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Selected personal sermon notes.  Some contain passages from various sources and adapted to the sermon theme.  Peruse and use at your leisure.  Alphabetically arranged.  All sermons are indexed by title.  Scroll to end of right hand column to locate archive list.

Tuesday
Mar242009

Together

 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:19-25

First, we must understand that the church was instituted by Christ

Matthew 16:18 is the foundational text for the church. A close study of this verse reveals a number of vital concepts relative to the church. “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

  • · “Upon this rock” refers to the foundational truth of the church: the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter the man was not the rock. The revelation of the identity of Christ was the rock.
  • · “I” identifies the foundational designer of the church as Jesus Christ. It is not a man-made organization.
  • · The foundational process of the church is growth. Jesus said, “I will build… .” The church was not meant to stagnate and dwindle to nothing, but it is destined to live, to be vibrant, and to fill all the earth.
  • · The foundational ownership is shown in the word my. The entire structure has the name of the Owner stamped upon it. This clear ownership gives Christ every prerogative to govern His church as He wills.
  • · The foundational plan for the church is simply shown in the use of the word church. It is a called-out assembly of believers, set apart for a special mission in life.
  • · Finally, the foundational promise is one of eternal life. “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The old nemesis of death does not have any power to stop the church from being established and spreading to the four corners of the earth.

Who may be a member of this church?

The answer to this question is I Corinthians 12:13: “For by Church one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

Thus, membership has nothing to do with nationality, color, social or economic status, or anyother carnal factor. Anyone may become a part of Christ’s church. Admission into the church is by the new birth (John 3:5). We see it happening throughout the book of Acts. Acts 2:38 gives the specific steps for entrance into the church. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The church is a spiritual body, but it is also a group of people.

The only way the church can remain alive and function is for the people to stay in contact with each other, support each other and cooperate with each other.

Because of this, the writer to the Hebrews said that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Let me get down to a practical level here.

  • I believe we should come to church on a regular basis.
  • Unless a member is sick or working, he or she should be in church.
  • I believe we receive strength and ministry in church that we cannot receive anywhere else.
  • The church is where we hear the word of God preached and taught.
  • The church is where we enter into worship and praise together.
  • The church is where we fellowship with like-minded people.
  • The church is our family.

 

1 Corinthians 12:14-27

“I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

19–24But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25–26The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

27–31You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this.

 It is amazing what we can do together, rather than separately.

 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, [1]

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Isolation

What happens when we withdraw, pull away or isolate ourselves from the flock? Animals that travel in herds, flocks or packs do so instinctively. Togetherness provides them with protection from predators. A predator lies in wait until a little calf falls behind and doesn’t keep up with the rest. Or, he waits until he sees a member of the herd get sick, weary and the herd abandons him. That gives the predator the opportunity to pounce on the loner who cannot be supported by his brothers and sisters.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

The church is where you need to be when you are spiritually sick, weak, troubled, discouraged, lonely, hurting and devastated by life.

When someone is struggling, the church is obligated to show mercy, reach out in love, and forgive the repentant one who has sinned.

1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ

Today, it may be someone you like who needs the church. It may be someone you don’t like. But remember, tomorrow, it may be you. Or, it may be me.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.[2]

When someone comes into our midst who needs love and forgiveness, they must not receive judgment and condemnation.

Some may say, but what kind of example for the rest of us do they set by their bad behavior? To that I ask, “What kind of example do we set by showing judgment and condemnation?

I refuse to consign anyone to eternal punishment. If someone is lost, let it be in spite of our best efforts to keep it from happening. Jude says,

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

[3]

  • Together, we can survive.
  • Together, we can win.
  • Together, we can please God.
  • Together, we can attempt great things.
  • Together, we can accomplish great things.
  • Together.

 


[1]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ac 2:1-2). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ga 5:13-15). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version.
Greek Strongs: 165

[3]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Jud 20-25). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Monday
Jan052009

Nothing But the Blood

Hebrews 9:11-14 “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Hebrews 10:1-6 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Hebrews 10:19-23 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

From its storied and cryptic past, the mere mention of the word blood unleashes a floodtide of images, thoughts, feelings and concepts. Blood holds a place in the culture of mankind unlike no other. Our literature reeks with references to blood. We hear of violent murders, ritualistic mutilation of bodies, slaughter and genocide. We hear of vampires myths, of blood sacrifices—both animals and humans—and satanic ceremonies involving bloodshed.

