June 20, 2017

"But someone may well argue, “You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.” James 2:18

Isn't it true when someone mentions the word "habit" your first thoughts go toward your bad habits?

There's no doubt bad habits are powerful and can be destructive. Perhaps you are struggling with a harmful habit as you read this.

Fill the blank in this sentence, "My life would be easier if I could break this ________ habit."

If you can acknowledge the power of a negative habit maybe you could appreciate the power of a positive habit.

By definition a habit is a regular tendency or practice that has become so ingrained in your subconsciousness that you do it without thinking.

Now, remember, it could be a bad habit or a good habit. Both can be very powerful but bad habits seem easier to form and harder to break than good habits.

Bad habits are like a bag of potato chips or a box of Paul's donuts, they are easy to pick up but hard to put down.

In the verse above, James gives some insights into how to put those bad habits down. He gives you a two-part solution.

First, let God change your heart. The word "faith" appears three times in this rather short verse. Faith in Jesus Christ to save you from your sin and transform your mind IS the key. Nothing short of this supernatural work of God through Christ will have the power to deliver you from your bad habits. The worst habit of all is sinning and change begins there! Faith is trusting God to do what you are not able to do.

Have you placed your faith in Christ to save you from your sin? Are you trusting Him for a spiritual transformation?

Second, you must demonstrate the change in your heart through dramatic changes in your habits! Only God can change your heart but He will leave it to you to change your habits.

So, if you have been praying for God to change your habits and waiting for it to happen. Change that habit first! You can ask Him to help you but it is your responsibility to make those changes.

Conquering bad habits starts with a change of heart but then requires a partnership with God.

All this week and in my message on Sunday I will share some practical Biblical help on breaking bad habits and making helpful ones.

June 19, 2017

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6:8


If it were easy being a good dad, everyone would be doing it.


Noah qualifies as a good dad. I think you could put him in the great dad category.


That begs the question, "What defines a great dad?"


Here's my answer based on what I know of the Bible and from what I see of Noah:

1) He pleased God.

That's what it means to find "favor" with God. He was a great earthly father because he pleased his Heavenly Father. How? By being "righteous, blameless and walked with God".

2) He prayed

Where does it say that? How did he know about building the ark? God gave Noah a detailed description on how to build something he had never seen before - a boat!

3) He persevered

For over 100 years he worked on constructing the ark. Every day for more than a century he got up and went to work on this ship of salvation.

4) He protected his family

Obviously, he delivered his family from the flood waters, but more importantly, he protected them spiritually from the moral corruption of that day.

5) He provided for his family.

As a responsible bread-winner, Noah made sure his wife and children had what they needed.

Noah is in the Hall of Faith listed in Hebrews 11. Rightly so! But he also ranks high on the Hall of Fathers. He became a great father by pleasing His Heavenly Father!

How about you? Have you found favor with God? Are you pleasing your Heavenly father by being righteous, by being blameless, and by walking with Him?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! June 18, 2017

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

Every golfer dreams of being able to play in the U.S. Open golf tournament. Only the best players in the world get to tee it up on some the greatest courses in the world for a chance to become a U.S. Open Champion and secure a place in golf history.

Winning a U.S. Open not only places a player among golf's elite but allows him to carry the title of U.S. Open Champion for the rest of his life.

Phil Mickelson has won five major golf championships. He has won three Masters' Championships, a PGA Championship and British Open Championship. The one major championship that has eluded him is the U.S. Open and he desperately wants to win one. Phil is in his late fortys and the clock is running down on his opportunities to win that coveted title.

As much as he desires to win an Open and be known as a U.S. Open Champion for the rest of his life, and you can be sure that he does! The title he treasures more is the title of "FATHER".

That explains why Phil Mickelson is not playing in the U.S. Open for the first time in 24 years. Phil withdrew from this years U.S. Open to attend the High School graduation of his daughter. She is the Valedictorian of her high school class and was scheduled to deliver the graduation speech to her class at their commencement exercised. Graduating at the top of her class indicates she is a very intelligent and industrious young lady and Phil wanted to honor that sort of effort by making sure he was there for her graduation. And he was, which means he was not in Erin, Wisconsin playing in the U. S. Open.

Phil gave up something that means a great deal to him in order to show his daughter that she means a great deal more! It's hard to comprehend how much that will mean to her. She will always remember the year her dad passed up on playing in the U.S. Open to come to her graduation.

