Light In Darkness

Jesus and his disciples went across the Sea of Galilee to the land of the Gerasenes. To say that they were entering a bad spot is an understatement. It was a graveyard haunted by a crazy, naked, demoniac who was inhabited by thousands of demons. Nearby there were thousands of stinking and dangerous swine.

God Almighty - Christmas Program 2015

Nothing shows the power of God more than his ability to create life. Modern science thinks life came into existence on its own, but has never observed that happening or found a way to create life apart from life that already exists. Only God can bring about life at will.

The Fullness of Time

Four hundred years is a long time to wait. Two thousand years is five times longer. How can we have a right perspective on waiting so long for God to fulfill his promises? When will Jesus come back? Why is this taking so long?

Zechariah and Elizabeth are role models for us. They lived four hundred years after the last prophetic word from God through Malachi. They had lived into their old age without seeing God's promises fulfilled. But their attitudes and their actions put them in the right place at the right time to serve God's purposes when His time was right.

The Well Lived Life

I'm reading a book that argues against the idea of dualism. The author points out that the Bible does not suggest that the material world is evil and suggest that we should long to escape from our physical bodies to attain pure spiritual existence. In fact, the Bible teaches that the physical creation was made good - and that our eternal destiny will be as physical beings on a physical earth - albeit as resurrected physical beings on a renewed physical earth.

I am about a quarter of the way through the book. I agree with the substance of the author's arguments so far, but I'm nervous about his motives. So far there seems to be a suggestion that Americans should be pretty complacent about the amount of time and money they use to entertain themselves in their leisure activities.

Christians should strive to live life well. We should enjoy the blessings God has given us - good food, good company, beautiful scenery. We should live with joy and appreciation - overflowing with thanksgiving. People should read and walk and eat and exercise. They should travel and explore and experience the vast diversity God has put on the earth. We should get up and get out and live our lives to the full - smell the flowers, taste the food, relish the view, cherish friends and family.

But as twenty first century Americans we have so much leisure time and so many channels of entertainment that we are in danger of smothering the truly good life under piles of frivolous pursuits. It may not be sin to watch a football game. But it can be when all you think about is football and you neglect your family during football season and you rob your boss of your services during football season and you are absent from worship throughout football season.

And something is always in season. 

We are entertaining ourselves to death when we should be taking a cue from the wisdom writers and practicing self control. We need some leisure time. Perhaps we even need some entertainment. But entertainment and leisure time cannot properly be the organizing center of the 

Christian life. 

Something is wrong with American Christianity and I don't think it is that we put too much into our spiritual lives and forget to enjoy the pleasures of God's creation.

Three Kingdom Parables

If Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom and himself as the king... what is the situation right now? Where is God's kingdom? Has it started? Is this it? Is it changing? What should we expect? What should we do?

The Sower

Why did Jesus teach the people in parables? This parable of the sower is both the answer and an illustration of what he was saying.

We are to spread the seed of God's word far and wide... but we know that not everyone will accept the  truth, even if they seem to at the beginning. But it is God who measures real success - fruitfulness in true disciples of Jesus.

The Unpardonable Sin

Jesus taught that there was one unpardonable sin. All three of the synoptic gospels report on this teaching of Jesus. It is important and needs to be understood.

What exactly is the unpardonable sin? Are some people already beyond hope because they have committed this sin? What should we be telling people?

Jesus' Priorities

In the Gospels we not only have things that Jesus said, but accounts of what Jesus did.  This helps us to have a clear picture of what kind of person he was and what his priorities were.

If Jesus thought certain things were important, then we should see them as important as well. So what were Jesus' priorities?

Sermon In A Sack - Bread

What is it that motivates you in life? What are you pursuing?

We need to eat to live, but it is also possible to live to eat. Sometimes we are consumed with the desire to fulfill our appetites.

Sometimes God lets us get hungry to teach us something about him and about ourselves. We need to learn those lessons and live accordingly.

Jesus Gets Angry

Even people who do not consider themselves to be Christians usually have a positive impression of Jesus. They think that whoever he was, he was a nice person. He must have been a good teacher and compassionate toward people in their needs.

It doesn't occur to them that Jesus might get angry. But he did. And whatever made Jesus angry must be something serious.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier...

The presidential race is big news - debates, attack ads, image control and high priced advisors.

