You CAN Change!

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Acts 3:19. 

Conversion is difficult.  The Greek word, epistrepho, means to turn.  Years ago, a train loaded with Cadillacs ran through Cincinnati. A critical overpass was too low and, one by one, it sheared off scores of cars before the engineer stopped it.  We learn from physical science that it takes an equal amount of energy to stop an object as to start it.  Also, the faster an object goes, the harder it is to stop it, and stopping it does not mean that it is going to go in the right direction.  The law of inertia is still in effect.  (Things in motion tend to stay in motion; things at rest tend to stay at rest.)  Momentum can carry an object straight to its own destruction.  Even if a conscious effort is made object to stop or avert a crash, its speed may be too great to overcome.  The greater the mass, the more difficult to start or stop an object.  Resistance is the only force that can make an object stop or change directions. For an object to stop and reverse its direction, it must meet with a greater, but opposite power. 

Many people have been down so long that they think they are forever stuck at the bottom.  Drugs say you cannot change. So does alcohol, lust or major character flaws. Your track record of defeat after defeat militates against change. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23.  No man has ever been deeper in twisted character flaws than Jacob. He was a liar, a cheater, a thief, a deceiver. He cheated his own brother and deceived his father. “So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’” Genesis 27:42. Jacob found out that sin always takes you where you don’t want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and makes it harder that you thought it would be to get back.  But, it’s victim before victory, test before testimony, and mess before message! 

Jesus Christ supplies the power great enough to change your life. He can stop you in your tracks, regardless of how long or how fast you’ve been going in the wrong direction. He can overcome any resistance to change. He is the original source; the creative force; the irresistible power; the life-changer, the way-maker, the irrepressible energy, the undeniable logic.  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8. 

Faith provides the reason to change. Repentance opens the door to change. Baptism in Jesus’ name frees you up for the change. The Holy Ghost baptism infuses you with the power to change.  When Peter and John met the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3, they delivered a message of hope.  First, the man was willing to think that something could happen! Then, he experienced the power of God working in his body! “And immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” Acts 3:7. He acted differently after the change! “And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” Acts 3:9. When change begins to take place in a person’s life, resistance begins to work against them. The carnal nature resists change. The world around you resists change. The devil resists change. The people around you resist change. It’s time to make a declaration of independence. Declare yourself a candidate for change!

“Though you cannot go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.” The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be. Waiting will not increase your chances to change. A better solution doesn’t exist than the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Light of the World

“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14. “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12

“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from the lighthouse evermore;

But to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Let the lower lights be burning, Send the gleam across the wave;

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman, you may rescue, you may save.” 

Jesus is the Lighthouse, the source of the light.  We are the lower lights, reflecting His light.  We have seen and received the light of this glorious gospel.  It is a darkness-shattering, truth-revealing light, a marvelous light.  G. T. Haywood sung: “There shall be light, in the evening time. The road to glory, you shall surely find. Through the water way, it is the light today. Baptized in Jesus name.” But the light that shines from Jesus Christ cannot replace the need for the lower lights.  It is incumbent upon us to let our lights shine, and even more so in a world that keeps getting darker.  

Darkness precludes light.  Physical darkness came first.  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth …and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Genesis 1:1-2.  Next, God sent darkness as judgment. “And the LORD said unto Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt.’” Exodus 10:21-23. Last, spiritual darkness manifested itself as an utter lack of truth and righteousness. “The way of the wicked is as darkness.” Proverbs 4:19. It was darkness vs. light. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5-6. In the Greek, comprehend is katalambano, or overtake, seize, apprehend. Darkness tries to cover, discredit or hide from light. Darkness is a kneejerk, emotional, visceral reaction against light.  This is why the Jewish leaders reacted to Jesus’ teachings with violence.  “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple … and so passed by.” John 8:59. 

Professor Dallas Willard states: “Almost all evil deeds and intents are begun with the thought that they can be hidden by deceit. The kingdom of evil is built on lies, secrets, and darkness. It requires the absence of light to survive. Thus, for all its fearsome appearance, the kingdom of evil is structurally very weak. Turn on the light, and the cockroaches scramble to go under the refrigerator.” The light must shine in you before it shines out from you. If your spiritual light does not shine out from your life, it will shine on you to reveal the true you. 