All of this, whether intended for shock value or to hand down tribal legends, has its basis in truth. The blood covenant has been used for centuries as a means by which any two people, families, tribes, villages or towns could enter into a binding unending agreement. Covenant between two persons could end with the death of a participant on either side.

The American Indians would cut the thumb and join thumbs together to make blood brothers. In the east most often the cut would be somewhere on the forearm, in all cases the cut would be in place where at a casual glance anyone could see a scar that indicated the bearer was in covenant.

Ancient weddings were considered covenant ceremonies. The cut made during the covenant ceremony would be treated in such a way as to produce a scar when healed. The modern day wedding rings are replacements for the scars that would have been part of the ceremony.

The word “covenant” in Hebrew means literally means a cut-where-blood-flows. It created a binding agreement, more powerful than a contract or agreement, and was to be forever - the life span of the participants. The Blood Covenant was holy, sacred—to violate the covenant would mean death. It represented the ultimate insurance of loyalty and fidelity.

There were variances of rituals but the common base was a cut-where-blood-flows and the mingling of these two bloods by the cuts being rubbed against each other. A cup of wine would be held under the cuts to catch the dripping blood which was stirred into the wine by an officiating priest, then each participant would drink from the cup. In many cases the witnesses to the covenant would also drink from the cup of the blood and wine. In the minds of the covenant participants they had became one blood and one identity with each other. They would give each other their children to raise in utter confidence that the covenant partner would raise the child as their own.

Grasping and understanding the relationship between Jesus Christ and the individual believer can only be achieved by a firm understanding of covenant. The Bible is divided into two covenants the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. If the very subject matter of the two books is covenant, then the believer needs a clear understanding of just what a covenant is and what a covenant is not. A covenant is a permanent lifelong agreement with no escape clause. Covenant is used to join people, families and tribes to each other with terms that can not be altered or nullified.

Now, it begins to dawn on us what really happened at the cross as described in Hebrews 10:19-23 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”

The shed blood of Jesus Christ, with full power to implement and total desire to execute, sealed the Almighty God to the redemption of lost mankind. He did not leave his most sacred and solemn vow to the shifting sands of verbiage, or artwork, or promises. He did not commit his eternal purpose to paper and ink which could be shredded, burned or altered.

Colossians 1:12-14 says, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

And so, we sing:

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you over evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

The “power in the blood” means the absolute authority that a covenant has over the circumstances and the personalities of life. When you speak of the blood of Jesus, you speak of authority. When you speak of the blood of Jesus, you speak of an eternal covenant that cannot be reversed by Satan. It is our rock, our wedding ring, our sacrifice forever.

But the covenant aspect of the blood of Jesus is only part of the story. There is something else that happens when the blood is applied, something that deals with the mind, the heart and the conscience. Along with the power of the blood to forge a new relationship with God, there is also a cleansing, washing and sin-remitting quality of the blood. This feature of the blood is spelled out in Colossians 1:14: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Even the forgiveness of sins!

The full impact of the blood, then, is this: You have entered into a covenant relationship with the God of the universe and you have been absolved of all your sin, your moral debt, your shame and your guilt.

The first thing Jesus does by his blood is secure you to himself. He gives you the assurance that he is in charge of your life and that you are protected from your enemies. No one can break through the barrier of his blood. No one can destroy the covenant that he established with you through the cross.

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The second thing the blood of Jesus does for you after he secures you is to cleanse you from sin. The closest I can come to explaining is this: It is like calling 911 and being admitted to the hospital, knowing that the bill will be completely covered by insurance. Now that you’re there, you can submit to any test, any procedure, any surgery and any treatment that will fix your problem. God is not interested in taking you to heaven in all your sin and shame. His intention is to bind you to him and then use all of his power and authority to cleanse you and set you free.

Hebrews 9:13-14 says, “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Not only do we need security, we need healing. Our need goes beyond salvation from sin; we need to be cleansed from sin. We not only need our downward slide to be stopped, we need it to be reversed. We need the blood of Jesus to reach into our souls and begin to wash away the dirt, the grime and the stains of a misspent life. We need him to correct the disfigurement and distortion of our transgressions.

