August 22, 2014

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

If someone where to call you salt, you may consider that an insult.

That's because salt isn't worth much these days. You could run to your local store and grab a box of salt for less than two bucks.

But when Jesus refers to His disciples as "the salt of the earth" they regarded it a great compliment. Salt was a very valuable commodity in those days. 

Wars were fought over salt. People were paid in salt. If they didn't do an effective job they were judged as not being "worth their salt".

Those hearing Jesus refer to the righteous as salt of the earth they understand precisely what He meant.

Salt had three primary and very valuable functions in those days.

First, as in our day, salt provided flavor to their food and enhanced their meals.

French fries are good, but they are better with salt.

Fresh sliced tomatoes are good, but they are even better with salt.

In the same way, Jesus calls those made righteous by faith to flavor their world with His grace, and truth and justice.

Your home should be a more pleasant place because you live there.

Your neighborhood should be more appealing because you live in it.

Your workplace should have a better environment because you work there.

The gym you belong to or your softball team or your bowling team should be more positive because you are a member.

When Jesus says you are salt, He means you should put a good taste in people's mouth for faith because of your influence!

So, are you salt or are you an insult to righteousness?

Second, then as now, salt purified. It was considered a pure and stable element that would cause chemical reactions which could sanitize and decontaminate.

In ancient days salt was used for cleaning and purifying clothing, homes, and wounds.

Likewise, people made righteous by faith should have a spiritual and moral purity that has a cleansing effect where they live, where they play, where they work and where they worship.

The influence of their righteousness should make others want to be better and convict others who don't.

So, how about it? Do you have a healthy, healing, purifying effect on your environment? Are you salt or are an insult?

Third, more so then than now, salt preserved. Back when there was no refrigeration, meat would quickly begin to deteriorate but rubbing it with salt stopped the rot and refreshed the meat. Salted meat could stay safely edible for long periods of time. What a blessing that was!

Since some of the offerings in the temple involved the flesh of animals, salt was rubbed on them to keep them from spoiling and stinking during the ritual.

If you didn't have your Frigidaire or your GE refrigerator you would value salt much more than you do!

Jesus calls His righteous ones to have preserve all that is good decent and holy in their culture. By their witness and by their influence their home, their neighborhood, their place of work and their place of worship should be a positive alternative in contrast to the rest of their community.

So I ask you, are you salt or an insult?

August 21, 2014

Here is what Jesus has established through His teaching of the Beatitudes:

"If you recognize your moral depravity and it breaks your heart and brings you to submitting to God's salvation you are blessed! If you crave to be filled with His righteousness you are blessed! If you extend mercy to those who mistreat you and if you become pure in heart and a peacemaker you will be blessed! You will also come under persecution, rejection and slander when you have the blessing of God upon your life."

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

So, what's happening here is Jesus wants to know how you intend to respond to the threat of persecution. Will you regard yourself as helpless or will you be hopeful? 

He calls you to influence your world in positive powerful ways like salt impacts the world, adding flavor, purifying, preserving, and healing where it is sprinkled.

When faced with His own impending persecution, Jesus prayed this prayer for you:

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." John 17:14-18

The value of salt is only as good as the flavor it adds as it interacts with food. Salt needs to be on the food not of the food. If the salt takes on the flavor of the food it is worthless. But if it adds flavor or enhances the flavor of that food it becomes desirable and valued.

Paul in writing to persecuted Christians in Rome, encourages them to respond to their persecutors with kindness in order to overwhelm the evil being visited upon them.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

Salt influences its environment it isn't influenced by it. Salt positively flavors, purifies and preserves where it is sprinkled.

So, taken in full context, those who live the Kingdom life will be persecuted. But because God's character is active in their lives when they are persecuted they become even more valuable, like salt.

If you are a follower of Christ your life will either be salt or it will be an insult.

Which will you choose today?

August 20, 2014

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

In my study this week I found some helpful insights into the significance of Jesus' reference to His followers as "salt of the earth".

"Jesus says to these people “You are the salt of the earth.” Notice carefully that this is an "indicative" rather than an "imperative" statement. Jesus does not say, “Be salt!” or “You must be salt,” or “You should be salt,” or “It would be nice for you to be salt.” No, if you are the “blessed” ones mentioned in verses 3-10, if you are truly my disciples, then by that very definition you are the salt of the earth."

