January 17, 2021
Author:MamaFratelli
January 13, 2021
WEBS: God of Miracles 49
January 10, 2021
Vision Sunday 2021 Theme: Love East Texas
David Dykes
TINY BUT MIGHTY A single snowflake is just a tiny, beautiful six-sided ice crystal. It is so light and insignificant it will melt in your hand. Alone it’s not much. But when you put trillions of them together like in some of the blizzards up north, they can shut down a major city and an entire region.
Alone, we’re not much, but with the unity of the Spirit and the passion to show God’s love, our message can transform an entire region for Christ. Matthew 22:34-40.
January 3, 2021
Happy New You!
December 27, 2020
What Have We Learned in 2020?
December 20, 2020
The First Star Trek
December 13, 2020
The Cost of Christmas: From Riches to Rags to Riches
December 13, 2020
The Cost of Christmas: From Riches to Rags to Riches
December 6, 2020
Believing: Life in His Name
December 6, 2020
Believing: Life in His Name
David Dykes
THE REST OF THE STORY Jesus has been performing marvelous deeds since the beginning of the beginning. He told the Jews that “before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus has been performing trillions of miracles in this vast universe that we don’t even realize. One of the joys of Heaven will be for us to learn about all the other marvelous miracles that Jesus performed. Final message in the John: Believe and Live! series. John 20:30-31; 21:24-25.
November 29, 2020
The Mission Strategy of Jesus
November 20, 2020
Hope for ONE More Child
November 18, 2020
WEBS: God of Miracles 48
November 15, 2020
Hope for ONE More Child
November 11, 2020
WEBS: God of Miracles 47
November 8, 2020
The Beauty of Restoration
David Dykes
SECOND CHANCES God is the God of the second chance—He’s the God of the third fourth and hundredth chance. If you have failed the Lord in the past, remember that Jesus can restore you. The devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He’s the great destroyer. But Jesus is the great restorer. He took a murderer like Moses and used him. He took an adulterer like David and used him. He took Christ-hating Jewish terrorist by the named Saul and gave him a new name, Paul, and used him mightily. And God can use you. He is the great restorer. John 21:15-23.
November 4, 2020
WEBS: God of Miracles 46
November 1, 2020
Sharing the Lord’s Breakfast
Michael Gossett
We can accomplish anything in this world. We can receive the greatest accolades, have the highest education, make the most money, have the best position—do all of these things. But never will it equate to fullness in your life or true satisfaction because it’s just a moment in time. John 21:1-14.
November 1, 2020
Sharing the Lord’s Breakfast
David Dykes
There are two forces at work in the Christian life, and you have to keep these two in perfect balance. There is union and communion. Union occurs when we first come to Christ and He moves into our life. That’s union. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. It is a relationship that can never be severed. But there is also communion in which we staying close fellowship with Jesus. John 21:1-14.
October 25, 2020
My Lord and My God!
David Dykes
ST. THOMAS OF INDIA History is full of seekers like Thomas who investigated and became believers. Church history reports that Thomas went to current day India to spread the Gospel. He preached for twenty years until he was martyred. Today, the patron saint of India is St. Thomas. And when the Dutch Trading Company landed on an island in the Caribbean, they named it Saint Thomas and established the St. Thomas Church there. So Honest Thomas had a great impact on God’s Kingdom. John 20:19-29.
October 18, 2020
Breath of Heaven
October 11, 2020
A Tomb with a View
David Dykes
Mary thought Jesus was the gardener so she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, please show me where you put him and I will get him.” That’s love. Maybe Mary weighed 110 pounds. Let’s assume Jesus weighed 180, and John tells us that Nicodemus and Joseph had wrapped His body in 75 additional pounds of aloe and spices. So this little woman was willing to heft a corpse weighing over 250 pounds on her shoulder and carry it back inside the tomb. That’s love. Her hope was shattered, and her faith was absent, but her love was still there. John 20:1-18.