  • We need emotional healing.
  • We need psychological healing.
  • We need a healing for our painful memories of abuse, neglect, mistreatment, rejection and abandonment.
  • We need a restoration to relationships torn apart by the ravages of sin.
  • We need our hatred, our bitterness, our resentment and our anger to be thoroughly washed away.
  • We need the guilt we bear for horrible decisions in our past to be expunged.
  • We need the shame we feel for the hurt we inflicted on others to be lifted from our souls.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to
Calvary’s tide;

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow.
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

It’s all in the blood of Jesus.

It’s no where else but in the blood of Jesus.

You will not find this kind of security and cleansing from any other source.

You will not find it in medication or drugs.

You will not find it in a bottle.

You will not find it on the psychiatrist’s couch.

You will not find it in self-help and will power.

You will not find it in more sin and more sin.

You will not find it by running away.

You will not find it by entering into yet another relationship.

You will not find it in suicide.

You will only find it in the blood of Jesus.

That blood. That sinless blood.

Not the blood of bulls and goats.

Not the blood of murder and mayhem.

Not the 50,000 deaths of the American Revolutionary War.

Not that blood.

Not the 646,000 casualties of the Civil War.

Not that blood.

Not the 320,000 death and wounded of WWI or the 1.1 million casualties of WWII.

Not that blood.

Not the 211,000 American soldiers who died in Vietnam.

Not that blood.

Not the 4,221 casualties of the war in Iraq.

Not that blood.

None of those deaths will suffice to remove the penalty of your sins.

 

1 Peter 1:18 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

One blood. One man. One death. One cross.

For whom?

For one man, one person. If you had been the only sinner in the world, he would have died for you.

Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

At the cross, at the cross
Where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

2. Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ the mighty Maker died
For man, the creature’s sin.

5. But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
‘Tis all that I can do.

Monday
Dec082008

The Duty of Fear

Ex 20:18-20 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Moses had just come down from the mountain where he had received the ten commandments. It was a spectacular sight that left the people in awe.

Moses had a puzzling message from God to wrap it all up. Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” Fear not, but keep the fear of God before you so that you don’t sin. In other words, if you don’t have any other reason to keep these commandments from God, then obey him for fear.

Now Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Israel had not yet come to that stage in moral and spiritual development. They were still under the guiding hand of fear.

When we see the word “fear” in the Bible in reference to God, it usually means to “revere” him, to respect him, to honor and obey him.

The 21st century culture is now described as a post-modern and a post-Christian society. Today, people consider fear to be a negative emotion. It is no wonder that gradually, we applied this notion to God himself.

How did this happen? Because one thing leads to another; one thing affects another.

  • When we started believing in evolution, we doubted creation.
  • When we doubted creation, we doubted the Bible.
  • When we doubted the Bible, we questioned the existence of God.
  • When we questioned the existence of God, we imagined a world without God.
  • If there is no God, then all of the reverence, respect and fear of God evaporates

It is little wonder, then, that we live in a world where abortion is rampant, euthanasia is approved, marriage covenants are routinely violated; that honesty, integrity and righteousness are values of the past.

Whoever you are, young or old, male or female, you need to possess a healthy fear of God—-as Creator, Giver and Sustainer of Life, Judge and Savior. It is your respect of God that will determine how you react and respond to him in the issues of your life.

The first individual I want you to consider is the one who has no fear of God.

Ps 36:1-4

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. 3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. 4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Rom 3:10-18

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

The second individual I want you to consider is an especially strange breed.

2 Kings 17:25-28 25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. 26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. 28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

Think of this.

They made the first concession, but rejected the second. We are going to fear God, but we won’t obey him. I speak to those who have a conscience prepared by the Word.

Raised in church, familiar with the Word. When you sin, you do it with a certain level of fear.

  • “Okay, I’m probably an idiot, but here goes.”
  • I know I’m going to regret this, but I’m going to do it anyway.

