Hebrews 5:12 6/28/22*

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

How long have you been a Christian? …Accepting Christ is your spiritual birth, after which you should start to grow.  But in our comfortable, unchallenging churches, we seem to be showing up every Sunday for our bottle.

Paul is frustrated with the lack of growth among believers. He says they should be digesting the meat of the gospel and teaching it to others.

How about us?  How often do we discuss difficult theology?  We speak of the love of God, as we should, but do we ever talk about Hell, repentance, consequences of sin?  Do we even call it sin? Or do we attempt to remove responsibility by calling it a condition, or alternative?

Paul is telling us to grow up.  We must understand and teach others a biblical world view.  It may not be popular, but it is the truth. 

Your first bite of solid food is to understand that there is no such thing as “your truth” or “my truth”. There is only one truth – it is static, nonnegotiable, and established by an omnipotent loving God.

Some truths are hard to swallow, but necessary for growth. The meat of the gospel should always be served with the milk, but it must be served.

If you speak truth without love, you will have theological BO and drive others away.  If you speak love without truth, you offer weak platitudes and help no one. The fact is, you can offer neither, if you don’t offer both.

A mother would never neglect to introduce solid food to her baby simply because it is harder to digest.  She would carefully include the nutrition needed to develop a strong body, because she knows her child must grow to fight off the germs and threats they will face in this world.

You and I must grow for the same reasons. Dig deeply into the scripture.  Tackle the hard questions and study to show yourself approved.  The fight is coming. Will you be strong and lean, or weak and full of milk?

“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” - Winston Churchill

PSALM 23:6 6/21/2022*

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

We have looked at every verse of this beautiful psalm except this one…and it may be the most powerful one of all.

When I was in 4^th grade at Bunker Hill elementary school, my beloved teacher Mrs. Fredericks had us memorize the 23rd psalm and recite it to the class.

I have forgotten many things in the last 50 years, but I will never forget the day I recited this psalm.

Mrs. Fredericks was so proud, and later told me that I could think of “goodness and Mercy” as twin Dobermans that followed me around and protected me.  As a fourth-grade boy, that was all I needed to get interested in The Psalms.  I have never gotten that image out of my mind…and have always felt looked after and protected since that day.

This morning’s verse dovetails with the first verse of the 91^st psalm.  Psalms 91: 1 says “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”.

This “911 Psalm” reminds me that when I dwell in the shelter of my King, I can rest easy in His shadow. A bear cub is never safer then when he is in the shadow of his mother, and I am never safer then when I stand with my King.

In this world which is filled with fear and anxiety it is comforting to have “goodness and mercy” growling at my enemies, and to know the shadow of the most feared warrior of the universe literally covers me.

But the final words of this verse are the most comforting… They assure me that this is not a temporary arrangement. When I accepted Christ, my eternal life began.  I will one day transition to a new body, but the old me has already been done away with - and my eternal soul now dwells, and always will dwell, in the house of The Lord. 

Walk today with “goodness and mercy” watching your back, and the Shadow of the “Great I Am” keeping you in the shade. And rest in the assurance that it will always be that way.  

“It is one thing to believe in God; it is quite another to believe God.” - R. C. Sproul

Joshua 3:17 6/14/2022*

^“And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

The Israelites were facing a huge challenge. The Jordan river was at flood stage, and it stood between them and the promised land.  The annual flow of the Jordan today is about 2% of what it was, before multiple dams were constructed - and in biblical times at this location it was a formidable obstacle.

The Israelites were not Navy Seals with sophisticated equipment to forge a flooded river. They were families with children and possessions. Yet God’s instructions were clear…”Cross the flooding river”. 

Our verse says they crossed on dry ground - but if you read two verses earlier - it took a step of faith to make that happen:

“¹⁵Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.”

Very clear language that the Priests stepped into the water but landed on dry ground. Their feet hit solid ground, in what moments before, was a raging river…

The water didn’t stop, and they took a step…. they took a step, and the water stopped.  That is a critical point.