October 11, 2020
A Tomb with a View
October 4, 2020
Love That Shares
Michael Gossett
GET IN THE BOAT Do not let us be a church that rows away into eternity covering our eyes and ears so we can’t hear the screams of the people who are lost and dying around us. Let’s be a church that pursues them, that loves our neighbor in such a way that we can look at them and say, “There is plenty of room for you. Get in the boat.” Matthew 13:1-9.
September 27, 2020
Love That Serves
Michael Gossett
WHAT’S YOUR ANGLE? It is hard to find authenticity in this world. It’s hard to know what is true, it is hard to know what’s genuine. It seems as if that all of us are expecting some sort of angle. Even the way that you watch the news, even the way that you deal with others. At times we like we have some sort of guard up against our neighbor, against those around us, because we are assuming that they are working with some type of angle in mind. Mark 10:35-45.
September 20, 2020
Love That Sees
September 13, 2020
The Day Death was Buried
David Dykes
JESUS’ REMOVAL FROM THE CROSS The Bible tells us that Jesus had two unlikely undertakers, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. You might expect family members or disciples to step forward and claim the body, but instead these two respected members of the Jewish Sanhedrin collected the body of Jesus from the cross. It was not an easy or a pretty job. First, they had to climb up and either remove the nails or removed Jesus hands and feet from the nails embedded in the cross. Then they had to lower His mangled body. Jesus’ back had been ripped apart with a whip, Water and blood had flowed from the wound in His side. Then they had to remove the razor-sharp crown of thorns. John 19:38-42.
September 6, 2020
The Water and the Blood
David Dykes
DEATH BY INCONVENIENCE To me it is the height of hypocrisy that the Jewish leaders were so concerned about sunset messing with their religious holiday that they appealed to Pilate to hasten the death of the three men being crucified. They didn’t want a bloody body to inconvenience them from their religious acts. John 19:28-37.
August 30, 2020
The Word Heard Around the World
David Dykes
KNOWING Can you imagine living your whole life anticipating the most horrible death possible? No doubt Jesus saw hundreds of Roman crucifixions as He was growing up. He must have thought, “That’s me someday.” Every time Joseph planed a rough piece of wood, Jesus probably thought about the cross. Every time Joseph pounded nails in wood, Jesus surely thought of the last time His human ears would hear that sound. John 19:28-30.
August 30, 2020
The Word Heard Around the World
August 23, 2020
The Faces at Golgotha
David Dykes
INCONCEIVABLE The Gospel writers don’t go into minute detail about the crucifixion because all of their First-Century readers had witnessed the horror of crucifixion with their own eyes. We really don’t have a modern frame of reference for it. It would be like me going back to the time of Jesus and saying there was a head-on collision on Loop 49 and none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts. You get the picture—but they wouldn’t. We can’t begin to imagine the wickedness and cruelty of Roman crucifixion. John 19:17-27.
August 23, 2020
The Faces at Golgotha
Michael Gossett
Are you going to be like the first thief or are you going to be like the second? Are you going to be like the soldiers who are just gambling for their eternity? Or are you going to be like the first thief who says, “Listen, I just need you to get me through this.” John 19:17-27.
August 16, 2020
The Danger of Mob Mentality
David Dykes
With that act of symbolically washing his hands, Pilate thought he would be vindicated. He thought that he would never be associated with the death of Jesus. But let me show you what is tragically ironic. The one man who wanted to be absolved of any guilt is the name that has been spoken millions of times connecting him to the death of Jesus. I’m referring to the Apostle’s Creed. This creed has been recited millions of times, and is being recited today in Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and many other churches. John 19:5-16.
August 16, 2020
The Danger of Mob Mentality
August 9, 2020
A Cruel Crown on a Sacred Head
David Dykes
The crown of thorns was a prophecy of the majestic crown Jesus will wear when He returns. When Jesus came the first time, He came as the gentle Jesus, meek and mild. When He returns it will be a conquering King. When He came the first time it was as the Lamb of God, when He returns it will be as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. John 19:1-5.
August 2, 2020
Jesus is the Answer
Michael Gossett
The sentence that was due Barabbas was transferred to Jesus so that Barabbas may have a new life. And that same gift is for every single person who trusts in him. John 18:33-40.