I was raised in the church with a great youth group. We had a quartet, we sang together in a youth choir, we had lots of activities. But as the kids got older, the world of sin looked more and more attractive. Occasional meeting with the friends of long ago, they were so nervous, They hung their heads, made empty promises, told me that they should get back to God.

A number of years ago, I stood at the casket of one of them. Drinking and drugs eventually claimed his life in his early forties. You would never have believed it talking to him earlier. He loved God. He feared God. He respected God. He just served his own God…the god of pleasure, the god of getting high, the god of getting drunk, the god of the good times.

“They feared the Lord and served their own Gods.”

It’s not so much what you say, but what you do that counts. We confess him with out mouth, but then we serve him with our lives.

 Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Why should we have a healthy fear of God?

Matt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Acts 5:10-11 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Brother Scott Graham tells of the time in an airplane when he had an interesting experience.

Eccl 12:13

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Monday
Dec082008

The Call

Isaiah 55:1-3 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (KJV)

Romans 11:29 (The Message) God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded.

The Call of the Wild is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a previously domesticated and even somewhat pampered dog named Buck, whose primordial or wild instincts return after a series of events finds him serving as a sled dog in the treacherous, frigid Yukon during the days of the 19th century Klondike Gold Rushes.

Buck is a 4-year-old, 140 lb Saint Bernard/Scotch Shepherd (Scotch Collie) mix, which gives him the appearance of an exceptionally large wolf. He leads a comfortable life as the pet of Judge Miller in the Santa Clara Valley of Northern California. Judge Miller’s gardener’s assistant, Manuel, abducts the dog and sells him to a trainer of sled dogs, which were in great demand due to the discovery of “a yellow metal” in the frozen lands of the Yukon. Slowly introduced to the brutality of his new life, Buck is forced to survive and adapt to conditions in Alaska and the Yukon. He works pulling sleds with other dogs, learns to steal food, and engages in power struggle with other dogs for the lead position in the sled team. His owners soon learn that even though his enemy is “a devil,” Buck is “two devils.” He becomes the leader of the sled team. He changes hands many times before he is eventually acquired by a kind and loving owner, John Thornton. When Thornton is killed by “Yeehat” native Americans, Buck goes into a beastly rage and kills several members of the native tribe. Buck returns to the wild and becomes the alpha male of a wolf pack he met a few days after the death of Thornton.

In every creature, there lies buried something instinctive, something inexorable, something impossible to deny. It’s like a tree root that exerts such power that it can move a building off its foundation; it’s like an avalanche that begins its murderous descent destroying anything and everything in its path; it’s like the lava bursting from a volcano that breaches the earth’s crust and cannot be stopped until it spews itself hundreds of feet into the air.

It all began with Adam. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. This detail of creation was unique to man alone. God breathed the breath of life into no other creature. I don’t know how you want to picture it; how it actually happened. This scripture makes it all so personal. Did God show up as a theophany, as “the Angel of the LORD?” Did he bend down to the lifeless creature he had just formed from the dust of the earth and blow into his nostrils?

I’m not sure how he did it, but whatever happened on that sixth day of creation, something of the divine essence was imparted from God into this creature we call man. We do know that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27. That means that if I am separated from God, I am incomplete. If I have no communication with God, I am miserable. If I lose my connection with God, I am lost.

That lost connection is precisely what has happened to man.

Ephesians 2:11-12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

There is, therefore, a call sounding forth from the portals of heaven that spans the entire globe, pole to pole, north to south, east to west. This call never diminishes in its intensity; never loses its power in dead zones; never fails to find its target.

Whover you are, the call of God extends to you. Young or old, male or female, bond or free, Jew or Gentile, the call reaches every person. From the most barren and remote latitude and longitude to the densest populations centers; from the wide open prairies to the most secret bunkers or caves, God’s call cannot be shut out. It reached Moses on the backside of the desert; it reached Gideon hiding in the threshingfloor; it reached Jonah on board ship; it reached Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.

You can’t hide from it; you can’t outrun it; you can’t stop it; you can’t evade it. You ignore it at your own peril; you reject it at own destruction; you deny it to your own eternal damnation. It’s the call of God.

God is calling you out of this world.

