The Best is yet to Come1/23/2024 John 2:10 ~ "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus attended the wedding at Cana in Galilee, enjoying the wonderful celebration of a young couple's new life together. And I would like to use this situation as an example to set before you concerning what is yet to come. When the believer first tastes of Christ it is the "good wine." The fellowship of believers, the word of God, the comfort of His Holy Spirit, the promises in Christ, the participation in worship, and so many more riches of Christ are found in the tasting of the wine of salvation. We truly discover that we can, "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). I remember my first steps in the Lord Jesus, when He brought me into His salvation and I was enriched in the warmth of His joy and peace. It was like a celebration in my heart--and in truth it was, for I was made new, my sins were cleansed, my soul set right with God and my name written in that book of life that will never be erased. Like drinking good wine, I was flushed with the exuberance of delight for Jesus. At the wedding, the circumstances changed and the good wine ran dry. There was none left and the guests still remained. Now, the expectation of the host was limited in his view, for he only relied on the human tradition of bringing out the best at first and the worst in the end. And there are many who look at their own lives in the same way. How many believe that they had better enjoy their good things now, for soon the troubling reality of the end is coming and only that which is poor and pitiful will remain? How many live with the belief that they had better, "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (Isaiah 22:13)? They want their best now... for they fear that the worst is yet to come. But, for those who are in Christ, that initial taste of the "wine" of faith--an early taste of that which is the good wine--only holds a promise for something more. For the Christian, the best is yet to come! Consider what the Apostle Paul said to the church in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.'" And here is the illustration that I want to leave you with--just as Jesus commanded the servants and it was the best wine at the end, so at the command of Christ, the best is still yet to come. All things will be made new. Worldly people will have their pleasures now, but all who hope in Christ will have their delights fulfilled when He brings us into His kingdom. Whatever we experience in this world, whatever circumstances that occur and we must go through times in life when we rely on the good wine of faith, we will someday have the best wine of His presence. Consider what our Lord says in Matthew 26:29, "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." So, beloved, hold out in faith until Jesus brings us into His kingdom. There is coming "that day" and we who have our hope in Christ, will have that hope fulfilled. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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An Exclusive Relationship1/22/2024 Exodus 20:5a ~ "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God." As the Lord delivered His people from their enslavement in Egypt, bringing them through the Red Sea and leading them with a pillar of cloud and fire across the wilderness, He provided for them the moral requirements to live in fellowship with Him. One of those requirements was to maintain an exclusive relationship with Him. In the land of Canaan where they were going, the nations of that land were rife with all manner of gods with practices that were abhorrent to Yahweh. In fact, all other so-called gods of man's imagination are reprehensible to the Almighty. And so, in the second commandment, God forbid the worship of anything of man's crafting--even if their desire was to worship the true God with their carved images. And the Lord gives the reason why--He is a jealous God. Imagine, for a moment, being in the camp of Israel and led of God out of bondage in Egypt. God fed them, kept them, protected them, guided them and He required that they turn to no other God but Him. Then, imagine, that at the first opportunity, the nation delivered by God turned their attentions to the pagan and worthless idols of the lands around them. Should that not raise the jealousy of the Lord? Believer in Christ, you have been delivered from the bondage and enslavement of sin through the sacrificial love of God in Christ Jesus. He came to rescue you, paying for your crimes against the Almighty, and freeing you from the "Egypt" of the dominion of darkness. You were bought with a price (see 1 Corinthians 7:23) and the Lord God, Jesus Christ, still requires an exclusive relationship with His redeemed. And yet, have you adopted the idolatries of the world in your worship of the Lord? Many have. There are those who look to the world's entertainment, excitement and enthusiasm for the next expressive thing, and believe it must be adopted into the church for the purpose of worshiping God "better." The idols of the world may not be carved today, but they are no less detestable to God. I recall one pastor who informed his congregation that their music team needed to be able to "perform better than Hollywood" because the world would never want to come to a church that was "boring." And so entered the idol of entertainment. If ever we look to the world for the guiding principles of our fellowship with God, we are embracing idols. And God, who is still a jealous God, will rebuke His people. Beloved, look to the word of God and do not go beyond what is written (see 1 Corinthians 4:6). If you are born again, you are to walk exclusively with Christ and have no fellowship with worldliness. 1 John 2:15 warns, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Jesus, our Lord, clearly taught that we cannot obey two masters. "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Just as Israel departed the Almighty to worship the carved images of the world, so many of those who call themselves Christians have departed their true relationship with the Lord Jesus to embrace the philosophies and ideologies and practices of the world. Let that not be said of you. However, if you do find that you have departed from your pure devotion to Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:3), our God is a tender and merciful Savior who will receive you back into fellowship with Him if you only repent. Let nothing of this fallen world hold any attraction to you. Let your love and affection be given over to the Savior who loved you with an everlasting love and showed you His love in taking upon Himself the very punishment of your sins (see Romans 5:8). Our God is a jealous God. Our God is a merciful Savior. How will you experience Him? In His Grace, Pastor Michael Through Darkened Glass1/21/2024 1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Years ago, in ages long before we walked upon this world, the mirror was once called a "looking glass." It was a highly polished metal sheet that was used to try to see yourself. The mirror described in our text is that very thing, a looking glass to try and see the condition we are in. And our view is obscured, literally darkened and hard to comprehend--an enigma. When a person looks in a mirror, unless they are a narcissist, they are trying to see if everything measures up to the desired condition or if they are in need of some repair before they venture into the world at large. What are we looking for? What will help us to see that we "measure up" in our spiritual appearance? Well... the context of this text is--love. Paul just went through the entire expression of what love is supposed to be, and then he declares that when he looks at himself in the mirror, the view is obscured. And such is the view of all who are in Christ. Beloved, have you seen little in yourself that resembles the Lord Jesus and His love? You're not alone. As we look into the mirror the image that we see fails to measure up. But, remember, our view is obscured. You do not even see yourself correctly. Shrouded by the constant companion of our former sinful condition--a condition that seems to hang on despite our rejection of it (see Romans 7:18)--we look at the mirror and our lives just do not seem to reflect correctly the image that magnifies and glorifies God. We are supposed to look like Jesus in His character and with His love. And we can barely see Him in our reflection. But, beloved, do not let this bring you to despair. If you are born again, you are clothed in His righteousness. And though it may not shine through when you look at yourself in the spiritual mirror, it will be revealed in the moment you step into His presence. We see dimly now; we shall see with absolute clarity then--even face to face. It will be the full revealing of the love of God in us. We only know in part--in a very limited understanding of our life in Christ. Then we shall know fully--even as we are fully known by Christ. If you know Jesus as Savior, and He knows you as one of His redeemed, the Lord does not look upon you according to the former things, but as a new creation. So, continue to strive in the love of Christ, building yourself up in the faith (see Jude 1:20-21). There will be growth, your reflection will improve. You will put off the childish ways of your old self and begin to mature in His love. The perfection of His love will increase (see Matthew 5:43-48) in you. And then, one day, you will see Him as He is--and perhaps with great astonishment--you will see His perfect reflection in you. In His Grace, Pastor Michael For the Love of God1/20/2024 2 Corinthians 5:14 ~ "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died." Let there be no doubt concerning the love of God--and that He loves you. The challenge most people have when it comes to the idea of "love" is from the subjective nature with which we consider it. Human affection is often based upon some quality of interest that the object of our desire has impressed upon our heart and mind, and so we say we "love" them. When that interest