In my life I prefer for God to stop the water and then tell me to walk – but that is not what happened here.  This passage tells us that the entire nation walked across without so much as a wet sandal. But it took that first step of faith to stop the flood. 

What raging river are you facing today? What situation is calling you to step into the water in obedience? Will you be like the priests whose feet touched the water’s edge and triggered a miracle? Their faith provided safe passage for all that followed them.

God is in the business of delivering His people - but our deliverance comes through faith and obedience. This morning you have a choice to make…As you face your obstacle you can turn around and leave, or gaze into the eyes of your Savior - and in obedience, take the step.

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” -  Oswald Chambers

Matthew 20:34 6/7/2022*

“Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.”

The last three words in this passage are important… What did you do when Jesus opened your eyes?

When Jesus touches your life there is no doubt that you will regain your sight … the question is what will you do with your newfound vision?

We are all either moths or cockroaches – the determination is made by which way we go when the lights come on.  Did you run to, or from the light?

In our heart of hearts, we all know we need a savior… We are aware that God is holy, and we are not - so we need deliverance.  But the rub occurs when we realize that we not only need a Savior - but a Lord as well. We have no problem being delivered – but we balk at following.  We want God to be on our team…but he requires that we join His.

These men were blind and called out for Jesus to help them.  When Christ compassionately gave them sight it changed their lives…it impacted who they were and where they were going. It altered their purpose and trajectory… What about yours?

Which way did you run when the lights came on?  Did you run toward Christ or toward your own cravings?  Did you dig into your bible and begin learning God’s Word?  Or did you use the sight He gave you to hide from Him?

If you are reading this – it is not too late.  If you ran the wrong way, like a great running back you can still “put your foot in the ground” and change directions. God restored your sight to allow you to see His Holiness and realize your need for deliverance and direction.  Accept the gift of the Holy Spirit and obey His directives and you can begin living life as you were designed to live.

Run toward the light. Stop hiding in the cracks and crevasses of this dark world and be like a moth that flies toward the glow of His love.

With clear vision, comes clear responsibility.  Use your vision to follow Him.

“The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.” - A. W. Tozer

Nehemiah 3:20 5/31/2022*

“After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.”

Nehemiah is leading a restoration project to re-build the wall around Jerusalem. There is great opposition, and his team is under attack.

They all have the honor of having their names recorded in God’s holy Word, but one stands out…His name is Baruch. …. He is the only one who worked “zealously” … If I had to guess, I would bet Baruch’s zeal was evident because he did his work with joy.  The joy of The Lord is our strength, and Baruch enthusiastically built his section and helped his neighbor, with godly zeal. 

Our world is full of sinical armchair quarterbacks who constantly complain and point out the flaws of others, but I bet Baruch was the type that just grabbed some tools and helped his neighbor work.

Each day there is ample opportunity for me to make myself look better by pointing out the mistakes of others - but what if instead, I worked with zeal to help my neighbor succeed. What if I allowed love for others to drive my passion and instead of assigning blame for a problem, I helped solve it?

This is such a great passage for today because each man did his part and, in the end, a massive work is accomplished.

We face an overwhelming task today.  There are so many problems in our country it is easier to just stand back and complain. But if enough of us picked up some tools and repaired just the problem in front of us, our country would move forward.  And if enough of us were like Baruch and joyously did a little extra – America could be restored.

Of course, it is easier to simply blame the other side for the problem but if we do that tomorrow will be the same as today.

I am not sure what part of the wall I am supposed to build today but I intend to do it with enough joy, and passion that people can tell I love them and am zealous for the Lord. If I do it right, some might be persuaded to stop complaining and start working. And only then will tomorrow be better than today.

“A zealous Savior ought to have zealous disciples.” - J. C. Ryle

Isaiah 6:5 5/24/2022*

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 

Have you ever been devastated by a glimpse of the majesty of God?... Maybe you saw it in a sunset…or the smile of a newborn child.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit revealed an inkling of the Love the Father has for you and it overpowered you.

