Judges 10:15-16 3/28/2023*

“But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”  Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.”

What an amazing concept that “God could bear Israel’s misery no longer”. God had every right to be disgusted with Israel's’ adulterous betrayal. Who could blame Him if He let them suffer for rejecting Him? Yet their misery moved Him. 

I am astonished at this aspect of God. The amazing grace of a holy God who suffers for the misery I bring upon myself – just because He loves me.  

God loves you too. The things He has done to prove that are mind boggling.  He did them, because it breaks His heart to see you in misery.… His plan for you is peace in the arms of your Father. You were never intended to fight your battles alone.

Aren’t you tired of your rebellion?  Has it ever produced what you wanted it to?  

God’s not some cosmic killjoy looking to punish you… He’s a loving Father patiently waiting to rescue you. He has already been wounded for your transgressions and bruised for your iniquities… your pain is His pain. Stop fighting battles that have already been won.

There’s only one place in scripture that describes the Father running… and that was when His prodigal Son returned … He ran to greet him. He will do the same for you, if you will just turn around. Don’t waste another day resisting the God who loves you. 

Easter means we never have to ask God the question Jesus asked on the cross…” why has thou forsaken me?”... The answer to that question was your name and mine…Christ was forsaken for us… He has already borne the punishment for our wickedness so we will never have to. 

The Crucifixion happened because God loves you and could bear your misery no longer … the resurrection proved Jesus was qualified to pay the debt that separated you from God and you never have to be separated again.

 “We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” ~ Brennan Manning

2 Peter 1:3 3/21/2023*

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

This verse is clear about what it takes to live a godly life. The requirement is the “Full Knowledge of him who called us”… There are no self-improvement techniques, no self-empowerment tools… In fact, “self” is not part of the equation.

Full knowledge of Jesus gives us everything we need to live godly lives. Peter uses words like  “All” and  “Everything ” to make the point emphatic - Nothing we need is lacking, and nothing we need comes from us - it is all a gift from God.

What does it look like to live a godly life?

“Godliness” is behavior produced by the constant realization of His abiding Spirit. The recognition of God, and the acknowledgement of His omnipresence produces a godly life.  That may sound oversimplified but understanding that God is near, changes everything.  Godliness means you put every thought, word, and action through that filter and that modifies your life. You don’t act differently SO you will be saved… but because you have BEEN saved you act differently… Your knowledge of Him produces a transformation that is unmistakable. 

The knowledge of Christ opens your eyes to see the world as God created it – instead of as man has attempted to re-create it.  It produces a God centered worldview that guides your path.

If you want godliness – don’t believe the lies that make it complicated as though God has hidden His will.  Get in the Word daily, attain knowledge, and God will change your perspective. 

This letter was written toward the end of Peter’s life. At this point he had traveled with Jesus, walked on water, cut off a soldier’s ear, denied Christ and been restored, witnessed Pentecost…and more. But when the question of what it takes to live a godly life is asked, Peter’s answer is “get to know Jesus”.  

God saved you through His Glory and Goodness, sending His Son to redeem you… Your transformation is all about knowing Him. It not only has nothing to do with self-help – it’s the renunciation of any effort to do so. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”

― Jonathan Edwards

Jeremiah 20:9 3/14/2023*

 “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” 

Jeremiah has been beaten and left in the stocks overnight by the Priest. He is angry and depressed that God has given him a message that causes others to attack him… Yet upon his release, he doubles down on the predictions and warns those who would resist God.

Jeremiah doesn’t like being the bearer of unpopular news but admits that he has no choice… The truth is the truth, and it burns like a fire in his heart.
Am I as motivated as Jeremiah to speak the Word of God when it is unpopular?  Does it burn within me? Am I like Paul in 1 Corinthians, “compelled” to preach the gospel?  

Jeremiah and Paul share that trait… and anyone who genuinely embraces the gospel, shares that trait as well.

The power of the gospel is uncontainable. Understanding that I have been freely delivered from eternal punishment should compel me to tell others. The joy of my salvation ought to produce an internal pressure that demands release. Can you really love someone, and not tell them what Jesus did for them at Calvary?

We are told to be wise, but that cannot diminish our boldness for Christ. We should use strategy and insight when sharing truth, but we cannot water it down …  And like Jeremiah we may suffer for it.

