September 17, 2016

^"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."   Hebrews 12:14

Holiness matters. Erwin Lutzer, Pastor of Moody Church in Chicago shared this sobering fact:

Addressing a national seminar of Southern Baptist leaders, George Gallup said, "We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously...The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are remarkable similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider themselves Christians, Gallup said, yet only about half of them could identify the person who gave the Sermon on the Mount, and fewer still could recall five of the Ten Commandments. Only two in ten said they would be willing to suffer for their faith."   

You don't have to have a strong understanding of holiness to know that isn't it. Obviously, there is a "holiness gap" among those who populate the churches of America.

So, what is holiness and what difference does it make?

In one word, holiness is "love". In two words, holiness is "perfect love". Holiness is "wholly" loving God and loving others in the same way you love yourself. Holiness is finding peace with God and earnestly seeking to be a peacemaker in your world. The best way to make peace is to connect people with Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Holiness promotes peace by responding to evil with goodness and by responding to hatred with love.

Holiness is difficult. It results from sanctification. Sanctification means "being set apart" and it can mean "made pure". There are two definitions because one denotes your responsibility - to set yourself apart unto God - and His part - to make you morally pure and spiritually holy.

To be made pure and holy is bound to make a difference! And it does! Consider some of the important difference:

1) You see God more clearly.

Holiness brings the fullness of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of Truth" Who Jesus promised would "lead you into all truth"! Being made pure and filled by His Spirit enables you to see God with more clarity. Not only will you see Him more clearly but you will see His will with greater clarity. And, you will see the world around you more clearly. Holiness connects you to a new reality - spiritual reality - an eternal reality. That is the essence of faith - "the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." God gives you spiritual eyes with the vision to see spiritual realities in the midst of a dark and fallen world. Coming into a knowledge of what is real radically changes how you live in this world and that can cause you to change the world in which you live.

Have you been filled with His Spirit?

2) You see God eternally.

Holy people get to go to Heaven where they will get to see God not just by faith - but face to face forever! Have you been made holy?

3) God is seen in you more clearly.

Jesus said, "If I be lifted up I will draw all men to myself". A loving Jesus demonstrated throught the life of a holy person makes God almost irresistable. Think about it, every one who claims to be a Christian either makes it easier to believe in God OR makes it more difficult to believe just by the witness of their life. Holy people make Christianity contagious.

What about your witness? Are people seeing Jesus in your attitudes and actions?

With holiness you shall see God! With holiness God will be seen in you!

Holiness is hard, but it is even harder trying to be a victorious Christian without it! 

September 16, 2016

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" Hebrews 9:27

You are familiar with the old truism that only two things are for sure - death and taxes. I suppose if you are in a certain income bracket and can find enough deductions and a good accountant, you might possible avoid your tax liability. However, there is no way to escape dying.

With that in mind I want to share with you four mostly commonly held ideas within our culture.

1) Soul Sleep

2) Reincarnation

3) Annihilation

4) Heaven or Hell

Soul sleep is a position held primarily by members of the Seventh Day Adventists or the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The proponents of the soul sleep position have two premises. First, they hold that at death the soul does not leave the body; both soul and body sleep until the Day of Christ’s return. Second, they teach that the soul has no consciousness as it sleeps; it is aware of nothing. What is the basis for these two premises? They base their argument primarily on passages that speak of death as sleep (or unconsciousness) and passages that speak of bodies awakening on the Last Day.

Proponents of this view hang their position on three verses that refer to death as sleep, but the word used in the Greek for sleep is taken figuratively every other time it is used. The vast evidence of Scripture clearly implies that at death there is a separation of the soul and the body.

The death of Jesus illustrates that the soul departs the body at death. Ephesians seems to indicate that upon His death Jesus went to the lower regions since he died as a sinner and his body was sealed in a tomb guarded by Roman soldiers.

Reincarnation originates in Eastern religions and teaches that life recycles into another form until it finally is able to rid itself of bad karma and merge into nirvana with the cosmic consciousness. In Western thought, the soul is thought to evolve to a higher or lower life form based on how you behaved during this reincarnation.

The writer of Hebrews speaks directly to any notion of reincarnation when he states flatly "it is appointed unto man ONCE to die and after that the judgment"

I am not sure where the idea of annihilation comes from. We believe the Bible clearly teaches that once life begins at conception that life is eternal. Though it changes form from the womb to the world into eternity, it continues to exist. Our verse from Hebrews also suggests that life continues following physical death.