August 2, 2020
Jesus is the Answer
David Dykes
REAL IDENTITY Barabbas was a bad dude. But he got the break of a life-time. An innocent man took his place on the cross. I am Barabbas. You are Barabbas. We are all guilty sinners. And we deserve to receive God’s judgment against sin. But like Barabbas, we have a substitute. Jesus died in our place. John 18:33-40.
July 26, 2020
See You in Court
July 19, 2020
Moving from Denial to Restoration
MICHAEL GOSSETT
THE PATH We see two completely different stories between Judas and Peter. Both men failed. Both slipped into sin. But Judas hid and went into the shadows of the night to end his life. Peter ran toward the light in order to have life. Which path are you on? John 18:15-18; 25-27
July 19, 2020
Moving from Denial to Restoration
David Dykes
FALLING BEHIND Peter followed Jesus at a distance to the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house. That’s an indication that we find ourselves in trouble when we don’t follow the Lord closely. If you followed the Lord closely at one time, but you have hung back and now you follow the Lord at a distance, before long you find yourself hanging out with the wrong crowd. And soon you find yourself doing the wrong thing. John 18:15-18; 25-27
July 12, 2020
How to Keep Your Cool in a Crisis
DAVID DYKES
CUP OF HORRORS What was in that cup that Jesus found to be so unpleasant? To drink a cup means to go through an experience. Inside that cup Jesus knew there was terrible physical pain. He knew over the next few hours He would be tortured and crucified. Also inside that cup was isolation. All His disciples would forsake Him, and He would face the cross alone. Even on the cross, He endured isolation from His Father. But I think the most horrifying content of that cup were sins of all the world. He would bear all the sins in His body on the cross. All the lies, murders, rapes, and hatred of the world would stain His sinless soul. John 18:1-11.
July 5, 2020
Lord, Heal Our Land
June 28, 2020
Three Requests Jesus Prayed for You
June 28, 2020
Three Requests Jesus Prayed for You
Dustin Slaton
UNITY IS NOT UNIFORMITY When you look at unity in the church as described in Revelation, you see a whole lot of different flavors. John describes one body of worshipers at the throne of Jesus: a single multitude, united, yet a multitude made of people from every distinct nation, tribe, people, and language. United, but not uniform. Full of flavor, variety, and uniqueness, stirred together to worship the one true King. John 17:20-26
June 21, 2020
What in the World am I Doing?
Michael Gossett
We can only be satisfied with the joy that comes from Christ. If we want to be good soldiers for Christ, we can’t find satisfaction in the world. We have to understand that we are going to be set apart, we are going to be sanctified to continue growth, but always, when we are growing as a church we will always be going as a church with the gospel of Jesus. John 17:11-19.
June 14, 2020
The World’s MVP
David Dykes
PASCAL’S WAGER Is death the end and there is no afterlife as Dr. Stephen Hawking claimed or as Billy Graham said, is there an afterlife where we may spend eternity with God in a place called heaven? Both of them cannot be correct. And the most important decision in your short life is to decide which position is correct. John 17:1-12.
June 7, 2020
Moving from Sorrow to Joy
May 31, 2020
The Holy Spirit’s Job Description
May 24, 2020
How to Treat Your Friends and Enemies
David Dykes
THE FRIEND At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that starting that night, He would call them friends, not servants. It is a revolutionary truth that we can be friends with our Creator. Abraham was called a friend of God. The Bible said Moses spoke to God face to face as a man speaks to a friend. When Jesus was told that Lazarus had died, He said, “Our friend, Lazarus has gone to sleep, but I’m going to wake him up.” John 15:12-27. Audio TBA.
May 17, 2020
How to Enjoy the Joy Jesus Enjoyed
MICHAEL GOSSETT
The world is watching the church right now like never before. This is an opportunity for us to show a true joy. You can shut down the church house, but you never take away the joy that is found in Jesus Christ, because our joy is not dependent on our circumstance or what is happening around us. Our joy is found in the fact that Jesus Christ took the plight of man and made a way for us to be reunited with God once again. John 15:9-17.
