Isaiah 40:27-28 8/29/2023*

“Why do you complain, Jacob?  Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know?  Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. ...”

Why do I complain?... Why am I quick to embrace self-pity, assuming God has abandoned me? Did God say I would never face struggles in this world?  No... He said for me to be strong and courageous because I would never face them alone.

We all want strength… but not weariness.  We want power, without battling through weakness.  We embrace soaring like eagles but don’t want to walk without fainting… In other words, we want the benefit of the struggle without struggling. We want spiritual muscle but lack the courage to work out.

What has caused us to become so soft? … Have we grown too comfortable here?  Have we become fair weather Christians? 

Rhett Walker has a song called “Good to me”… the chorus says, “ I will look this storm in the eye… I won’t fear for you’re on my side. My first hope, my last word now and forever…let it rain, let it pour, I will sing… all you’ve ever been, is good to me”.  Is that my attitude when I face storms?  Do I walk in faith when it’s raining, or just talk about trust when the sun’s shining?

This verse asks an important question that I need to answer… “Do I not know?  Have I not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” How can I lack courage when I serve a God like that? How can I not face storms head on? 

There are hurricanes in this life… but The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all things.  That means I can lean into the storm … I can face it with confidence, knowing all things work together for good when I love Him and am called according to His purpose… 

It’s time I traded in my complaining for courage … I serve the everlasting God, and all He’s ever been, is good to me.

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” - C. S. Lewis

2 Peter 2:1...3 8/22/2023*

“But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, …. Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned…. their judgment from long ago is not idle…”

The lies and false teachings we are experiencing in our society today are nothing new. God warned us about this 2000 years ago. Our anxious hand wringing is not necessary. God, long ago, planned His response.

To see an illustration of God as the Warrior God of armies just read scripture about false prophets. Lying about God’s plan to rescue His children from sin is a guaranteed way to experience the wrath of God. The intelligent response to that is to make sure you are not a false messenger.

We carry a precious commodity within us… the “good news” of Jesus Christ.  We must handle it correctly.  Not so people will love us – but because God has already judged those who handle it frivolously. 

Tommy Nelson used to say that when you hear a sermon, “your eyes should narrow”.  Every detail of the Gospel is precise and must be handled carefully. We must validate that what comes out of any preacher’s mouth lines up exactly with what God wrote in His Word. 

Scripture is not written for our approval but for our obedience.  Don’t waste time trying to bend the Bible to fit your lifestyle. - Bend your life to fit the Bible. 

Don’t be shocked at all the destructive heresies out there today. Remember that in the garden the serpent’s initial strategy wasn’t to get Adam and Eve to necessarily sin, his first goal was to simply get them to question God’s word. 

The enemy’s plan has not changed. The inerrant Word of God must be your true north, or you will wander aimlessly. When you hear someone questioning the veracity of a passage of scripture be careful, you are in the company of a false teacher whose judgement is eminent. 

God has clearly written our marching order so tenaciously follow every directive in the inerrant Word of God… Walk softly and carry a big bible. 

“Biblical inerrancy was not only affirmed unambiguously by Jesus Christ, but is foundational to our firm reliance on God’s promises and revelations contained in the Bible.” - David Limbaugh

John 15:22 8/15/2023*

 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

Jesus says the words He has spoken will be the evidence that will convict unbelievers. They have been told the truth and now their sin is without excuse.  But if that is true of unbelievers how much more should it apply to me?

I run to the cross for deliverance, I am saved by faith alone.  But saving faith is seldom alone, and its power should change me.  The Cross provides salvation, but this verse implies that knowledge of the Cross increases my responsibility to live righteously. 

The devil was a believer, but not a Christian… and I must know the difference.  God has defined sin in His word, and He has freed me from its control. I am no longer a slave to sin, so my sinfulness is now a choice.  

Each day I decide who I will follow…  If I put myself on the throne, I will focus on my freedom and deliverance. If God is on the throne I will focus on righteousness. 

Make no mistake, God’s focus is on righteousness and that is where He expects mine to be as well. Salvation is not a minor adjustment… it is a 180 degree turn that produces dramatic changes in my life.

I am saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone… but Jesus has now become not just my Savior but my Lord as well. 

