Well we're about to wrap up another year and as I reflect back over 2008 I realize what Jesus meant when He said......
Mark 13:13 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The funny part is when you see "hated for my name's sake" you would figure that would come from the one's who you counted as "lost". But to be honest, the most hatred comes from those who profess to be "christian". I can say this because I see it first hand. I've lost friends and have family who won't speak to me because I took a stand for the Gospel and Jesus Christ and I will not give in even a little on the things that are against God. Do I stumble, yes we all do, but I can't condone or go along with something that is an obvious defiance of God.
Our world has an "it's all about me" mentality. Okay, what can God give me and how can God make me feel better about myself. The gospel is not about "us" and what God can do for "us" and how God can make "us" feel better about ourselves. The gospel is not about making more money, obtaining a better life on this earth, or giving Jesus a trial run for 60 days.
The gospel is about the love of an almighty God, that through that love He sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for us so that we might be reconciled with a just, righteous, and holy God. That's what the gospel is about. Jesus paying the price for our sin. Jesus taking the wrath of God for us in our place. To reduce the gospel down to being a "what's in it for me" mentality is just plain wrong and it's self centered.
Christ told us to deny ourselves. Matthew 16:24 "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me".
Have you denied yourself to the point that friends and family notice the difference? Have you become a new creature in Christ? Or are you still living the way you were before you got "saved". As we enter into the new year, I pray that Christians across this world will live there lives for Christ and not for themselves.
It's not about us, it's about Christ.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
What are your sights set on?
It was an awesome time at the Community Kitchen tonight. It's always a blessing when the Lord opens the door to preach His gospel. I spoke out of Matthew 14 when the disciples were in the boat caught in a storm and they see Jesus walking on the water. When Jesus calms their fears and they realize it's Him, Peter says Lord if it's you command me to come to you. So Jesus says "come". Peter steps out of the boat and he's walking on water. He's fixed on Jesus and he's doing the impossible. Then Peter starts to notice the wind and the raging water. He's taken his eyes off of Christ and he starts to sink. How many times does this happen to us in our daily lives. We take our eyes off of Christ and the wind and raging sea's of this world start to make us sink. As long as we keep our sights on Christ, He get's us through the mess we're going through and we know this and we don't let the ways of this world bother us. It's when we take our eyes off our Lord and Savior that we get sucked back into the world. The bible tells us to examine ourselves daily to make sure we're in the faith. If your catching yourself being fearful of the wind and the raging seas of this world do as Peter did. He cried "Jesus save me" and Christ pulled him back up. My question is what are your sights set on, Christ or the world?
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The only Truth..
There’s one thing I’ve noticed that disturbs me. The dependance on everything but the bible to try and learn about God. Everything from the Shack, to certain “classes” that deal with everything but God’s holy, inerrant, infallable word. The Shack first and foremost is just fiction. It in no way shape or form can show you who God and the Trinity truly are. It’s a fictional book, so let’s keep it in perspective. Classes that some churches teach that are created by other people are not based on scripture but on what someone says that effects your “emotions” instead of what God says in His word. They use more secular means of proving their point instead of the Bible. If it can’t be shown to you in God’s word, in context, then once again take it for what it’s worth which is not much it’s just entertainment. Everything must come back to the Word of God.
2 Timothy 2:15-16 “Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness and their word will eat lika a gangrene”
You want to know God, read and study His Word. That’s the only truth there is.
2 Timothy 2:15-16 “Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness and their word will eat lika a gangrene”
You want to know God, read and study His Word. That’s the only truth there is.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
You are my rock...
Psalm 31:3 is an awesome verse on how we should look at God and how we should be utterly submitted to Him.
You are my rock and my fortress…
We are to depend on God knowing that no matter what happens we can trust and depend on Him. He protects us from the ways of this world and gives us strength to deal with it. He’s to be our rock and our fortress in times of need and struggle. And because of this…
Therefore for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
We are to be lead and guided by His will, not ours. For His name’s sake, he will lead us and guide us.
Spurgeon says, “To lead and to guide are two things very like each other, but patient thought will detect different shades of meaning, especially as the last may mean provide for me. The double word indicates an urgent need, we require double direction, for we are fools, and the way is rough. Lead me as a soldier, guide me as a traveller, lead me as a babe, guide me as a man, lead me when thou art with me, but guide me even if thou be absent, lead me by thy hand, guide me by they word.”
“For Your name’s sake”. This is why God leads and guides us. For His sake, not ours. For His ways, not ours. For His will, not our will. His will be done, not ours.
