Danger! Explosive Devices Being Used in This Area!

My morning began this morning in Romans 7.  To tell you the truth the verse that jumped off of the page to me in the beginning was verse 4:  “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”  Let that verse soak in you for a moment.  Through Christ we have died to the law as a means of salvation through what Christ has done.  This whole idea of trying to be good enough to get to God has died in Christ. The fact is that nobody is good enough.  Nobody even comes close because on down it tells us that all of us are “sold under sin.”  We are born with three strikes against us.  We have died to that so that we might “belong to another.”  Isn’t that just awesome.  We belong “to him who has been raised from the dead.”  Why do we belong o him.  We belong to Him “in order that we may bear fruit for God.”  I’m born from above so that I may bear fruit FOR God.  I bear it for Him.  Not for myself.  For HIM! 

Honestly it is easy to get caught into the trap of doing this all for yourself.  This morning I got up to have my prayer time and I sat down to catch just a minute of the news.  Looking at the clock I thought to myself that I had better get to my quiet time and then this little thought entered into my heart.  It said, “Johnny you know your day has some potential today so you better go and pray and get God into your day.”  Conviction struck my heart at that point and my thinking got readjusted and a new thought came across my mind.  I don’t want God in my day so that I might get a break through in my sales.  I want God in my day because I want HIM.  I love HIM.  I want to bear fruit for HIM.

That whole experience this morning brings new meaning to Romans 7:21:  “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.”  You know evil always lies close to hand.  Even when your whole itention is to do something good, evil is not that far away.  Thomas Brooks in his book Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices teaches to remember that our heart is a powder keg filled with gun powder.  It is always ready to explode into sin if given a chance.  We need to be aways aware of the fact that evil always lies close to hand.  We must pray, “Lord, keep us from evil” and keep a close watch on our heart because there is explosive powder (the flesh) that is always ready to explode even when we are trying to do something that is good.

Passing It Down

Started reading Judges 2 today.  Verse 10 says this:  ”And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”  After reading Deuteronomy and Joshua I saw just how important it was to God for His people to teach the next generation about him.  God told them to put his commandments on the doorpost and any other place where their children might see them.  Everywhere Joshua went it seemed they were building a memorial of stones.  Why?  So that when the children asked the question of what the stones meant it gave the parents an opportunity to share the greatness of God.

The bottom line is that it is important for us to pass down our knowledge and love for God.  Judges 2 is a sad commentary of what happens when we don’t.  A generation grows up that does not know the Lord.  How sad that is.  We talk a lot about prayer is school and such but it was never the school’s responsibility to teach our children about God.  Parents, that role belongs to us.  We must pass down our view of God.  Now that also means we need to have a correct view of God to pass down. 

I had a seminary professor by the name of Ligon Duncan who used to say that there is the God that is and the God that we want and the two are not the same.  Amen!  Make sure your child is seeing the God that is and not just the God that you want.  When you come to think about it whenever we take characteristics and attributes away from God in our minds and hearts because we don’t want a God like that, then what we are really doing is forming an idol in our lives.  You see we would much rather have a God that is conformed to our image rather than for us to conform to His image.  That is not the way it works.  What we do then is pass down a false view of God and then there arises a generation that does not know God.

Get to know God!  Pass down your knowledge!
 

 

 

Its My Party and I Can Cry If I Want To

I know that you may not realize this but I do read the New Testament too.  I love the Old Testament so much and part of that comes from the fact that I had a Seminary Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary by the name of Dale Ralph Davis that influenced me so very much.  He taught me to look for God on every page.  He is one of the best preacher’s I’ve ever listened to.  You can hear his sermons at http://www.woodlandpca.com/html/sermons.html. 

Today something hit me not in the Old but in the New Testament reading. It is found in Romans 5 and verse 3:  “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.”  Am I reading this right?  Is it telling me to rejoice in my sufferings.  When I suffer that for me is not a time for rejoicing but rather a time for having my own personal little pity party.  I can really throw some good ones too.

Let’s look at this verse in the context that it is given though.  It is all given in the context of Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)
¹ Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
³ More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

This verse first of all sure makes you thankful for Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.  We are able to experience peace with God because of what Christ has done for us.  Through his work at Calvary, if you are a believer then all of your sin has been paid for and God is then free to be gracious to you.  Christ took our punishment so that we can have peace.  When you look at verse 2 you notice that we have “obtained access by faith into this grace.”  That word for access is a Greek word that was commonly used when someone was ushered into the presence of royalty.  Here it is used used for bringing a worshipper into the presence of God and there we find grace.  Amen!  Instead of giving us what we deserve instead we get grace. 

We find peace and grace in Christ.  But thirdly we find hope.  He says, “…we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  This is our hope of Heaven where we are going to be in the precense of God. 

Let’s make sure we understand this.  We have peace with God, we stand in God’s grace, and we live in hope.  What we have in God is anchored in the past because Christ has made peace with God or us at the cross, it is maintained in the present because we stand in grace, and it is guaranteed in the future because we are saved with a hope for the future.