My goal is to reflect the love of Christ and to live free from the entanglement of the sin that used to control me. I still live in a broken world and will need God’s grace to cover me. But that is not a license to ignore the price paid for my freedom from the heinous power that used to govern my life. 

I am free… It makes no sense to sit in an open cell and put the chains back on... I am a child of the King and Today I must choose to run from sin and pursue righteousness. That is why Jesus came… to make me a new creation who longs for righteousness and a relationship with Him.

“It is not enough to be delivered from sin; it is enough to be delivered to righteousness.” - Edwin Louis Cole

Isaiah 36:21 8/8/2023*

“But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

The commander of the mighty Assyrian army is “talking trash” to the Jews who are on the wall guarding their city. And he’s speaking in their language to frighten them. Yet the people just sit there and look at him. 

I imagine this concerned the commander.  It is informative when people heatedly argue with you… it is also informative when they don’t honor your comments with a response… Like the little dog that barks and barks as compared to the pit bull that just looks at you and confidently waits for you to come into his yard. Which one are you? ...How do you respond when faced with taunts from the enemy?  Do you exude confidence, or uncertainty and agitation? 

The one thing you never see in scripture is God panicking... In fact, you never see Him being surprised.  Can we live in that confidence?  Can we sit on the wall surrounded by the enemy, secure and silent in the power of the King we serve? 

How differently would the world view the church today if we refused to join in their panic?  It wouldn’t be sermons, music, or programs that attracted people… it would be our peaceful confidence that would draw them like moths to a flame. 

So, before you go out today and angrily argue with your “opponents” consider your motivation for quarreling… Is it because of your own anxiety that you need to win the debate?… or are you lovingly trying to give them truth and relieve their fears? 

I suggest that as they tell you their theories of devastation that you look past the surface and see the anxiety that drives their lives.  Your theory is not going to replace theirs… So, either answer in love, or don’t answer at all. 

Fear doesn’t come from God (2 Timothy 1:7) so just let your peace and confidence in the Lord get their attention… Because in every circumstance only faith in the Father can grant sustainable peace. Sometimes it is best to just sit on the wall in silence and let God respond in His own time.

“You do not know the gospel, dear friends, if you have not obtained peace through it; peace is the juice, the essence, the soul of the gospel.” - Charles Spurgeon

Matthew 23:11 8/1/2023*

“The greatest among you will be your servant.”

Jesus makes this statement after condemning the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day. The rest of the chapter discusses how dangerous it is to be a pretender in the house of God.

Does that concern you?... It does me. 

When Christ speaks to sinners, He tells them to repent, change their lives, and follow Him. But in this chapter Jesus delivers a searing reprimand to people who look a lot like me. People who go to the temple often and speak as though they know God. 

I don’t want to be a man who needs reprimanding, and verse 11 is the litmus test of my authenticity… It comes down to whether or not I am a servant. 

This dovetails with 1st Corinthians which declares that the value of what I do is determined by my motives. When I speak, do I speak because I love spreading the gospel… or do I desire the spotlight? Do I write this blog to help others, or to get comments and clicks? 

Self-centeredness is a slippery slope, and Jesus says it is critical not to slide down it. Take a hard look in the mirror this morning: What motivates what you will do today?… 

Motivation can be the difference between an offering and an abomination. The difference in giving a drink to a thirsty child because you love them… or doing it because people are watching, cannot be overstated. One is an act of worship, the other self-promotion. 

Being a servant is not a complicated theological concept… you can’t say you don’t understand what Jesus means … He is telling you to love others – and do something about it – or quit calling yourself His follower. If you think that sounds harsh, read what Jesus says in the rest of this chapter. He is not recruiting disciples. He is outlining the cost to be one. 

The first commandment is to have no other god… and that includes yourself. You will either seek to be served or seek to serve others.

What’s inside your heart will come out when jostled. What will splash on those around you today? A self-centeredness that demands to be served and recognized… or a love for others that will make you a servant?

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” – MLK, Jr.

2 Corinthians 11:29-30 7/25/2023*

“Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?  Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.“

After stating his compassion for those he leads; and admitting he is as flawed as anyone else is… Paul declares that his boasting will only be about his weakness… Don’t skip over that concept… It’s a radical statement, and a revolutionary way to live your life. 