1 Peter 2:9 says, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

First, God calls men out of moral darkness, this present cosmos that lies under the Prince and power of the Air. You were not designed to be a sinner. Sir, you were not designed to be an alcoholic, a drug addict, a liar, a thief, a criminal. Ma’am, you were not created to be chain smoker, a faithless wife, an irresponsible mother. God is calling you out of the insanity of sin. Sin is public enemy number one.

A. A Corrupter of God’s Creation

1. Adam lived in perfection

2. Sin appeared as a deadly cancer

a. Plant and animal kingdoms infected

b. The entire human family

3. All pain and ugliness is due to sin

 

B. Upsetter of the Union between God and man

1. God became an intruder in his own house

2. Man’s nature became evil

3. Sin kidnapped man’s soul

 

C. Murderer of the Mediator, Jesus

1.2 Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2.Rom. 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

D.Sin is…

  • 1. A law-breaker 1 John 3:4
  • 2. A poisoner of man’s being Romans 3:10-18
  • 3. A hostage holder Proverbs 5:22
  • 4. A tyrant king Nehimiah 9:37
  • 5. A peace disturber Psalm 38:8
  • 6. A mass murderer “sin is a reproach”
  • 7. A traitor Proverbs 13:6
  • 8. An accusing witness Isaiah 59:12

Second, God is calling men out of spiritual darkness.

Acts 17:22-31 (KJV) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

God is calling you to salvation.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

1 Timothy 2:4 Who [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Baptism. Acts 2:38; 10:

Acts 10:44-48 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Holy Ghost infilling.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

God is calling you to the ultimate sacrifice: Giving yourself to him.

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. Exodus 3:1-4 (KJV)

Isaiah 6:6-8 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

The call is God’s. The response is ours.

How will you respond? Now comes the parade of excuses. “Too busy, too inadequate, too tired, too stressed, too poor, overcommitted, overworked, over extended, under-equipped, under-funded”

Called to do what? Pray, fast, worship, give, be a saint, a soul-winner, a witness, teach, preach, write, read, study, share, drive a van, encourage, mentor, build, clean, help, lift up, testify, lead, follow.

You can’t get away from it. It is the call of God. It will never be cancelled or rescinded. It is for life. It is for eternity.

 

Monday
Dec082008

Living Through the Crisis

“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19.

This verse speaks of great things. It mentions the name of the Lord, the glory of God and the Spirit of the Lord lifting up a standard. But regardless of these powerful subjects, the only thing we see sometimes is captured in this phrase—- “When the enemy shall come in like a flood…” Like the California wildfires…

 

My name is Natalia…. I’m just a regular old 13 teen year old girl. A friend of mine named Rory told me about this website…and I thought I NEED to say what I feel. Mostly to let it all out:) I watched Rory’s video several times and it made me cry so much…. People losing their homes…scratch that…. THOUSANDS of people losing their homes is NOT a good thing. And I know you’re thinking well yeah…obviously. Well, I just wanted to make it clear. I am HEARTBROKEN by this trauma and whenever someone brings it up, all i say is “Pray for them, like they would pray for you”. I made that quote myself actually. People may have just bought these homes, finished gardening, painting, have had the home for a long time, grew up in the home, love coming to that home, i mean everyone has there ways of loving there home. But I think that the one that would hurt me the most would be to think of all the fun memories…or even the bad memories that happened in my home. all the sleepovers, and the pets that ran around, and our experience traveling to that home, and everything about the home, especially if you could see leftover parts of the home just laying there…for instance pieces of a fridge….or the front door…or even the chimney. It breaks my heart that SO many people are in SO much pain right now. and not only pain, but living on the streets….homeless:( thank you for letting me express….my side of my story:) -Natalia.

Are you having a crisis today? Will it end up destroying you? Are you going to make it? Right now, you are not sure what tomorrow will bring to you.

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — With his webcam trained on him, a Florida teenager died in his bed of a drug overdose while others watched over the Internet, officials said Friday.

Some of those watching urged him to take more drugs while others debated whether he had taken enough to kill himself. Hours passed before someone finally notified authorities that he appeared lifeless, officials said.

Abraham Biggs, 19, was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon in Pembroke Pines, Florida, said Wendy Crane, investigator for the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The cause of death was found to be an overdose of benzodiazepine, an antidepressant, as well as other opiate drugs used to treat depression, Crane said.