What a wonderful example of fatherhood by this world-famous golfer!

Avid golfers will always remember the year Phil pulled out of the U. S. Open and there will be those who will be critical of Phil for choosing not tp be there.

But there will also be a young lady who will always remember that her dad, Phil Mickelson, was there when she graduated with honors!

Well played, Phil!

Great form!

What are you willing to sacrifice today to show your child how much he/she means to you?

Happy Father's Day!

June 17, 2017

"He (Jesus) answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:39-40

"Three days and three nights in a fish's belly? Are you kidding me?"

You have to admit the story of Jonah sounds a bit far-fetched. He ran from God's will and was thrown overboard during a vicious storm. When he was thrown overboard he was swallowed by a "great fish" where he remained for three days and nights. That unfortunate event was enough to convince him to obey God. Once he made that decision, the gigantic fish spit him up onto dry land - exactly where he needed to be.

Wow! Happens all the time, right?

I believe it because I believe God's Word and I know God is well able to do something like this. In this case, I believe it because Jesus refers to the story of Jonah as a true story. Even his adversaries believed the story of Jonah even though they didn't believe Jesus.

A second objection that skeptics offer to challenge the inerrancy of the Scriptures is this one, "Could Jonah REALLY have survived in the belly of a fish?"

Actually, yes! There a several reports of mariners in the modern era who have been swallowed by whales yet survived the ordeal. It's been documented that there would be enough oxygen within the whale's body for a human to survive for three days. Those are the natural facts, but Jonah's survival was supernatural!

Those who ridicule the story of Jonah and point to it as evidence to discredit the Bible offer no objective or logical argument. Neither do they offer any contrary evidence. All they bring to the table is their anti-supernatural bias. From that standpoint alone, our argument is just as valid as theirs because we have as much right to an opinion as they do.

However, we do have some evidence to support our claims. Chief among the evidence is the fact that Jesus twice is documented as referring to Jonah (Matthew 12 and Luke 11). He is not pointing to Jonah as a fairy-tale, but as fact.

If you don't take the supernatural out of play, you can easily believe that God could create a "great fish" especially designed for the task, He could put the fish where it needed to be and turn it into transportation to deliver to the shore near Nineveh.

God created all the other sea creatures, He could certainly have done this.

Incidentally, the miracle of Jonah and the fish was the next to last miracle that happened in the Old Testament.

What was the last miracle?

The final miracle of the Old Testament was what happened when Jonah went to the wicked city of Nineveh and preached - the entire city repented and was converted! Talk about supernatural!

It is easier to prove that the Jonah event did happen than it is to prove otherwise! So, if someone tells you this sounds "fishy" - don't take the bait!

So Called "Errors" of Scripture #1

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4

I am glad that Jesus said "every word". I am also glad that He didn't say, "Man does not live on bread alone but on almost every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Apparently, Jesus believed in the inerrancy of the Word. Evidently He was confident that the Word of God was inspired and reliable.

Alex McFarland, in his book "The Ten Most Common Objections to Christianity" says, "Biblical writers use phrases such as 'Thus saith the Lord' or "The word of the Lord came to me saying.....' at least 600 times. In total, there are around 3,000 references of the Bible as a whole, or at least a part of it, as being the Word of God. Keep in mind that none of the writers collaborated on their works. This wasn't a Bible Boys Club where everyone brainstormed book ideas. There were years - sometimes centuries - between writers. Yet it is obvious that each scribe understood the divine interpretation behind other books."

Who would recognize divine inspiration more than one who had experienced it himself?

So, why do some doubt its inspiration? Why are there those who claim it is filled with errors? What are their objections?

Let me deal with some of the so called "errors" of Scripture.

• So called error one: Because the Bible doesn't tell us where Cain found his wife, it is suspect.

Skeptics sometimes raise the topic of Cain's wife (Gen. 4:17). So, where did Cain's wife come from? Were there other races of people that the Bible fails to mention? Did aliens come down from a far away galaxy and mingle with humans? Huh? What about that, huh?

What do you say we start with the obvious? Cain married one of his sisters.

But doesn't that violate the biblical commandment against incest? Huh? How about that, huh?

No! The command from Moses that prohibited marrying a close relative did not come until at least 400 years later.

