September 19, 2017

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:5

I don't think I have never met anyone who didn't want forgiveness and I know I have never met one who didn't need it.

I need it. You need! We need it because we sin and sin separates us from God. That is fatal. Forgiveness is the treatment that brings the cure for the disease of sin.

It’s like the story of the boy who was shooting rocks with a slingshot. He could never hit his target. As he was in his Grandma’s backyard one day, he spied her pet duck. On impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck was dead. “The boy panicked and hid the bird in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. After lunch that day, Grandma told Sally to help with the dishes. Sally responded, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So, Johnny did the dishes. What choice did he have? For the next several weeks he was at the sink often. Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin. “Remember the duck,” Sally’d whisper when he objected. So weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment would be better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing duck. "I know, Johnny," his Grandma said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you."  (In the Grip of Grace; Max Lucado)

Johnny sinned and he needed forgiveness, just like you and me. We have already established that. But the big question is, "How do I get forgiveness?"

You or I get forgiveness the way Johnny did - stop hiding your sin and confess it to someone Who knows you are guilty and Who loves you and awaits the opportunity to grace you with forgiveness!

In this fifth verse of Psalm 32, David reveals the path to forgiveness and it mirrors the way taken by Johnny in this little story.

First, ADMIT SIN - "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity"

When you try to hide your sin you will suffer guilt and life in fear of being exposed. You will know no peace while you are hiding your sin and like his sister, the Accuser will hold you in bondage to your sin.

Second, AGREE ABOUT YOUR SIN - “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”

Don't cover your sin, confess it! Like Johnny did in the story when he came clean with his Granny. AND, like the Granny in the story, God is well aware of what you have done. He is just waiting for you to dig up the dead duck and come clean with Him!

I John 1:9 promises - "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The word for "confess" means "to agree" with God about your sin. When you admit your sin to Him you are agreeing with Him about your guilt. As you agree you are guilty you also are agreeing that you need His forgiveness.

Third, ACCEPT HIS FORGIVENESS - "and you forgave the guilt of my sin"

Forgiveness is a gift. As a gift it must be received. Admitting it and agreeing with God makes you eligible for the gift BUT you must receive it! Until you receive it you will not benefit from it.

As the Granny in the story, God forgave you long before you ever sinned!

"God demonstrated His love for you in that while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for you!" Romans 5:8

But you must believe that God has forgiven you and you must forgive others who may have sinned against you and you must forgive yourself! When you have done those things you are able to accept the wonderful gift of His forgiveness!

Are you in need of forgiveness?

Are you tired of the guilt and the bondage of your sin?

Is there sin you are hiding?

Will you admit that sin and agree with God about your sin and accept His gift?

September 18, 2017

"How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:4-5

One of the biggest objections given to justify non-involvement in church is, "There are too many hypocrites in church."

Unfortunately, that may be true.

I read about a preacher who when he invited a man to church was given this excuse, "Preacher, I would come to church but there are too many hypocrites there already."

The preacher was undaunted, replying, "Well, you could come and sit in church with a few hypocrites or you could go to hell with all of them."

However, the same people would sit at FedEx Field watching the Redskins even though there are hypocrites at the game. Or they crown into Lane Stadium or Scott Stadium to cheer for their teams without concern for how many hypocrites might be seated with them.

They don't hesitate to take money when it is given to them despite the fact that there are millions of phony bills in circulation.

This week I will be dealing with this issue of hypocrisy. Sunday I will be preaching about it. It is deadly, It is prevalent, and it hard to overcome.

Jesus hated hypocrisy when He was here. He confronted it wherever he saw and ruthlessly condemned it.

In His Sermon on the Mount, from which these verses are taken, Jesus identified the two most damaging aspects of hypocrisy - condemning sin in others while condoning it in ourselves. Jesus hated those attitudes. They are doubly destructive.

Jesus also gives us some insight into how to deal with hypocrisy in our lives, deal with the sin in our lives. "Take the two-by-four out of your eye before you get concerned over the splinter in your brother's eye."

The hardest hypocrite to live with is yourself. If you really are bothered by hypocrites and if you really want to be something about it, start with yourself. Ask God to reveal it in you and remove it from you. Stop worrying about "those hypocrites" and eliminate "this one". The hypocrisy that bothers me the most is that which dwells in me.

The root word derivative for "hypocrite" comes from the Greek word for an actor. A hypocrite is one who is acting a part that is not really who he is. With a real God Who has real transformng power, why would you settle for "faking it"?

September 17, 2017

"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 Trnasfiguration 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 16, 2017

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

You wouldn't want this guy for your doctor. He walked into the examination room and told his patient, "I have some bad news for you and I also have some worse news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Oh, my," said the patient, "I guess you can give me the bad news."

"Okay, then," responded the doctor, "I'm afraid you only have 24 hours to live."

"My, gosh!" cried the patient, "What could be worse than that news?"

"Well," the doctor hesitated, "I meant to call you yesterday."

We get a chuckle from that story but those words must be incredibly hard to hear from a doctor.

Most of us live in dread of hearing those fateful words, "You are going to die." But it is a natural fact of life. You are born, you live and then you die. Everyone of us is facing the reality of death and the curious truth is the sooner you come to terms with your mortality the sooner you can enjoy living, and can begin to make your life count for eternity.

The writer of Hebrews wants to help you come to terms with the fact that you are mortal. And he does it by reminding you that you are eternal and how you live your mortal life has eternal significance. You are accountable to God and everything you do during your life has eternal consequences. 

The Psalmist wrote, "Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom."

So, the Bible's attitude toward death is, "Deal with it!" And you can take a fatalistic attitude saying, "I will eat, drink and be merry before I die" or you can choose faith and make your life count for God.