What does this have to do with suffering?  Everything because as a Christian this is our DNA.  It is what makes us different from those who do not know Christ.  That instead of having a pity party for myself I am able to rejoice in my sufferings because I have all of this as a foundation to my life.  I have some wonderful eternal things going for me that this world cannot take away from me.

Not only that tribulation and suffering in this world has a great affect on us as believers.  According Romans 5:3 we are able to rejoice in our sufferings because it produces endurance in us.  Endurance means to remain under.  We as believers are able to remain under suffering and when we do it produces character.  They word actually means tested character.  That means that all of the flaws are removed.  You get real in your character.  That character produces even more hope in you.

How does it produce hope?  It produces hope because we can see this suffering changing us and making us more in the image of Christ.  We can see that we are not made for this world but for the world to come.  Positive reaction to suffering does not come naturally.  It only comes from a super natural work in our heart.  Seeing that work only produces more hope in us.

Yes, we can rejoice in our sufferings because we know that we have a strong foundation in Christ Jesus but better yet we can be assured that this suffering is going to do good things in us.  Amen!

 

I Am Resolved…

I’ve been preparing some messages for when I go to India in June with my wife.  I’m excited because I get to go but for the first time in 18 years my wife is going with me.  I’m praying for the financing to be put together to make this a reality.  I’m trusting the Lord on this one.  In preparation I came across again some resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made as a young man.  Wow.  I wanted to share some of those that really spoke to me.  My comments are in bold.  Here they are.

THE RESOLUTIONS

of

Jonathan Edwards

---

BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD’ S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST’ S SAKE.
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’ s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.  (Wow, just the first one would keep me busy)

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.  (How many moments have we loss)

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live. (Are you living with all your might?)

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30. (What if we in church did this?  We are so good at shooting our wounded.  We like to see others fall because it makes us feel better about ourselves.  This is such a Godly way of looking at others.)

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death. (Thinking of death sobers us all)

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell. (Wow!  We don’t like to think of hell much.  I know as a Christian I’m not going there but this thought should make me thankful for God’ grace that has been shown me.  It also motivates me to be a witness to those I come into contact with.)

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality. (Are you looking for those you can bless?)

14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings. (Do you have any irrational beings in your life?)

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking. (I need a lot of resolution here.  How about you?)

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’ s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it. (This is a deep one.  Just think of how Satan loves to work.  He wants us to doubt God’s love for us.)

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6,”A faithful man who can find?” may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723. (This sounds like Weight Watchers…count your points at the end of each day.)

41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’ s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.

47. Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723. (No regrets.)

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. (Fight it!)

57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723. (Working on this one right now in my life.)

58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man:‹knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.Š June 25 and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. January 14 and July 13, 1723.

65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton’ s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. August 17, 1723.

Why didn’t you listen to yourself…you idiot.

2-kings-11

Click on the above word file and take a look.  That was a sermon that I preached about three years ago.  The problem is that I didn’t listen to myself.  I made a huge blunder in the process and I damaged my name and reputation.

The good news is that God has been mighty good to me.  He has forgiven me.  He has restored relationships that are very precious to me.  He has treated me way better than I deserve.

Thanks MMrsH for reminding me of this Scripture.  It led me back to this message which made me cringe when I read it.

It May Be…

As I continue my quest this morning on just pursuing God, the Lord took me to Joshua 14 and taught me a lesson there.  My goal is not to pursue my next sale this week or really to pursue a new job.  My goal is to continue to pursue God.  My first sentence in my journal that I penned was, “I want to know God.”  Well in chapter 14 God spoke and I listened.  I want to share it now with you.

When Moses sent the twelve spies into the land only two came back and said that the Israelites should go forward and take the land.  Those two were Joshua and Caleb.  The people of God murmered and complained expressing a will to go back to Egypt.  Seems like they were always forgetting that Egypt was harsh and there they were enslaved.  God punished them and they would spend the next forty or more years in the wilderness wondering around.  One by one all of those adults who murmured would die in the wilderness.  All the adults would die except for two-Joshua and Caleb. 

On that day that they showed so much faith and confidence in God, they were promised land in the new territory.  In chapter 14 Caleb asks for his land.  He begins by recounting the Lord’s goodness to him.  And then he says:

Joshua 14:12 (ESV)
¹² So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

This is what is interesting to me.  The country that he asks for is filled with the Anakim.  Those were the people who looked like giants to the spies.  It also was filled with great fortified cities.  But he knew that God had promised him the land and so he asks for it knowing full well that he was going to have to fight for it.  He is 85 and he asks for the land that is filled with giants and fortified cities.  Most 85 year olds are looking for a golf course and an easy chair.

Notice he doesn’t twist the arm of God.  He doesn’t say that I’m going to go up and I know the Lord will be with me and we will conquer.  He just simply says, “It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out…” 

Pursuing God does not obligate God.  There is no such promise.  What it does do is place us in a position where God can bless.  It makes the “It may be…” possible.  Whether God allows us to conquer the land, get the new job, get the next sale, or any other obstacle that you may be facing right now is totally up to God.  You fill in the blank.  When you pursue God and obey Him then you place your self in a place where it just may be. 