We are not told to “shine our light” but to “let our light shine.” Big difference. Illuminate, don’t intimidate. You do not fully appreciate the light until you’ve known the terror of the darkness.  “We have renounced secret and shameful ways… For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:2,6 (NIV). God wants to lead you into an increasingly brighter day.  That’s the beauty of the Spirit-filled life.  He has given the church the gifts of the Spirit.  God doesn’t want you to walk in any kind of spiritual darkness.   

Bottom line:  There is no other way to walk with God than to walk in light!  “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:5-9 (KJV). The light makes all the difference! 

You Are Not Normal

“That ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 

Most people don’t evaluate the context of their behaviors or are not always cognizant of the circumstances that evoke certain responses from them. In other words, in the wake of certain events, people often react in “normal” ways. The problem is that we accept the human or secular kind of responses in our own lives and justify them as “normal.” For example, loneliness is a “normal” feeling experienced when we are isolated. The sense of irritation shows up when petty behaviors of other people or events disrupt the peace. Many kinds of other feelings—anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, disappointment, depression, confusion and hurt—rise up within us.  We are not immune to these emotions, and if we have them, we have not lost our Christianity. But, here’s the point:  we do not have to be conquered by these feelings! 

Picture two swaying bridges across a deep and dangerous ravine. One has handrails, the other does not. Which one would you like to cross? God will not pick us up and miraculously transport us across to the other side. Rather, He provides something to hang on to while we are slowly making our way from one side to the other. When circumstances elicit certain responses from you, do know why or do you just say “I’m only human! I can’t help it. It’s just a normal response.” Remember when the disciples were caught by a fierce storm?  They reacted in a normal way.  “Master, don’t you care that we perish?”  Mark 4:35-41. Fear of storms is normal. 

Our text speaks of the normal response to death: sorrow. Death makes us sad, but it may also evoke feelings of anger, resentment, bitterness, doubt and fear. Those are the “normal” responses. But Paul said, “We do not sorrow as others which have no hope.” In other words, we’re not normal! Normal is our default position. Normal makes us feel like we are at least human. Normal puts us on the same plane as everybody else. And, therein, lies the problem. It is when we cave in to normal feelings that we lose all the advantages of being a Christian!  Let’s just go ahead and say we are to be abnormal. When we grasp the abnormal position as a response to the vicissitudes of life, we increase our ministerial effectiveness exponentially! It is when we keep our heads on straight when everyone else is losing control that we exercise quiet power. 

Yes, you can be abnormal in a normal (and sometimes sub-normal) world. Paul said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  That’s not a normal response! Normal people don’t take pleasure tragedy. They get mad, bitter, disillusioned, outraged. They develop toxic attitudes, they complain loudly, they draw comparisons between themselves and others in the same profession. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice.” 1 Peter 4:12-13. That’s not normal. But we are not normal.  When we are threatened, we say, “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” When we are persecuted, we do what Paul and Silas did. “And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God…”

Don’t be normal. Normal people wallow in self-pity and defeat. They quit and justify themselves. Abnormal people hang in there against all odds. We are not normal. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:6-9.

Here on Purpose

“According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:11 

Paul called Jesus Christ the Last Adam. “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45. In His original creation, God created Eve out of the side of Adam.  If the first Adam produced Eve out of his side, then the typology holds that the second Adam produced the church, His wife, out of His side.  The powerful symbolism of the spear thrust into Christ’s side thus emerges. The significance of this act cannot be overemphasized.  It means that the church was in Christ from the beginning.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. If the Word was in the beginning, and we are in Christ, then we were in the beginning too!  The church is not the result of human will.  John 1:12-13. The church has always been the plan of God.  Ephesians 1:5-6; 10-11. If the church has this vital relationship to Christ, then we were not just found, espied, permitted or tolerated to be his bride, but were specifically created to be the Bride of Christ! 

On this basis, let’s spell out the original purpose of the woman.  God created Eve out of Adam’s side to fulfill many roles for her husband. 