However it happened, it pushed you into the harsh comparison of who you are - and who God is…and forced you to reckon with the magnitude of grace that has been granted to you. 

That is a good thing – occasionally you need to get “down wind” of yourself and get a whiff of your own sin. 

When hunting or camping, after a few days you can develop what is called Anosmia…also referred to as “smell blindness”. You lose the ability to smell yourself…you only notice the problem when you get back to civilization and sit next to someone with reasonable hygiene. 

In this world we develop “spiritual anosmia”. We accept and normalize sin until it produces “sin blindness”.  Which makes us believe we are not so bad - until we are jolted by a glimpse of what true holiness looks like. 

In this chapter Isaiah tells the people five separate times… “Woe to you, there is no hope for you….” Then suddenly he catches sight of the glory of God and says “Woe to me!... There is no hope for me”. 

It completely wrecks him. The Glory of God magnified the stench of his own sin …and he was undone…unable to hide from the uncleanness of his own transgressions, he can only cry out for mercy. 

This encounter re-calibrated his spiritual olfactory senses and produced immediate repentance and humility… and that is exactly what you and I need.

Meditate on God’s glory this morning and allow Him to contrast your sin with His holiness. Take a hard look in the mirror and confess your sins to your Father…Fall to your knees and acknowledge your need for real and immediate repentance. 

 Then rest in the amazing grace of God as He washes your unclean lips with the cleansing blood of His Son. 

“Therefore, when I admonish you to confession, I am admonishing you to be a Christian.” – Martin Luther

Joshua 4:21-23 5/17/2022*

“And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’  For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed…”

When is the last time you sat down and told your kids a story about God delivering you from trouble?...

This is the second time in this chapter that God specifically instructs the Israelites to tell their children examples of His power. 

Not just theology, or bible memorization, but tell them about times He delivered them personally. This is an important principal that we may have allowed to slip through the cracks.  

So, we must intentionally take time with our kids, grandkids, and those we mentor to tell them what God has done in our lives. Our children, both natural and spiritual, need to know our story. They need to hear our histories of faith. Great stories of God showing up just in time…  Not just for Moses, but for you as well…. We need to do some planning – maybe some writing – perhaps record a video about water splitting times so they (and we) won’t forget the times God liberated us with His amazing grace.  

We tend to overlook the rescues and focus on the times things didn’t go the way we wanted… We should spend more time reminiscing and documenting the times the waters parted – instead of focusing on the times we got wet. Especially since we usually find out later on, that the reason we were treading water - was because our enemies couldn’t swim.  

God is never late. He doesn’t have plan “b’s”, and He is always in control. He has specifically rescued you before and you need to pass that on. Trust God – remember what He does - and tell your kids…No inheritance will hold a candle to them hearing your testimony. Money disappears, stuff will rust and fail. But stories of your faith, will strengthen the faith of those who follow you for the times when they must face their own Red Seas.

“A father’s holy life is a rich legacy for his sons” – Charles Spurgeon

TITUS 3:9 -11 5/10/2022*

 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are useless and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person has deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned.”

The church today seems to have abandoned this instruction. 

We view ourselves as righteous keyboard warriors. We not only don’t avoid foolish controversies, we initiate them. 

This passage says that our method of making disciples is not arguing…You don’t “gameplan” witnessing by attacking your opponent’s weaknesses and lording your superior intellect over them.  

There is a place for apologetics but like the name implies it is not an aggressive attack on another man’s position. It is a loving instruction that helps them grow closer to God. 

This verse says don’t participate in foolish arguments …and avoid people who do. It uses a phrase that is a little foreign to us….” Warning them” …It doesn’t say ignore their argumentativeness, nor does it say to attack them – it says talk to them – more than once – but if they continue - refuse to be drawn into their quarrelsomeness. 

When the eternal destiny of souls is on the line, we must be prepared to speak the truth in love…but we cannot browbeat someone into salvation… at some point, we must stop debating with them and instead talk to God on their behalf. 

