February 4, 2018

“There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.“Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’ “The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’ “Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’ “‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’ “Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

This parable is only recorded in Luke. It is addressed primarily to the Pharisees but since you and I have a little Pharisee in us it wouldn't hurt for us to listen in.

There are three topics Jesus taught about more than any others: money, heaven and hell. And this parable covers all three of them making it a very important and unique among the parables.

Two contrasting characters are featured in this parable; a very wealthy man and a very needy man named Lazarus. The wealthy man was provided an opportunity to help the needy man but did not meet the need. In this story both die and we discover one was dead right while the other was dead wrong.

So, what would Jesus have us learn from this parable? We can learn how to make sure that we don't end up dead wrong! The Rich Man is our example, albeit a bad example!

He was dead wrong about wealth.

Since Jesus was addressing this parable toward the Pharisees He attributes to the Rich Man the thinking of the Pharisees. He is hoping they will see themselves in this character and discover the errors of their way.

Jewish people believed that material wealth was evidence of God's spiritual blessing on their lives. So the more wealthy they were the more spiritual they perceived themselves to be!

If we understand this it helps us understand why the Rich Man behaved as he did. His excessive wealth had filled him with spiritual pride. So, in his thinking, his displays of wealth became the source of his witness. The more lavish his clothing and his lifestyle, the more non-believers would want to believe like him!

So his riches equated to his righteousness and his wealth equated to his witness. That may explain how callous and uncaring the Rich Man was toward Lazarus. If wealth was a reward for righteousness than poverty would be a punishment for unbelief. So rather than having compassion for this miserable creature all he had was contempt.

It turned out he was wrong in his belief about his wealth. In fact, he was dead wrong since he didn't discover the truth until he awoke in Hell.

He was also dead wrong about works.

Basically, his attitude about good works was this, let other people do it!

Since this poor man's misery was a result of his unrighteousness the Rich Man felt no obligation to help him. He wouldn't even throw him a crumb of leftover bread. This term "crumbs" refers to the practice of wealthy people using bread to wipe the grease off of their fingers after a lavish feast. Lazarus was longing for the bread that the Rich Man had used for a handi-wipe but he wouldn't even share that.

By the time he was in Hell and realized he was dead wrong, then He wanted someone else to go and warn his brothers because he couldn't.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

February 3, 2017

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:29-31

This is an amazingly profound statement from Abraham. I guess that is what you might expect from the Father of Faith!

What he says is this: "The one thing that will keep you out of Hell is knowing and believing the Word of God!"

Think about that!

Unless and until you are willing to believe and trust the Bible as the Word of God you are incapable of faith. And without faith you cannot be saved. That is what cost the Rich Man his eternity.

You must believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and it is your guide through life and to eternity. And before you actually believe that you must be willing to believe it. By that I mean you must be willing to give God's Word the benefit of the doubt. It must become the basis of your reality. When circumstances or situations or events of life seem to contradict what the Bible says, you choose to believe what the Bible says. That is faith!

So knowing and believing the Word of God will get you to Heaven and keep you from Hell shouldn't you commit yourself to the Word of God? Hear's what the Bible answers that question:

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)  “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Romans 10:1-17

So what should you do?

Stop procrastinating when it comes to reading and studying the Bible! Don't be like the Rich Man in the parable and wait until it is too late!

Listen to the Word!

Learn the Word!

Lean on the Word!

Live by the Word!

February 2, 2018

"So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’" Luke 16:24-28

A tragic scene here.

These words of torment and desperation are issued from Hell. You don't have to conjure up much imagination to hear the agony and angst expressed in these pleas.

This is a dramatically different guy than the rich man we see at the beginning of the story. A man who ignored a starving crippled beggar on his front porch suddenly has a passionate concern for people who don't know God!

What happened to this man?

Unfortunately, Hell happened to this man. And it wasn't because he was rich it was because he never got around to caring for his soul. He procrastinated.

Perhaps his preoccupation with his wealth was a factor. Perhaps his wealth influenced his priorities in the wrong direction. Maybe his riches puffed him up with pride. It is possible the many privileges he enjoyed desensitized him to the plight of others. Those can be by-products of having wealth but there is nothing sinful about being rich. Sure, having wealth can complicate your life but so can poverty!

Here's the bottom-line! Here's the crucial take away from this parable: an understanding of Hell creates an urgency for souls!

Once the reality of Hell sinks into your consciousness you will never be the same. When you become absolutely convinced that there is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to avoid it changes how you live! Your behavior changes! Your perspective changes! Your priorities change! You gain a new passion! You stop procrastinating and start evangelizing!

The more you meditate on this parable the more tragic it becomes! He didn't have to end up in Hell. There was mercy and grace available to him. He could have joined Lazarus in Paradise. If he had it to do over again he would certainly do things differently. But he can't.