Because He is our rock and our fortress we know that no matter what way God send us, even if it’s into new territory for us, we can depend on Him to help and guide us. As long as we’re in the will of God, He will lead and guide us. It’s all for Him and His glory. We must take our selfish wants out of the picture. We may not undertand why certain things happen or why we’re lead in a certain way but as long as we’re dependent on our rock and our fortress, we know that no harm can come to us.
“Shadows are faithless, and the rocks are false;
No trust in brass, no trust in marble walls;
Poor cots are e’en as safe as princes’ halls.
Great God! there is no safety here below;
Thou art my fortress, thou that seem’st my foe,
‘Tis thou, that strik’st the stroke, must guard the blow.
Thou art my God, by thee I fall or stand;
Thy grace hath giv’n me courage to withstand
All tortures, but my conscience and thy hand.
I know thy justice is thyself;
I know,Just God, thy very self is is mercy too;
If not to thee, where, whither shall I go?”
Francis Quarles
You are my rock and my fortress…
We are to depend on God knowing that no matter what happens we can trust and depend on Him. He protects us from the ways of this world and gives us strength to deal with it. He’s to be our rock and our fortress in times of need and struggle. And because of this…
Therefore for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
We are to be lead and guided by His will, not ours. For His name’s sake, he will lead us and guide us.
Spurgeon says, “To lead and to guide are two things very like each other, but patient thought will detect different shades of meaning, especially as the last may mean provide for me. The double word indicates an urgent need, we require double direction, for we are fools, and the way is rough. Lead me as a soldier, guide me as a traveller, lead me as a babe, guide me as a man, lead me when thou art with me, but guide me even if thou be absent, lead me by thy hand, guide me by they word.”
“For Your name’s sake”. This is why God leads and guides us. For His sake, not ours. For His ways, not ours. For His will, not our will. His will be done, not ours.
Because He is our rock and our fortress we know that no matter what way God send us, even if it’s into new territory for us, we can depend on Him to help and guide us. As long as we’re in the will of God, He will lead and guide us. It’s all for Him and His glory. We must take our selfish wants out of the picture. We may not undertand why certain things happen or why we’re lead in a certain way but as long as we’re dependent on our rock and our fortress, we know that no harm can come to us.
“Shadows are faithless, and the rocks are false;
No trust in brass, no trust in marble walls;
Poor cots are e’en as safe as princes’ halls.
Great God! there is no safety here below;
Thou art my fortress, thou that seem’st my foe,
‘Tis thou, that strik’st the stroke, must guard the blow.
Thou art my God, by thee I fall or stand;
Thy grace hath giv’n me courage to withstand
All tortures, but my conscience and thy hand.
I know thy justice is thyself;
I know,Just God, thy very self is is mercy too;
If not to thee, where, whither shall I go?”
Francis Quarles
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Two criminals and a Savior
In the book of Luke 23:32-43 we see that Jesus is accompanied by two criminals that are being crucified with Him. As we take a look a these two criminals, we can see ourselves in them. The question is which one do you see yourself in. Let's break'em down......
Criminal One:
A). V39 "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us"
He needed proof. He wouldn't believe that He was the Son of God until he saw proof with his own eyes. How many of us are like that? We must see to believe, we must be able to touch something. In other words, we have no faith and like Thomas we must be able to put our fingers in His wounds before we'll believe. The criminal had now faith and didn't believe.
B). v35-37 "And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One! The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
He followed the crowd. He fell in line with everyone else. Doing what the crowd was doing. We're worried about what our friends will think, we worry about what our families will think, so we fall right in line with them. Doing what they do, instead of what God wants us to do.
So we see where criminal one had no faith or belief in Jesus and he just followed the crowd, fell in with popular opinion instead of believing in the Son of God. Without repentance, and faith in Jesus alone for our salvation we are condemned, just like criminal one. Now let's look at Criminal two.
Criminal Two:
A) v40 "But the other rebuke him saying, Do you not fear God since you are under the same condemnation"
He believed in God. He knew He was the Christ, the Son of God. He knew who Jesus was. He had faith and believed. "Do you not fear God". Do you fear God? If more people did, I think this world would be a better place.
B) V41 "We are getting what we deserve.."
See's his guilt and stands against the crowd. He know's he's guilty and know's he deserves what he's getting. He doesn't follow the crowd. He rebuked the first criminal.
C) V42-43 "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom and He said to him "Today, truly I say to you you will be with me in paradise."