May 10, 2020
Our Vine Line to God
May 3, 2020
The Promise of Peace
PAUSE FOR PEACE The world doesn’t understand peace. People talk about world peace, and that’s a noble goal. It’s always a good answer in a beauty contest. But according to an article in The New York Times, out of almost 4,000 years of recorded human history, there have only been about 200 years of peace—and those years of peace are just pauses for the armies to reload. John 14:27-31.
April 26, 2020
The Lord Living in Us
Michael Gossett
CAUTION When we petition the Lord, we need to be very careful about how we are using the Lord’s name. One of the most elusive ways we can use the Lord’s name in vain is in our prayer life. We are praying for things that are not of God’s desire or His will. We need to be cautious of how we pray in the name of the Lord. John 14:12-26.
April 19, 2020
God’s Cure for Heart Trouble
ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY One reason people are on edge is because there is so much uncertainty. What if I, or someone I love contract the virus? Am I still going to have a job? Will I be able to retire? When will this pandemic be over? Will life ever be the same again? There is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now. If we just could get some kind of assurance that life will work out—then maybe we can hold on. I want to remind you than in the midst of so much uncertainty there are some things you can be absolutely certain about: God loves you and Jesus died to give you eternal life. John 14:1-11.
April 12, 2020
How’s Your Heart?
ON THE ROAD AGAIN After the two disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognized him, they were so fired up they got up and returned to Jerusalem–seven miles. It’s uphill in that direction, but I can imagine they literally ran. What had been a road of despair was now a road of rejoicing. When they found the eleven disciples, they couldn’t keep silent. “It’s true! We’ve seen the Lord! He is ALIVE!” And there was celebration on the first Easter evening—and we’ve been celebrating ever since! Their hearts were on fire. The spark from one heart ignited the hearts of others. Luke 24:13-29.
April 5, 2020
How to Love Like Jesus Loves
MISTAKEN People make two big mistakes about what they think love is. Some think love is a feeling. Although love produces feelings, Jesus taught us that love isn’t a feeling, it’s a choice. He chose to lay down His life. Some people make the mistake of thinking love is some uncontrollable force. “I just fell out of love with that person.” You don’t fall out of love; you fall out of trees. Or they say, “I couldn’t help it, I fell in love with that person.” You don’t fall in love; you fall in holes. John 13:31-35.
March 29, 2020
The Danger of Pride and Pretense
COLLEGE DROPOUT Judas spent three years attending Jesus University. His mind was full of biblical truth. Judas heard all the parables and teachings of Jesus. He knew more about what Jesus taught than we do because only a small percentage of what Jesus did and said are in the Gospel accounts. Judas’ problem wasn’t information, it was transformation. He hadn’t been transformed. John 13:18-30; 36-38.
March 22, 2020
Clean Feet in a Dirty World
SECURITY Once you come to Christ, that relationship is secure forever. God is your Father and you are a child of God. Nothing can change the relationship. But as we walk in a dirty world, we sometimes still stumble into sin. So to stay in fellowship with the Lord we come to Him and regularly confess our sins to Him. John 13:1-17.
March 15, 2020
Facing Your Fears
MAMA BEAR MENTALITY Have you considered how love can drive out fear? There are several stories about supernatural courage and strength that takes place in a mother when her children are in danger of any sort. It is similar in our relationship: God’s love for us helps remove fear in our lives. Knowing that God loves us and that all things work together for good to them that love Him, we find strength to face fear with faith. 2 Timothy 1:7. Audio: David O. Dykes; Transcript: Michael Gossett.
March 8, 2020
The Only Sin God Won’t Forgive
Michael Gossett
PHARISEE FEAR There is no such thing as a private or secret follower of Jesus. According to John, this does not and cannot exist. The person who disguises their faith is the self-proclaimed believer who has an intellectual faith but not one that has taken root in their heart. This group of followers chose to fear the Pharisees instead of following the Savior. John 12:37-50.
March 1, 2020
The Magnetism of the Cross
POLAR OPPOSITES There are three different ways people react to the preaching of the cross. (1) Some are repelled by the thought of a messy, bloody cross. They want a nice clean, sanitary religion. (2) Others have no response. They have no interest in hearing about how a man died on a Roman cross two thousand years ago. (3) For many, the cross is like a magnet, drawing them to it. John 12:27-36.