Scripture says that when you speak the truth, you may be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, but you will not be defeated.  Being a messenger of God requires stamina. Expect the battle and be prepared to endure it.

No matter what we face, the gospel was not given to us to be hoarded and contained. We are commanded to tell others. Boldly preach His name.  It may be unpopular, but it is the cure for the disease that has infected us all.  

It is possible to preach the gospel without loving others …But it is impossible to truly love others and not preach the gospel.

“Only he is fit to preach who cannot avoid preaching, who feels that woe is upon him unless he preach the gospel” - Charles Spurgeon

2 Samuel 6:16 3/7/2023*

“Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.”

David and his wife Michal had a disagreement about how David should worship God in public. Michal took a condescending tone, that I sometimes hear in myself.  Am I at times contemptuous of those who worship differently than I do? 

Worship must focus on the Lord, not the worshiper. There are “ministers” who teach self-empowerment instead of worship, and those are non-scriptural, false teachers who must be resisted.

The Bible contains clear guidelines for approaching God. But there are areas of worship that the Bible does not specifically address, and it seems today, that we look for reasons to divide instead of reasons to come together. 

Some people raise their hands, and some don’t… some dress differently than others… some say “amen” during the church service, while others sit quietly …  Shouldn’t my default reaction to all of these be to see sincerity?   Shouldn’t I remember that they didn’t come to church seeking my approval, and that God clearly sees their heart…and mine? 

When I see someone who worships more enthusiastically than I do …do I doubt their motive?  Do I delve into my self-perceived spiritual knowledge and judge them?  

As the chapter ends, we learn that Michal’s punishment for her arrogance was that she had no children – she could not reproduce. … Am I in danger of the same punishment? Does my exclusiveness and egotism deter me from loving others and creating disciples? 

If my child were to give me a rudimentary drawing as a gift, and you mocked them for what you perceived as their lack of artistic ability…Your problem would be with me, not my child.  I think God sees my judgement of those who worship differently than I do in much the same way.  

On Sunday morning, I need to concentrate on my own offering…I must keep my own worship pure.  Scripture says,  “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”…If I worship like that  - It sounds to me like there shouldn’t be much energy left over after church for me to judge my neighbor.  

“When you judge someone, it doesn't define them. It defines you.”
– Anonymous.

Jeremiah 10:5 2/28/2023*

“Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.”

God has no problem speaking bluntly.  In this verse He points out the lunacy of worshipping something that you created.  Cutting down a tree, shaping it, dressing it up and then bowing down and worshiping it is stupidity, and it angers God.

Deuteronomy 7:26 not only says don’t have idols…it says we should “utterly detest” them. Idols are so offensive to God that they are forbidden by the very first commandment.  God views idolatry like we would view our spouses being unfaithful.

But our culture is too advanced to worship idols…right? We could never be duped into serving false powerless gods, right?... I don’t know… look at what you value. Does anything eclipse your devotion to Christ?  Does anything come close?

We should “detest” things that tempt us away from the true God. When I resist false gods is it because I despise them or out of a sense of duty?  Do I “loathe” the gold in their idols and the lust in their lifestyles, or do I begrudgingly abstain?

When I was young, I was enamored by the red glowing rings on our stove.  My mom told me not to touch them or I’d get burned ….so out of obedience, I didn’t…until I did. After that, they were no longer a temptation…I detested them. I saw them for what they were… dangerous.

If God calls something an abomination, I should never tolerate it.  Yet I sometime chase after, depend on, and in some ways worship worthless things… and God says that is hazardous to my relationship with Him. 

Idols aren’t exclusively golden sculptures… they come in the form of money, reputation, comfort,  power… anything that competes with my allegiance to God. Preoccupation with these things is dangerous. I must, acknowledge that God is my King and be solely devoted to Him out of gratitude for my redemption.

Examine your heart this morning… Carefully analyze the list of things you hold as valuable and eliminate anything that detracts from your devotion to Jesus.

“You don't have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.”
- Dwight L. Moody

 

Daniel 4:18 2/21/2023*

^“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, since none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, because a spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel (whom he calls Belteshazzar) that he wants Daniel’s God to perform for him. King Neb will honor any god who will do what he wants…In this case he wants to understand a dream, and that is exactly what is about to happen.

Many people approach God like Nebuchadnezzar.  They seek Him when it is convenient. They avoid obligation to Him by saying things like, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual”… or “there are many paths”…. Their meaning is “I have manageable deities, but they all serve me – I do not serve them”.

Nebuchadnezzar displays this type of “spirituality” by saying that  “a spirit of the holy gods” (plural), is in Daniel. But God is going to correct Nebuchadnezzar’s theology in a way that he will never forget. Since Neb listens to dreams, God sends him a doozy, informing him that he will live like an animal for 7 years - until he understands that God does not share His glory with others. … And that message is universal.  

God will not be one of your idols.  When repentance doesn’t change your actions, God allows sin to change your outcome. You can worship and follow the one true God, or not…but you can’t keep God on retainer, just in case a time arises when He might be useful to you.

Worship has always been found in human history … We were made in His image and our awareness of Him is undeniable. Yet like Nebuchadnezzar, some of us insist on trying to take His place.

Love involves free will… so God leaves the choice up to you.  But if you choose self-worship…you will only get as far as your own power can take you…and like Nebuchadnezzar, you will discover, that that is a barron, confusing place and not at all where you intended to go…

Even if you’re a king like Nebuchadnezzar, you will eventually have to acknowledge that there is only one God – and it isn’t you.

“You will never glory in God till first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself.”― Charles Spurgeon

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 2/14/2023*

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” 

Do we do that? …Does God still expect us to? 

The New Covenant acknowledges our inability to keep the law but does not remove the requirement of holiness. Perfection is still demanded, to commune with God, and faith in Christ is the only way to fulfill that requirement.

Deuteronomy clarifies that loving God with all your heart and soul incentivizes you to begin “Serving Him, walking with Him, striving to keep His commandments”… Since you can’t perfectly keep His law, grace should cause you to chase holiness out of gratitude.

Unfortunately, instead of allowing God’s grace to change us we tend to emphasize God’s mercy to the exclusion of His Holiness. Since grace is free, we see obedience as sacrifice, thinking of ourselves as social martyrs, giving up the “fun” of sin for salvation. 

That is foolishness because sin is lethal. Countless men’s lives have been utterly ruined because they pursued what the world calls “fun”. It is essential to understand sin’s deadliness to be changed by God’s grace .

Christ’s brutal death at Calvary is the most expensive display of love in all of history. Yet we nonchalantly shrug at the price.  We claim to embrace the Cross – yet it does not affect our conduct. That is incompatible with the assertion that we love and walk humbly with God. 

You are saved by faith alone – but your faith should never be alone…. The best way to be sure that tomorrow is secured by your faith - is to see that your life today is transformed by it. 

It will change you when you understand that salvation has not been discounted. Jesus paid your debt in full …because He loves you, and you couldn’t pay the price yourself.  Let thankfulness for God’s unmerited love make you strive to be more like Jesus every day.

“It is no accident that the 10 commandments were smashed and then re-written exactly as they had been before….no matter how often we break His commands – they do not change.”   - Anonymous 

2 Kings 8:13 2/7/2023*

“Then Hazael said, “Surely not! For what is your servant, who is nothing more than a dog, that he would do this monstrous thing?” And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” 

Elisha weeps as he prophesizes that Hazael will commit barbaric atrocities.

But Hazael is offended at the suggestion. Insisting he is above such monstrous deeds, and that he doesn’t have the power to act even if he chose to… But soon Hazael will murder the king of Syria to gain that power and will go on to prove he is capable of astonishing brutalities. 

It is an extremely dangerous situation for me to believe I am too good to be tempted by a particular sin.  That egotism is an invitation to the enemy to “sift me like wheat”.

The belief that I am untouchable puts me in the vulnerable place that Proverbs speaks of when it says, “pride goes before destruction”.

Billy Graham was once asked how he had avoided scandal in his ministry.  The reporter probably expected a theological truth or bible reference…but Dr. Graham responded, “I run scared young man, I run scared.”… That in fact, is an astute theological response, acknowledging the treachery of sin and an indication of the humility that protected Billy Graham’s ministry.  

What about you?  Are you so confident that you are above sexual temptation that you make no effort to avoid it? Are you convinced no situation could arise that would tempt you to steal? Are you sure your desire for power and popularity won’t entice you to lie or gossip? The enemy is crouching at the door, whether you see him or not.

Dancing close to the fire because you believe you are impervious to the flames is foolish. Many men have been destroyed by sin they did not avoid because they were sure they were immune to it…

Recognize the power of sin and your own vulnerabilities and run scared young man. Guard your heart and build defenses against all sin in your life.  Remember that Hazael was sure there was no evil in him until he had the power to let it out. 

“Temptation likes best those who think they have a natural immunity, for it may laugh all the harder when they succumb.”— Catherynne Valente

Romans 8:31 1/31/2023*

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

The phrase, “These things”, is referring to struggles the Roman Christians were facing.  Paul is questioning their anxieties as they face those challenges. I think he might ask us the same question… ”When did fear become our default emotion?” 

America thrives on anxiety. Fear has become our national pastime… We embrace it, promote it, and attack anyone who refuses to be scared with us. No one is immune and neither side has a monopoly on the method. Dividing us with fear has become the most common technique on the political landscape.

Even some churches today have stopped declaring the power of God and instead have become obsessed with the evil plans of people… We have stopped preaching and started whining… We don’t boldly stand on God’s omnipotence; we tremble at the attempts of sinners to change His plans. 

How foolish can we be?  

The Bible says, “The LORD Himself goes before you”… Why waste another day fixated on man’s attempts to thwart God’s plans? They will not prevail.  God is God. He is not worried or dismayed… So why are you?

James is not suggesting that you ignore dangers. He’s suggesting you stop letting fear control your life. Prudently assess threats… make good choices…and find peace in the confidence you have in your Heavenly Father. Fear isn’t from God, and it won’t improve your decision making. 

Turn off the media for a few minutes and read your Bible… Remember that this is the day the Lord has made and rejoice knowing He will control it.  Stop turning inward and trembling, look outward at the power of God… Instead of feeling threatened by people who disagree with you, try loving them like God loved you when you were lost.

Every Tuesday we discuss choices, and you have one to make today. 

Either follow the crowd and spend the day looking for reasons to be fearful… Or be different and trust God.

If you choose fear, you’ll blend in… If you choose faith, you’ll be distinctively peaceful, and people will be drawn to you like moths to a flame… Tell them God’s bigger than their problems... Let them know they can trust God and that today was created for something more productive than being anxious.

“Worry ends where faith in God begins.” – Anonymous 

Genesis 5:32 1/24/2023*

“Now after Noah was five hundred years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Noah’s dad Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born, His grandfather Methuselah, was 187, and his great grandfather Enoch, was 65 when they started having children. So, Noah came from a prolific family with godly lineage.  But it took Noah twice as long to begin having children as any of his ancestors. 

In those days kids were seen as security. Sons were needed to work as parents aged. Noah probably prayed for a large family to insure his future. Yet for centuries the answer was “no”…or at least “wait”. 

This was problematic because Noah had no one to help him….and because childlessness was seen as a curse which impacted Noah’s social standing as well. He most likely prayed passionately for a son…yet God was silent.

What happens when you pray for something but hear no answer? Do you see it as punishment, or as an indicator that your prayer life needs work?  Consider that in this instance… God waiting to answer Noah’s prayer was not a punishment, but an act of mercy. 

Noah had no idea the world would be destroyed by a flood. He couldn’t foresee the problem a large family would face trying to survive on the Ark for a year. By keeping Noah’s family small, God insured none would be left behind … God’s timing was perfect, allowing Noah’s sons to become married men who could continue the human race - but not allowing the family to grow so big that they couldn’t all get on the boat. How merciful of God to save Noah from that dilemma. 

God’s plans are harder to understand for those of us who cannot see the future. Is there something you’ve been praying about for what feels like a long time?  Keep praying… Remember who you’re talking to and bear in mind that His vision is better than yours. Lean into the trial, trust God,  and look for His plan. 

Remember that Noah had years of waiting for an answer… which he probably questioned. He may have even gotten angry, convinced that his plan was better than God’s.  But my guess is that all that changed - as soon as it began to rain.

Never make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayer. – Oswald Chambers