Which will you choose?

How will you live today? 

Will you make your time count for eternity?"

September 15, 2017

"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 - everyone will need to repent or they will perish.

Second, REPENT is a Decisive Word

The story is told of a shoplifter who writes to a department store and says, "I’ve just become a Christian, and I can’t sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here’s $100 that I owe you."

"Then he signs his name, and in a little postscript at the bottom he adds, "If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the rest."

That is NOT true repentance! Repentance must be accompanied by true godly sorrow! Repentance is not motivated by the desire to feel better, it is driven by the desire to BE better!

"Repent" is a crucial word. "Repent" is a critical word. Repent is an absolute necessity. This is borne out in the following things: you must REPENT or you will PERISH!

When you are diagnosed with a potentially terminal disease and a radical treatment is prescribed, you know you receive what the Surgeon is calling for or you will perish. That is a decision that must be made sooner rather than later.

It is not a time for distraction or speculation it is time for decisive action. The Surgeon is not interested in discussing medical theories with you or wildly speculating on why some people get cancer and other people don’t, he wants you to commit to dealing with YOUR cancer.

In this encounter with Jesus these men were trying to avoid the issue by speculating about what was wrong with these other people. Jesus will not allow you to avoid the issue. Through His Holy Spirit He will relentlessly confront you and convict of your sin. That is the whole point of repentance.

Repentance is a definite decision made with the intention of turning AWAY from sinfulness and turning 180 degrees TOWARD God! Repentance is the "Christian U-Turn" in that it is a decision to immediately stop the sins that lead you away from God and turn around to return to Him by faith.

If you do not want to perish (be destroyed for eternity) then you will want to repent and return to God!

September 14, 2017

"Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" Luke 15:3-4

In this parable, Jesus, among other things decries the lack of urgency over lost people. That is the point to the stories Jesus tells in Luke 15.

So, we understand what lostness is, how does it happen?

How does a sheep get lost?

Have you ever thought about how sheep get lost? Even with a shepherd, they still get lost. How does this happen?

Sheep get lost through their nibbling.

As Joel Preston says: -"Sheep are stubborn. Sheep can get easily lost because they tend to go their own way. Sheep get lost by nibbling away at the grass and never looking up".

The issue for sheep is their ability to stay focused. They see a nice patch of grass and think, “Mmm, this looks nice, maybe I’ll have a little taste.” They finish the bit of grass and without looking up, they move and continue grazing. They nibble a little here, then a little there. They take a few steps and nibble a little more. Before they realize it, they are lost. Sheep made a series of small choices that led them away from the flock.

A sheep gets lost by his nature.

The nature of a sheep is to get lost. It is in his DNA. It is like he has a lostness gene or something. That is a pretty sad situation. Sad, but true!

Why should we care about sheep? Why should sheep matter to us? They are stupid, stubborn and of little value.\

WE ARE THE SHEEP! THIS STORY IS NOT REALLY ABOUT SHEEP IT IS ABOUT US. Everything that Jesus is pointing out about sheep in this story applies to us. This is how we get lost.

We nibble. It is in our nature to nibble our way into lostness. We nibble away at sin over here and we nibble at sin over there and with our focus on sin, we drift further away from the shepherd and the other sheep.

We have a sinful nature. It is in our DNA. We are born with a sinful nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve. So, we come into this world lost and separated from the Good Shepherd, Jesus. We aren't sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.

The urgency Jesus expresses in this story is precisely for this reason, people He loves and cares for are lost and will remain lost until reached by a shepherd.

If you are lost, or if you care about someone who is. What are you waiting for? How can you be casual about that risky condition? 

How will you face that lost friend in eternity and explain to them why you never tried to reach them? 

How will you explain that to the shepherd?

September 13, 2017

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores." Luke 16:19-21

If you causally or randomly read the New Testament you could conclude that Jesus doesn't like rich people. In several of His stories He makes them the bad guys and the poor people are the victims of these villainous wealthy folk. You might wonder if He would buy into our current culture of class envy where the people of means are being demonized and punished via tax laws and governmental policies.

Was Jesus promoting class envy? Did He have a grudge against the wealthy?

Let me remind you of an encounter he had with a young man identified only as "the rich young ruler". Jesus appealed to this young man to get his priorities in order and come follow Him. But in the end, the young man was more invested in his wealth than in his spiritual well-being. When he declined Jesus' offer and walked away the record shows that Jesus was very sad.

Also consider the fact that many of the early Patriarchs were extremely wealthy people. Abraham was. Isaac was. Jacob was, for example.

Why would a God Who owns everything be envious of anyone with a large net worth? He's not. He cares very little about stuff. In Heaven, gold is used for paving! They fix potholes with it!

Consider who He is having a conversation with in this portion of Scripture. He is talking to greedy, self-righteous people who were trying to maintain an appearance of piety while looking for every angle to enrich themselves. In other words, they were hypocritical frauds. That is what bothered Jesus, not their riches but their poverty of spirit.

In addition to their hypocritical hearts, Jesus despised the harm their greedy behavior inflicted on the poor.

Scroll up a few verses and you see the statement Jesus made regarding the responsibility of riches, "To whom much is given, much shall be required." Jesus isn't as interested in what you have as He is interested in what has you. If you are selfishly hoarding riches trying to create a heaven on earth while doing nothing to help relieve the hell of the poor, that is a problem. And that is the point.

Our founder, John Wesley, often said, "Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."Jesus would say, "Amen".

You can't buy your way into Heaven but you can spend your money and your time in a way that keeps you out. Invest all your heart, all your hopes, and all you have in Jesus. That is where real riches are found!