February 23, 2020
Upside Down
Michael Gossett
Love your personal enemies with your actions, your speech and your heart.
February 16, 2020
Are You Just Living to Die or Dying to Live?
February 9, 2020
The Day Jesus Reigned on Their Parade
REDEEMER When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the Jews were looking for another military Messiah. But Jesus rode a donkey to show that He wasn’t a Hammer, He was a Redeemer. A radical revolutionary kills others for his cause but a loving Redeemer lays down His life so that others may live. John 12:12-19.
February 2, 2020
Getting in on God’s Economy in 2020
The 2020 Giving Challenge: Honor God and be blessed. Proverbs 3:5-10.
January 26, 2020
The Fragrance of Pure Worship
January 12, 2020
Who’s in Control Here?
January 5, 2020
The Lazarus Lesson
LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF FELLOWSHIP Jesus gave Lazarus life, then He gave Him liberty, and now Lazarus is enjoying a fellowship meal with Jesus. Some people think the Christian life is like a funeral but it’s more like a feast. He invites you from the spiritual tomb of your lostness to the spiritual table of fellowship with Him. John 11:28-44.
December 29, 2019
Jesus Turns Setbacks into Comebacks
WHEN YOU CAN’T JUST SIT THERE Sometimes when we experience a disappointment or a setback, we want to hide out and just be alone. It was part of the Jewish mourning custom that Martha should have stayed in her home sitting Shiva for seven days after Lazarus died. But when she got word that Jesus was on the way, she couldn’t sit still. She ran to Jesus. John 11:17-27.
December 22, 2019
Glory in a Manger
Michael Gossett
How God revealed his character, kingdom and eternal hope in the manger. Luke 2:1-20.
December 15, 2019
Christmas 2019: Light Has Come
2019 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 8, 2019
God’s Delays Are Not God’s Denials
THE LAZARUS LESSON Jesus’ delay in going to Lazarus was a lesson He was trying to teach His disciples and us—that death is like sleeping. It is not to be feared any more than lying down and pulling up the covers under your chin to sleep. Jesus took the sting of fear out of death. John 11:1-16.
December 1, 2019
The Transforming Truth About Jesus
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE The truth about Jesus isn’t just something to believe. It isn’t a set of facts to inform you, it is life-giving truth that transforms you. Belief that doesn’t affect your behavior isn’t true belief. If you believe Jesus is God it will affect the way you approach your marriage, your singleness, or being a parent or grandparent. It will transform your job, your hobbies, and how you handle God’s money. And believing in Jesus will affect your relationship with everyone you meet. John 10:29-42.
November 17, 2019
Keeping the MAIN Thing the MAIN Thing
The Great Commission. Matthew 28:16-20.
October 20, 2019
Once His Lamb, ALWAYS His Lamb
WORKING NON-STOP Have you ever started something you couldn’t finish? I have and probably so have you. But God has never started something He couldn’t finish. He began a good work in you and He will persevere until the day of Jesus: That means either the day you die and meet Jesus or the day Jesus returns. Either way, He won’t stop working on you. John 10:22-29.
October 13, 2019
What’s So Good About the Good Shepherd?
Jesus knew He was going to die, but He also knew the time and the place He would die. He was in complete control. That’s why He said He would lay down His life for the sheep. They couldn’t kill Him until He was ready to lay down his life. He said, “No man takes my life from me. I lay it down willingly.” John 10:10-21.
October 6, 2019
Jesus is the Only Gate to Heaven
IT’S PERSONAL Our Good Shepherd deals with each one of us individually. Have you noticed all the personal encounters Jesus had in this study? He was one-on-one with Nicodemus. He spoke to the woman at the well. He spoke to the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. He dealt personally with the man who was blind from birth. Jesus redeems individuals, not groups. John 10:1-10.