How do you establish your self-worth? Do you set your value on your level of performance?... Are you treasured because of what you do and how well you do it? … or does your value emanate from whom you belong to?

If my confidence is in Christ –  am I so grounded in Him that I don’t need to defend my own public image? Am I so confident in the power of my Savior that I embrace the things that show my need of Him? This is a radical departure from most people’s PR plan, and Paul is not subtle about it. 

He doesn’t have a trophy room; he boasts in mementos of his weakness… He embraces it. Do you absorb the benefits from your trials? ...or do you miss some growth opportunities because of blame deflection, denial, or self-pity? 

Paul leans into his flaws and sufferings and squeezes every ounce of growth and wisdom from each trial. No dodging, no excuses… he simply leans on the power of his Savior and allows God’s redeeming grace to transform him. 

Our adversary prowls around looking for someone to destroy.  So, we are not only exposed to suffering… we are hunted. If they’re not here already, trials are coming.  When heartache arrives, what are you going to do about it?  … Hide? Run?

Paul meets his head on… because he knows it will be the Mighty Warrior God that responds.  Paul will lean into the suffering, embrace his own weakness,  and marvel at the apocalypse God unleashes on those who hurt His children. 

So, decide today to boast about your strength, or about God’s ….  Rely on one or the other, and then let the chips fall where they may. 

“We are too much haunted by ourselves, projecting the central shadow of self on everything around us. … Redemption is this, to forget self in God.”

- Frederick W. Robertson

Colossians 4:10 7/18/2023*

“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)” 

As Paul ends the letter to the Colossians, he mentions everyone but himself.  

Aristarchus is a prisoner with Paul, and Paul sends greetings from his “fellow prisoner” as if they are on a cruise ship  instead of in a prison cell. 

Had this been my letter, I would have been demanding my team to get busy targeting my unjust imprisonment.  Encouraging them to write letters, make phone calls. 

But Paul’s heartbeat is that other people are more important than he is… So, he speaks for Aristarchus and then he takes care to guard the reputation of a guy named Mark. This is the same Mark who had “quit the team” during a missionary journey. Which later caused a public dispute between Paul and Barnabas with Paul refusing to let Mark come on the next trip. 

As Paul sits in prison, he takes care to tell the Colossians (who may have heard of Paul and Mark’s disagreement) that Mark is an important part of the team and that their disagreement was not over what is – what isn’t sin …. but over personal approach to evangelism. 

This delineation is something we have abandoned. There are non-negotiables… right and wrong are not “soft targets”. Scriptural definition of sin is unbendable… opinions and techniques for effective evangelism are not ... 

Paul just said Mark was to be welcomed. I might have guarded my authority, and position by saying something like “now that he sees things my way,”…But Paul just says, “if he comes, you welcome him”.  

Their dispute was public, it had gone “viral”… but Paul is unconcerned with announcing a winner. Forgiveness’s goal is not to prove me right -and then virtuous for pardoning… That’s not forgiveness, that’s self-aggrandizement. 

Paul loved Mark. Later he will praise Mark as being helpful to his ministry. So, Paul didn’t worry about his own public stature, only about Mark’s reputation.

As I deal with others today can I keep my eye on the ball?  Can I love others without my own self-interests getting in the way? It all comes down to who I think is more important…you or me? 

“A culture of honor is celebrating who a person is without stumbling over who they’re not.”

— Bill Johnson

LUKE 10:29-30 7/11/2023*

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho…”

Most of us have heard the story of the good Samaritan.  What we sometimes miss is that Jesus told the story in response to a question… and He didn’t answer the question.  

Jesus was asked, “who is my neighbor”?... and He answered by describing how that man should be a neighbor to others. That clarification is important because it completely changes the message.  

The man talking to Jesus wanted to establish what people needed to do to qualify as his neighbor, but Jesus said – “you’re the one who needs to qualify. Having a neighbor is your job, not theirs”. 

That flips the script... I can no longer look for loopholes to disqualify you – instead, I must do things that qualify me to be your neighbor.

God made it clear that life is a team sport and that we are to consider others as more important than ourselves. That point was significant enough for Jesus to include when asked about the greatest commandment. 