Intellect is not what makes people combative…arrogance does. If you are constantly arguing, it is not because people don’t understand your point - it is that you’re trying to dominate, not communicate.

We can’t silently pretend nothing is wrong when sinfulness is normalized.  We must stand up for what is right and that will make conflict inevitable at times. But we must avoid becoming head-hunters – easily offended, and constantly prowling around looking for a way to start an argument.

Balance…Love your brother enough to tell him the truth – but any debate should have restoration as its goal - not conquest.  We are not here to argue with sinners, we are here to rescue them. 

 This is a tough passage - and we don’t follow it well…That’s probably why the church looks so much like the world these days.

 “Discussions are always better than arguments – an argument is to find out who is right, and a discussion is to find out what is right.” 

– anonymous

1 John 1:9-10 5/3/2022*

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

In this verse confession is a deal breaker.  It allows us to be cleansed of unrighteousness. …So, is it part of what we do every day?

When is the last time you inventoried your sins without a disclaimer? 

We have no problem admitting we did something wrong but there is always a reason…” I am sorry, but”…. When I start explaining my actions, I am not sorry for them…Either I regret them, or I have a reason for doing them – I need to decide.

Our culture is unable to confess sin…we deflect it, normalize it, blame it on others…sometimes we change its name and call it an illness. Ultimately, we blame God and say we were created the way we are - and accept no responsibility. 

According to this verse, when we do that, we are calling God a liar…Implying in the end, that it is His fault when we act un-righteously. This passage says that is a dangerous path to follow. 

Let’s compare the amount of time, we spend examining our walk to rid it of sin - against the amount of time we spend petitioning God for things we want. By the content of our prayer life… are we implying that God is a liar? …. And if so, is His word not in us?... Those are important questions. 

The subject of confession quickly becomes critical when I realize the lack of time, I spend involved in it. Most spiritual problems come from either having a faulty concept of God - or having a faulty concept of yourself.  Confession covers and adjusts both areas – perhaps that is why it is so important. 

Spend some time owning your own errors today…Evaluate and confess your shortcomings.  Practice saying, “I am so sorry – that was my fault.” Allow the blood of Christ to cleanse you and reject the psycho-babble that blames others. 

Sin grows in the dark – so drag it out in the light – confess it, repent of it, and watch how quickly it will lose power in your life. 

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”

-Saint Augustine

1 John 3:23-24 4/26/2022*

“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 

Two commandments … believe in Jesus - and love one another. 

Pretty clear …but oh how easily we mess this up. 

Sometimes I choose to not love my brother because he doesn’t keep God’s commands… So, I am breaking God’s command, by not loving a brother, because he is breaking God’s command… It is exhausting. 

My ever-changing application of scripture for my own convenience is hypocrisy. 

Who do you think Jesus meant when He said to love your enemy? …. The guy that looks and talks like you? ... No – everybody loves that guy…. 

He meant the guy who believes in everything you’re against – the guy that mocks your standards…. If you love that guy - the world will take notice.  And I don’t mean some pious, self-centered, martyr complex…I mean really love them and pursue what is best for them.

Is that your goal? Do you spend time searching for ways to serve others? Have you googled how you can assist those who don’t believe what you believe?  Me neither…. 

So how will tomorrow be any different? Will we just nod in agreement and say “yeah, I need to work on that”? – or will we do something? ….God doesn’t want our agreement He wants our obedience.

We must decide to LOVE others … not based on who they are - but on whose they are …and then act on it.  

This is counter to my nature which is to react to people instead of responding to God…and if, for even a moment, I stop focusing on Christ’s undeserved love for me - I will fail in loving others. 

Make today different by refusing to be self-centered and instead actively and intentionally love those around you as He has commanded. 

The world tells you to love yourself - the bible tells you to die to yourself and love others. Your creator knows His creation, so do what He says. Trust Jesus and love others – It is sometimes difficult, but it is not complicated.

“It is wonderful how much time people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of listlessness and dissatisfaction” - Helen Keller