Placing Your Feet Where God Has Placed His

Joshua was a great leader. I would not have wanted to be him having to follow Moses, the one who led the Israelites out of Exodus.  This morning I’ve been reading Joshua 10.  One of the character traits that Joshua had comes out in this chapter when he leads the army of Israel to come to the aid of the Gibeonites.  This is key because the Israelites had made a covenan with the people of Gibeon but they had done so under false pretences.  The Gibeonites pretended to be from a far off distance when truly they were from close by and were under the death sentence of the Lord.  They persuded Joshua and the Israelites to form a treaty only to be discovered later that they had done so under great deception.  Joshua kept his word to the Gibeonites and you see this in Joshua 10 when he comes to their aid.  Better yet we see the Lord coming to their aid.  God even stops the Sun from going down so that the battle can be completed.  God expects his children to keep their word.  And Oh by the way when we make debts that we promise to pay those are little treaties.  God expects us to pay our debts.

Probably my favorite part of this story is down further in the chapter.  The five Amorite kings that they have been fighting run and hide in a cave only to have a huge stone rolled over the entrance to keep them in there until the fighting had finished.  After the battle was over Joshua had the mouth of the cave opened and the five kings brought out.  They made the kings lie on the ground and Joshua summoned his commanders to come.   And this is what he said: 

Joshua 10:24-25 (ESV)
²⁴ And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.
²⁵ And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Then he hanged all five kings.
You see when you make God your greatest pursuit.  You seek to obey Him, worship Him, serve Him, and love Him.  Whenever we do these things then we get to place our feet where God has placed His feet.  We don’t have to be afraid or dismayed at the challenge and task ahead of us.  Does that mean everything is going to be hunky dory.  No.  It just means that God is with you on the journey. 

What a great object lesson for Joshua’s commanders.  What a great lesson for us as well.  Pursue God.

 

You Never Sin Alone

While reading through Joshua 7 my heart was pricked at the end when I read the punishment that Achan and his family faced because of Achan’s sin.  It just reminded me that Achan was not the only one who paid the price.  His wife and children paid the price of their lives as well. 

Before you think, “Well that was then, that was the God of the Old Testament and He was just trying to make a point,” you need to understand that we still serve that God.  He hasn’t changed.  You know what else hasn’t changed?  The pain that sin causes still hasn’t changed.

You see I’ve been there and done that.  I know what it is like to cause deep pain to those you love.  I know the shame that comes when you are caught and found out.  It hurts.  It hurts deeply.  There are wounds made that takes years to heal.  So please listen to me.  You never ever sin alone.  It always effects others around you.

What To Do Before You Go To War

What do you do before you go to war?  You circumcise your entire army.  At least that is what the children of Israel were commanded to do before starting their battle at Jericho.  Now from a living by sight perspective this makes no sense at all.  These are not little baby boys that we are talking about.  These are grown men who will possibly have to do hand to hand combat in the coming days.  If I was a soldier I may have questioned the logic on this one.

But if we remember Joshua 1 where God was giving instructions to Joshua then we will remember that God told him to be careful to do everything that He said.  If he did then he would have great success.  Joshua and the Israelites didn’t need a strong army as much as they needed God.  Even though obedience here didn’t make sense, it still was obedience.  The first battle of Jericho showed them what an awesome God was capable of.  And though it may have been just a little uncomfortable marching around that city, the battle was the Lord’s. Through obedience God’s people placed themselves in a position for God to act and move in their lives.

God has been speaking to me a lot about obedience lately.  It has been appearing on almost every page of Scripture that I’ve read lately.  Yesterday I was reading a little book that was given to me.  Here itis:

In this book the author challenged me to pursue God.  Stop pursuing the next sale or whatever I thought would bail me out of the struggle I’m facing and just pursue a relationship with Him.  That has been my prayer that I would truly seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Does that mean I suddenly get lazy and stop trying to sale a piece of real estate.  Absolutely not!  It just means that I pursue that which matters the most.  So what are you pursuing today?  Hey we are going to war.  OBEY!

Lord, It is me again…

Lord it is me again.  I promise I’m trying not to get discouraged.  I know that I’m not supposed to belly ache or complain but it is just this.

• I’ve got a wife and kids that I love very much who are depending on me.
• My wife told me last night that our little cushion has disappeared.
• Everything that has seemed to go right for me this past couple weeks has back fired and amounted to nothing.
• I have no sales that are definite in the future.
• While I’m on duty the only phone calls that come in are telemarketers.
• Everyone says go get you some listings.  I’ve been trying Lord.
• My one job interview resulted in a two line rejection letter.
• My friends are tired I’m sure of me asking for prayer.
• I miss so much the days of pastoring when I felt some control of the situation.
• I want to go to India this summer with my wife but it just seems that is an impossibility.
• On top of that my brakes squeel on my car and I need new tires.
• The icing on the cake is that MSU baseball stinks, Ron Polk is leaving, and the Braves are struggling.

And then I’m reminded of Psalm 42:5 where the Psalmist spoke to himself:

Psalms 42:5 (ESV)
⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation