"Things that Are Certain in an Uncertain Life"
We continue in our study of the book of James with this week's message, "Things that Are Certain in an Uncertain Life." Our text will be from James 4:13-17.As a part of our worship time this Sunday, I also will be making a 2013 Missions & Ministry Presentation and I will share some thoughts on the upcoming election. This section of the service will conclude with a special prayer time for our nation. Join us this Sunday!
James 4:13-17, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
14 You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.
Wednesday Night, October 31st
Although some of our ministries will not take place this Wednesday, there will still be a prayer time for the adults at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and our youth will be having a special evening of activities at 7:00 p.m.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday's Sermon Text, October 21, 2012
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series from the book of James. This week's text is James 4:1-10. As you reflect on this passage, consider the following questions:
1. What is the source of strife in our relationships? In our world?
2. What is the key to contentment and receiving from the Lord?
3. How do we as believers live in the world without becoming just like the world?
4. What is the nature of biblical repentance, the kind of repentance that James seems to be calling for in this passage?
See You Sunday!
For His Glory
Pastor Joe
James 4:1-10, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you?
2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.
4 Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.
5 Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!
9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
1. What is the source of strife in our relationships? In our world?
2. What is the key to contentment and receiving from the Lord?
3. How do we as believers live in the world without becoming just like the world?
4. What is the nature of biblical repentance, the kind of repentance that James seems to be calling for in this passage?
See You Sunday!
For His Glory
Pastor Joe
James 4:1-10, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you?
2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.
4 Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.
5 Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!
9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sermon Text for Sunday, October 14, 2012
The sermon text for this Sunday, October 14, 2012 will be James 3:1-12. James gave more attention to the dangers of the tongue than any other New Testament writer. Here in this passage is a vivid description of the problems and the power of the tongue. James warns us, "Don't let your tongue be your undoing!"
While the tongue can certainly be used for evil purposes, the tongue controlled by the Spirit of God is life-giving. Join us this Sunday as we discover how to unleash the power of the tongue for godly purposes.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
James 3:1-12, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment,
2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.
3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal.
4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites.
6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.
7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man,
8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.
10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way.
11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
While the tongue can certainly be used for evil purposes, the tongue controlled by the Spirit of God is life-giving. Join us this Sunday as we discover how to unleash the power of the tongue for godly purposes.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
James 3:1-12, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment,
2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.
3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal.
4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites.
6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.
7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man,
8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.
10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way.
11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Sunday, October 1, 2012 Sermon Text (James 2:14-26)
We're still rejoicing over the many decisions that were made at the Seventh Day Slumber concert this past Saturday. What a blessing to see God move in the hearts and lives of so many people. The altar was full of people meeting with God!
This Sunday morning we will return to our study of the book of James. At the 10:30 a.m. service we will be conducting a baptism service and in both morning services we will be hearing about the good work of Kairos, a ministry to the woman at the Louisiana Correctional Institute.
James 2:14-26, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
20 Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.
23 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
This Sunday morning we will return to our study of the book of James. At the 10:30 a.m. service we will be conducting a baptism service and in both morning services we will be hearing about the good work of Kairos, a ministry to the woman at the Louisiana Correctional Institute.
James 2:14-26, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
20 Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.
23 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Monday, September 24, 2012
Celebrate the Lord's Supper Sunday, September 30, 2012
Join us for worship this Sunday, September 30th for a celebration of the Lord's Supper at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Following is the Scripture reading for this Sunday's message:
Luke 22:7-23, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
7 Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so we can eat it.”
9 “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked Him.
10 “Listen,” He said to them, “when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.
11 Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’
12 Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there.”
13 So they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
The First Lord’s Supper
14 When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
15 Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again[a] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.
18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.[b]
21 But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is at the table with Me!
22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 So they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who was going to do this thing.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Luke 22:7-23, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
7 Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so we can eat it.”
9 “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked Him.
10 “Listen,” He said to them, “when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.
11 Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’
12 Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there.”
13 So they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
The First Lord’s Supper
14 When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
15 Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again[a] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.
18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.[b]
21 But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is at the table with Me!
22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 So they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who was going to do this thing.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012 Sermon Text (James 2:1-13)
James 2:1-13
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2 For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in.
3 If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,”
4 haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?
6 Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
7 Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?
8 Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
9 But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.
13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2 For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in.
3 If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,”
4 haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?
6 Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
7 Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?
8 Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
9 But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.
13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Man's Greatest Need -- The Gospel!
What follows are some thoughts that came to me in developing a sermon that I preached on Luke 24:44-49, “The Gospel #101.” Running around in my head were thoughts about the recent shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the criticisms directed toward Dan Kathy and Chick-Fil-A’ for their stance on Christian values.
The main theme of the sermon was that “believers who are convinced of the transformative power of the Gospel will find ways to share Christ with others.” This truth is discovered in Luke 24:44-49 where we see the core content of the Gospel as well as the core conviction needed for sharing Christ with others.
Why We Need the Gospel
Every problem present in the world can be attributed to fallen sinful humanity, broken people. Why do angry people go on murderous rampages in movie theaters? The same reason angry people murder others with tongues of gossip and tongues of bitterness – sin. Why do marriages struggle and sometimes break down and fall apart? Because people don’t recognize their fallen condition and the need to repent and reconcile and be made complete in Christ. Why do we fail to love one another, to treat one another with kindness, to put the needs of others before ours? Because our sin nature has made us dysfunctional and we are motivated to look out for ourselves. Why do we sometimes walk in the sins of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5)? Because we give in to our fallen impulses.
The Delusion that We Are Gods
One writer said concerning the shooting in Aurora, Colorado that these events are increasing in their frequency because we have lost our sense of the fear of judgement, of accountability, of sin. In other words, everyone is right and no one is wrong – there is no unchangeable standard, no God to be accountable to. And when everything is right and nothing is wrong, everything is messed up. We might as well be honest. Our postmodern culture with its subjective view of truth has deified man. The only absolute truth in our secular humanistic society is that man is completely autonomous – he is god. The age-old lie perpetrated by Satan in Genesis chapter three is alive and well, “you will be like God.” The seeds of this godless weed in our culture continue to bring forth evil fruit.
Calling Good Evil and Evil Good
I stated that every problem present in the world can be attributed to fallen humanity, broken people. Consider this statement in light of all the current discussion on the subject of what’s sinful and what is not. Recently, Dan Cathy was terribly maligned for his comments on the traditional family. In today’s climate to be “for” something “good” is to be subject to harsh criticism. It’s a mystery how you can be hated for standing for something that is “good.” This too is evidence of a fallen world where Isaiah’s words ring true – people call good evil and evil good.
Beyond Toleration to Acceptance
The politically correct litmus test today for acceptance by the world seems to center on the issue of where one stands on the issue of homosexuality. If you believe it is a sin, that it’s part of our fallen nature, and that likewise, people can be transformed by the Gospel, you are classified as a bigot and a homophobic or at best a judgmental person.
What makes the issue of homosexuality confusing to the world and vexing for many believers is that some professing Christians say that they are homosexual and not by choice but by nature. In other words, God made me this way. But here’s what has happened that is different today than in times past. Some Christians have tried to normalize their sinful struggles in a way that justifies them not fighting the impulses of the flesh anymore. I get the struggling with sin part, but why doesn’t this logic apply with other sinful struggles? Could a heterosexual Christian not say, “I struggle with sexual purity and I just need to embrace the fact that I’m going to have multiple affairs?” Or, “I’m a Christian who struggles with lying and I’m just going to embrace that because that’s the way I am.”
You Are Born This Way
But here’s what I want you to hear and it’s very important. Just because a person has a leaning towards some sinful impulse (regardless of what it is) does not mean that they should give themselves over to it. It doesn’t mean that they should cease trying to overcome that sinful impulse. The truth is, we’re all born sinners that’s why we need a savior! Christians struggle with all kinds of sins including homosexuality (See 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But instead of seeking to justify them we confess that we have been washed by Jesus and we seek to overcome them. We recognize them for what they are – remnants of our fallen nature and we repent (repeatedly) of them.
All sin keeps us from experiencing God’s best and that is why we call all people to repent. None are perfect, but we do not throw in the towel and give up and say “Oh well, Lady Ga Ga must be right, I’m just born that way.” No, God has come to transform us, to change us because we are born that way (2 Cor. 5:17). Repentance has been described as making a u-turn. You realize you’re heading in the wrong direction and you make a course correction and begin to go God’s way, the right way. Salvation is one big u-turn but because we are not yet made perfect, living as a saved person involves a lot of little u-turns. If you’re not going God’s way, it matters little what sin you bound by, it’s keeping you from experiencing life and it is to be repented of.
Reclaiming What Is Yours
The Bible describes the believer as one who is saved and who is being saved. The Christian life is a daily struggle, a daily fight. We repent and we keep on repenting. In Afghanistan our troops would often go into a city where there was a strong Taliban presence and root them out literally house by house. This was very successful but our troops found out we had to keep going back and reclaiming territory already won. That is what you and I must do on a daily basis. We fight sin daily to reclaim what is our’s.
We can never give up the fight against sin. Several years ago Ray Boltz did just that. The writer of such great songs as “Watch the Lamb,” and “The Anchor Holds,” Boltz came out openly as a homosexual. By his own testimony, he said that he got tired of fighting. How sad and tragic, he got tired of fighting sin and gave up, settling for less than God’s best.
Breaking Bad – “It Get’s Easier”
If we don’t fight the good fight of faith, we will slowly sink into sin, become dulled to God, and live a life less than God’s best. In the TV series, Breaking Bad, Walter White plays a chemistry teacher who makes meth. He’s a slow train wreck in action. Each step he takes he crosses another moral line and continues to slide out of control. His wife, Skyler has always been a little uncomfortable with the whole business. Walt notices that she’s particularly uncomfortable with their life and the way things are and he tries to build her up by telling her, “It gets easier.” Sad but true, it does gets easier to slide into the darkness until our conscience is completely suppressed and surrendered.
When we give in to sin, we slide into darkness and the truth becomes suppressed (See 1 Cor. 1:21; Rom. 1:18). This is why we have to resist sin with every thing we have, not give in to it.
Of All the Possible Worlds
Some will ask the question and it is a valid question, “Why did God make us in such a way that these scenarios are potential in us? Why did he make us this way? And why do we still struggle with sin?” Of all the possible worlds that God could have made and all of the possible ways that God could have made human beings, he chose to make us with a free will so that we could exercise freedom, so that we could grow, so that we could truly love. If God removed the possibilities of sin, we could not exercise freedom and there would be no possibility of growth. Likewise, there would be no real love.
Choices Do Matter
What this means is that choices do matter, sin is a reality that must be dealt with, but we are not left without hope for in Christ sins are forgiven and power is given by the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, to make the right choices. What brings about life transformation however, is not knowing about Jesus (the facts), but it is faith in Jesus, giving Jesus our sin, our very selves. That is repentance, going in God’s direction. The Gospel only transforms as it is applied. But when it is applied, when we do repent, the Gospel transforms (Rom. 1:16-18; 1 Cor. 1:18, 22-24; 2:1-5)!
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
The main theme of the sermon was that “believers who are convinced of the transformative power of the Gospel will find ways to share Christ with others.” This truth is discovered in Luke 24:44-49 where we see the core content of the Gospel as well as the core conviction needed for sharing Christ with others.
Why We Need the Gospel
Every problem present in the world can be attributed to fallen sinful humanity, broken people. Why do angry people go on murderous rampages in movie theaters? The same reason angry people murder others with tongues of gossip and tongues of bitterness – sin. Why do marriages struggle and sometimes break down and fall apart? Because people don’t recognize their fallen condition and the need to repent and reconcile and be made complete in Christ. Why do we fail to love one another, to treat one another with kindness, to put the needs of others before ours? Because our sin nature has made us dysfunctional and we are motivated to look out for ourselves. Why do we sometimes walk in the sins of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5)? Because we give in to our fallen impulses.
The Delusion that We Are Gods
One writer said concerning the shooting in Aurora, Colorado that these events are increasing in their frequency because we have lost our sense of the fear of judgement, of accountability, of sin. In other words, everyone is right and no one is wrong – there is no unchangeable standard, no God to be accountable to. And when everything is right and nothing is wrong, everything is messed up. We might as well be honest. Our postmodern culture with its subjective view of truth has deified man. The only absolute truth in our secular humanistic society is that man is completely autonomous – he is god. The age-old lie perpetrated by Satan in Genesis chapter three is alive and well, “you will be like God.” The seeds of this godless weed in our culture continue to bring forth evil fruit.
Calling Good Evil and Evil Good
I stated that every problem present in the world can be attributed to fallen humanity, broken people. Consider this statement in light of all the current discussion on the subject of what’s sinful and what is not. Recently, Dan Cathy was terribly maligned for his comments on the traditional family. In today’s climate to be “for” something “good” is to be subject to harsh criticism. It’s a mystery how you can be hated for standing for something that is “good.” This too is evidence of a fallen world where Isaiah’s words ring true – people call good evil and evil good.
Beyond Toleration to Acceptance
The politically correct litmus test today for acceptance by the world seems to center on the issue of where one stands on the issue of homosexuality. If you believe it is a sin, that it’s part of our fallen nature, and that likewise, people can be transformed by the Gospel, you are classified as a bigot and a homophobic or at best a judgmental person.
What makes the issue of homosexuality confusing to the world and vexing for many believers is that some professing Christians say that they are homosexual and not by choice but by nature. In other words, God made me this way. But here’s what has happened that is different today than in times past. Some Christians have tried to normalize their sinful struggles in a way that justifies them not fighting the impulses of the flesh anymore. I get the struggling with sin part, but why doesn’t this logic apply with other sinful struggles? Could a heterosexual Christian not say, “I struggle with sexual purity and I just need to embrace the fact that I’m going to have multiple affairs?” Or, “I’m a Christian who struggles with lying and I’m just going to embrace that because that’s the way I am.”
You Are Born This Way
But here’s what I want you to hear and it’s very important. Just because a person has a leaning towards some sinful impulse (regardless of what it is) does not mean that they should give themselves over to it. It doesn’t mean that they should cease trying to overcome that sinful impulse. The truth is, we’re all born sinners that’s why we need a savior! Christians struggle with all kinds of sins including homosexuality (See 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But instead of seeking to justify them we confess that we have been washed by Jesus and we seek to overcome them. We recognize them for what they are – remnants of our fallen nature and we repent (repeatedly) of them.
All sin keeps us from experiencing God’s best and that is why we call all people to repent. None are perfect, but we do not throw in the towel and give up and say “Oh well, Lady Ga Ga must be right, I’m just born that way.” No, God has come to transform us, to change us because we are born that way (2 Cor. 5:17). Repentance has been described as making a u-turn. You realize you’re heading in the wrong direction and you make a course correction and begin to go God’s way, the right way. Salvation is one big u-turn but because we are not yet made perfect, living as a saved person involves a lot of little u-turns. If you’re not going God’s way, it matters little what sin you bound by, it’s keeping you from experiencing life and it is to be repented of.
Reclaiming What Is Yours
The Bible describes the believer as one who is saved and who is being saved. The Christian life is a daily struggle, a daily fight. We repent and we keep on repenting. In Afghanistan our troops would often go into a city where there was a strong Taliban presence and root them out literally house by house. This was very successful but our troops found out we had to keep going back and reclaiming territory already won. That is what you and I must do on a daily basis. We fight sin daily to reclaim what is our’s.
We can never give up the fight against sin. Several years ago Ray Boltz did just that. The writer of such great songs as “Watch the Lamb,” and “The Anchor Holds,” Boltz came out openly as a homosexual. By his own testimony, he said that he got tired of fighting. How sad and tragic, he got tired of fighting sin and gave up, settling for less than God’s best.
Breaking Bad – “It Get’s Easier”
If we don’t fight the good fight of faith, we will slowly sink into sin, become dulled to God, and live a life less than God’s best. In the TV series, Breaking Bad, Walter White plays a chemistry teacher who makes meth. He’s a slow train wreck in action. Each step he takes he crosses another moral line and continues to slide out of control. His wife, Skyler has always been a little uncomfortable with the whole business. Walt notices that she’s particularly uncomfortable with their life and the way things are and he tries to build her up by telling her, “It gets easier.” Sad but true, it does gets easier to slide into the darkness until our conscience is completely suppressed and surrendered.
When we give in to sin, we slide into darkness and the truth becomes suppressed (See 1 Cor. 1:21; Rom. 1:18). This is why we have to resist sin with every thing we have, not give in to it.
Of All the Possible Worlds
Some will ask the question and it is a valid question, “Why did God make us in such a way that these scenarios are potential in us? Why did he make us this way? And why do we still struggle with sin?” Of all the possible worlds that God could have made and all of the possible ways that God could have made human beings, he chose to make us with a free will so that we could exercise freedom, so that we could grow, so that we could truly love. If God removed the possibilities of sin, we could not exercise freedom and there would be no possibility of growth. Likewise, there would be no real love.
Choices Do Matter
What this means is that choices do matter, sin is a reality that must be dealt with, but we are not left without hope for in Christ sins are forgiven and power is given by the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, to make the right choices. What brings about life transformation however, is not knowing about Jesus (the facts), but it is faith in Jesus, giving Jesus our sin, our very selves. That is repentance, going in God’s direction. The Gospel only transforms as it is applied. But when it is applied, when we do repent, the Gospel transforms (Rom. 1:16-18; 1 Cor. 1:18, 22-24; 2:1-5)!
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
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