• A help meet for him.  (i.e., suitable, answering to him)  Genesis 2:18. Our Creator especially equipped the woman of the species to be supportive, nurturing and able to make life enriching. 
• A trusted companion who looks out for the interests of her husband.  Proverbs 31:10-12. 
• The one who bears children and mothers them. Genesis 1:28; 3:16, 20. 
• To be in an exclusive, sacred relationship called marriage. It was always so until Lamech (Genesis 4:19).
• To be the glory of her husband.  Proverbs 31:28-31.
• The woman can be more than this, but she must not be in denial of this role.  The feminist’s movement has confounded the purpose of womanhood.  It has perverted and subverted the concept of equality with man, and has sought to undermine the place and permanence of marriage.  It has configured the role of homemaker as a drudgery and a curse. Through reproductive rights (abortion), feminism has violated the role of motherhood.  So, what are the spiritual implications of God’s original plan? 

God gave birth to us.  “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” 1 John 5:1. Therefore, the Bible requires the new birth experience.  John 3:3-8.  If God gave birth to the church, He did so with a purpose in mind.  Whenever we deviate from God’s purpose, we grieve God and sabotage our purpose. Whenever we submit to God’s will, we fulfill our purpose.  What is the purpose of the bride of Christ? 

• A help suitable for Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12-16              
• A trusted companion. (Attendant to God’s house; Defending the church; Wearing the name of Jesus; Doing no harm to the body of Christ
• The bearer of spiritual children.  Hebrews 2:9-13.
• Dedicated to an exclusive relationship with Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20
• Designed to glorify Christ, her husband. Eph. 5:25-27 

Embrace your purpose!  Without purpose, you descend into a nihilistic existence, you de-incentivize life itself and you negate your reason for living.  Jesus told Pilate, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world.” John 18:37. Purpose energizes your life!

The Spoils of God

“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”   Colossians 2:15 

Victory shouts and exultant cries of wilderness-weary Israelites still punctuated the air when Achan scrambled over the collapsed walls of Jericho.  Pandemonium reigned.  Conquered warriors were herded down cramped streets, wails and screams of Canaanites assaulted his eardrums, and bystanders were swept up in the post-battle operations.  As he stopped to catch his breath, Achan’s eyes fell on some irresistible spoils.  He had not seen new clothes for nearly forty years, and possibly had not possessed gold or silver coins since he left Egypt.  It looked easy enough to pick it up without anyone paying attention.  But the command was clear: “And ye, in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, lest ye make [yourselves] accursed.” Joshua 6:16 KJV.  

In the Hebrew, the word accursed (charam {khaw-ram’}) is a strange word.  In some places it means to destroy utterly.  In other instances, it carries the meaning to devote or consecrate.  Most of the time, the two intentions were carried out in the same act.  To devote something, especially to God, one must destroy it.  To sanctify it, one had to kill it (as in a sacrificial offering).  Keeping something that was accursed made the keeper accursed.  “But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.  All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.” Joshua 6:18. God’s intention was not to literally destroy the vessels of silver and gold, but that the children of Israel would so disclaim them, so devote them to God that it would be the same as if they were utterly destroyed. 

Achan’s greatest crime was not that he took what belonged to Jericho, or from his fellow Israelites. It was not even that he coveted, stole or hid something. It was his unforgiveable failure to discern the spoils of God. He usurped the divine prerogative. He dared to claim that which was owned by God Himself. 

What did Achan take? Gold:  God’s glory which represented doctrinal purity and lives tempered with fire.  Silver:  This was a type of redemption.  Garments:  Articles of clothing represented image and identity.  By taking the silver and gold, Achan was telling God that he could take care of himself instead of depending upon God; that the manna, the water and the quale were paltry miracles; that the deliverance from Egypt was coincidental; that the crossing of Jordan was meaningless; that the walls of Jericho would have fallen down anyway; that he owed nothing to God for his deliverance and inheritance; that instead of Achan conquering Jericho, Jericho conquered Achan. Outside Jericho, Achan knew his only hope was God; inside Jericho, he proclaimed victory, and himself the hero. 