September 29, 2019
The Tragedy of Spiritual Blindness
September 22, 2019
The Blind Man’s Bluff
FRIENDS OR JESUS? So if you are going to stand up for Jesus, prepare to be rejected. Many Christians, especially young people and young adults, can’t resist the peer pressure. They want to be accepted by their friends, so they make a decision to reject the truth of the Bible to go along with the popular culture’s definition of truth. If you stand for truth, like this blind man did, you are going to be kicked out of the popular crowd. John 9:13-38.
September 15, 2019
The Night is Coming…
Michael Gossett
When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, He didn’t hang around and wait for their answer. He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” He kept on walking. They had to act at that moment or the opportunity would be gone. Audio: Michael Gossett; Transcript: David O. Dykes.
September 8, 2019
Here’s Mud in Your Eye
September 1, 2019
Death Removed
Michael Gossett
SEPARATION ANXIETY You and I have an understanding of what death is, but death is essentially known as separation. This is the moment where the spiritual part of the person is separated from their physical part. The question for most people is not necessarily about the spiritual and physical separation but rather the concern is what is going to take place after this separation occurs. And this is where most of the focus of all human ideology comes. John 8:48-59.
August 25, 2019
Like Father, Like Son
SPIN DOCTOR The first recorded words of the devil are found in Genesis 3:1. He asked Eve a question. “Did God REALLY say you can’t eat from ANY tree in the Garden?” That’s not what God had said. So we see from the first that the devil tries to twist God’s words. And the devil always puts a question mark about the statements of God.
August 18, 2019
The Truth Will Set You Free; Or It Will Make You Mad
DEALING IN ABSOLUTES Today, truth is subjective and personal. People say, “There are no absolute truths. Whatever I feel to be true is my truth. And my truth may not be your truth.” But think about the contradiction. For someone to insist that there are no absolute truths is a statement of an absolute truth.
August 11, 2019
Kindness: Love in Action
August 4, 2019
Jesus: The Light of the World
THE JESUS FLASHLIGHT Just as we need a good light to read, we need the illumination of Jesus to empower us to understand the Word of God. Before a person comes to Christ, their understanding is darkened. But as they begin to truly seek the Lord, He begins to illuminate their minds. The light comes on. I’ve had people tell me they read the Bible for years and I couldn’t understand it, and then one day it was as if someone turned on the light and suddenly it started to make sense.” That is the illuminating power of Jesus.
July 28, 2019
Where Misery and Mercy Meet
What’s that in your hand today? Is it a rock and you find yourself being obsessed with a sense of always being cynical and hypercritical? You can’t have an open hand of grace as long as you’re holding on to a rock in your fist. The message the Holy Spirit has for some of you today is to drop your rocks.
July 14, 2019
Jesus: The Great Divider
June 23, 2019
The Secret of an Overflowing Life
If you want to know what’s filling a person’s heart listen to what they talk about. If it’s a certain music filling their heart, they’ll talk about it. If it’s a hobby like golf or horseshoes they’ll talk about it. If it’s the latest television series, they’ll talk about it. If their heart is full of Jesus, they’ll talk about Him. I don’t mean that’s all you’ll talk about—but if you never or seldom speak about Jesus, you need to check your heart.
May 26, 2019
When Jesus was in a Feast Fight
May 19, 2019
How to Handle Disappointments and Disagreements
Those who know God intimately have come to see that He often allows us to face adversity in order to conform us to the image of Christ. God determined from the beginning that we should be shaped into the image of His Son. Part of this plan involves the painful removal of those things in our lives that don’t reflect this image.
May 5, 2019
The Danger of Defective Discipleship
I can stand up here and say anything, but that doesn’t make it true. I can say, “I’m a tree. I’m a flowering pear tree.” And if I insisted on saying that you’d say, “No, you’re not a flowering tree. You’re a blooming idiot.” The reason I’m not a tree is that I don’t have the inner nature of a tree. A person can say, “I’m a Christian.” But saying doesn’t make it so unless they have had their hearts changed by Jesus.
April 21, 2019
The Fullness of Empty
The manger is empty so we can be filled with the truth about God. The cross is empty so we can be filled with forgiveness. And the tomb is empty so we can be filled with hope. To put it another way, the manger, the cross, and the tomb are all empty so that Heaven can be filled with people who trust Jesus.
