John 8:10-11 9/19/2017*16*

Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you”, Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more”.

“Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone” is one of the most quoted verses in the bible…far more than the following verses where Jesus addresses the women caught in adultery. 

Christ did not condone her actions.  He did not minimize her sin or excuse it.  His words to her were direct and to the point…. “stop sinning.”

Christ lovingly removed her condemnation, but did not defend her actions. 

He didn’t name it something else and try to make it acceptable, or place the blame on others... He simply said go and change.  

That is the rub, isn’t it?  When you meet God, He demands transformation.

His Spirit alters your heart, redeems your soul, and gives you the ability to change your actions.  He doesn’t excuse sin, He doesn’t release you from responsibility, and He doesn’t lower the bar.

Never mistake forgiveness for the minimization of sin.  Never misinterpret His love for overlooking.  The fact that sin cannot be overlooked, is the reason for the cross, and that should make it all the more revolting to us.

Sin is not a side note in the story of Salvation, it made it necessary.  Not dealing with what scripture defines as sin, guts the gospel of its purpose and power.

Run from sin… not in order to be saved, but because you are.

 “If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me
 if I... daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother's heart?…Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it? "
- Charles Spurgeon

Matthew 24:38-39 9/12/2017*9*

"For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man."

For many of us, this verse is more ominous than it was just a few weeks ago. 

Though we were cautioned about the hurricane, and believed the warnings, the magnitude of the storm caught us off guard and exposed the futility of our preparations.

Mentally our day to day lives had been too important to let weather interfere… but when it arrived, the massiveness of the flood overwhelmed us, and we were powerless to stop the destruction caused by the storm.

Suddenly our meetings, social agenda, and “things to do” list became embarrassingly insignificant, as survival and rescue took their place.

Jesus says His arrival will impact many in the same way.

He has advised us of His impending return, yet we have other things on our mind.  Sunday morning, we give God a nod, and then deal with, what we see as crucial issues, the rest of the week. 

HE. IS. COMING.

 

And when He does the things of this world will be swept away and the insignificance of our fleshly pursuits will be undeniable. Like many in the flood, we will too late recognize what is important, and what is not. Don’t let that happen to you.

The cross is your life raft, and your only refuge from the power of the coming storm.  Don’t dull your senses with worldly pursuits. Stay focused on what matters so when the waters come you will be ready.

Christ used a flood to illustrate the effects of His coming.  As this storm has made us aware of the unyielding power associated with flooding.  I pray we also will be aware of the imminent and unrelenting power of His return.

 

Nothing will stop it…and it will change everything.

“Christians live in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ and that is such an important segment of truth that the devil has always been geared up to fight it and ridicule it.”  - A.W. Tozer

Proverbs 18:2 9/5/2017*2*

"Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions."

When is the last time you tried to understand someone else’s opinion?
When is the last time you enjoyed airing your own?

If you are like me, the answers to those two questions are embarrassing.

There is an arrogance in us that can’t wait for someone to stop speaking so we can enlighten them.  We use the time our opponent is talking to compose our rebuttal.  Not listening to understand, only listening to prepare a counter attack.

Why are we like that?  What is the root cause?  It is not our ears that have a problem, it is our hearts.

If you don’t value someone why would you care what they believe?  If you don’t think of others as more important than yourself, why would you listen to them?  You cannot love God, and yet find His children unworthy of your consideration. 

We must stop wearing our contentiousness as a badge.  It is not your intelligence that makes you argumentative, it is your self-centeredness.  

Unless we want to be fools, we must learn to listen.  And if we disagree, we must learn to do it without being combative.

Start intentionally placing value on others.  You might find that a caring heart can open your ears.  If you get into a disagreement, really listen.  Change your goal from winning, to understanding. 

You might prove you are right by talking, but it won’t matter if you don’t prove you care by listening.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
- Winston Churchill

Ecclesiastes 5:10 8/29/2017*12/16*

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”

The big lie…” if I could just make more money I would be happy”.

That is the lie that keeps us on the treadmill. The belief that what we acquire will give us joy is quicksand.  Materialism, like a drug, always demands more. And when what we desire is acquired without producing the promised happiness, it plunges some into lethal hopelessness.

Money, according to this verse, is worthless in achieving contentment and happiness. Some spend years in pursuit only to finally realize that wealth does not heal the heart. 

It is the opposite of “getting” that produces joy.  The act of giving is what lifts the heart.