Without going too deep into the Bible I can think of the encounter Jesus had with his deceased friend, Lazarus in Bethany. Lazarus had already been departed from his body four days when Jesus came and raised him from the dead. If Lazarus had ceased to exist upon his death Jesus would have had to recreate him and not resurrect him. I also think of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James and John saw both Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus. Both of them had been gone quite awhile before they appeared on the mountain with Jesus. If they had gone out of existence they would not have been able to appear there.

Overwhelming Scriptural evidence supports the idea that upon death the soul leaves the body and goes either to Heaven or to eternal torment in Hell. In the words of the classic board game, Monopoly, "go directly to eternity and don't pass 'go'".

September 15, 2016

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27-28

You have an "ever after". So do I.

God created you and designed you to live forever and you will. The time you spend in your flesh and blood and bone body is limited to seven or eight decades, but your spirit will live "ever after."

That begs the question, "Ever after what?"

Good question! Let's talk about that.

In our finite world of time, we are familiar with "after". "After" is the next thing to happen when the current thing transpires. We live in the world of "now" and "after". You look at your schedule now and look at the things you have scheduled after.

But the Scripture tells us that there is a day coming when we run out of "after" and move to the world of "ever". Then what?

How you answer the question of "ever" depends on what you do in the "after". For example, what will you do "after" you read this article? How will you respond to the truth expressed in the Scripture?

Here's my take on this "ever after" question.

Your "ever" is determined by what you do "after" you know the truth about Jesus. Once you are presented with the truth that you are a sinner and because your sin separates you from God, your "ever" does not look optimistic. If you continue trying to earn your own salvation you will be lost "ever after" you die. But, if you confess your sins and repent of your sinfulness and turn to Christ "after" you hear the truth of the Gospel, your "ever" suddenly becomes happy.

Your "ever' begins the moment "after" you are born, but your happy "ever" starts "after" you are born again! When God breathes the life of His Holy Spirit into your spirit you become spiritually alive and one with God through Christ. "Ever after" that decision, your whole world changes. You gain abundant life here and eternal life "after".

How does your "ever" look? What will you do "after" you know the truth                                                                                                  

September 14, 2016

"But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Luke 13:4-5

Repentance hasn’t gone out of style but it seems that talking about it has. Have you noticed that or is it just me?

John the Baptist talked a lot about it. Jesus did, too.

Why do you suppose people aren’t talking about it much today?

I can’t say for sure, but I can offer some ideas.

Maybe it has to do with a misunderstanding of grace. There are those who are of the opinion that since Jesus died for our sins all we have to do is believe in Him and He forgives us just as we are. Repentance doesn’t fit in that scenario.

Perhaps some think calling people to repentance is too confrontational and may offend people. Political correctness can lead to theological incorrectness and that can be deadly.

To repent is an admission that God is right and you are wrong. That is something the sinful nature doesn't want to do.

I fear, however, the real reason that people have lost the sense of urgency over repentance is because they have lost a sense of urgency about sin. Repentance isn’t that big of a deal if sin isn’t that big of a deal.

In the verse above Jesus mentions two times that if you don’t repent you will perish. I don’t know but that sounds serious to me! Especially when you understand that perish means more than just dying – it means eternal death or spiritual death.

According to Jesus it comes down to two clear choices: either you choose to repent of your sin OR you choose to perish in your sin. Either of those is a big deal! Repenting of your sins and finding eternal life is a big deal. Failing to repent and perishing in your sins is also a big deal.

Repentance is having a godly sorrow over sin and turning away from it. Repentance is turning your back on sin and seeking God's Face. Acts 3:19 says, ^"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"

I think we ought to talk more about repentance. And we ought to do it! It’s a big deal!

September 13, 2016

”Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5

REPENT is an inclusive word

"All" need to repent.

What Jesus teaches, then, is that all of us are extremely sinful. There are no innocent human beings. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). What should amaze us in our sin is not that some are taken in calamity, but that we are spared and given another day to repent. The really amazing thing in this universe is not that guilty sinners perish, but that God is so slow to anger that you and I can sit here this morning and have another chance to repent.

There is no escape from it

Repent or perish; all must face it. Acts 17:30 informs us that God "commandeth all men every where to repent." The desire of God is for all men to come to repentance (II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise....").

God does not give us an option in the matter of repentance, He commands all men to repent.

Repentance is not arbitrary, it is absolute.

