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A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Thursday, May 26^th, 2016. Today is the 147^th Day of 2016.

I would like to ask for your special prayers for the rest of this week. Tonight, Friday, and Saturday I will be preaching Revival Services at Lincoln Southern Baptist Church. Please pray for safe travel and for God’s manifest blessings on the meetings.

There are only 219 days left in this year; and, there are only 24 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 213 days left until CHRISTMAS…

REASONS TO REJOICE – Restored Joy

Psalm 51:10-13
¹⁰ “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”

In this really well known passage, David is in the midst of repentance over his affair with Bathsheba which had resulted in the death of their son.

As is always true, sin had taken away his joy.

His prayer is that the LORD might “restore” his joy. Of all of the things he needed and all of the things he could have asked for, the thing he asked for was the restoration of his joy.

Sin is a joy killer. Sin does not always kill happiness, indeed, sin often brings “happiness.” But remember that happiness is merely a reflection of present circumstance whereas joy is an abiding sense of spiritual well-being.

Lost people know nothing of this. Christians have experienced what David calls, “the joy of YOUR salvation” and having experienced it, we are never satisfied again to live without it.

Here is the clear implication of David’s words… we must choose. We can have sin and be joyless, or, we can repent of our sins and once again know the joy of God’s salvation.

I choose repentance and joy. I pray that you will also.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next Wednesday, (6/1) is “Three 2’s of the Second Coming” pointing out three key elements of the future that come in Twos.

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Wednesday, May 25^th, 2016. Today is the 146^th Day of 2016.

There are only 220 days left in this year; and, there are only 25 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 214 days left until CHRISTMAS…

REASONS TO REJOICE – Dark Times Will Pass

Psalm 30:4-5
⁴ “Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

The promises of God are a source of real joy.

One of the wisest sayings among people is, “this too shall pass.” Of course, we know that at times our problems and suffering do not pass; but, God is completely sovereign over the events of our life and HE has promised us that ultimately they will pass and “joy comes with the morning.”

When we consider what we would deserve if God were only just and not also merciful, we can see that there would be no hope of a happier day. They fact that we have any good days at all is due to the infinite mercy of God.

God knows that some hardships are good for us (or those who are observing our life and testimony) so HE does not deliver us from every trial of life. But, HE does promise HIS people that, “All things are working together for good to those who love God…” (Rom.8:28)

Remember, joy is not an emotion… it is a deeply spiritual sense of well-being that does not change with “the contrary winds of life.”

Yes, we do face difficulties and we face some dark, dark nights. But, we have the promise of God that HE is in control of all things and HE is working all things together for our God.

Reflecting on this promise is cause for rejoicing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijebi-PRseI

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for this evening is “Are there really any ‘Signs of the Times?’” This is one of the most important lessons in understanding where we are today in the relation to the fulfilling of biblical prophecy.

Don’t miss this lesson…

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Tuesday, May 24^th, 2016. Today is the 145^th Day of 2016.

There are only 221 days left in this year; and, there are only 26 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 215 days left until CHRISTMAS…

REASONS TO REJOICE – The Presence of God

Psalm 16:8-11
⁸ “I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; My flesh also shall dwell in safety.
¹⁰ For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.
¹¹ Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

What joy the psalmist reveals at the thought of the surety of his salvation and the promise of dwelling in the presence of Jehovah.

He rejoices in the fact that God will not leave his body in the grave (Sheol) but will, in fact, bring him and all of HIS people into HIS presence.

We have HIS presence with us now; and, we will be in HIS presence forever.

These words remind me to think about from where does my joy come? It is easy to get caught up in the things of this world; yet, like the psalmist, we should take great joy from the thought that we have a living relationship with the living God – and, we have the promise of HIS eternal presence.

One more thing: joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is an emotion that comes from happy circumstances. When the circumstances change, our emotions change with them and our happiness is gone.

Joy, on the other hand, is a state of mind. It is based on what we know to be true in spite of the reality of any present circumstance.