The youth’s body was found in his apartment behind a locked door, which police broke down. Police turned off the webcam and computer, Crane said.

You may not relate to the specifics of Abraham’s case, but you might understand his feelings. Here is a snapshot of a person in full-blown crisis…in this case, a young person whose world had evidently become unbearable. It doesn’t really matter what the reason, though, the feelings come out the same…anger, rejection, sorrow, fear, hatred, panic, numbness.

Meaning of Crisis: The very word crisis comes to us from the ancient Latin language. It was used by the famous physician, Hippocrates, and had a specific medical meaning: the turning point in a disease. At a certain point, a sick person either loses all hope or they start getting better.

A crisis is…when everything you have and are is threatened.

  • …when you are sure God hates you.
  • …when you don’t know who you are anymore.
  • …when you are about to lose your most meaningful relationships in life.
  • …when you think you have little or nothing to live for anymore.
  • …when you seriously cannot see how you are going to survive.
  • …when you think you’d be better off dead than alive.
  • …when everything you thought you believed seems like a total waste.

The Bible is a book filled with people in crisis situations.

  • There is the story of Joseph sold by his brothers into Egypt
  • Moses at the Red Sea
  • Daniel in the lion’s den
  • Three Hebrews in the fiery furnace
  • Simon Peter in prison
  • The Apostle Paul thrown in the ocean at night
  • John on the Isle of Patmos

America is in crisis today. The problem is that we have called everything a crisis to the point where we don’t really know what a crisis is anymore. Just Google it and you will find out that we have an Obesity Crisis. An Immigration Crisis. A Jobs Crisis. A Manufacturing Crisis. Legitimacy Crisis. Confidence Crisis. Environmental Crisis. Oceans Crisis. Health Care Crisis. Infrastructure Crisis. Child Care Crisis. Energy Crisis. Moral Crisis. Banking Crisis. Spiritual Crisis. Housing Crisis. Mortgage Crisis.

Erwin Lutzer, Pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago says, “America is reaping the dire consequences of rejecting God. Our society is morally bankrupt, and the problems seem resistant to government cures. William J. Bennet, in his Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, provides the following statistics for the past 30 years. Despite increased funding and stricter laws, violent crime has increased more than 500 percent. While sex education programs have proliferated, illegitimate births have increased over 400 percent, significantly among teenagers. The divorce rate has quadrupled, and single parent homes have become the majority. Our young people today exhibit a hopelessness, with a more than 200 percent increase in the teenage suicide rate. And America appears helpless before its great problems.

The ongoing credit crisis raised fresh worries about an old problem – a 1930s kind of problem.

A depression: Could a third of Americans be right?

By Mark Trumbull | 10.01.08, Christian Science Monitor

Yes, the D-word.

Most forecasters say an economic depression remains a highly unlikely scenario.
But many also say that the risk is real – because of the possible collapse of credit markets.

At the very least, it seems as if fear and the search for historical reference points are causing a refresher course in lessons from nearly 80 years ago.

Consider this: The words “depression” and “economy” coincided in 1,235 articles in major US newspapers last month, according to the Nexis database service. That compares with 228 times in September 2007. In a new USA Today/Gallup poll, one-third of Americans defined the current state of the economy as a depression, not a recession.

The economic news certainly isn’t buoying anyone’s spirits. Major automakers reported Wednesday double-digit declines in car sales for last month. The same day, the Institute for Supply Management reported a large drop in new orders for September, suggesting a continuing slowdown in manufacturing.

None of us can do much about the financial crisis, or any other global crisis.

But you can do something about the personal crisis you are having today.

The question that you should be asking yourself “Pastor, how did I get here?”

But some are saying, “It doesn’t matter how I got here. Just get me out!”

But until you know what happened, you are going to cycle yourself right back into the same crisis…or worse!

Christian author Gary Sweeten points out four reasons for Christians in crisis: Bondage, rebellion, guilt, and shame. If we focus on only one of these problems, we miss the wide spectrum of reasons for people’s crises.

“Bondage implies that we are blind to our sinfulness and impotent to change those things of which we are aware.… we cannot, by our own works, do anything to redeem ourselves from our sinful condition.” People facing problems of homosexuality, alcoholism, or sexual addiction certainly know what I am talking about.