Praise God that the selection of godly leaders for the church is not this kind of circus. Our goal is to glorify God by choosing as He would choose. We need to be thoughtful and careful in who we select for church leadership.

Traditions

The Pharisees were constantly on Jesus' case for one thing or another. In Mark's gospel they attack him for claiming to forgive sins and later for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Now they are attacking his disciples for not keeping the traditions of the jewish community.

In each case, Jesus answers these attacks with displays of his divine power and wisdom. He shows them how their traditions are inadequate and sometimes at cross purposes with God's priorities.

We all live by traditions. We should think long and hard about whether our traditions are interfering or helping with our obedience to Christ.

Hospital For Sinners

The Pharisees were very concerned about righteousness. They would never do anything that would defile them and they were outraged when Jesus gathered to eat with tax collectors and sinners. How could he do such a thing?

Jesus' reply was a rebuke - "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came, not to call the righteous, but sinners."

It is possible for us to have a bad attitude toward sinners - when we are supposed to have Jesus' attitude toward them.

Who Can Forgive Sins?

What is the most amazing thing about Jesus? People loved to hear him teach and preach - but most did not really take his message to heart.  Out of the huge crowds that came to him, relatively few came with faith -- willing to repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus for eternal life.

Sure, Jesus did miracles of healing, but that was not his purpose. These miracles were authentication of his foundational message - that he is God and he alone can forgive sins.

Jesus In Action

Mark's Gospel starts with a bang and keeps up a fast pace. Jesus is portrayed as a man of action. People are amazed by him and astonished by his teaching. They flock to him to hear him teach and to get his help.

What is it about Jesus that is so compelling? What is Mark pointing out to us?

Called To Fish

In Mark's account of Jesus calling his disciples is very direct. Jesus walked past where they were working, called them to follow, and they dropped everything and followed him.

What does this teach us about Jesus? What does it say about the disciples? What are we supposed realize about discipleship for ourselves?

The Main Point

The gospel of Mark is written in a rapid fire, very direct, no nonsense style. Mark is the shortest gospel partly because he cuts the story he is telling down to bare bones, action packed, high impact segments.

What is Mark's main point? He doesn't leave much room for doubt.

How Great God Is

Christopher Hitchens wrote a book a few years ago titled, "God is Not Great." In it he proclaimed his disbelief in God and the many reasons he thought that belief in God was a cause for problems in the world.

It is easy for skeptics like Christopher Hitchens to rail against God. God is not visibly present. God is not standing over them striking them with lightening when they blaspheme his name or ridicule belief in him. The world is definitely broken and bad things are happening all around us. Someone, anyone, might ask, as Hitchens asked, "Why should I worry about an invisible God? Why not do what I please to do?"

But these same currents have flowed throughout human history. They were flowing in Isaiah's day. Isaiah moved against the tide and proclaimed that God IS Great! We should be steadfast in following God wholeheartedly.

P.S. - I don't believe that Christopher Hitchens was struck down by God with esophageal cancer because of his unbelief and blasphemy. We live in a world broken by sin. If anything, the cancer was evidence of God's mercy in that it gave Mr. Hitchens time to confront his own mortality and reconsider his ideas about God. 

Great Mercy & Grace

Skeptics complain that the plan of salvation and judgment in the Bible doesn't measure up to their standards. According to them it is irrational. God is too harsh. God is unfair. They wouldn't do things that way...

But God disagrees.  He is very kind and long-suffering.  He endures all kinds of rebellion and absorbs all sorts of insults for generations while providing life and opportunities to all people - including the skeptics.

God's grace and mercy are definitely beyond normal human standards, but that doesn't make them irrational. He gives people lots of time and opportunities. He reveals himself in many ways. Then in spite of rejection, he graciously saves some... from every people group around the globe.

Freedom of Conscience

It doesn't matter much to me whether or not the United States of America was founded as a "Christian Nation."  What matters to me is that this country was founded with the ideal of "Freedom of Conscience."

According to this ideal the church and the state would be separate.  The church would not direct the government and the government would not carry out church discipline.  People would be free to believe whatever their conscience directed them to believe without fear of government coercion. They could believe whatever and say whatever and to assemble with whomever according to the dictates of conscience. It was to be a free country.

That is all changing now.  We are no longer free to follow the dictates of our conscience without fear of government reprisals.  You believe that homosexuality is immoral?  That is fine as long as you don't tell anyone and don't act on that belief by refusing to participate in a same sex wedding.