However, you can! You still have a day of opportunity! You can take this reminder that Hell is real and it is terrible and it is eternal! God is patient is waiting for you but you have an expiration date and so does His grace. Don't put off trusting Christ for salvation. This can be the day of your salvation.

Jesus believed in Hell. If you believe in Jesus you must believe in Hell. And if you truly believe in Hell there will be an urgency to warn others.

If you don't have that urgency, why not?

What needs to change?

February 1, 2018

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side." Luke 16:22-23

Not to be morbid but the truth is this will someday be said of you and me, "the time came when ________ died.

"The rich man also died."

After they died they each went somewhere.

Again, that fits with what I have been saying each Sunday of this series, "The vast majority of your life and my life will be lived after we die!"

Just as their life on earth were dramatically different so was their eternal life. Lazarus (whose name means "the one whom God helps") was carried to Abraham's bosom while the rich man went to Hades.

As you might imagine, once this rich man awoke in the torment of Hades (Hell) he was immediately repentant. Unfortunately he was several seconds to late. 

What a sobering thought! How tragic that this man ended up in a horrible hell because he never got around to caring for his soul!

Hell is real!

Hell is eternal and there is not escape.

Hell is a place of eternal torment. Matthew 25:41 says it is a place of "eternal fire". Matthew 25:46 says it is a place of eternal punishment.

Hell is more terrible than we might imagine! There is fire - Matthew 25:41. There is darkness - Matthew 8:12; 22:13. How can it be dark if there is fire? This may refer to the spiritual darkness of being separated from God and condemned to the same place as Satan and all hi demons. There is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Wow! because Hell is so terrible and the specter of Hell looms threateningly before us it is easy to try and push it aside. To not think about it. To procrastinate in our preparation.

But because it is real and it is avoidable what if we live life from eternity backward? What if we settle the issue of our eternal destination now? If we settle our eternal destination now would it not free us up to live without fear of death and the judgment?

If we can do that and Lazarus proves that we can, why wouldn't we? Why would we waste even one more hour or one more day?

You may be thinking, "Brad, you are just trying to frighten me into making a spiritual decision."

Well, I most certainly like to see you care for your soul and prepare it for eternity! But actually, I am trying to free you from fear by having you settle your eternity!

January 31, 2018

A procrastinator is a person who delays or puts things off — like work, chores, or other actions — that should be done in a timely manner. A procrastinator is likely to leave all the Christmas shopping until December 24th.

I hope that doesn't apply to you. I have a friend who may have some of those tendencies.

In case you are wondering, you may be a procrastinator if:

19 Signs That You're An Expert Procrastinator | CollegeTimes.com

If you have ever procrastinated or if you know someone who has, notice how you don't procrastinate on easy or pleasant things. You only procrastinate with hard, challenging, unpleasant or difficult tasks.

I'll bet you've never said, "I'll wait and have this thick chocolate milk shake tomorrow!"

You probably have said, "I'll pull all my income tax stuff together this weekend."

We can agree (tomorrow) that procrastination is never good but sometimes it is more damaging than others.

Jesus told a story about a time when it was fatal:

“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. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

This parable is not an indictment of riches but a cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming preoccupied by them. Having wealth requires managing wealth. Caring for your finances can distract you from caring for your soul which can cost true and eternal riches.

We know this rich man was so caught up in his lavish lifestyle that he never noticed the suffering starving man on his doorstep.

Like many who end up in hell it wasn't an intentional choice but rather neglect or procrastination. He intended to go to church but never got around to it. He had nothing against helping the needy he just never noticed Lazarus outside his front door.

Maybe this is the year to stop procrastinating about dealing with your procrastination. Why not begin today? Why not begin with caring for your soul?

January 30, 2018

I want to share with you a contemporary cultural perspective from one of our Wesleyan leaders, Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, OK.

As the president of one of the dozens of universities in the United States that carry the “Wesleyan” name I have often been asked: “What’s a Wesleyan?” Likewise, hardly a day goes by where I am not asked what seems to be one of the most seminal questions of our time: How should the church respond to our society’s tsunamic shift toward the celebration and acceptance of the broader LGBTQ agenda?

More directly, people want to know: Doesn’t John Wesley’s — and more importantly Christ’s — call for “love” require the Christian community to be more inclusive and conversational, rather than exclusive and confrontational as we engage our culture? As a long-standing and loyal member of John Wesley’s “Methodist” movement, I offer the following responses for consideration:

• Yes, Christians in the Wesleyan tradition elevate love as evidence of God’s grace in our lives. Loving God, our neighbor, and ourselves, however, demands we hate sin. Sin is anathema to love and love is anathema to sin. John Wesley taught over and over again that the walk of holiness: the obedient, “methodical” (thus, Methodist) path of sanctification, is one that condemns sin at every turn.

There is no place in Wesleyan and Methodist teaching — or Christian teaching at large — to have a “conversation” about sin. The message of holiness demands we confess it, not sit around and discuss it.

• John Wesley never watered down scriptural authority and certainly never questioned the Bible’s clear definition of right and wrong. “Oh, give me that book. At any price, give me the book of God. I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one book.”

• Wesley was very clear about what he called “singularity,” i.e. the exclusive and non-negotiable truths of the Gospel. In fact, he made it so clear that he said “singularity” was the difference between heaven and hell: “You must be singular or be damned. The way to hell has nothing singular in it. The way to heaven has singularity all over it. You must be singular or be damned.”

• Yes, Wesley did say, “In the essentials unity in all else charity ” and in doing so he clearly made the “essentials” the priority of the formula. In calling for “charity,” he never intended to diminish the First Thing: the mandate to be unified in love for the Word. In fact, Wesley repeatedly preached that anyone who denied “the essentials” was guilty of compromising the unity of the church and was, therefore, guilty of being “almost Christian.”

• The entire Wesleyan/Methodist movement was one where Wesley challenged the church’s acceptance of sin. Wesley was essentially saying, “You may have orthodoxy but you don’t have orthopraxy. You are not practicing what you preach.” Wesley was condemning the hypocrisy of separating belief from behavior. He was calling for obedience — methodical and disciplined holiness.

He confronted sin. He didn’t have a conversation about it and he certainly didn’t tolerate it. Wesley would be first to say that our sinful inclinations do not and should not define us. He would condemn the dumbing down of the human being to nothing but the sum total of what we are inclined to do; sexually or otherwise.

Wesley would shout from the pulpit: “Our identity is found in Christ, not in our proclivities and passions. Holiness, by definition, means that we rise above such inclinations in obedience to God rather than capitulating to one’s base appetites and instincts. You are the imago Dei, my land, not the imago dog! Now, by God’s grace, act like it!”

• The church only succeeds when we have courage. We must run into the storm and not away from it. We must wave the banner of the Truth of Christ and Truth of Scripture with the confidence that if we win — great, that’s God’s grace — but if we lose, it doesn’t matter because the battle is the Lord’s and we are willing to go down fighting.

How can we do anything less? Selling our soul for the sake of cultural approval dishonors our mission, our message, and our very reason to exist. If we become nothing but pale copies of the secular world, why in the world would anyone want to buy what we are selling?

Anything short of a unified stand for the essentials of our faith will doom any denomination or church or college to the ash heap of history. Compromise will be our demise and, consequently, we will be “thrown out and trampled underfoot” by a culture that laughs at our irrelevancy. We are supposed to preserve culture, not take part in its rot. We are supposed to shine a light on darkness, not have a conversation about it. We are supposed to confront sin, not capitulate to it.

May God help us if we have really come to the point where the church actually thinks our salvation comes from negotiating a compromise with a world that hates our Lord and His Gospel.

There is no “middle way” with Christ. He is the only way.

• Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, is the author of “Not A Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery 2017).

January 29, 2018

A recent Reader's Digest has an article entitled "How Letting Go of Grudges Can Improve Your Health." It states that forgiveness is indeed divine, but not necessarily easy. It's also very beneficial to physical and mental health states the article. It quotes Frederic Luskin, Ph.D, author of Forgive for Good (HarperCollins, 2002) as saying "People who forgive show less depression, anger and stress and [show] more hopefulness."

That is one reason that Romans 12:14 admonishes: "Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them."

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) " Police say a 30-year grudge boiled over when a former elementary school teacher littered the driveways of former co-workers and bosses with roofing nails and splattered paint on their garage doors. Thomas R. Haberbush, 72, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to one count each of stalking, criminal mischief and criminal tampering, all misdemeanors. Police said that three former school board members, a retired principal and a retired assistant principal at Caroline Street Elementary School were among the nine victims Haberbush targeted over the past two years. Their car tires were damaged by roofing nails that Haberbush threw in the driveways, police said. "It’s very bizarre to carry around a grudge for nearly 30 years," said Saratoga Springs police investigator John Catone. "At least now there can be closure for all those people he terrorized." Police said Haberbush had been angered after receiving poor work reviews. Saratoga County assistant district attorney David Harper requested that Haberbush undergo a mental health evaluation as part of the plea agreement. He also will be barred from contacting the victims in the future.

-It’s like the old saying, “holding grudges is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

-Jesus says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Will you be a grace-giver or a grudge-holder? That is the decision each of us must make. But for those who are followers of Christ, the choice is clear. There is no room in the heart of a Christian or within the fellowship of a church for holding grudges. The healthy thing to do AND the holy thing to do is to be a grace-giver.

Is there someone you need to forgive?