One of our family traditions is the giving of “nacho money” at Christmas.  An envelope full of cash is given to someone so they can give it away.  It is “not your money” it all belongs to God. Your job is to find out who God wants you to give it to, and relay back the joy produced by giving it to them.

This is when money can bring joy … when it helps others.  When it is used as an expression of love it can produce happiness.  But when it is exercised in self-love it only makes the void bigger. 

Money is not the problem. Your undying love of it is.

Don’t waste another day misunderstanding the word wealth. 

Work hard and provide for your family.  But when it comes to your heart, pursue real treasure by loving God and loving your neighbor…. use money to do both.

 

Resolve today to set yourself free from the love of money, after all it is “Nacho” money anyway.

“Money is a great servant but a bad master.”

– Francis Bacon

1 Samuel 16: 10-11 8/22/2017

"Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.””


Do you feel unimportant? 
Does it seem like you’re not the kind of person who will ever be a “world changer”?

I bet David felt that way when his father sent him out to tend sheep instead of allowing him to be considered for greatness.


But it turns out that God, and man, have very different opinions, when it comes to choosing a team.  David, whose own father didn’t think he had potential, would one day be a great king, and God would use his lineage to usher in the savior of the world.

Likewise, when Christ chose twelve guys to establish Christianity not one scribe, priest, or religious teacher was chosen.  No one that a search committee would have recommended was selected. Just a bunch of unknown guys, whom God had equipped to change the course of humanity.

Nothing about you is an accident. God has a job for you, and when He puts you in the game, trust that He has prepared you to accomplish His plan.

Don’t listen when the world discounts your ability. God personally designed you. 

Be alert. Be confident ... knowing you cannot do it by yourself is the first qualification you need to achieve greatness. 

Look for needs that you are not qualified to meet, and meet them.  Have faith in God’s power, love your neighbor, and let those two forces guide your steps.

Boldly believe that you can do all things through Christ. Then be prepared to be amazed when God calls you out of the pasture to change the world.

“God doesn't call the equipped. God equips the called.
And you have been called.”  - Rick Yancey

Matthew 16:6-9 8/15/2017

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread. “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand?”

I think if the phrase “shake my head” was popular 2000 years ago, we would find it often in scripture.

 

The disciples actually believed Christ was upset because they had forgotten bread.  Never mind that two chapters earlier Jesus fed 5000 people with a few fish and a couple of rolls.  Somehow, they still thought Jesus was worried about lunch.

   

The disciples, like us, have trouble looking past the small issues of life, to find the truths that matter. We restrict our view to trivial daily task and it minimizes our existence.

 

Our prayer life consists of minor requests. Our faith involves tiny leaps. And our worship is shallow, and forced.  At times God must look at us, shake His head and ask, “Do you still not understand?”

   

We need to change our focus from earthly, temporal things, to the everlasting things of God.

   

When we pray it should be about eternally significant issues.  When we step out in faith it should be outlandish… if we do this… worship and praise will be natural and extravagant.

    

Starting today, let’s stop being distracted by mundane things and focus on what Jesus deemed important.  Practice being heavenly minded, focusing on issues more important than lunch…. If we can change our focus we can then begin to “understand”.

“What consumes your mind, controls your life.”  - Unknown

Hebrews 4:12 8/8/2017

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Have you ever heard a sermon, or read scripture and thought of someone who really needed that message?  It is natural to think of those we love, but does that ever distracted you from hearing what God is saying to you? 

The Word of God is alive.  It is dynamic and if you are hearing, or reading it, it is directed at you.  It is examining the thoughts and attitudes of your heart.  God is talking to you, not your spouse, your child, or your friend.

We must train ourselves to pay attention.  We must stop treating the word of God as though it is common and natural.  It is not.  It is like nothing we have read or heard before… it is alive, and communicating directly to us. More powerful than any weapon known to man, it is the only thing that can change our hearts.

God’s word can penetrate your very soul. It can expose things, repair things, and change things in your life.  The temptation to think the message is intended for others can distract you. That distraction interferes with the words ability to impact your own “thoughts and attitudes.”

Let’s start seeing the Word, as a personal conversation with God.  

He has a message for you and that message has power to pierce your heart and change who you are. If someone else comes to mind, jot their name down for later, but get back to the discussion. You and God have business to attend to… He’s not talking to them… He is talking to you.

“To me the Bible is not God, but it is God’s voice, and I do not hear it without awe.”  -   Charles Spurgeon

2 Timothy 3:1-5 8/1/2017

"...There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power...”