We see the first fruits of this change taking place already... business owners who have scruples against participating in same sex weddings are being fined, threatened and forced out of business.  Not because the people pursuing these cases cannot find business owners who would willingly serve them, but because these activists are not satisfied until they can bully everyone into submission.

I see little chance that things will reverse themselves to restore freedom of conscience to America. Rather, conscientious objectors will face increasing civil and criminal penalties. There will be fines and jail time. There will be required re-education camps called "sensitivity training." More and more people will lose their jobs and their businesses. More and more people will be harassed and attacked because they disagree with the popular and political morality of this declining nation.

Nevertheless we will need to live according to conscience, directed by divine revelation. We will need to handle this oppression with grace and courage... speaking the truth in love and entrusting ourselves to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This can be good for us because it reminds us that neither this country nor this world is heaven.  We are strangers and pilgrims - citizens of a heavenly kingdom just passing through.  We have no reward here - but will be rewarded by Jesus when we see him face to face.

Be true to Christ, whatever the cost.

Ready Or Not?

Why would a person be praying for God to tear open heaven and reveal himself to the world in glory and majesty?  How was the prophet Isaiah viewing his world? How should we be viewing our world?

O Lord, come and be glorified!

Sermon In A Sack - Water

We often forget how import water is for our lives.  We are largely made out of water and we need water everyday. Without water, we would die.

Jesus used the metaphor of water to teach about the gift of eternal life that he would provide to those who put their trust in him. If you ask him, he will give you "living water" that provides everlasting life.

Sinless Redeemer - Redeemed Sinners

Imagine the thrill of hearing Jesus read Isaiah's promise of the redeemer - then saying "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Why did the people then try to kill him? Why didn't they believe and follow him?

Godly Parents

There are all kinds of parenting theories and all sorts of parenting styles. Eli and his sons are an example of what not to do in parenting - but we can derive some positive principles from the Bible's account of their lives.

Our Superhero

Superhero movies are popular and bring their creators hundreds of millions of dollars. Why are they so popular?

While these movies are fictional, their message resonates with the public.  If we were faced with a world wide crisis, a superhero could come to our rescue.  The superhero (or superheroes) would have the resources we don't have to save us from the super-villain.

This is basically the gospel message - with one big difference. The gospel is not fiction.

Adders' Eggs & Spider's Web

The world is in a terrible mess. Some people use this as an excuse for not believing in God. The irony is that the mess is because people have disbelieved and rebelled against God.

Not So Fast

The fastest growing religious identity in recent American census data is "NONE."  Those who claim to be Christians are expected to drop from 3/4 of the population in 2010 to 2/3 by 2050.

This should not really surprise us. It is just revealing something that we already know - religion can be just an external label that has nothing to do with spiritual conversion.

This definitely doesn't surprise God. In Isaiah 58, God takes the Israelites to task for their religious practices that are void of true spirituality.

Fulfilled Families

Happy Mother's Day!

The book of Ruth is a beautiful story of God's work in the life of a woman named Naomi.  I suppose that she didn't want to be anything more than a wife and mother, but over time she lost her home, her husband and her sons.

Rather than this being the end of her story, it was the beginning. God started there to provide her blessings beyond her wildest dreams.

When we come to the end of ourselves we will see God work in his power to provide beyond our wildest dreams.

Wrong Side of History

I recently read an essay by former president Jimmy Carter (originally published in 2009) explaining his decision to leave the Southern Baptist Church over their historic practice of excluding women from the roles of pastor or deacon in the churches or as chaplains in the military.

According to Carter there is no difference between between this continued practice in the SBC and the brutality against women in Islamic states around the world. To take the Biblical instructions on the Christian family and the Christian church literally is a sham and an excuse for all kinds of abuse and enslavement.  So Carter rejects the Christian church and instead identifies himself as one of "The Elders" ordained by the late Nelson Mandela. These "Elders" have taken it upon themselves to issue a statement that says in part:

“The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.”

Carter makes many errors in his essay, but the gravest error is his allegiance to modern humanistic rationalism over divinely inspired scriptures.  He stands with them to wave his fist in the face of God and to tell God what is acceptable and unacceptable.

I think this essay was resurrected now - fifteen years after it was written - to support the continued avalanche of humanistic rationalism in support of so called "civil rights" for homosexuals. The particular issues are changed, but the reasoning remains the same. Just take "women and girls" out of the above quote and substitute any modern identity group.