wanes, many will determine that they no longer love the other and they will separate their affection from the object. It is not so with God. Look at the condition of our nature when God loved us. Romans 5:8 clearly reveals His love, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." There was no character within us, no quality of interest that should have attracted God's affections toward us, there was nothing but sin--that is all we had. And, in that condition, God loved us to such an extent that Christ died. Oh, beloved, does this love hold any interest to you? God did not love you for anything other than that you were needing to be loved by Him. He loved you simply because it is in His nature to love (see 1 John 4:8). We were prisoners in the dungeon, justly waiting our eternal punishment and then the word came to us that the King had taken our place! He died to satisfy our crimes. Then, because His life could not be constrained by death, Jesus rose from the grave and now calls anyone who will be His to leave the prison and embrace His love through repentance and loyalty to Him. Romans 2:4 states, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Let the other prisoners laugh at us, let the remaining inmates who reject the King's offer mock us for our abandonment of this earthly dungeon. I, for one, am eternally grateful for His love that rescued me from His wrath and delivered me from His judgment to receive an eternal inheritance in His family. The Lord Jesus suffered and died on the cross for you--do you now think that if you receive His love that He will sit in heaven not also longing for you to be with Him? Does not love desire to be in the presence of the object of affection? If you are in Christ, you are the object of His affection and He delights to know you. It is this love that God offers to you, not human subjective love, but the solid, unwavering sacrificial love of Christ. And it should be that love which compels us to Him. Thus, the love of Christ controls us. Another word for "control" is "constrain." That is, it holds us fast--confines us in this life that we should no longer live for anything other than His love. Consider the follow-up verse, 2 Corinthians 5:15, "And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." What will you do for the love of God? Not, what will you do to earn it--for you cannot earn His love, but you must humbly receive it. What will you do with your life going forward knowing that He has loved you with such sacrificial mercy? Will you do as the Apostle states, and no longer live for yourself but for Him--that is, Jesus--who died for you and was raised to be the King of kings? Though we still live in this world, believer, we are no longer bound to its condemnation. We are free--delivered by His love, for His love, and to be in His love forever. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Absolute Right of God1/19/2024 Isaiah 45:18b-19 ~ "I am the LORD, and there is no other... I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right." Of all the imaginations of men, none is more destructive than imagining a god who is not. The idols of mankind come in a plethora of forms, shapes, ideas and ideologies. They have a myriad of doctrines, practices and procedures. They are energized by a host of participants and practitioners. But they are, all of them, a lie. There is only One God. Consider what the Lord declares in Isaiah 45. It is an echo back to the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Deuteronomy 5:7). Some have implied from this statement that there are other "gods" available, but that is not the case. the problem of idolatry is to form and fashion a god after the imaginations of men and then turn to that god instead of the true God. It would be like asking a telephone pole to instruct you in the ways of communication. It has been fashioned by man to carry lines of communication, but it has no voice of its own--it just won't happen. Hear the words of Hosea 4:12, "My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles." Or again in Isaiah 44:19, "No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?'" Our text declares with absolute certainty--there is no other. The Lord God, the Almighty, is not the first among many gods, He is the only God. This must be understood by all mankind, for without this knowledge no one will ever truly seek the Lord. If the pantheon of this world dominates the mentality of her inhabitants, people will naturally gravitate to the "god" of their liking. When all other false deities are eliminated as hoaxes and lies, the true God is all that anyone will have left. And, perhaps, they will desire to know Him. Not only is there no other God, but this One and Only God is the Sovereign over all that is true. The Lord does not merely acknowledge what is true--He declares it. The moment God has said a thing, it is an absolute reality of truth. God cannot lie (see Hebrews 6:18), it is impossible for Him to do such a thing. Yes, it is a part of His unwavering righteousness, but also it is tantamount to His nature. It's not that God "does not" lie, He cannot lie. If, for example, God suddenly declared that the sky was green instead of blue, it would immediately become a sky colored like an emerald. Along with that God has the absolute authority, enthroned above all other authorities, and has declared what is right and wrong. The modern mentality of subjective morality is contradictory to the objective standards of the Almighty. All men will be judged before the highest court--the judiciary of the Almighty. The Apostle Paul understood this in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." And you must understand that God's judgments are not subjective but absolute. They will not be based upon any moral code of mankind, but upon His sovereign declaration of right and wrong. Unbeliever, you ought to tremble at the idea of standing before the Sovereign Judge. He has already declared your guilt (see John 3:18). But, just as God has absolute sovereignty over your life and is just in His judgments against you, He also has declared another promise--a promise of a full pardon through Jesus Christ. If you will put your faith in the Lord Jesus and trust that He, on the cross, took upon Himself the full penalty for your sins against the Almighty God, you will be saved. Believer, let the unwavering truth and absolute nature of God give you great encouragement. You cannot be declared lost if God has declared you saved. For if the Son of God has set you free from the judgement and punishment of your sin, you are free indeed--for God has declared it to be so (see John 8:36). The world can no longer rise up against you, nor the devil himself accuse you, in order to cast you into the fiery judgment of God. If you need this promise, hear the word of God from Isaiah 55:6-7, "'Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.'" In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Lord's Side1/18/2024 Exodus 32:26 ~ "...then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, 'Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered around him." How much of what is called worship today is merely the dancing around a golden calf? Moses had departed up Mount Sinai, having left the people in the care of Aaron and the elders of Israel. They had been instructed in the law of the Lord, and were given by God His Ten Commandments. Yet, when he was gone for many days, the people in restlessness forsook the commands of God and demanded that Aaron fashion for them a symbol of God, an image that they could see and touch, one that was agreeable to them. And so, he did. Let me begin by saying this: pastors and worship leaders beware of pandering to the demands of a crowd who want to express their revelry of worship based upon their imagination of God. God has established His word, and His people must worship not only in spirit but also in truth (see John 4:24). Moses and Joshua returned from the mountain in time for them to see the debacle of idolatry in the camp of the Lord. The camp had "broken loose" and everyone was gyrating around the fire and the idolatrous calf with unbridled enthusiasm. They had departed from God's clear directives and their worship was nothing more than the unrestrained havoc of self-expression. Moses, enraged by what he saw, shouted to the multitude: "Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me." And that is a great question: who is on the Lord's side? Surely not those who were gyrating around the fire, claiming to worship God, yet all the while doing exactly what He commanded them not to do. But Moses' cry is also a call to repentance: come to me. There is this glorious moment when anyone who recognized their wickedness before the Lord in violating the second commandment had opportunity to flee from their sin and return to God by returning to the one He had commissioned to be their shepherd. And all the Levites came to Moses--including Aaron who had actually carved the image for the people. Even Aaron's great sin (for he was the leader of the people while Moses was gone) may be forgiven. Let me ask you, pastors and leaders, have you fashioned an idol for the people to worship? Have you made for them an image of God, though not carved from stone or metal, but drawn out of your own imagination or fitted to the imaginations of the crowd? Then hear the question of Moses--who is on the Lord's side? Let me ask you, Christian, is the word of God too constraining and you want to break loose in your worship, doing that which satisfies your desires? You must also hear Moses' question--who is on the Lord's side? If you want to be on the Lord's side, you must flee from such idolatry and run back to the place where God has established His ways--in the Word of God. For Moses represented the word of God and the violation of the Law of Moses was to violate the Law of God. The Lord Jesus is the living and abiding Word of God and through the Scriptures we can know and respond to God correctly. For our Lord said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). No one who maintains their own, independent ideas of God and how He is to be worshiped and loved actually worships and loves Him. And if you need to come back to Him, as the Levites came back to Moses, then you must abandon your notions and return to the Word of God. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Death in the Pot1/17/2024 2 Kings 4:40 ~ "And they poured out some for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the stew, they cried out, 'O man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they could not eat it." During a time of famine, when Elisha was gathered with the sons of the prophets, a meal was prepared. This is, in itself, no small thing during a time when food was scarce. During famines, you forage and gather what you can and everything that can be food is procured. But not all things that look like food are edible, and some things can be deadly. During their foraging, a young man gathered up a cache of wild gourds, a seemingly innocent addition to the stew being prepared. They sliced them up, added them in, and at first taste, it was poison. Okay... just dump it out and start again. After all, it's just a stew and another pot can be boiled up and made ready in a short amount of time. Except for one thing... there was no other food. There was a famine in the land. They cried out to Elisha and he cast flour in the pot and they could eat without fear of death. There is no great anti-poison quality to flour, it was an act of faith on Elisha's part. So, what have you added to your life that is mixed in now with your spiritual food and is actually death in the pot? There are all manner of worldly, tasty gourds that get blended in to the mix of our spiritual food and end up being deadly. In truth, our world is living in famine conditions concerning Christ, where there are fewer and fewer locations where a believer can be fed adequately for the work of the Lord. And then, there are some "pots" where they will add anything from the world that looks like godly ingredients in the hope that it will nourish and supply what is lacking. Things like marketing gimmicks, self-help philosophies, entertainment attractions, new age mantras, and many other "wild gourds" are added to the teachings of many churches. The purity of the word of God and the simplicity of faith in Christ are mingled with these and so many other things that to actually eat what is presented will be a deadly concoction for your soul. What do you do? As the sons of the prophets called out to Elisha to rescue them, so let us call out to the Lord that He should cast His grace and truth back into the pot of our lives and nullify the poison that was added. The wild gourds were not removed, they were neutralized. And when we seek the Lord and be true to His word, we will discover that even though those foolish poisons are still mingled in, they will have no effect upon our spiritual nourishment. For God's truth will always neutralize the world's lies. In His Grace, Pastor Michael That Which We Long For1/16/2024 2 Corinthians 5:2 ~ "For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling." All of mankind across the world walks through life stirred up with various longings in their heart and mind. Passions, hungers and desires fill up our pursuits. A hungry man longs for food. A lonely man desires companionship. A bound man craves to be free. David longed for the waters of Bethlehem. "And David said longingly, 'Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!'" (2 Samuel 23:15) The prodigal son longed for food. "And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything." (Luke 15:16) Jacob longed to return home. "And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house." (Genesis 31:30a) For those who are in Christ, there is a longing in their hearts to be clothed in the fullness of His righteousness, to put on our "heavenly dwelling." Is this what you long for? It will first be seen in your groanings against sin. Paul said, "for in this tent we groan." The "tent" he speaks of is our "earthly home" (see 2 Corinthians 5:1). But what does that mean? Is it referring to the earth upon which we walk? No... our current, "earthly home," is this body in which our spirit dwells. We are contained within this body of sin and groan against the continued presence of the sinful disposition. Consider what Paul said in Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" The Apostle recognized the reality that we still dwell in a body that is sinful, wretched and dead. He says in Romans 8:10, "But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." And so we groan. We mourn over our continued sinfulness, longing to be free from the constant companion of temptations and the continued war against our fallen flesh. There will be those who groan against the judgment of God, longing for the pleasures of their sinful desires. But for the Christian--you, if you are in Christ--there is grief over the continued presence of sin, and we groan against it. But the believer does more than groan against sin, he also longs to be covered with the perfect righteousness of Christ, to be clothed with our "heavenly dwelling." We will someday put off our mortal nature for immortality as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:54, "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” True longing changes the pursuit of the life. Those who long for something will set aside other, lesser considerations and be fixed upon that one goal. More than a wishful thinking or a minimal wanting of the heart, those who long for Christ and His righteousness have a passionate, intense craving for that which He will provide. So, what do you long for? Do you still desire to satisfy the cravings of the sinful nature or do you hunger for the righteousness of Christ? Remember, longing for something means that you have not quite attained it--but it is the driving passion of your heart. Remember the promise of Romans 2:7, "to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." You do not earn your salvation. But for those who are saved, it will be seen in that for which we long. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Walking Away1/15/2024 Matthew 19:22 ~ "When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." What will it be that Christ requires you to give up in order to follow Him? We look at the rich young man from Matthew 19:16-22 and discover in this story a good man, a man who kept the moral law but still had an urgency in his heart to have eternal life. In fact, that was the primary question he asked when he came to Jesus: "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life" (Matthew 19:16). The question the young man asks is telling, for in it we discover the condition of his heart: "what good deed must I do?" He had kept the law of God, and still knew that something was lacking (see verse 20). Yet, in his heart he could see no other process to gain eternal life than for himself to accomplish something--anything--that would bring him into the good company of God. Anything that is... except one thing. This rich young man had great wealth. We know nothing of how he acquired it, perhaps by great industry or perhaps by inheritance. It doesn't matter how he came by his wealth, he would not part with it. He was in love with his possessions and to depart from them would not happen. And so, he walked away sorrowful. Consider the story of Demas. In Colossians 4:14, Demas was a partner with the Apostle Paul. By the time 2 Timothy was written, Demas had departed. We read of his desertion in 2 Timothy 4:10a, "For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica." That was the tragic end of the story of Demas, he was in love with the world and deserted. The words of our Lord are clear on this--we must be willing to let all things go for His sake. Self-denial and cross bearing are two conditions of following Jesus. Consider the conditions given by Christ in Luke 9:23, "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" One of the problems faced by many is that they think the relinquishing of whatever it is they cling to will somehow invalidate their lives. They have to hold on to it or else they stop being who they are. And in some aspect, it's true. The wealth of the world, the pleasures of the flesh, even the turmoil of our own soul can become our only identifying characteristic. And to lose that is to lose everything we love. And the only thing people do who love what they hold is to walk away from the One who will give them what they really need--eternal life. Jesus is waiting to give eternal life to anyone who will release their death-grip on what they love in this world and take hold of Him. In simpler terms: Jesus will give salvation to all who repent and put their faith in Him. Look at the promise Jesus gives in Mark 10:29-30. “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." The ultimate question is simple: which direction will you walk? Will you walk away from Christ, holding fast to those things that you love and refuse to relinquish? Or, will you walk away from the world and all the self-interest you hold with it in order to follow Jesus? In His Grace, Pastor Michael Forgiveness1/14/2024 Colossians 3:13 ~ "...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Perhaps the most expressive quality of Christlikeness is forgiveness. The question comes in the minds of many of God's children, "How much must I forgive?" This is derived from the idea that there comes a point when someone has wronged us so much that we are convinced their sins are beyond forgiveness. Humanly speaking, it may be true. For our human condition is such that once we become the determiner of the depths of another's sin, we can then determine if someone is "worthy" of receiving forgiveness. But that does not hold in the economy of God. Consider our text. We are to forgive as Christ forgave us. Do you know the depths of sin that you have committed against the Lord? Can you fathom the full measure of how much you needed forgiveness? It was seen on the cross. Your forgiveness is paid in full through the wrath-bearing death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And your life is secured in His resurrection. I can confidently say, no one has sinned against you greater than you have sinned against God. How can you know that your heart has been touched to the core with God's forgiveness? It will be seen when you are willing to love and forgive with the same love and forgiveness you yourself have received from Christ. John writes in 1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death." When Jesus met at a Pharisee's house, a woman came in with a depth of sorrow for sin that she could no longer endure. She said nothing, but washed the Lord's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (see Luke 7:36-50). Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” This woman, so grieved by her sin, so completely repentant and sorrowful, could do nothing but love the Lord Jesus with her tears! The Pharisee would have rejected her--in fact, society probably did reject her. But her life was transformed and it showed in the way she loved the Lord Jesus. The Pharisee, on the other hand, did not have the same level of love that the woman displayed. Thus, because his love was so shallow, it demonstrated that he understood little of the forgiveness which he needed. Perhaps the Pharisee did not even consider that he needed to be forgiven at all. We all need forgiveness, for all of us have sinned against God. Our wicked crimes against the Almighty Judge deserve the severest of punishments. But God, who is rich in mercy, offered us grace in Christ who took our sins upon himself. Our forgiveness cost the suffering and death of Jesus. In Matthew 18 Jesus spoke a parable of an unmerciful servant. The crux of the issue comes in the statement of verses 32 and 33, "Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’" And there is our command: forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. It will be the highest expression of your Christian walk when you can live out the forgiveness you received in Christ through your willingness to forgive others. It brings a genuine freedom and it supplies a generous dose of God's mercy. Open your eyes and your heart to the magnanimous value of God's grace upon you... for you will then be able to dispense it abundantly to all. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Value of Believers Fellowship1/13/2024 Hebrews 10:24-25 ~ "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." There is a consideration necessary for every Christian--how can we be a mutual encouragement to one another? To "consider" is to have a way of thinking--literally, we must think this way. So the question posed to you--when you are in fellowship with other believers, is your first thought how you can be a source of value to them? There are two considerations revealed in this text: to stir up one another to love, and to stir up one another to good deeds. The first is to Christ-like character, the second is to Christ-like behavior. It is important to note that the attention of each believer must be outward and not inward focused. It is a "one another" mentality, and not an "about me" way of thinking. So, consider the means by which people go seeking out a fellowship of believers. When questions like "does it meet my needs" become the standard by which a fellowship is evaluated, we have stepped outside the real consideration. There are important questions to ask before becoming involved in a local church--and at the top of the list is how they handle the Word of God. Is the Scripture the authority for their faith, or do they have a worldly mindset when it comes to Christianity? Do they strive to worship and serve the Lord or to entertain and attract a crowd? If the parameters for a Biblical fellowship are met, then the question at hand must move from what can you get to what can you contribute. With the parameters met for a Biblical fellowship, it is necessary to move on to the question at hand: how do you stir up other believers toward love and good deeds? There are two ways given in the text: meet together and encourage one another. It seems relatively simple, but how often are these two actions neglected in many church fellowships? It is emphasized in the text that the first one mentioned--meeting together--had already become neglected by some. It was so neglected, in fact, that it was described as a "habit." But the gathered fellowship of the redeemed of the Lord is of remarkable importance. In the gathering is where the instruction of the word of God is found, mutual prayer is voiced, the worship of Christ is expressed, and the ordinances given by the Lord are experienced. Not everyone can enjoy the weekly gathering of the church, either because of illness, injury or infirmity. But when you do gather together, it becomes the means by which you can stir up one another toward love and good deeds. You can't stir up anything if you neglect the fellowship. The second means by which we can stir up one another toward love and good deeds is to encourage one another--with a focus on the Day of the Lord approaching. People can become downcast, morose, depressed, anxious and fearful in our day and age. Circumstances can become hard, persecutions painful, and without that mutual encouragement, a believer may fall into the dangerous dungeon of despair. But you, believer, have a greater hope, a more certain future with the Lord, a remembrance that God will rectify all things for His glory and the good of those who know and love Jesus. And you can come alongside those who are walking in the shadows and help them again see the light. So, beloved, there is great value in the fellowship of believers. But that value is only experienced when we look outside ourselves and seek to be an encouragement and support for those who walk beside us in Christ. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Spiritual Agreement1/12/2024 Philippians 4:2 ~ "I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord." Christians ought to be of one mind. And yet, the "ought's" of the Scriptures tend to clash with the desires of the individual and there begins the conflict. It is an interesting observation between two Christians who have labored to serve the Lord and desire to live for His glory to find themselves at odds with one another. It may seem that they should be delighted to find themselves in a state of joyful unanimity, walking metaphorically hand-in-hand for the cause of the Lord. Yet, for some reason, the two women mentioned in our text today were of differing mindsets. There is no place in Scripture where it is revealed the challenge between Euodia and Syntyche. The simple fact is, they were in disagreement--of such a disagreement that the Apostle Paul saw fit to mention them by name in his letter for all the church to read in order to bring them back to unifying fellowship with each other. It is not a stretch to consider that their disagreement was causing a disruption in the life of the church. But from where do these conflicts arise? Consider the words of James 4:1-3, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." To boil it down, you don't get your way and so you go to war. And, yet, the Apostle Paul was rather tender in his words toward these two women. He didn't "command" he "entreated" them. It a word of closeness, one that conveys the same idea as the work of the Holy Spirit, coming alongside them as a counselor, to guide and direct them back into the way of Christ. What was Paul's entreaty? Simple: agree in the Lord. Can two Christians have differing views and opinions about matters unrelated to the fundamental truths in Christ? Of course they can, but those disagreements must not override their good sense to stand with each other in their common faith. It is important that such unity exist in the church--a unity that is built from our love for Christ and each other. Consider the church in Corinth who had taken their divisions to a whole other level--even going so far as to take each other to court! But take to heart the words of the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 6:7 when he confronted their hostility. "To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" Did not our Lord Jesus teach us to "turn the other cheek" (see Matthew 5:39). The women mentioned in our text today were good, solid, hard-working Christians who labored for the gospel. Their disagreement needed to be resolved, their love restored and the work continued for the sake of Christ and His church. If you are in such a state with another believer, hear the words of Paul and determine to come in agreement in the Lord, even if you cannot come in agreement with the issue that has separated you. Love for each other in Christ must be the higher priority. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Work and War1/11/2024 Nehemiah 4:17 ~ "Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." There's a work to be done, a Kingdom to serve and a house to be built for the glory and name of the Lord Jesus. Every believer is tasked to go forward in their lives with this same mindset. Consider what Paul told the Philippians, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27). There is a striving, and a firm standing of believers together, that bring about the spread of the gospel while we are here on earth. Consider the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and let us learn what it will take for us to serve the Lord in the work of the church. Severe opposition arose in the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem as the surrounding nations were furious at the attempt. Nehemiah did not lead the people to put away their tools until the persecution ended, nor did he tell them to try to get along with the nations around them. Instead--he put swords in their hands. Half the people worked while the other half were armed to protect them (see Nehemiah 4:16). And those who worked, did so with a burden of labor in one hand and a weapon in the other. You might think that it would certainly restrict the effort of rebuilding the wall, if the laborers were limited to one-handed efforts. But keeping their weapons at the ready provided them the opportunity to keep working. It is no mystery that those who are struck down, as well as those who surrender, are incapable of continuing the work. Let us consider two things we can learn from our text. First, there is a labor that must take place. The church, today, can easily get caught up in all manner of other endeavors and forget the one thing that is of critical importance for the work--the gospel of Christ. Preaching the gospel, sharing the salvation of the Lord Jesus, and laboring for that end is the "wall-building" given to the church today. We may carry our burden in preaching, teaching, prayer, outreach, hospitality, meeting needs, and all other means of services in order to do the one thing that God has given us: Go into the world with the gospel and make disciples (see Matthew 28:18-20). They were "loaded in such a way." They were not all loaded equally, nor were they all loaded with the same burden to bear. But they were all loaded to do the work subscribed to them, and they did so with determined effort. Second, there are enemies against us. It is not right for the church to believe that the world will support our efforts to rescue people out of the world. They won't mind if we agree with them. They won't fight us if we conform to them. But the world hates Jesus (see John 15:18). The cross proclaims their guilt and offers them grace. The gospel is the enemy of self-will and self-righteousness. It demands that a person surrender to the Lord and in humility and with love receive His salvation. And, as the workers on the wall of Jerusalem carried their burden in one hand and weapons in the other, so the church must be ready to stand firm against the forces of evil that would destroy our efforts out of their hatred of Christ. Do not work with your eyes closed to the enemy around you. Even Paul recognized that both work and war were before him as he preached the gospel, "For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:9). But do not fear. God will uphold His servants who labor for the Lord and will ultimately defeat those who stand against Him. My friends let us labor for Christ, fully prepared to do the work, all the while knowing that there is also a war. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Emergency Prayer1/10/2024 Nehemiah 2:4 ~ "Then the king said to me, 'What are you requesting?' So I prayed to the God of heaven." In the great dilemma of Nehemiah, as he was confronted by the broken walls of Jerusalem, he needed to gain favor from King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah, as cupbearer to the king, had the responsibility to keep a pleasant demeanor in the king's presence. However, this time he was sad--and the king noticed. Nehemiah's heart was grieved over the sins of his people and the condition of Jerusalem due to the disciplinary judgment of God. He could not hide his countenance from the king--but he could not depart to try and regain his composure. He was in a quandary. So what did the cupbearer do? He prayed. Before you go thinking that Nehemiah dropped to his knees before King Artaxerxes, he most certainly did no such thing. It would have been a direct affront to the king, and Nehemiah's life would be in peril at the instant. So, then, how did Nehemiah pray? We have no words recorded concerning this moment of prayer, no statement as to what he prayed. It was an "emergency prayer." In Nehemiah chapter one, when he received word of the dreadful condition of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, Nehemiah prayed then--and it is recorded in great detail. Not the prayer of chapter two however, that prayer was not recorded because it was not spoken. It was a prayer of the mind and heart--and God hears those prayers too. A life and practice of prayer is of inestimable value for the Christian. A daily habit of personal engagement before the Lord in prayerful consideration of all that is happening in and through your life will be of more worth than you can even now know. If you have not done so, let me encourage you to begin developing a constancy of daily prayer. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus even tells us to pray in secret to your Father in heaven: "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." But emergency prayers will be of great worth to you as well. When Peter was about to drown after stepping off the boat (see Matthew 14:30), he had no eloquence of speech or lengthy time of prayer. Three little words sufficed: "Lord save me!" And even if you cannot utter a word upon your lips, your mind and heart can cry out to God in the moment of the emergency and He will hear your prayer. Then do what is right in the next moment, obey God with your next step, and trust that He will strengthen you to the task and give you the needed courage to do what He has commanded. In the Gospel of Luke 11:17 it said that Jesus knew their thoughts. So if God knows the thoughts of those who are wicked, surely He knows the thoughts and internal prayers of His children. Remember also what Paul said in Romans 8:26-27, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Perhaps you're confronting someone at the grocery store with the gospel. Maybe you are standing before some formal review and must give an account. You might be at the bedside of an atheist as they face their final breath on this earth. You don't have time to kneel down for a lengthy prayer. Lift up your mind and heart to the Lord and pray to the God of heaven who hears your every thought. He will strengthen you to do that which is right, and be His witness in the moment that He gives. You can trust Him, even with your emergency prayers. In His Grace, Pastor Michael No Other Jesus1/9/2024 2 Corinthians 11:4 ~ "For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." There is danger in the effort to introduce Jesus into the culture different than He is revealed in Scripture. And the Christians of the church in Corinth are rebuked for that very thing. Though it is unclear exactly who it was that came into the Corinthians church and proclaimed a different Jesus, with a different spirit and a different gospel, the church seemed quite ready to receive it. The Apostle Paul describes these people in verses 13 and 14 of the same chapter: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." But what is the danger? Simple: the danger is to leave people deceived and yet believing that they are in Christ. However, they are believing on a false Christ. An imaginary Jesus cannot save, how can he--for it is a lie. Peter said that there is no other name by which we must be saved--and that still remains today (see Acts 4:12). And much the same thing is happening in the cultural Christianity that has grown in the post-modern era of our world today. Consider what happens when a person has gravitated to a mimic of Christ in some various media expression and they declare that they can now believe in Jesus because He was finally portrayed in a way that they could accept? They don't look to God's word for the truth of Christ, they look to the modern rendition despite the fact that it bears so little resemblance to the Lord Jesus. It comes back to the original lie of the enemy, "did God really say?" And buying the lie of an invented Jesus runs a terrible risk of keeping someone from the truth--exactly what the devil wants to do. It is also what the world desires. Consider the words of 2 Timothy 4:3-4, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." A more comfortable, more agreeable and palatable Jesus is exactly what the world wants, for eventually they will have a Jesus that conforms to them. There are two things you can do in the face of this. First, hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in God's word through the gospel. The rebuke of the Apostle comes at the church for their acceptance of a false Christ. Do not accept anything other than solid, Biblical truth. Second, do not readily put up with any other rendering of the Lord Jesus that does not conform to the Word of God. Many may call you all manner of pejorative names, believing that you've become stolid and unbending, don't give in. Remember that the distortion of Jesus, even though much might be similar to Scripture, is like a drop of poison in an otherwise pure glass of water. Both are deadly, and it is a foolish thing to drink either. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Getting Involved1/8/2024 Ephesians 5:11 ~ "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." A popular quote attributed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the face of the wickedness of Hitler's regime, states, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." As we step into this new year, and with the continued decline of our world, how much should a Christian get involved? It is true that most Christians want to live in peace, to worship and obey the Lord, and to walk through this world with the love of Christ and the gospel that saves those who believe. The problem lies in the fact that the world does not want that. Believer, you must understand that this world is not a friendly environment for the faithful follower of Christ. A.W. Tozer is noted as saying that this world is not a playground, it is a battleground. And though the Scripture commands that we strive to live in peace with all men (see Romans 12:18), it is also incumbent upon the faithful of Christ to shine the light of the truth into the darkness of this world. Remember the words of our Lord Jesus, "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed" (John 3:20). And, Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world." There is a reason that the world hates the Christian, because the light of the Christian exposes the darkness of the world and uncovers the wickedness therein. So, to answer the question above: a Christian should get involved in as much as their lives and testimony brings forth the light of Christ and reproves the darkness. First, from our text, we are to "take no part" with