Interesting how these skeptics who often want to under mind the Scriptures in order to banish the foundations of absolute morality, suddenly become moral guardians when it suits their purposes.

"Every promise in the book is mine, every page, every verse every line......."

June 15, 2017

"Thy Word is truth." John 17:17

How do you reconcile two seemingly contradictory concepts? For example, how can we claim we believe the Bible is free from error when it was written by fallible men?

As Roman Catholic theologian Bruce Vawter  writes, "A human literature containing no error would indeed be a contradiction in terms, since nothing is more human that to err" (Biblical Inspiration, Philadelphia, Westminster 1972).

We Wesleyans steadfastly maintain that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Is that a defensible position? How can we reconcile these perceived inconsistencies?

Let's think about that for a few moments.

My washing machine was made by imperfect men, but when I follow the manufacturer's instructions and push the right buttons it works perfectly.

Jet aircraft are built by fallible men and 99% of them fly millions of air miles and carry hundreds of thousands of passengers with no malfunctions.

Imperfect men are capable of creating machines that operate perfectly because they faithfully follow specifications and instructions that have been meticulously designed. Perfect plans followed perfectly can take men's imperfections out of play.

An imperfect man and an imperfect woman can produce a perfect baby.

Consider this: The testimony of Scripture is clear. God used fallible men to receive and record His infallible Word so that it would reach us, correct and without error. Sounds difficult? With our God it's not. As He said (Jeremiah 32:27, NASB), "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

The Bible is inerrant not because of man's infallibility or scholarship. It is inerrant because they had hearts and minds perfectly tuned with God's Holy Spirit so that God's perfect Holy Spirit could perfectly plant God's perfect thoughts into the willing minds of imperfect men. The same Holy Spirit directed the writing, the canonizing, the translation, and the compilation of these Scriptures that we know are true. Praise God for His faithful Holy Word!

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," II Timothy 3:16

If you can believe in a perfect, infallible, and holy God, you can believe in the inerrancy of the Bible because you will know that the perfection of God is greater than the weaknesses of man!

Like they say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day!

The Veracity Of The Word

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:9-16

If I have not yet made the case for the truth and reliability of God's Word, let me try one more time. First, let's review. The evidence we have presented to this point:

1) Fulfilled Prophecies - every prophecy concerning Jesus was fulfilled completely.

2) Historical Accuracy - if measured by the same standards as other commonly accepted ancient

documents, the Bible would fare well.

3) Miraculous Preservation - for ages the Scriptures have been under attack by kings, emperors, and czars. These tyrants have tried to destroy copies if the Bible, killed the people who printed them, and arrested those who possessed them. Still, the Scriptures not only survived, but remain a number one best-seller!

4) Unity of Structure - The Bible was written over 1,500 years by 40 different writers in three different languages on three continents and yet there is a single theme - the redeeming love of God!

5) The Influence for Good - It can easily be documented that everywhere the Bible has been honored and taught, the social climate and culture have been superior to non-biblical cultures. That has been true throughout biblical history. No other sacred writing has impacted history to a greater extent than the Bible.

So, faith in the Bible is well-founded. However, there is one more convincing and powerful proof for the veracity of the Word. What is it? It is the proof of a changed life!

When someone begins to study and believe and live by Biblical truths, that life changes dramatically. People who used to be hateful, suddenly become loving. Why? The power of the Word? People who once were very selfish, suddenly begin devoting their lives to serve others. Why? The power of the Word. The Word of God has transforming power!

How can you see that power in your life?

Love the Word

Is the Word of God a controlling passion in your life? Do you love it more than life itself? Light the Psalmist, you should delight in His Word. When you do it will transform your heart and mind.

Learn the Word

The Psalmist hid God's Word in his heart. That takes time and effort and study. Read it. Memorize it. When you do it will transform your heart and mind.

Lean on the Word

What do you depend on when you have to make a tough decision? Where do go to find strength during a difficult time? When you need encouragement, where do you go to find it? Jesus leaned on the Word - even though He WAS the Word! When you lean on the Word you will find it transforms your life.

Live the Word

If you are a believer in Christ and a lover of the Word, I am guessing that you chose that way because of a significant person in your life who lived out the Word. For me it was a man named Ralph Westafer. He lived out the Word so well and with such passion that it was hard NOT to believe in the Word. I'll bet you know someone like that.

Will you commit to become someone like that?