Rebellion involves our decisions to go against the will of God. The quip, “Sin is revolting,” proves literally true. Many of the crises people face are the result of someone’s rebellion against God.

Guilt is not just a feeling; it is the result of violating God’s law. Whether we feel guilty or not is more a matter of how we were raised. But when God’s standards are broken, we stand condemned and guilty before God. Only confession and repentance remove the legal guilt we’ve accrued.

Shame is what we feel when we understand our shortcomings, and shame can ruin a life and cripple recovery. Shame says, I am an awful person. It’s what happens when you mix a sound conscience with a violation of God’s standards. Confession breaks the hold of guilt, it may not ease shame. People need the understanding of their new position in Christ as God’s child to rid themselves of the shame occasioned by the Fall.

If you want to, you can deny one or all of these.

  • You can say it’s not your fault.
  • You can blame it on your father or mother.
  • You can blame it on your teacher.
  • You can point the finger of blame at your husband, wife, children or anybody else but yourself.
  • If you do, you will only deepen your crisis. No one gets through by denying any of these four realities.

You can deny that you are in bondage to addictions and sinful patterns of behavior if you want, but you deceive yourself if you do. I often preach about the whole list of sins and transgressions—-from lying to lust, from anger to adultery, from gambling to gluttony—-not because I’m mad at people who do these things, but because you need to identify your spiritual slaveholders! Whatever sins you commit, you are in bondage to those sins!

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

2 Peter 2:19 for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

Rebellion can be found somewhere in most spiritual crises. God has a will for your life. At some point in your life, you left God’s will and now you are out on your own. Do you think it’s God will for you to crack up? To be a drug addict, an alcoholic, a prostitute, an atheist or a common criminal? If the road you’re on is not the one God chose, you are in rebellion against him.

Psalms 107:10-13

10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

Guilt is why sin never satisfies. It is this deep understanding and sense that you live in violation against God’s law. The more you try, the less personal happiness you enjoy. Many people try to stop guilt by convincing themselves that they’re not doing anything wrong. It is a false peace, however, because it is built on a lie.

Shame descends upon the person who is conscious of his or her sins, but cannot release them into the blood of Jesus. They beat themselves up constantly over their stupidity, and never believe that they can be worthy of grace or redemption. Shame dictates that a person has to bear their own punishment for sin.

If you are in the middle of a crisis today, chances are that you are looking for help from people and places that aren’t going to give it to you. You are handling your crisis in ways that only exacerbate the problem and make it worse. Yet, you overlook or even deny the way out of your crisis that God has illuminated right in front of you. Today, right now, you can and must make a decision that will give you a true hope for survival.

False hopes.

  • Don’t expect someone else to bail you out. Nobody but Jesus is your savior.
  • No windfall, no special twist of fate, no unusual circumstance will turn things around.
  • God does miracles, but not miracles that keep sin and wrongdoing alive.
  • Your problems will not just decide to get up and walk out of your life.

False remedies.

  • You will not get over your crisis by anger, threatening, screaming, temper tantrums.
  • You will not get over your crisis by money, talent, self-will, intelligence or charm.
  • You will not get over your crisis by procrastination, mind games, word games, lies.
  • You will not get over your crisis by doing the same things you have always done.

Surviving your crisis.

  • You will get through your crisis when you decide that God loves you and your life is worth living.
  • You will get through your crisis when you admit that God has been right all along.
  • You will get through your crisis when you stop fighting against God and make peace.
  • You will get through your crisis when you confess, repent and forsake your sin.
  • You will get through your crisis when you let Jesus show up in your life.
  • You will get through your crisis when you accept that you will always live next door to failure.

The critical facts about your life’s story can turn around today. It will not depend upon some external event or outside worldly force. It will happen in the very private confines of your own heart and mind. It will come as you intertwine your fingers in the hand of Jesus and face your crisis together with him.

You can turn around by making four commitments today…to yourself and God:

  1. I will not live in bondage.
  2. I will no longer rebel against God.
  3. I will deal with my guilt by the blood of Jesus.
  4. I will transfer my shame to the cross.

 

 

 

 

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