Thank YOU LORD for the gift of joy.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next Wednesday, (5/25) is “Are there really any ‘Signs of the Times?’” This is one of the most important lessons in understanding where we are today in the relation to the fulfilling of biblical prophecy.

Don’t miss this lesson…

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Monday, May 23^rd, 2016. Today is the 144^th Day of 2016.

There are only 222 days left in this year; and, there are only 27 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 216 days left until CHRISTMAS…

REASONS TO REJOICE

Psalm 5:11-12
¹¹ “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
¹² For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”

Joy is one of those things that is sort of hard to define in mere words, but we certainly know it when we experience it.

This is the emotion of a Groom seeing his Bride coming down the aisle…

A parent seeing their newborn child for the first time…

Graduation…

Finding out that you got the job…

Joy is that highest sense of wellbeing that touches one from the sole of their feet to the top of their head.

It is the highest sense of happiness that one can experience in this life.

The Word of God has lots and lots to say about joy. Over the next several devotions, I want to think about joy. I covered some of this in devotions from the Book of Philippians, but, I want to survey the entire Bible for insight into this blessing we call joy.

Here in Psalm 5, we have four distinct reasons for the Child of God to experience joy:

The thought of taking refuge in God is a source of joy…

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice…”

God is our refuge; our shelter in a time of storms. HE is the source of our safety. We are in HIS hands, safe and secure.

We sing for joy because of our protection and our Protector.

“let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them…”

God protects HIS people. This is, of course, closely related to our having HIM as our refuge. God has promised that HE will, “never leave you nor forsake you…” That thought in all of the trials of life we face leaves us in a spirit of joy.

We have joy because we love HIS Name. How different this is from those who hate HIM and HIS Name. We bless HIS Name – they curse HIS Name.

“that those who love your name may exult in you.”

We have joy; they will have judgment.

We have joy because of the blessings of God.

“For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”

In HIS unending kindness, God blesses HIS people. David uses the beautiful metaphor of being covered the way a soldier takes cover behind his shield as he sees the enemy approaching.

God pours out HIS blessings… HIS favor… on us; and, in HIM and in HIS blessings, we rejoice.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next Wednesday, (5/25) is “Are there really any ‘Signs of the Times?’” This is one of the most important lessons in understanding where we are today in the relation to the fulfilling of biblical prophecy.

Don’t miss this lesson…

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Friday, May 20^th, 2016. Today is the 141^st Day of 2016.

There are only 225 days left in this year; and, there are only 30 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 219 days left until CHRISTMAS…

OK, So what does “Putting Off the Old and Putting On the New” look like in real life?

I AM GLAD YOU ASKED…

Ephesians 4:25-30
²⁵ “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil.
²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

As a final word before my sermon on Sunday, I want you to think a bit about what it means to “Put Off the Old and Put on the New” walk in this fallen world…

Paul describes this new way of living by a series of contrasts:

Don’t lie; tell the truth.

Be angry but do not sin; give no opportunity to the Devil.

Don’t steal; labor with your hands and share what you have.

No corrupting talk; speak encouraging words.

And the reason for this is, “Do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT…”

The HOLY SPIRIT is a Person (the 3^rd Person of the Holy Trinity) and as a Person, HE can be grieved. Do not do that.

All of the listed behaviors have unhappy consequences for the people against whom we sin, and they also have unhappy consequences for us when we do sin; but, the most unhappy consequence is that we grieve God the HOLY SPIRIT.

Did you ever bring grief into the life of a person you dearly love? I surely have. It is one of the most painful experiences in life.

Grieving someone we love is far more painful than being grieved by someone we love.

If we truly love God as we are commanded, we will hate any sinful behavior that grieve HIM.

Simple. Put off sinful behaviors and put on godly behaviors.

One more reminder – this is part of our sanctification which means that we willingly and consciously have a part to play in this transformation.

We put off; and, we put on.