Unfortunately, many people, especially young people, who (like Carter) have grown up in churches and have been taught the truth of God's word are now choosing to side with humanistic rationalism. They are very concerned about being caught on "the wrong side of history."

"The wrong side of history" means that they think the most important thing is what other people think about an issue.  When people write history books a generation from now - who will be portrayed as the villains and who will be cast as the heroes?  They think (and they may be right) that people like former president Carter or supreme court justice Ginsberg will be the courageous heroes who stood against the evil oppression of religious people that claimed a higher authority for their beliefs than humanistic rationalism.

I think it is not very important what the historians think about us. By then we will be dead - long gone.  By then the only thing that will really matter for us is whether or not we were right about God. If there is no God (as secularists emphatically insist) then whatever stance you took on these issues will not matter at all.  But if there is a God (as is apparent to the vast majority of human beings) then it will be vitally important to have been in a right relationship with the God that truly exists.

I may end up on the "wrong side of history," but I believe I am on the right side of eternity.

Serving Idols

I kind of wish I had given this message a different title and a slightly different approach.

I handled it negatively... what are God's observations about idolatry.  But I could have taken the more positive approach - how we can be right with God even though we are idolaters at heart.

My favorite verse in this passage is this: Isaiah 57:15

¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isn't that great? The exalted God dwells in the "high and holy place" - of course!

But also "with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit..."

How beautiful.

How comforting.

God's Inclusive House

Isaiah had told Israel of coming judgment followed by ultimate salvation. But the question remained, "what should we do in the meantime?"

God wanted them to continue to work on honoring and pleasing him, while expanding their vision to reach people they had not considered before.

The Lord paints a picture of his house - a house of prayer for all peoples.

Open Invitation

It seems like people would like the idea of "heaven." But that idea gets complicated in a hurry.

Heaven might be good last resort - sort of a consolation prize for dying.  But most people are so in love with their lives in this world that heaven sounds boring.

This message emphasizes the truth about heaven and why we should want to go there.

The Getting People to Attend Church Business

I read an article today about the top factors that attract and keep people in churches. The answers were the usual suspects - Friendliness, Children's Programs, Worship Experience/Music, and Preaching. The article noted that only 4 in 10 Americans attend church regularly.

I'm pretty sure the intended message was, "churches are not doing a very good job of giving people what they want - only 4 in 10 Americans attend church regularly."

Issues like those mentioned are worth thinking about, but not for the reasons listed. Christians should be friendly to strangers and love people unconditionally. Christians should care about providing quality children's programing. Christians should worship enthusiastically. Christian preachers should communicate the Bible clearly and passionately.

But we are not in the "getting people to attend church" business.  If we fill the church to overflowing by providing everything an American consumer could possibly want but those do not encounter Christ and become converted we are not accomplishing anything significant.  If we get 100% of our community and the surrounding communities to attend our church - but they do not hear the truth of God's word confronting the sin in their lives, we are failing.

If we were in the "getting people to attend church business" we could succeed by holding church in the big top tent with a three ring circus, scantily clad performers and daring high wire acts. It would be grand! The band, the clowns, the lions and elephants would bring people in, for sure. But so what?

Jesus did draw big crowds at times. But you will notice that many times the big crowds were disappointed. In John 6 he fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. The next day they came to him again, but he refused to feed them again and told them that he was the food they really needed - that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. The thousands who had been singing his praises the previous day and wanted to make him king now deserted him and he was down to his twelve disciples again.

We are supposed to be in the discipleship business. We want people to have their hearts changed by God through an encounter with Jesus. That might happen in a mass meeting or it might happen in a one on one encounter. Both are recorded in Scripture. But when people encounter Jesus, a significant number of them will not be converted and will actually be offended. They will go away faster than they came.

There is nothing wrong with drawing a crowd unless that is your main goal.  But the real issue is making disciples and instructing them in the Scriptures.  If you can do that with a dozen people over the course of your lifetime you are in good company.

(John 6:37) All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

(John 6:44) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Vital Hope

It is impossible to live without hope.  Our hope of sins forgiven and eternal life in heaven hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And live is worth the living just because He lives.
(by William J. and Gloria Gaither)

Our Substitute

Some people are mocking Jesus today. It is nothing new, people mocked Jesus in his own day. But the only reason they can mock him is because he came to die for the sins of the world, rather than to bring the world to judgment for their sins.