God placed the need for community in our DNA. Psychological studies on solitary confinement have revealed that isolation "destroys people as human beings."  Being alone causes anxiety, panic attacks, depression, anger, paranoia, and psychosis. The medical term for that is “it ain’t good.” We were created to love God and others. 

In scripture, God warns us not to give up meeting together.  He instructs us to go to church… go to bible study,  encourage one another… meet other people’s needs and be a good neighbor.

So, as you go out today don’t look for someone to be a good friend to you… look for someone who needs you to be a good friend to them. Look for people, like the man on the road to Jericho, who need help.   Because the only things you really get to keep – are things that you give away.

Living next door doesn’t make you a neighbor… loving someone does… Look for people who need to be loved… and then do something about it. Being a neighbor has nothing to do with where my house is… and everything to do with where my heart is.

"Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one." - Nikolai Berdyaev

Habakkuk 1:2-3 7/4/2023*

“How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?… Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?”

Sometimes I act like Habakkuk. I forget that it is unwise to admonish God for allowing injustice and wrongdoing to persist - when I am the perpetrator of injustice and wrongdoing myself. It’s called a double standard. 

It happens when I don’t see my sin as clearly as I see yours.  I tolerate your sin as long as it looks like mine, and doesn’t go outside of my “acceptable sin circle” … The problem with that is that there is no such thing as an “acceptable sin circle”.   

The wages of all sin is death. But instead of confession and repentance, we adjust the definition of sin, and call for tolerance and acceptance. But God has never tolerated nor accepted sin … 

God sees sin as the mechanism that murdered His precious Son and His reaction to any sin is exactly what you would expect it to be… It is impossible to overstate His loathing and intolerance of sinfulness.   

An honest reading of scripture clearly defines sin, and we must see it as God does.  We cannot lower the bar …Yet at the same time, we must acknowledge that none of us can clear it.  

God hates sin – yet loves sinners. 

So, we must love the lost without supporting or tolerating their sin. 

And we must hate sin - without despising those who are controlled by it. Missing the mark in either direction causes us to sin ourselves. 

The litmus test is simple: If you confess and in faith battle sin in your life, you are on the side of Christ … If you redefine and embrace sin, you are not. 

All men are in one of these two camps. There are no degrees of righteousness… you are either holy, or vile.  And we all start out as vile. Only a blood-stained faith, with a repentant heart, can move me to holiness.

Scripture is clear that I am saved by grace, through faith alone, but the question remains …do I hate all sin like God does? … or do I tolerate my sin …and only hate yours?

“It is not the absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors” ― A.W. Pink

Joshua 2:11 6/27/2023*

“When we heard these reports, our hearts melted and no courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below.”

Rahab was a prostitute who made this statement to the spies that Joshua had sent to check out Jericho. She risked her life to save them, and this verse explains why she did it.  

She had become a believer… she didn’t have a name for it, but she heard of the power of The Lord and proclaimed that God was God.  She believed in her heart, confessed with her mouth, and acted on her conviction. Her faith led her to hide the spies and misdirect the soldiers who came looking for them… She put her own life on the line to protect God’s people.

How does this young prostitute’s faith stack up to yours and mine?

My faith is more scripturally based, my theology more informed, but do my actions compare to hers? Do I declare my faith in God and then back up that statement with fearless action? Or is my faith an “add-on” to my life that I discuss when convenient and safe, but avoid when it involves risks?

How convicting it is to realize that after half a century of studying scripture, and personally seeing God’s hand at work in my life…  my faith is not as robust, as this young woman’s who had only heard of God’s power second hand. 

We have no excuse for being less courageous than Rahab. She has set the bar and there is no debate that God intends us to dangerously live out His word not just talk about it.  He expects us to be strong and courageous… not quiet and comfortable. 

What keeps our mouths shut in this culture?... Only one thing… fear… and according to scripture, Fear does not come from God. 

I believe Rahab’s faith was counted as righteousness and that she changed her life after God showed her mercy. This would make her the first recorded Gentile convert.  Some may debate that, but there’s evidence to support that belief. 

The reason God recorded her story though is less debatable… It was to illustrate that faith produces courageous action, and to challenge us to boldly live out the gospel we preach.

“Faith can move mountains - fear can create them.” - Anonymous