Simple.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for next Wednesday, (5/25) is “Are there really any ‘Signs of the Times?’” This is one of the most important lessons in understanding where we are today in the relation to the fulfilling of biblical prophecy.

Don’t miss this lesson…

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Thursday, May 19^th, 2016. Today is the 140^th Day of 2016.

There are only 226 days left in this year; and, there are only 31 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 220 days left until CHRISTMAS…

“Off with the Old and On with the New”

Ephesians 4:21-24
²¹ “assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Again today I want to use the passage I plan to preach on this coming Sunday for my devotional.

It is a fearful thing for a person to “assume” they are a believer when they are not. Paul uses this warning language as he speaks to the Ephesians.

The point is not that he wants to doubt the reality of their relationship with Christ; neither does he want them to doubt the reality of their relationship with Christ – but, he does often make the point that one who lives like an unbeliever cannot know that they are not an unbeliever.

Walking, or living, like the Gentiles walk in continual sin may show the fact that they have not really been saved. On the contrary, walking like Christ is strong evidence that they are, in fact, a new creation in Christ.

PLEASE NOTE that while salvation is completely and solely a work of God, sanctification (becoming progressively more and more like Christ) requires the willing and active obedience of the believer.

What does this willing and active obedience look like?

Simple. It looks like changing clothes. Off with the old and on with the new.

Putting off the old lifestyle and behaviors and putting on the new lifestyle and behaviors.

A believer will stop living like an unbeliever and begin living more and more like Christ.

How is this done? By renewing of the mind through the work of the Word.

Romans 12:2
² “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Sanctification (transformation) comes through the work of the Word in the life of a believer.

1 Thessalonians 2:13
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

The Word of God works in the life of a believer transforming them into the image of Christ.

So, what does that look like? Like putting off the old and putting on the new.

It is the work of the Word.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

Each evening features a stand-alone lesson, so if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Wednesday, May 18^th, 2016. Today is the 139^th Day of 2016.

There are only 227 days left in this year; and, there are only 32 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 221 days left until CHRISTMAS…

“A New Walk in the Same Old World”

Ephesians 4:17-30
¹⁷ “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
¹⁹ They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
²⁰ But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
²¹ assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil.
²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

As the LORD allows, I will do an exposition of this passage this coming LORD’s Day – May 22^nd. For the rest of this week, I want to share some thoughts from it that I will not have time to fully cover in one sermon…

In verse 17, Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that they must not live as the “Gentiles” or unsaved people of Ephesus do.

In the New Testament, “walk” is an often used metaphor for the way we live out our life.

Paul explains how they (and we) were made to be new creations in Christ in 2:1-9. Since we are new creations in Christ; and since the old things are passing away while being replaced by the things that accompany our new life, (2^nd Corinthians 5:21) we must not live the way unsaved people do.

In verses 17-19, Paul tells them specifically what this looks like in daily life…

¹⁷ “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
¹⁹ They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

–   They are led through life by their darkened minds. In other words, if it seems good to them, or appeals to their five senses, they do it.

–   They want to have nothing to do with God or the things of God.

–   They have become hard-hearted and set in their ways.

–   They live completely to satisfy the flesh, ie., the five senses.

–   And, they cannot get enough of sinning. They are “greedy” to commit sin.

As believers in Jesus, the Ephesians (as well as we) must not live this way.

Allowing the HOLY SPIRIT to work in our life through the process of being changed into the “image” of Christ is what Paul describes as…

²² “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Off with the old and on with the new.

That is a what it means to have “A New Walk in the Same Old World.”

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

Each evening features a stand-alone lesson, so if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

This evening, as the LORD allows, I will teach about the most widely held views on the end times – and point how we can know “Which View is True?”

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Tuesday, May 17^th, 2016. Today is the 138^th Day of 2016.

Today is Sara Foster’s Birthday

Today is Connie Frost’s Birthday

Today is Jason and Jessica Warner’s Anniversary

There are only 228 days left in this year; and, there are only 33 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 222 days left until CHRISTMAS…

“The Good Old Days?”

2^nd Timothy 3:1-5
¹ “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

I wish I had better news.

I read a comment today that caught my attention. A very prominent Pastor said, “I miss the good old days when Americans still pretended they were Christians.”

Cute.

But, we know what he means. It has been a long time since America was a “Pro-Christian” Nation; but, it has only recently become an “Anti-Christian” Nation.

The “perilous times” that Paul wrote about are very nearly upon us. We have watched the death of nominal, or “pretend” Christianity all across Europe and Canada for the last 50 years.

In the last 10 years, it has come upon us.

Of course the death of “pretend” Christianity would be a good thing if it were being replaced with a revival of “real” Christianity.

Sadly, it is not.

It is being replaced with the most militant and intolerant hedonism that the world has ever seen.

Paul’s description of the people in and around Ephesus (where Timothy was Pastor) reads like the evening news.

Yes, God is still almighty and sovereign. But, just as HE allowed continuing judgments to come upon Israel when they turned their backs on HIM; so HE may allow continuing judgments on this once great Nation as well.

Difficult days are ahead for anyone who will refuse to bow before this godless government and has the courage to stand up for biblical holiness.

The best thing we can do now is to prepare ourselves and our family for the coming darkness.

Let’s pray and ask God to have mercy on us. Let us seek to reach as many as we can while we still can.

“Night is coming when no man can work.” – John 9:4

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

Each evening features a stand-alone lesson, so if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Friday, May 13^th, 2016. Today is the 134^th Day of 2016.

There are only 232 days left in this year; and, there are only 37 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 226 days left until CHRISTMAS…

What does Jesus ask of HIS People?

Matthew 4:18-22
¹⁸ “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
²¹ And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

HE simply commands that we “follow” HIM.

Of course, there are some very important things implicit in this command…

Following requires one thing and one thing only – submission.

What about trust? If we are committed to obeying Jesus, it does not matter how much we trust HIM. Oh sure, we need to trust HIM; but, we do not follow HIM because we trust HIM… we follow HIM because HE commands us to follow HIM.

Being a disciple (a learner-follower) of Jesus boils down to obedience. HE says, “follow” and we follow.

In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked the most haunting question HE ever put to HIS disciples:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

In other words, if we are not going to follow HIM, in what sense is HE our LORD?

I have always been amazed at how easy it seems to trust HIM for our salvation, while it is really hard to trust HIM for the next step.

Especially when HIS will is different from our will.

Dr. Pat Pajak told me once, “God will not reveal HIS will for HIS people to vote on.” As usual, he is right about that.

Jesus leads; we follow. Simple obedience.

As we take on this day and the days ahead, keep in mind HIS simple command… “Follow ME.”

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

Each evening features a stand-alone lesson, so if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Thursday, May 12^th, 2016. Today is the 133^rd Day of 2016.

On this day in 1792, William Carey publishes “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.” The pamphlet forces many Protestants to rethink missions and becomes their manifesto.

christianhistoryinstitute.org

This single document is credited with marking the beginning of the modern missionary movement.

There are only 233 days left in this year; and, there are only 38 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 227 days left until CHRISTMAS…

The Bible is Sufficient to Save Sinners

Luke 16:27 – 31
²⁷ “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—
²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

I do not want to leave this passage without pointing out a very important lesson from these verses…

The rich man asks Jesus to send Lazarus to speak with his brothers so they will not join him in hell.

The answer Jesus gives is instructive: if a person will not be convinced by the “Moses and the Prophets” (a typical Hebrew idiom for the Old Testament) nothing – including someone rising from the dead – will convince them.

The power of God to bring someone to saving faith is found in the gospel message itself…

Romans 1:16
¹⁶ “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 10:17
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

It is the “Message” not the “Messenger” that God uses to save lost people. TRUST the Bible to do the work of conviction and conversion… Trust the Bible.

Whenever you have opportunity, share the good news from God’s Word with those who need to hear it.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

Each evening features a stand-alone lesson, so if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!