It is an either / or - either repent or perish.

There is no excuse from it

Either you repent or perish. It is that simple.

Unless you repent you will PERISH.

The clerk will perish if she does not repent. Your children will perish, you parents will perish, your neighbors will perish, your colleagues will perish if they do not repent.

REPENT OR PERISH! Face it now or regret it later.

There is no escape for perishing except through repentance.

Perish is something more than simply die a physical death. Jesus is referring to something beyond death. Those Galileans were taken unawares and experienced a horrible end; however, unless you repent, you too will be taken unawares and experience a horrible end—the judgment of God beyond the grave.

The word perish often refers to this terrible judgment in the New Testament. For example in John 3:16 perishing is seen as the alternative to having everlasting life. The same thing turns up in John 10:28.

It is significant that Jesus taught repeatedly about Hell. To portray it He often drew upon the horrors of the Vale of Hinnom, the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Into it were thrown the filth of the city along with the bodies of dead animals and the unclaimed bodies of executed criminals. Maggots infested the nauseous mass, consuming fires burned constantly, and wild dogs howled and gnashed their teeth over edible portions of the garbage. Jesus said that this was a symbol of hell, and the reality is always greater that the symbol.

It is in the word “repent” that your hope lies to escape Hell.

Without repenting and fleeing to Christ there is fire in your future.

September 12, 2016

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!"  Philippians 1:20-22

One final thought on the 9-11 commemoration that is worth noting and has challenged me.

It doesn't take a lot of people to change the world but it does take committed people.

There were just 19 young men who were so committed to their beliefs that they were willing to die for them who brought down those towers and changed life in American for generations. Were they misguided? Certainly. Did they do evil? Absolutely!

One reason Islam is spreading and Christianity is losing influence is tragically illustrated by these terrorist. While many Christians won't get out of bed to show up for church or are afraid to risk ridicule for taking a stand on their principles, these guys gave up their lives. They were dead wrong but they loved their faith more than their lives.

If you have one faith that is more committed than another which do you think will win? Which one will gain more influence?

The Apostle Paul here states that he is willing to die for his faith. In fact, as he penned these words, dying looked as good as continuing to live under the constant persecution he faced. But, whether he lived or whether he died he was absolutely committed to live what he believed. He understood that anything not worth dying for is not worth living for. Christ is!

On young man Who died 2,000 years ago changed the world eternally. He believed you were worth dying for. All of the apostles died for their faith and knew it was worth it!

It won't take a lot of people to turn our world back to Christ, but it will take completely committed people!  The 9-11 commemoration was a reminded that evil is dead serious about ruling the world. Christians cannot be causal and win the day.

Are you willing to die for Christ? 

Then demonstrate it by living for Him today.

September 11, 2016

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

One of the enduring memories from 9-11  fifteen years ago was the sight of the police, paramedics, and firemen rushing into a burning building while everyone else who could was running out. Too many of them lost their lives trying to save the lives of others. Many lives were saved by them.

What is it that compels a person to rush into danger when most are fleeing from it? What motivates a person to risk his life to save the life of a total stranger?

Thank God there are still people who have a rescue mindset! Thank God there are those who value human life so highly that they will risk their own life to save others! As you pray today and as you meditate on the significance of this day take time to pray for the police, the firefighters, and the EMT's of your community. Take time to thank God for them.

Actually, I think those heroic acts of self-sacrifice on that fateful day eight years ago capture the very essence of the truth Jesus is teaching in Luke 15. Jesus is telling us that God has a rescue mindset. God is committed to rushing in to life threatening crises when others are running out. Jesus is the proof of God's commitment to rescue people trapped in the rubble of sin. He came from the splendor and security of Heaven in order to offer his life in order to save others.

So, how do we respond to that sort of mindset? How do we show our appreciation for such a great sacrifice?

I think Jesus answers those questions in Luke 15. I hear Him telling us that to prove our gratitude to God for His great love in two ways: (1) By loving Him and; (2) By loving what He loves - other people. I hear God calling us to have a rescue mindset and to rush into rescue situations when everyone else is running out.

Will you take a moment to ask God to give you a rescue mindset? Will you ask Him to fill you with His love for lost people? Will you praise God for being a Father who runs to meet lost people? Think about this, our faith is the only faith in the world that serves a God Who actively seeks us. Christianity is the unique faith that worships comes to us rather than expect us to somehow try to placate Him.

Seek God today and serve Him by seeking others who need to know Him.