"In other words, you and I, if we truly claim to be followers of Jesus, cannot excuse ourselves from being who we by definition are. We cannot say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” We cannot say that we don’t mind to be a follower of Jesus but that we refuse to be salt.  You are either a follower of Jesus or you are not a follower. And if you are a follower of Jesus, then salt is what you are, whether you asked for it or not, whether you like it or not."

Let me ask you, "Are you a salty Christian?"

"Did you know that salt is a miracle?  It’s composed of two poisons:  chloride and sodium.  If you ingest either by itself, you’ll die.  But put them together and you have common, ordinary salt, and that which used to bring death somehow comes together to bring life, and that’s a miracle!

So it is with the Christian life, poisoned by sin, with death looming in the shadows, but it’s confronted by the grace of God in His death, and those two negatives merge to form a positive redemption!"

“It took a miracle to put the stars in place;

It took a miracle to hang the world in space.

But when He saved my soul,

Cleansed and made me whole,

It took a miracle of love and grace!”

Your saltiness as a Christian, like the saltiness of salt, is produced by the spiritual reaction of His grace interacting with your trust. Your "taste" is a result of your trust!

You will loose your saltiness when you fail to trust!

Will you trust Him to make you a "salty saint" today?

August 19, 2014

Can you be alive and be dead at the same time? According to Jesus, you can.

Reading in John 3 this I was reminded of an encounter Jesus had with a religious leader named Nicodemus.

Despite being a religious professional, Nicodemus recognized a spiritual void in his life. He didn't know what was missing but he knew Who to ask. He went to Jesus under the cover of darkness.

I doubt if he was prepared for what Jesus told him. "Nicodemus, you are alive but you're dead."

Confusing? It was for Nicodemus. He didn't get it.

Jesus clarified, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Nicodemus still didn't comprehend, "How can I be born when I am old? There is no way I can climb back into my mother's womb!"

Now he was fully engaged! Jesus explained that just like we are born physically, we must have a spiritual birth as well! We are born into this life spiritually dead because of the sin nature we inherit from Adam. Spiritually dead means that we cannot connect with God because He is holy and He is a spirit while we are sinful and of the flesh.

As a religious leader, Nicodemus should have known that. But give him credit, he was teachable. When Jesus explained how he could become fully alive, Nicodemus discovered the great joy of being "born again"! He entered the Kingdom of God!

How about you? Are you fully alive - physically alive but spiritually dead?

It is time for a birthday, or a "rebirth day". Learn from Nicodemus. It is not about being religious it about being reborn. Stop trusting your goodness and your works and receive the "gift" of salvation - Jesus, the Christ!

August 18, 2014

I don't know about you, but I don't always take disappointment well. When you have dreamed of something and strategized and sacrificed to make it happen - but God says, "No!", that's not easy!"

With that in mind I was impressed and inspired by King David when Nathan the Prophet told him that he would not get to build the Lord's Temple. David had hoped that his legacy would be building the Temple during his reign.

So how did he respond to this distressing news? Here's your answer:

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God. "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, O LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises. "There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

I Chronicles 17:16-27

Wow! That is character! That is commitment to the will of God!

How does your character measure against that of King David? How did you respond the last time things didn't go your way? What will you do next time?

August 17, 2014

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12

How can I be sure to stand against persecution?

I was told that a group of believers were having an illegal meeting an unregistered church assembly in Russia. There came a loud knock at the door and it was thrown open by several uniformed and armed Russian soldiers. The frightened people were shocked when one of the soldier shouted, "Those of you who are not willing to die for you Jesus, leave now!" There was a moments stillness as the reality of the threat sank in. Suddenly several people quickly jumped to their feet and ran out of the meeting into the dark, but most of the little group remained. The soldiers then closed and locked the door, stacked their weapons in a corner and sat down. One of them then motioned to the pastor to continue the service saying "Now we can truly worship the Lord with you who are truly brothers and sisters in Christ."

What would you have done?

How do you know?

What would you have done?

How do you know?