He is forgiven. The second criminal because of his belief in the Son of God, was welcomed into paradise with our Lord and Savior.
The question is which criminal do you relate too? Do you need proof, do you follow the ways of the crowd or do you believe in Jesus the Son of God alone for your salvation and live your life by God's will and not by what's popular with the crowd.
You see one criminal was destined for hell, the other destined for eternal life with Jesus Christ. Which criminal do you relate too?
Criminal One:
A). V39 "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us"
He needed proof. He wouldn't believe that He was the Son of God until he saw proof with his own eyes. How many of us are like that? We must see to believe, we must be able to touch something. In other words, we have no faith and like Thomas we must be able to put our fingers in His wounds before we'll believe. The criminal had now faith and didn't believe.
B). v35-37 "And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One! The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
He followed the crowd. He fell in line with everyone else. Doing what the crowd was doing. We're worried about what our friends will think, we worry about what our families will think, so we fall right in line with them. Doing what they do, instead of what God wants us to do.
So we see where criminal one had no faith or belief in Jesus and he just followed the crowd, fell in with popular opinion instead of believing in the Son of God. Without repentance, and faith in Jesus alone for our salvation we are condemned, just like criminal one. Now let's look at Criminal two.
Criminal Two:
A) v40 "But the other rebuke him saying, Do you not fear God since you are under the same condemnation"
He believed in God. He knew He was the Christ, the Son of God. He knew who Jesus was. He had faith and believed. "Do you not fear God". Do you fear God? If more people did, I think this world would be a better place.
B) V41 "We are getting what we deserve.."
See's his guilt and stands against the crowd. He know's he's guilty and know's he deserves what he's getting. He doesn't follow the crowd. He rebuked the first criminal.
C) V42-43 "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom and He said to him "Today, truly I say to you you will be with me in paradise."
He is forgiven. The second criminal because of his belief in the Son of God, was welcomed into paradise with our Lord and Savior.
The question is which criminal do you relate too? Do you need proof, do you follow the ways of the crowd or do you believe in Jesus the Son of God alone for your salvation and live your life by God's will and not by what's popular with the crowd.
You see one criminal was destined for hell, the other destined for eternal life with Jesus Christ. Which criminal do you relate too?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thank you Jesus!
Last night God gave me the opportunity to preach His word at the WNC Rescue Mission in Asheville, NC. My brother in Christ John Galloway and myself got there and we started a little early. God was definitely in the house as what normally is finished in about 30 minutes went well over an hour. The message was on the two thieves that hung on the cross beside Jesus and I asked the question "Which criminal are you?"
One thing I love about preaching at the Mission is the opportunity and the openess for the guys to ask questions. Questions last night ranged from someone believing in works to get them into Heaven, to someone asking why God just doesn't wipe out evil and sin altogether, to thinking that God is only love and if He is, why would He send someone to hell. A great night of fellowship with guys who are not scared to ask questions, guys who you can give God's word to in a straight up fashion. They want truth, not a watered down "come to Jesus for your best life now" gospel. Truth, and that's Jesus. "I am the way, the truth, and the life".
As we were leaving, one of the guys was able to get a bus ticket back home to Alabama so I rode with John to give him a ride to the bus station since he had no way to get there. Then John and I stopped and grabbed a cup of coffee and just spent time talking and fellowshipping together talking about God and praising His name. It was a great night and one that was needed. Pray for the men at the Mission and pray that John, myself and everyone involved with Hellfire Ministries stays bold in the word of the living God. There is no compromise.
One thing I love about preaching at the Mission is the opportunity and the openess for the guys to ask questions. Questions last night ranged from someone believing in works to get them into Heaven, to someone asking why God just doesn't wipe out evil and sin altogether, to thinking that God is only love and if He is, why would He send someone to hell. A great night of fellowship with guys who are not scared to ask questions, guys who you can give God's word to in a straight up fashion. They want truth, not a watered down "come to Jesus for your best life now" gospel. Truth, and that's Jesus. "I am the way, the truth, and the life".
As we were leaving, one of the guys was able to get a bus ticket back home to Alabama so I rode with John to give him a ride to the bus station since he had no way to get there. Then John and I stopped and grabbed a cup of coffee and just spent time talking and fellowshipping together talking about God and praising His name. It was a great night and one that was needed. Pray for the men at the Mission and pray that John, myself and everyone involved with Hellfire Ministries stays bold in the word of the living God. There is no compromise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