Jesus came to be our substitute.

The Greatest News

Think about the biggest news that has happened in your lifetime. Some of it was good. Some was bad. How did the news spread from person to person? Do you hear news from other people? Do you share news with other people?

We have the privilege of sharing the most important and the best news that people have ever heard. We should be excited and enthusiastic to carry the news of the gospel.

Our Sweet Savior

Isaiah, writing 700 years before Christ, gives amazingly detailed portraits of Jesus.  Israel is facing terrible judgment, but God still offers them a sweet Savior.  Will you strike off on your own, or will you throw yourself into the arms of Jesus?

Engraved on His Hands

In America we sometimes think we are already in heaven. We have many good things - liberty, freedom of religion, prosperity, freedom of speech, etc.

That makes it more difficult for us to identify with the situation in Isaiah's day - the imminent prospect of military conquest, humiliation and exile. We need to understand what they were facing to understand God's picture of the Savior and the Salvation he would provide.

We feel like we are rich and safe - but spiritually we are in the same desolate condition that Israel was in. We need the Savior and Salvation just as much as they did.

Carried By God

Bel and Nebo were the main gods of Babylon, but we don't hear much about them anymore. Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians and the idols of Bel and Nebo were taken away as plunder - unceremoniously tied onto the backs of the beasts of burden.

Bel and Nebo needed to be carried - because they could not move on their own.  But the true God - the LORD of Israel - did not look to his people to carry him. He carries his people himself.

False religions teach some form of salvation by human works. The Bible teaches salvation by the grace of God offered freely to all who will believe.

The Potter & The Clay

When we think about our future, we usually think that it will be largely based on our own free decisions and hard work.  We figure we will create our future for ourselves.

But God says he is ultimately in control and that we should turn to him and look for his will in our lives. If we set ourselves against him we are bound to be frustrated. If we cooperate with him we will delight in the good things he has planned for us.

God is the potter - we are the clay.

Who Is The Lord?

The title "Lord" is applied to many different people... Lord Krishna, Buddha and Lord Vader to name a few.  But who is the LORD of the Bible?  In Isaiah 43 the LORD describes and defines himself as a way of encouraging his people who are facing some tough circumstances.

Who is the Lord?

Spiritual Darkness

The Servant of Jehovah (Jesus) came on a rescue mission to save people who were lost in darkness.
When people walk away from the light and further into the darkness, they become completely trapped.

Get this message HERE.

The Servant of Jehovah

Many groups (including some Christians) believe they should use force to gain followers.

In Isaiah 42 the Lord introduces his chosen servant.  He tells who he is and his manner of life. It is very instructive for how Christians should live in this world.

The Servant of Jehovah

Jesus And Clark Kent

Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But he didn't come as a superhero. He came as a humble bundle of human flesh - a completely dependent, stinky, crying baby - unable to communicate - needing to be carried everywhere - helpless.

Jesus experienced growing up. At some point he crawled, then he pulled up and took his first steps. He probably fell down in the process. He went through human developmental stages. He developed language skills.

Jesus was not like Clark Kent. Clark Kent was Superman in disguise, but he was still superman - bulletproof - able to leap tall buildings - super strong. Clark Kent was an extra terrestrial and not a human.

Jesus was fully human. He experienced human limitations. He became tired, hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to exert himself to the limit of his very human strength. There were things he could not lift and things he could not reach.

Jesus knew exactly what we experience on a day to day basis - sleeping, waking up, eating, drinking, (and even digestion with all that means.) If he had a pebble in this sandal he had to stop and shake it out.

The recognition of Jesus as a fully human person is important. His death for human sinners was a real human death. He was not sustained on the cross by superhuman (or supernatural) abilities. It hurt him like it would have hurt us. It was agony for him in the same way it would have been agony for us. 

Jesus' life and death were not a dramatization of human experience - they were true human experience. That's what Christmas is about. God became a human. By that he became the perfect Savior - the true bridge between God and men. Now he is our perfect high priest - He knows what it is like to be us.

Have a Christmas that is full of wonder!

Dueling Deities

In Isaiah 41 the Lord Jehovah calls out the idols. He compares his power and deliverance to the abilities of the idols. The idols cannot compare to the God of the Bible.

Nevertheless, even modern people living in America are tempted to worship the idols of this world. We need to take this message seriously and apply it carefully.