Here are some thoughts for preparing to face persecution:

Acknowledge the Facts

Watching the rapid rise of violence against Christians must shock you into the reality that you may be called upon to suffer or even die for your faith.

The sooner you acknowledge that the sooner you can begin to change your mindset and your lifestyle.

While we argue that it is extreme or even crazy, Muslims are energized by the idea of being martyrs for their faith. They believe that for them death is better than life.

As Christians, when are we going to face the fact that our life AFTER death will certainly be better than the abundant life God has given us here. Everyone of us is going to die. Not one of us will get out alive. So, why should we shrink from the possibility of dying for our faith knowing what awaits us on the other side?

Acknowledge Your Fears

Admit your fears and come to grips with them. Make commitments ahead of time when you aren't under pressure. Be like Jesus, who settled His fate in the desert and in Gethsemane before He had to face the brutality and torture.

Be like Daniel who purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself or deny his God. 

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliott

Acknowledge Your Faith 

Memorize the promises of God and remind yourself of the reality of your faith. Here are a few of His precious promises:

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—“ II Corinthians 11:24-27

^“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Corinthains 10:13

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” Galatians 5:22

^“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13

^“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:6-9

Acknowledge His Faithfulness

God has ALWAYS been faithful to His people. Often He delivered them from their troubles while other times He gave them grace to endure because He had something better for them.

“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.  And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,  God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:34-40

If you will face the facts about your own mortality and deal with the reality of death, if you will prepare yourself for the possibility of suffering, if you will strengthen your faith and trust His faithfulness completely you WILL be able to stand strong in the face of persecution.

August 16, 2014

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

As you think about Christians being persecuted, the thought may cross your mind, "Will I be persecuted?

The short answer – “Only if you’re righteous…..”

The context of this teaching on the “Beatitudes” implies that if you are successful in applying the first seven of these Kingdom qualities, the evidence will be the eighth – you WILL be persecuted!

“You will be hated by all for my name's sake… “ Matthew 10:22

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” John 15:20

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

The Apostle Paul later wrote:

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake… “ Philippians 1:29

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted… “ 2 Timothy 3:12

‘Remember the words I spoke to you: ’No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:20

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you, and insult you, and reject your name as evil, because of the son of man”. Luke 6:22

“Every faithful believer will have some resistance and ridicule from the world, while others, for God’s own purposes, will endure extreme suffering” - John MacArthur 

It’s a certainty, some of you here today in this room will face life threatening persecution. Are you ready?

Several common forms Of Persecution: 

1) Economic Persecution

Prophecies tell of a time when only those who take the mark of the beast will be able to buy or sell. We are seeing the beginnings of that with the some the Government mandates being handed down.

We will see Christians being passed over for job promotions or discriminated against in hiring because of their faith.

2) Social Persecution

Christians will be hated, ostracized and marginalized because of their opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. 

3) Family Persecution

Traditional marriage and parenting will come under increasing pressure as schools and government seek to gain more influence and control over their children.

4) Religious Persecution

We have already seen the beginning of religious persecution when the Catholic Church was required to provide birth control for its employees even against their moral and religious beliefs.

I believe we will soon see tax exemptions taken away for contributions to local churches and churches losing their property tax exemptions.

We will see the government continue to apply pressure over what pastors preach from the pulpit.

There will be state and federal discrimination laws making it illegal for pastors to refuse to marry same-sex couples.

Over my lifetime I have seen the Government systematically try to assume the role of God and to politicize religion and morality. That does not bode well for evangelical conservatives who believe in a big God and a small government.

5) Political Persecution

We will see continued efforts to increase the size and scope of the Federal Government. As the Government gets larger, the private sector shrinks and individual liberties erode.

We are seeing a determined strategy to eliminate opposition parties such as Republicans and Independent Tea Party types. There is strong evidence to suggest that conservative Tea Party organizations were intentionally targeted by the IRS and denied tax-exempt status that could have negatively impacted their chances in the 2012 elections.

The persecution of righteous believers will continue to increase. While it will take different forms, expect it to become increasingly stronger and more threatening.

God's Word clearly warns us it will happen. Why should you expect it won't happen and why wouldn't you be preparing yourself and your family to face persecution?