and confidently deny, undeniable facts.

If you will honestly consider the arguments currently raging in our culture, you will understand why God  says,  “you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.”  What this world calls “wisdom” has gone completely off the rails… Indefensible ideas are embraced and anyone who questions them is attacked as unloving. We defend what scripture calls depravity… Instead of confessing and repenting, we offer justifications and normalize… We deceive ourselves and call it enlightenment. The truth is it is foolishness in the dark, yet we will accept any argument that defends our moral deviation.  

To make ourselves comfortable in our sin, we ignore science, logic,  reason, and we certainly ignore scripture.  But we’re only deceiving ourselves… No amount of protesting will change the truth to fit your life… the only effective option is to alter your life to fit the truth. But that takes humility. That takes an acknowledgment that there is a God… and it’s not you.

If your reading this and  thinking someone else needs to hear it because of their sin … then you too have deceived yourself and missed the point.  This morning is between you and God.  Living righteously is often difficult, but it’s seldom complicated.  It’s simply choosing who you follow.  

YOU must search scripture, and follow God … This morning you can acknowledge as sin what you and your circle have professed as normal… You can break the chains and  walk differently starting today…  or you can deceive yourself and reap the consequences of ignoring God’s Word … It’s your call.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool" - William Shakespeare

1 CORINTHIANS 3:5 6/10/2025

 “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.”

Paul is explaining to the Corinthians that the power of the church is not dependent on performers. The function of church is to worship God, and He provides the Spirit that makes that possible. The Corinthians had turned church into a talent show and had split into factions, promoting their favorite speaker. 

There is no room for that in God’s house.  The church is not a corporate entity, or fraternity… The rules that apply to secular organizations have little to do with the House of God.  The function and governance of God’s church are laid out in scripture and its purpose is not to entertain you, but to glorify The Lord. 

God ordained His church to spread the gospel, and to be a triage unit for those who have been wounded.  Choosing a church should be more like signing up for combat, than finding a comfortable place to be entertained. Your preferred styles of communication are immaterial; the truth in the message is all that matters.

I once heard a preacher respond to parishioners who were angry with the style of “worship”… He simply said, “that’s OK, we aren’t worshiping you”… and that is an important point for us all to remember. 

God is a jealous God … and zeal for His Father’s house caused Jesus to drive some folks out of the building…  So, our attitude matters to God, and it cannot be polluted with selfish pursuits. 

What attitude will you have this Sunday?  Will you go to church to check a box, and while there, complain about the coffee, grade the sermon, and scrutinize the praise team?  

Or will you focus on loving God and  His children, and pray for the humility, that will make you a man after God’s own heart?  Who will you worship this Sunday… The Lord, or yourself?

Because they were focused on themselves instead of God, Paul tells the Corinthians that they have missed the point. They’ve forgotten that church has a singular goal… to magnify Christ as Lord and Savior. That is what God’s Church exist to do.

Energy spent doing anything else is wasted energy. 

“I don’t think the job of the church is to make people happy… it’s to make them holy.”  - Chuck Colson

Numbers 11:1 6/3/2025

“Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the ears of the Lord”

This chapter reveals God’s opinion of ungratefulness….  After 400 years of slavery, God is miraculously leading the Israelites out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and destroying Pharaoh’s army in the process.  God was feeding them daily, leading them by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night… All this protection and provision and yet they were grumbling about the menu. Even Moses was feeling sorry for himself,  everybody was bellyaching, and God clearly reveals that He is not impressed by, nor tolerant of their attitudes.

I too, am unimpressed with these entitled drama queens and their “poor pitiful me” approach to every problem… Their ungratefulness after daily miracles seems ridiculous. That is, until I get downwind of myself and take a good look in the mirror. When that occurs, I recognize the constant blessings in my life and realize that I, like the Israelites,  spend limited time expressing gratitude in my prayers.

What about you? What percentage of your prayers are thankful and filled with praise,  and what percentage are asking for more and better? Do you spend as much time thanking God for what you have, as you do pleading with Him for what you want?

This chapter instructs us to appreciate God's provisions rather than complain about them. And if you read the second part of verse one, you will see that that is much more than just a suggestion. 

“…The Lord heard them, and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp.”

Maybe we should all have Numbers 11:1 as a memory verse. That might help us remember that God doesn’t change, and since He didn’t like their grumbling then – He probably doesn’t  like our grumbling now.

We are quick to receive blessings yet still whine and focus on problems, but God does not tolerate complainers…  ANYTIME we feel self-pity we need to step back and compare what we have, to what we deserve.  Humbly asking your Father for grace and mercy is one thing… complaining and feeling like we deserve better …is quite another.

“Complaining, ungratefulness, and self-pity cannot serve as a foundation for a good future, no matter how much effort you put into it.” -  Anonymous