Never forget that Jesus won your victory! It was his blood, his life, his death, his resurrection. Your efforts had nothing to do with your eternal salvation. He spoiled principalities and powers for you! Jesus took the initiative; he came down to your level; he identified with you.  Now He wants you to identify with Him!  You are God’s spoils! Your abilities, talents, gifts, ministries, plans, desires—-all are devoted to God. Your dreams are God’s, not yours! Don’t touch God’s Gold! When you choose convenience over conviction; pleasure over power; personal gain over kingdom-mindedness; sales over service; or security over sacrifice, you are stealing God’s property.  Your devotion to God must be so complete that it would be as though you are destroyed unto yourself.  If you have buried God’s gold, dig it up and bring it back. The spoils belong to God!

Wrestling With God

“And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’” Genesis 32:26 

Jacob had stripped himself of his worldly possessions and sent his wife and children away.  “And … there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” Jacob didn’t know the identity of his silent wrestling opponent, but he was determined to win.  For the rest of us, ninety percent of our battles are against unseen enemies and unknown powers.  Many say, “If I only knew what this was all about, I could live with it.” But if we knew, then our success would be due to our own smarts. Jacob found that all his human success was ultimately in vain. Everything he had plotted and connived to get had to be given away. The biggest struggle is not to get, but to lose; not to acquire, but to disown. 

Jacob fought against his shady past that God seemed both to bless and to curse. He fought against reliance upon his own ingenuity to get ahead in life. He fought against his deep insecurity and fear of losing everything. We often talk of fighting the devil, people, and circumstances, but our greatest fight turns out to be with the very God who wants to bless us.  You may know how to fight with other people. You know may how to fight against human nature. But, how is it possible that we would fight with God?

• We fight with God to understand and accept his truth.  This kind of victory does not come without a struggle!
• We fight with God about his will for our lives. Moses didn’t want to be the deliverer of Israel.
• We fight with God about his purposes in the world.  Jonah got mad at God for sparing Nineveh.
• We fight with God to prove to him how much we want him in our lives.  This is what travailing prayer is all about. 

Are you waiting for the preacher to say something that will bless you? Do you think it is the choir’s responsibility to birth victory into your soul? Are you mired down in depression because someone won’t help you? How long has it been since you travailed in prayer? How long since you fasted and prayed until you broke through to God? “Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” Genesis 32:25.

How could Jacob fight a supernatural being to a standstill? How is it possible that our Lord, or an Angel, could not overpower Jacob (v. 25)? It is an important question. Is God bound by man? Is God ever left helpless? The man (or angel) had the power to disable Jacob at any time. At daybreak, when the angel wished to leave, all he had to do was touch Jacob’s hip socket and it wrenched it out of place. If the man could have won whenever he desired, why didn’t he?  It was because the struggle was necessary for the growth of Jacob. You cannot distance yourself from God and still receive His blessing. You cannot play church and have church. You cannot be knowledgeable and ignorant at the same time. You cannot know God and not know God at the same time. 

When you wrestle with God for a life-changing blessing, prepare to have your life changed! There did not seem to be any pain with the wound Jacob received. Jacob didn’t cry out.  He didn’t stop wrestling. The miracle of God’s touch is that it both wounds and heals at the same time.

You cannot wrestle a blessing from God. The blessing is walking away a different person. Jacob became Israel. The name change said, “You have succeeded in breaking through to victory.” You may have encountered deity, but you can only get the blessing by wrestling with God!

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

“Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”  Matthew 16:1-4. 

A mother, grieving the loss of her Marine son in Iraq, sat in Crawford Texas demanding an audience with President Bush.  Her vigil drew so many media types until it turned into a circus and provided newsprint and air time for thousands of news stories around the world.  Many sympathized with her; others criticized her methods.  Some think she did the right thing.  Others said she only made a spectacle of herself. 

The world is filled with complex problems like this mother’s, and everyone demands answers.  Nobody knows what to do.  What should we do?  What could we do if we would?  What would we do if we would do what we should?  How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Hey, you should see what pastors see.  They see those who have faith in God; they see others who resist all attempts to get them to believe.  Many others fill up the gap in between.  They don’t know.  They wait for something more.  They weigh out the options.  They look to see what their friends are going to do.  They think they would; or should; but, they don’t know if they could even if they should or would.  It’s all so confusing.  If Jesus would just come down and plainly spell it all out, it would be so much easier.  Yes.  It would be so much easier if God got out of the faith business.  It would be easier if he would just show a sign that he is real and his word is true. 

Two opposing religious parties united in one common effort to silence Jesus. They were waiting for Him when He returned to Galilee. The Pharisees were the conservatives of their day, while the Sadducees were the liberals.  (Acts 23:6–10).  They united to issue a challenge to Jesus: Show us a sign from heaven and we will believe you are the Christ.” The word translated sign means much more than simply a miracle or a demonstration of power. It means “a wonder by which one may recognize a person or confirm who he is.”  Jesus did miracles throughout his ministry, so his refusal had nothing to do with his power.  It had everything to do with the faith and motives of his audience. 

Miracles will give confirmation of faith, but not of willful unbelief.  I asked a man one time, “What would convince you that God can do miracles?”  He said, “Nothing.”  I said, “What if He would come down and do a miracle right now in front of your very eyes?  Would that convince you?”  He said, “No, because I don’t believe that it’s possible.  It would be a fake.  There would be a scientific explanation behind it.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees did not lack evidence; they lacked honesty and humility. Their demand for a sign revealed the condition of their hearts.  Jesus did not accuse them of being guilty of physical adultery, but of spiritual adultery (Isaiah 57; James 4:4). They were worshiping a false god of their own manufacture, and this was spiritual adultery. Had they been worshiping the true God, they would have recognized Jesus. 

Jesus has done everything he needs to do in order to convince the world of His reality. Yes, I could point out to you the miracles of the present.  Many have been healed of cancer, pain of every kind, heart conditions, and much more.  I could tell you of the thousands of answers to prayer; of deliverance from sin and bondage; of changed lives.  I could tell you of the tens of millions who have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

You need to stop vacillating in a state of uncertainty and doubt; you need to quit your “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s” and say, “Lord, I believe!” The operative question is not “do you have enough evidence to believe” but “will you believe the evidence you have?”

Worst Case Scenario

“He testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’” Acts 2:40 

There is a new wave of thinking about the kind of message a preacher should preach and the kind of feeling a church-goer should leave with after a service.  Many in church circles today believe that a weekly sermon should be positive, affirming, supportive and enjoyable.  They believe in a come-as-you-are, leave-as-you-please, casual and relaxed atmosphere in a church.  The popular view is “this is not your grandfather’s church.”  It should be fun, cool and totally relevant to the twenty-first century culture.  It all sounds well and good, but when I open my bible and look at the pattern for preaching and church gatherings, I don’t see fun and cool.  I see something very different.  Take a look at the words of Paul in Acts 20:29-31 (KJV) “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember.” 

Neither did Paul mince words when it came to church discipline.  He decried a blatant case of incest in Corinth.  “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NIV). He especially wanted to keep the church informed about the world and resistant to any temptation to be deceived and entangled in it.  He warned about perilous times, about deceivers and about strong delusions.  When you preach like that, you don’t have people leaving the service in a jocular, light-hearted manner.  Yes, we have the joy of the Lord, but we also walk circumspectly in this world.  What does that mean?  It means we know that this world is teetering on the brink of global disaster, the likes of which we have never seen. So, why should preachers help people rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titanic when they should be helping them to get into the lifeboats?  A worst-case scenario means that everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.  This is the human perspective.  From God’s perspective, everything is going right!  

Sexual immorality must be condemned.  “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18.  Greed must be challenged with warnings against money and materialism.  “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”  1 Timothy 6:9 (KJV). “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16. 

We must not ignore Bible prophecy. The rise of the antichrist must be proclaimed.  “That day shall not come, except … that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 (KJV). The mark of the beast must be preached. “He causes all … to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.” Revelation 13:16-17.  People need to hear about the rapture of the church. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout … Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  Preachers who don’t preach about these cataclysmic events mislead the sheep; God will hold them accountable.  Worst case scenarios aren’t feel good sermons, but truth trumps feelings!