April 14, 2019
The Wonder of Salvation
We live in a culture where the world, the devil and the flesh are doing everything possible to draw us away from Jesus. We can be drawn in two different directions. Have you ever been at the ocean and you’re in the surf near the shore? The waves are pulling you toward shore and the undertow is pulling you in the other direction. On the surface, there is so much in our culture trying to distract you and draw you away from Jesus.
April 7, 2019
The Great I AM: The Bread of Life
We live in a hungry world. Every creature has an open mouth wanting to be fed. From the baby bird in the nest to the eagle soaring in the sky; from the minnow in the creek to the whale in the ocean; from the mouse nibbling on a crumb to the mighty elephant in jungle; every creature has to be fed. In fact, most creatures in the animal world devote most of their lives to finding food. But physical food only satisfies us temporarily.
March 24, 2019
When Jesus Walks into Your Fears
When the disciples were caught in the storm at sea, they couldn’t see Jesus, but the good news was that Jesus could see the disciples. When you’re going through a dark struggle, you may look around and ask, “God where are you?” You may not think you can see God, but you can be certain that God sees you and He cares for you.
March 17, 2019
All You Can Eat…and MORE
In the miracle of the fishes and loaves, there were five thousand men, plus women and children. All of them had been following Jesus all day. It was late and they were tired and hungry. On the surface, you would think their main problem was a lack of food. But that was just the surface problem; there was a deeper spiritual problem.
February 24, 2019
Moses Knew About Jesus!
February 10, 2019
It’s GOOD to Know the Judge
There’s a great deal of misunderstanding of what eternal life is. Many of us grew up on the good old King James Version which often translated it “everlasting life.” So it’s easy to get the idea that eternal life is talking about a length of existence. Eternal life really is a quality of life.
February 4, 2019
Who is Equal to God?
I’m always looking for ways to help you understand how the Holy Spirit lives in you. I usually drink coffee in the morning, but a few weeks ago, I was in a restaurant for breakfast and I ordered a cup of hot tea. The server brought a cup of hot water with a tea bag on the saucer beside the cup. I unwrapped the tea bag and started dipping it into the hot water. In that moment, the power of that tea was infused into the water and it changed it. Within a few minutes, the plain, tasteless water was transformed into something totally different. It looked, smelled and tasted differently. Just having the tea bag beside the cup of water didn’t change anything. It was only when it was in the water that it infused it. I was reminded that I am totally incapable of reproducing the life of Jesus in my personality. In order to live the Christian life, His life and power has to be infused into my personality. When you put a tea bag in hot water, you don’t even call it water any more. You call it tea.
January 27, 2019
Do You WANT to Get Well?
Are you willing to leave your comfort zone to trust God completely? God didn’t save you to make your comfortable, but you make you obedient. You’ll never go on a mission trip is you’re not willing to leave your comfort zone. You’ll never start tithing until you are willing to leave your comfort zone. You’ll never start travailing in prayer until you are willing to leave your comfort zone. You’ll never vocally share your faith with others until you’re willing to leave your comfort zone. You’ll never volunteer to serve the Lord if you aren’t willing to leave your comfort zone.
January 20, 2019
Believing IS Seeing
January 13, 2019
A Dream of Fields
We are surrounded by people who are living miserable lives. They have no peace, no joy, and no hope of life getting any better. It’s our job to tell them, “You know, I used to be like that, but what a wonderful change in my life has occurred since Jesus came into my heart.” If you’ve been changed, you’ll want to share your story.
December 16, 2018
Living Water and Loving Worship, part 2
Sometimes we fall into the same trap of thinking that worship is about a place, practice, or posture. It is not. It’s about the Lord. We call this the Worship Center, but there’s nothing more holy or sacred about this place than your prayer closet where you worship the Lord all alone. Or there’s nothing more sacred about this place you’re your kitchen table where you have family devotions. My automobile is a worship center, because every Sunday morning on my way here I am singing praises to God.