darkness. There can be no fellowship with light and darkness and no partnership with righteousness and wickedness (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-15). The first part of a believer's involvement in this world is to reject worldliness. This does not mean that you reject friendships, but that you must not participate in anything that is of the unfruitful works that would lead you to disobey God and His word. Titus 2:11-12 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." Second, we learn from our text that, instead of participating in darkness, we are to "expose them." And this part might be the more difficult of the two. To "expose" in this context, literally means to "reprove or rebuke." It is a public illumination and refutation of the conditions of darkness that fill this world. For a believer to not expose and refute those things that lead people astray is to become participants with them. Proverbs 29:24 says, "The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing." To remain silent in the company of wickedness is to hate your own life and be found complicit with it. This does not mean that a believer is to go about "pointing fingers" at every person around, but to bring clear exposure to the truth of public wickedness for the purpose of warning others against it--and especially the church. Jeremiah lamented the fact that the prophets did nothing to expose the iniquity of Israel (see Lamentations 2:14). Beloved, let us shine the light of Christ, taking no part in darkness, but exposing it in order to rescue those who are ensnared. For someday the Lord Himself will come and all the works of the earth will be exposed in the fire and heat of His wrath. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." ~ 2 Peter 3:10 In His Grace, Pastor Michael From Everlasting to Everlasting1/7/2024 Psalm 90:2 ~ "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." It is hard to fathom from this limited, temporary and time-governed world, that God has always been. Our lives have a definitive beginning, a clear duration, and an eternal end. Interestingly, we can handle more courageously the eternal ending--that is, our future everlasting life--than we can handle the eternal reality of God. He is "from everlasting." That is, He is from before time ever had a moment of expression. He is and always has been, but even using the word "always" infers a concept of time that cannot be applied to God. God does not exist in time--time exists in Him. (Does your brain hurt yet?) He is beyond our awareness, for our understanding of all things comes through our capability of observation and imagination. And yet, those two functions of our comprehension cannot comprehend God. What is mankind to do? Well, what often happens is we take our observations, mingle it with our imaginations, and come up with a god that is not God--one that suits our thoughts, even when our thoughts stretch out as far as our imagination can take us. And thus, history and societies are filled with all manner of deities that satisfy the mind of man. If we are not to take our imaginations and couple it with our observations, then how are we to know this God who is from everlasting to everlasting? How can we know the One who is beyond our comprehension? There is only one way. We must know Him through His own revelation of Himself. And how, you ask, did God reveal Himself? Through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider what is written in Colossians 1:15, "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Jesus, Himself, said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Let me, even now, implore you to open your heart to His word where He has revealed Himself. Turn to the pages of His revelation--the Holy Bible. If you do not seek Him there, you will not know Him at all. He is beyond our comprehension. He is greater than our observation and more than our limited imaginations can invent. But He does want you to know Him and so He has revealed Himself in His Son and it is found in the pages of His Holy Word. He is also, "to everlasting." And that, beloved, should give you great hope and joy. For in Jesus, all who are redeemed will be with the Father forever. He will be our God, and we will be His people (Revelation 21:3). There is no ending with God, for God does not exist in a state of time. When creation comes to an end God will remain, for God is not confined in creation--creation exists in Him. He will remake the heavens and the earth for He is the one who made them in the first place and they are and will always be sustained by Him. God Almighty needs nothing to sustain Him. He is self-existent. And God, being from and to everlasting, will bring all those who have been redeemed into the everlastingness of Him. You will have no greater thoughts than to think on God, and you have no other resource of revelation concerning God than His word. Meditate on it, be drawn into it, and learn from Him all that He would reveal. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Sacrifice and Love1/6/2024 Corinthians 13:3 ~ "If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." There are certain religious beliefs in our world that require martyrdom as the highest form of proof concerning the legitimacy of their faith. But the willingness to die for a cause does not prove the veracity of real love. In fact, many have gone through their lives, practicing sacrificial religion, with no true love for God. This was proved true most clearly in the lives of the Pharisees. Jesus declared it to them in John 8:42, "“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here." So this begs the question: do you have love? Many go through their lives accomplishing great feats of sacrifice, even rendering heroic expressions with their lives, believing that with such grandiose services rendered they will gain some greater standing with the Lord God. And yet it comes back to the question--do you have love? Love, in this sense, is not some sentimentalism or emotional derivation of human sympathy that leaves us moon-eyed and heart-sick over the one to whom we have cast our affections. The love that this text refers to is described for us in its outward form through verses 4-7. This love is found in the transformed life of those who have received the salvation of Christ. 1 John 4:19 states, "We love because He first loved us." Having received the love of Christ who laid His life down--not for His own glory but for the Glory of the Father and the salvation of the Church--it is only then that we can say we have the love to which Paul refers. I have heard countless people who profess loyalty to Christ declare with absolute certainty that they would "die for Jesus." What a waste if they "have not love" for they will gain nothing. There is no advantage for the one who is willing to martyr themselves for the cause of Christ who does not have within them the love of Christ. This does not mean that love isn't sacrificial--it most certainly is. Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Paul also understood the sacrifice of love displayed by Christ quite clearly, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). But the sacrifice must be the expression of love and not the means of trying to manipulate the Lord to receive you outside of Christ. To put it bluntly, you cannot buy your way to heaven and you cannot die your way to heaven. For Jesus, Himself, paid the price and died the death so that we could have our sins forgiven through His love and be redeemed through His atonement. It comes back to the warning, "but [if I] have not love, I gain nothing." You will never gain heaven, hope, life, eternity, or any of the promises of Christ if you remain outside of the love of Christ. But for those who love God, there is a great promise given--one that I want to leave with you: 1 Corinthians 8:3, "But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." The Ancient Paths1/5/2024 Jeremiah 6:16 ~ Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’" With the advancement of technology, most people now have a GPS in their vehicles (or on the phones) and find their way by the instruction of computerized voices based upon directions given by satellites a thousand miles above the earth. It didn't used to be that way. Once upon a time, in the distant reaches of the past, people actually looked at roadmaps and asked the locals for directions. And, surprisingly, they found that they could find their way based upon the knowledge of the neighbors. Otherwise, if you didn't trust the locals, you might find yourself quite lost and in need of help. One day, as I was navigating by GPS to find a local shop, the computer voice took me down the road and into the parking lot of another business. I reset it. Turned it off and on again. All effort on my part never corrected the GPS and I could not find the shop I needed--until I went in and talked with a local. Consider the text above, "ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is." The first thing I want you to see: there is a path to follow, a good way to travel, and it is the "ancient" one. The modern approach to the Christian life leaves much to be desired with its conformity to the trends of society. The "GPS" of the post-modern Christian life will direct you away from the good way and try to lead you toward a road that is self-focused, entertainment driven, audacious and proud. As one friend told me, "They seem to focus more on the clay than the potter." The ancient path, however, is sacrificial and humble. It is driven by a need to bring glory to God. It follows a road that is navigated by the Word of God and prayer. It is marked with the scars of faithfulness and it is a narrow and hard way to follow--and few there be that find it (see Matthew 7:13-14) There is also a need to "ask" for that way. Many have traveled the road ahead of you, walking by faith in Christ for years and have learned how to give good directions to those who are standing and looking. Go to them--and ask. Ask how to pray. Ask how to study God's word. Ask how to walk in loving obedience to Christ in your marriage, with your children and/or grandchildren. Ask how to be faithful with your local church. There are many things you can ask, and a good neighbor who is familiar with the road, will point you to God's "ancient" path of His word and show you how to walk. Then, if you want to experience the promise of "rest for your souls," you must walk it out. Give attention to that ancient path and step out by faith in obedience to the guidance of God's word. It is a light for your path (see Psalm 119:105). Do not be like those who said they would not walk in it. Don't trust any other way than the way of Christ through His word. The "GPS" directions of those who have a more modern view of the Christian faith will leave you walking away from the ancient path of God. So, my friends--stand, look and ask. And when the ancient path is presented you--step out and walk upon it. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Illusions1/4/2024 2 Peter 2:19 ~ "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." I enjoy movies. I appreciate epic stories, with a powerful emphasis on some form of redemptive experience, that is expressed with well developed characters and a plot that carries through to the end. And to enjoy such a movie, you must have what storytellers call the "suspension of disbelief." In essence, you must be willing to separate your actual understanding from what is portrayed on the screen. In short, you have to--for the duration of the program--accept the illusion. Now, in truth, I don't believe that Mordor exists or that Scrooge encountered three ghosts of Christmas. However, I appreciate those stories and can, for the time it takes to watch them, suspend my disbelief for the enjoyment. What happens, though, when the illusion is more desirable than reality? Welcome to the trap. It is then that you become a slave to corruption. Let me explain through a couple of examples. The first one is a sin, the second is an activity that might become a sin. Hebrews 12:1 describes them as either a sin or a weight that has the potential to ensnare us. First: pornography. Do you know what is the illusion of that ensnaring medium? It is the illusion of being desired. Many people who turn to porn are driven there by their need to be desired. And on the screen are these sensual individuals telling the audience that they are desired. It is all a lie, but the audience buys it. Second: video games. What is the illusion there? Video games ensnare their captives through a sense of virtual accomplishment without ever any actual accomplishment. Those drawn to the need for a sense of victory or achievement get the strong sense of both as they go from level to level in the game. They don't actually do anything, but they feel like they did. Both of the scenarios above, and many more beside, make promises that are nothing more than lies. If you believe that the person on the other side of the screen actually desires you, you must regain your disbelief and remember that they don't even know you. If you think that you have achieved a great victory and advanced your life through a game, come back to reality for a moment and see that you've only lost hours and hours of life. With those two examples, I don't mean to merely attack those who are ensnared. I use them to illustrate the fact that in our lives there are so many illusions that captivate our minds and attentions that are, as Peter said above, promises which enslave. Other traps could be things like social media, binge-watching, alcohol, and many more--anything that gives the illusion of a thing without the actuality of it. But God is reality Himself. And knowing Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior is the ultimate grandeur of life. There is no "suspension of disbelief" needed, for everything Jesus has said or done is absolutely true. The Holy Scriptures reveal to us something far greater than the illusions of this world. And living by faithful obedience to the Word of God is the greatest occupation of our lives. Consider what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "...as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." What are you looking toward to give you the sense of purpose, value, joy, freedom or accomplishment? In the illusions of this world you may think you've found promises of freedom, but in the end they will be nothing more than a trap and snare to keep you from living your life in true freedom--the liberty of living for Christ. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Cast Lot1/3/2024 Proverbs 16:33 ~ "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." While working in the U.S. Air Force, I was temporarily serving near Las Vegas, Nevada. Several of us would go downtown to get dinner, and one man in our team would invariably stop at several slot machines, card tables and other gambling kiosks that availed themselves to those who would drift through. This young airman lamented often that he was very bad at gambling--so much so that when he went to the local ATM, it even refused to give him money. He came to me one weary afternoon. A look of anguish filled his eyes as he confessed to me that he had squandered all his savings and he didn't know how he would tell his wife when we returned to our primary base. Several of us took up a collection for him, and held it until we returned home and he was out of range of those dreadful temptations. And so he blamed all his woes on that miserable companion: bad luck. But was it merely "bad luck?" Is there such a thing? Let me ask you, my friends, how much do you trust the sovereignty of God? Consider the text above: "the lot is cast." Dice are rolled and do we believe that is it merely random chance that brings up the numbers? Many often live as if life is a circumstantial experience that is left completely to chance. Shuffle the deck. Are the cards sufficiently confused--or does God know each and every one, and actually placed them in that order? Mankind struggles on this side of eternity with what appears to be merely coincidental realities, for we only see the randomness of circumstance and the happenstance of experience while we dwell in this mortal frame. But you must move to the second portion of the text: "but its every decision is from the LORD." There is not one atom of existence outside of the sovereign will of Almighty God. From Him comes every decision of every throw of every dice. Now, before you go running off to flip a coin to decide every action you must take, understand the purpose of the text. It is not an encouragement for you to start gambling in order to determine the will of God. This is written to show you that everything--even things as small and innocuous as the casting of a lot--is under God's sovereign control. Believer, let this move you to trust Him more. Let this guide your faith to know that there is nothing that has happened to you that is beyond God's power or outside of His control. You have never been hit by a random set of circumstances. And though it might look like it from our vantage point, let us place our faith in the One who holds the universe together--the Lord Jesus Christ. God has purposes for everything, and you can trust Him. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Mountain Remains1/2/2024 Isaiah 26:4, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Years ago I lived in the midst of some beautiful mountains. Each winter I would gaze upon those snow-capped peaks and marvel at the majesty of those spires. Rugged and wonderful, they stretched like granite towers carved out by the finger of God. But as winter is so prevalent to do here in the Pacific Northwest, clouds rolled in and hid those encircling mountains. They were hid so well in fact, that if you had never seen them and only experienced cloudy days in that mountain town, you might believe that those mountains never existed in the first place. One Sunday morning, I asked the congregation where I served if the mountain was gone. It had vanished behind the clouds and surely the mountain had moved on and found sunnier skies where it could display its majesty. Of course, the silliness of that reasoning was obvious--just because you couldn't see the mountain did not mean it wasn't there. And, dear believer, I suspect that you have found out my point. Just because you cannot see God, and though the clouds of doubt, fear, anxiety, distress, persecutions and sorrows blanket the skies of your faith, does not mean the Mountain has departed. As Isaiah 26:4 declares, our God is an EVERLASTING rock! He does not depart, He will not forsake you. And though the clouds of suffering may hide your view of Him, He has always remained. Consider another passage from Isaiah 50:10, "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God." Do you fear the Lord and yet it seems that you walk in darkness and have no light? Then do what it says--trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon your God. Do not give yourself over to the niggling doubts that creep into your thoughts when the way seems shrouded. Turn to His word and trust Him. Live out the life of faithful obedience and God will, in His time and for His purpose, dispel those clouds. They are there, even now, to test your faith--to show that you can trust Him, even if the way is dark. Consider what the Apostle Peter had to say in 1 Peter 1:8, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory." Though you do not see Him, continue believing. The clouds may hide the Mountain, my friend, but they can never, ever, remove Him. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Pursuing Holiness1/1/2024 2 Corinthians 7:1, "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." The promises of God must provide the impetus for the pursuit of holiness. How much do you long for holiness? I've asked myself that question on many occasions as I have warred against the constant barrage of temptations that seem to continually bang against the door of my heart. And then, in those moments of failure, I feel the grip of anguish and remorse along with that godly grief which moves me to once again repent of sin and strive after holiness. Paul mentions that we have "these promises." To what promises does the Apostle refer? You would have look back to the previous chapter, specifically 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” We walk in a culture saturated with all manner of wickedness--and God has promised to be with us. But God cannot fellowship with darkness, nor can He partner with sin (see 2 Corinthians 6:14). Thus, for us to enjoy the fellowship of God we must depart from wickedness--or as Paul said, to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, from every external and internal corruption, that would pollute our lives. And that is how holiness is pursued. You must understand, the pursuit of holiness is not merely moral reformation or ethical adjustments to conform to a better code of conduct. Those things are important, and are the outgrowth of holiness. But to pursue holiness is to forsake all inward worldly desires that do not conform to the Lord and be separate from all other external pursuits that conflict with love for Christ. It is more than behavioral reformation, it is a willing separation from those things that defile and a unity with Christ that leads to righteousness. In its simplest understanding: holiness is to be separate from the world and united with Christ. In the text above it says that we are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16). We must not bring into our lives any form of worldliness or idolatry that would pollute or defile God's temple. And when we discover those things within us that do defile, let us cleanse ourselves through repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:10) that we might bring our lives into a greater holiness in the fear of God. Perhaps, there is no better way to begin a New Year. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Sugar Candy5/16/2023 Do you enjoy eating candy? How about as a child? It is no amazing thing to take a child to a grocery store and have them stop and stare longingly toward the candy isle, hoping that there will be some great appropriation of the presented treats and that, in the end, they will have their hands and face coated in the surgery sweetness of some chocolate delight. Every parent who has ever taken their child shopping has probably heard the desperate plea of their offspring, hoping that somehow they can convince their mom or dad that their survival hinges with absolute certainty upon whether or not they get a piece of candy. Perhaps they go so far as to cry against their parents, claiming that mom or dad just does not love them because they would not get them a morsel of sugar. Sugar candy is a child's delight. But good parenting knows that there must be a necessary limit on the sweet treat, and a greater emphasis on better nutrition that will grow and sustain their lives. And so it is in the Christian life. Peter wrote in his letter, "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:2-3). Anything other than that which will cause you to grow and mature in Christ is merely sugar candy. But what is spiritual sugar candy? Basically, anything that is drawn from your immature passions or desires, those things that feed your whims and not your soul, and those things, like candy, that do not provide any real spiritual nutrition but only a quick "sugar high" that ultimately leaves you longing for another "fix." It is possible to get addicted to sugar--and to use the illustration, it is possible to get a spiritual addiction to those hyped-up moments that give you the spiritual "buzz" but leave you without anything of real substance. Jesus deals with this issue of the immature seeking the spiritual sugar candy in John chapter 6. If you have a Bible, take a moment and go and read the whole chapter as our Lord feeds the 5000 then challenges them against their selfish desires. Okay... hopefully you've returned. I want to highlight one particular verse--verse 26. "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves." Ultimately, what the people wanted was breakfast the next morning. They had ate their fill, and now, being hungry again, they wanted Jesus to do it all over. So Jesus told them that their only reason for coming was to have their superficial hunger satisfied. They were looking for "sugar candy." They had no desire for Christ Himself, despite the fact that He had just demonstrated His divine authority and power. But what are the modern versions of spiritual sugar candy? Again, as I stated above, anything that we crave that only satisfies our selfish delights, those things that fill up our whims and fancies. Let me put it another way... Do you go to worship because it tantalizes your feelings or because it increases your knowledge and awareness of Christ? Do you read the Scriptures, seeking to find those morsels that presumably speak of your own personal aggrandizement and avoid those texts that teach of sacrificial submission to Christ? Do you look for Christian fellowship that will continually stroke your ego, boost your sense of worth and avoid those fellowships that will remind you of the holiness of Christ and your call to live a selfless life? If the answer is, "yes," then you are one who is seeking spiritual sugar candy. It is time to repent of such childishness. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways" (1 Corinthians 13:11). There must come that time when we all put away our childish ways and grow up. What does maturity in Christ look like? It looks like one who continues striving toward the goal of Christlikeness: humility, faithfulness, holiness and love. Consider the words of Paul to the Philippians: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. ~ Philippians 3:12-16 We all start off as immature. But do not let that be the place where you remain. Let us do as we are instructed by the Scriptures, "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). Catharsis4/12/2023 I need a catharsis. Everyone does. There are those things that we keep inside our souls, deep in the recesses of our hearts, that weigh down life and prevent us from having the buoyancy needed to continue sailing in the ocean of God's grace and love. Hebrews 12:1 calls them "...every weight, and sin which clings so close." They are the dross of life that needs to be burned up and purged away. Years ago, doctors would give people a mixture of rather unsavory tonic to cause them to "purge." Today it's known as Ipecac and it does the same thing--as every parent is probably aware. The ancient Greek physicians would call it "kathairein" and it would mean to "make pure" or to "cleanse." It wasn't pleasant... but it was purifying. Today, people seek for those cathartic moments, experiences and situations that would help them purge away the emotional baggage from their souls. However, rather than purging themselves of the sinful nature they run to that very nature in hopes that they will soon feel the release from the demands of their conscience. If only they could feel comfortable in their own skin and not have the burden of a continued sense of guilt. It would be like a person dying from ingested poison, only to seek out more of the poison in hopes that their body would soon get used to it. It's foolish. But it is happening all around us. However, it doesn't change the need for a catharsis. The weight of burdens and sins that cling are still there. What does it take for us, for those who believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation and yet still carry the burdens of past failures, present sins and personal griefs, to experience that catharsis? We must come to Jesus. As Jesus washed the disciples feet in John chapter 13 He said this in verse 10, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean." That is to say, those who have come to the Lord Jesus for salvation (bathed) still walks through the dirt of this world and needs to have their feet washed. There are still things we pick up along the way, sins from which we still struggle to be free, and past failures that still weigh us down with sorrow. Ignoring them does not cause them to go away. He has already invited us to come in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." So, how do we come to Jesus? Our Lord answered that very thing--we come to Him by faith through His word. John 15:3 Jesus said this, "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." That cleansing, that purging that is so desperately needed is going to be found through the Word of God. It is the "tonic" that the Great Physician has given so that all who drink deep of His water will discover a well of everlasting life. An interesting illustration of this, and I use this ONLY for the illustration, is Revelation 10:10. "And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter." And so it goes with much of God's medicine of His word. It is sweet to us, we desire it for we know the cathartic properties it will provide. Yet it is bitter and will cause us to grieve and sorrow. But consider the words of 2 Corinthians 7:10, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." It is the very thing God has given to us in order that we should be purged of our burdens and sins. But it's not magic. You can't just read the Scriptures and walk away thinking that somehow it will magically transform you. It is to be ingested... made a part of you... obeyed. The Word of God must become the living and active experience of your life (Hebrews 4:12-13). James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." All of us need catharsis. All of us need that cleansing and purging of sins and past weights that cause us to sink into personal sorrow. Will you pick up the "tonic" of God's word and begin to drink deep of His remedy? I will too. From the Mountains to the SeaEvery step we take on this journey called life ought to be used for greater understanding. I've lived from the mountains to the sea, and this blog is my personal thoughts and observations with a desire for Biblical understanding. Welcome. Featured BookArchives
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