Genesis 3:5 9/27/2022*

“The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!  For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.”  

There it is…. The big lie. “You will be like God” 

It is seductive because, like all good lies, it has a little truth in it.  

In football, I was like Jerry Rice… That’s accurate because we played the same position. He was a receiver and so was I.  But that is where the similarities end.

In the same way the serpent’s lie was accurate …Eve did gain the knowledge of good and evil…like God …but that is where the similarities end. 

“The big lie” plays on our arrogance. It leads us to believe what all false religions preach… that we are gods ourselves. 

The enemy uses “spiritual judo” to lead you down the path of self-deification.  In Judo you don’t try to stop your opponent, you use his momentum against him to pull him off balance and take him farther than he wants to go. 

So, if your propensity is to follow rules, satan offers legalism where you attempt to earn your salvation with obedience… If you desire forgiveness without repentance, satan offers cheap grace and makes you the definer of your own truth …which allows you to choose which parts of scripture you follow and which parts you don’t. 

The problem is that both paths focus on YOU …and YOU have no power to provide salvation.

Jesus called deception the devil’s native language so be vigilant. It should be a red flag when you hear what your prideful “itching ears” want to hear, and that should drive you to scripture to find real, unmovable truth. 

Lucifer is the predator, and you are the prey.  His weapons are pride and deception.  There is a God …and no matter what satan says,  it is not you. 

Reject the original sin of pride. Embrace the truth that your only path to salvation is the Cross. 

There is only one God, and you were not created to fill that position. You were created by that one True God to be the child that He adores… be grateful and walk humbly with your Lord. 

“…Pride directly attacks God. It lifts us above and against God, seeking to dethrone Him by enthroning ourselves.”― Joel Beeke

Colossians 1:22 9/20/2022*

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”

There are a couple of principles in this verse that we should look at today.

First, if you are in Christ, you are spotless. You have been reconciled by His death. The places that sin has gashed your heart have been healed. There are no scars, no blemishes. All remnants of depravity have been deleted. …It is impossible for your sin to be further removed from you. 

Second, your reconciliation is not the result of an abstract, imaginary sacrifice. Your redemption comes through the horrific, brutal destruction of the actual physical body of Jesus Christ. God didn’t ignore your sins…He sent His Son to physically pay for them.  Your transgressions were not painted over or buffed out…they received the violent destruction they deserved, and your debt has been paid in full. 

You don’t have to have a quiet time…give money…feed the poor, etc. in order to achieve salvation….Jesus did it all. It is finished. You do those things because He saved you – not so He will.

And to be sure we understand the completeness of this redemption  – God clarifies that not only are you innocent – you are without accusation.  God will not tolerate even the implication that you have not been made perfect by the payment of your debt.  The Cross has exempted you from all guilt and you stand before God unstained.

You have been granted comprehensive liberation. Jesus’ death and resurrection has destroyed the prison that for so long you have called home. The chains are gone, and the door is open.

Christ’s death and resurrection is a factual, historically documented event that grants you complete and indisputable freedom.  The law was not ignored it was fulfilled.

Your days of captivity are over if you will just walk out of your cell. The choice is yours….You are no longer a slave to sin; your debt has been paid and you are free.  Live in that freedom. Trust God and walk in faith.  His love has given you liberty. Use it to offer freedom to those around you who are still trapped in broken down prison cells which unbeknownst to them lost the power to hold them over 2000 years ago. 

 “…the truth will set you free.” - Jesus

John 4:17 9/13/2022*

“The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’;  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” 

How would you have responded to that statement? 

In my arrogance I might have said “that really isn’t your business” or with self-pity said, “you don’t understand”…and walked away offended. 

In our culture we believe that whatever we do, say, feel, or think must be supported by everyone or we are being bullied.  If we are corrected in any way, we are being marginalized and mistreated and need a safe place to recover. 

Yet here Jesus takes a simple meeting - and because He LOVES her – turns it into a life examination. So again, how would you have responded?

The bible says, “blessed are the poor in spirit” and as Americans we struggle with that….We find it hard to believe being poor in anything is advantageous. But God says to inherit His Kingdom we must be poor in spirit.  

What does that mean?  

“Horizontally” it means we can be corrected without being offended. It means we have a spirit of humility that allows us to consider input from others. 

“Vertically” it means we come to God with the understanding that we have nothing to offer.  Salvation is not a negotiation it is a surrender.  You reject even the slightest implication that you have something of value to bring to the table. You not only accept God’s corrective law, you embrace it so you can live righteously. 

We have lost the ability to have “iron sharpen iron”, because our fragile self-image has caused our “mettle” to become so feeble, we cannot stand a little heat.

Stop pursuing validation from a crowd that is groping around in the dark. Instead, humbly go to the light of the world so you see clearly. Seek transparent conversations with friends you trust to help you grow. 

But most importantly, in brokenness go to God with a desire to learn wisdom and seek His guidance …Approach Him with a poor spirit and empty hands, and He will give you the glorious gifts He has for you. 

“Idolatry is when you become the source of your own joy. Poverty of spirit is a wonderful thing.” -  Paul Washer

Ezekiel 9:4 9/6/22*

“and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” 

The book of Ezekiel teaches us that weeping and grieving over detestable acts is an indicator that your heart belongs to God. 

That is an interesting statement since some churches today won’t even use the word “sin,” much less grieve over it. Our society not only tolerates detestable things, we normalize and encourage them. 

What has my reaction been to the sins that are so prevalent today? At times I have been disgusted, offended, and even judgmental.  But I am not sure I grieve over them.  

What about you - Do you ridicule those trapped in sin? Do you roll your eyes and have contempt for them? …or do you weep over the souls imprisoned in wickedness?

If you ridicule, it means you have forgotten where you came from… Mocking those stuck in sin indicates you have forgotten being stuck there yourself. 

If you normalize and accept their sin it means you have decided that the endorsement of men is more important than the approval of God. 

People who are trapped in sin should definitely see a reaction from us, but it should not be approval, contempt, or anger …  It should be broken heartedness.

If we love people who are involved in something that is destroying them, we should grieve, and grief should drive us to our knees.  Mocking and arguing will not change a heart – but persistent prayer will… and prayer is the powerful response that God expects of us. 

So, if an angel were to go through our city today and designate those who grieve over sin – would I be marked?... would you? 

Jesus was clear that sin leads to pain, death, and eternal separation from God. It is not something to be discounted, amused by, or ignored. 

Pointing out sin may not be applauded, but not warning others is callous and unloving. We must call sin what it is…and weep over its destructiveness. The world will only know the amazing value of redemption by realizing the obscene filth from which we have been redeemed. 

“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.” - George Bernard Shaw