Apparently the last days will be marked by a false Christianity that does not change those who posses it.  While they talk about faith, their lives are filled with a long list of traits that deny their faith has any power.

Do we hold to a form of godliness but deny its power?
Is our faith an outward decoration - or an internal engine that drives our lives?

The old illustration of not having faith in a chair until you sit on it applicable here.  We can speak of our trust in the chair.  We can discuss how sturdy it looks, but until we sit in it we really don't know if it will hold us or not.

Unfortunately, many of us have the same relationship with our faith.  We talk about it.  We tell others how important it is to us, we have jewelry and clothing that advertise it's value...but we have yet to sit in it.  We have yet to allow ourselves to completely depend on it to hold us up......and until we do that, we are denying it's power.

Powerless faith, is both useless, and dangerous.  It is not only destructive to the holder, but to those they influence as well.

If that is you today, let's change things. Let's take a seat in godliness.  Let's become lovers of God, not lovers of pleasure.  Put your hope and trust completely in Him ... not denying His power, but betting everything on it. Godliness is not something you have, it is something that has you. It is a powerful force that should drive and direct your every thought, and action. 

Your reflection of His love will be a light to others that shows that godliness is not a decoration, but a dominate force that shapes your life.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning

John 3:30 7/25/2017*22*

"He must become greater; I must become less."

Most of us are OK with the first part of this verse, but we struggle with the second.

It goes against our nature to try to decrease in importance.  What we desire is for Christ to increase and we increase with Him.

The problem with that scenario is our job description.  We are flashlights, used to help others find the light switch.  Individually and collectively the church is supposed to lead others to Christ.  As mere reflections of His love we, by definition, will fade once our convert finds the source of love.

Understanding this verse can reduce anxiety and confusion for us.  It is not that we are to decrease by loving less, or not trying as hard....it is simply the nature of the arrangement.  Once the sun appears the brightness of the stars fade.  The stars have not changed, the environment of the viewer has.

Can we really "die with Christ" and have Him live through us?

The enemies' original weapon is "self ____" - conceit, Pity, loathing, absorption... Fill in the blank. What ever you put there will be a distraction because it is still about you.

Even the misinterpretation of this verse, resulting in a conscious self-centered humility, is destructive. The goal is not to think low of yourself, it's to  not think of yourself at all.

We must decrease, we must disappear...it must be Christ living in us.  If we can get there, it makes us immune to all insults, compliments, attacks, and praises. All of those are powerless to distract us if our goal is to show people the "light switch".

Strive this week to disappear.

Not  to feel good about yourself, not to feel bad about your self...disappear.

Have your needs met so completely in Christ that you need nothing but the opportunity to show His love to others.

“There are two types of people--those who come into a room and say, ' here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are."
―Frederick L Collins

Matthew 16:18 7/17/17*15*

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Why did Jesus choose Peter?

Peter is the linebacker of the Apostles. He reacts. He rushes in. He is passionate and spontaneous.

His mistakes are documented in scripture more than any other Apostle:
- he almost drowned when he walked on water - and was reprimanded.
- he cut off a soldiers ear in the garden defending Christ - and was reprimanded.
- he told Jesus that he would not allow Him to be crucified - and was reprimanded.
- he said he would die before denying Christ - and was reprimanded with a look, after denying Him the third time.
- and the list goes on and on...Why build the church on him?

The answer is in Peter's bold proclamation that Jesus was the "Christ...the Son of the living God!" Peter knew who, and what, Jesus was, and that moved him to action.  This is the attribute that made Peter the foundation that hell could not prevail against.

His passion for God moved him and overpowered any fear of failure.  He was not so concerned about his reputation that he was afraid to act.  Peter was "all in"...with nothing held back, and that is what God used to build the church.

Today we suffer paralysis by committee.  We hedge every bet, and make sure we have no possibility of embarrassment before we act. Each move is calculated to be sure we are protected. We have become so fearful of ridicule that we choose not to try.

Nothing can be built that way.

We must become men who realize "He is the Christ, the son of the living God".  And that knowledge must eliminate all hesitation.

Be a little reckless with your faith today.  If God prompts you to speak, start talking.  If God whispers for you to help someone, do it.  If someone needs something you can provide, give it to them.

God builds things with people who move.

Get out of the boat.  You will probably get wet, but you also might walk on water.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -  Wayne Gretzky