December 10, 2018
Christmas 2018: Love Came for Me
2013 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 2, 2018
Living Water and Loving Worship, part 1
Whether you are looking for satisfaction in possessions, pleasure, prestige, or power–you will never be satisfied. All those pursuits are like the liquid water Jesus spoke about: You can drink it and feel refreshed momentarily but you will still get thirsty again. But He offers something so radical and powerful that once you experience it, you will find absolute and total satisfaction.
November 25, 2018
Three Strikes and You’re NOT Out!
To borrow some baseball lingo, the Samaritan woman wasn’t close to being in the ballpark of the Kingdom of God. She was socially, racially, and morally way off base. But Jesus knocked it out of the park by telling her about living water. And for the Samaritan woman, it was a whole new ball game.
November 18, 2018
The Great Commission or the Great Omission?
October 21, 2018
Three “Musts” You Can Trust
The Pharisees not only had to keep the laws of the Torah, but also obey all the laws written to explain the laws of the Torah. For instance, it was determined that tying a knot on the Sabbath constituted work. But there was an exception. A woman could tie a sash around her waist to remain modest. So this exception led to a loophole. If a man needed to get water from the well on a Sabbath and the bucket wasn’t tied to the rope, he couldn’t tie the rope; that was work. But he could tie one end of a woman’s sash to the rope and the other end to the bucket. That’s a loophole.
October 7, 2018
Attitudes for a Successful Life
We don’t want to follow the example of these lousy best men. We want to be like John the Baptist. We are friends of the groom, and we should commit our lives to making the bridegroom famous. Remember it’s not about me and it’s not about you—it’s all about Jesus. And when you come to understand who you are in relationship with Jesus, all your other relationships will be healthier.
September 23, 2018
Come to the Light
Once we hear the truth about the good news of God’s forgiveness, it is like someone turning on a light in our soul. We’ve all seen the cartoons where a light bulb flashes on above a character’s head when they have an idea. That’s what happens when we receive the truth about Jesus. It’s like walking out of the darkness into the light. Suddenly, we can see everything clearly. Salvation occurs when Jesus moves us from the darkness into His glorious light.
September 16, 2018
Bad News–Good News
September 9, 2018
The Turning Point of Human History
The reason the Bible is such a long book is because God never gave up on us. It is the story of His repeated efforts to restore this loving relationship that our sin had broken. Otherwise the Bible could have been a short book. God created human beings because He wanted to love them. They didn’t love Him back. The end. But instead He kept trying and wouldn’t give up—and He won’t give up on you.
September 2, 2018
God’s Love: The Most Powerful Force in the Universe
August 19, 2018
Look and Live!
Here is one of the best examples of God’s grace in the Old Testament. The Israelites, who had a proven track record of rebellion, unbelief, and nagging didn’t deserve a cure for the snake bites. But because it is God’s nature, God graciously provided a means for healing. He had Moses make a brass snake and put it on a pole. Then God said, “Whoever looks at the serpent will be healed.”
August 5, 2018
How Many Times Have You Been Born?
July 22, 2018
The Third Temple Exists Today
Jesus cleaned house. He had the right to do it. It was the right of ownership. It was His Father’s house. If I come over to your house and it’s dirty, I’m not going to start cleaning it up. But I see something in my house that needs cleaning up I will take care of it as soon as my wife tells me to!
July 15, 2018
Jesus Saves the Best for Last
I like the fact that this was a quiet miracle. Because miracles don’t have to be loud to be miracles. There was no word of command, no hysterical shouting, no laying on of hands, or the binding of Satan. There was no hocus-pocus or mumbo jumbo. Jesus didn’t even touch the water. The water simply became wine.
July 8, 2018
Jesus: A Man’s Man
June 17, 2018
Look to the Lamb of God
June 10, 2018
John the Baptist: The Great I AM NOT
John the Baptist was a curious looking preacher. His attire was unusual, too. There was much about him that created curiosity as well. He had never cut his hair or beard. He wore a camel hair coat with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild honey. Matthew and Mark tell us that huge crowds flocked out into the desert to hear him. Yet John the Baptist was so humble even he didn’t realize the full extent of how God was using him as the forerunner of the Messiah.
June 3, 2018
Full of Grace and Truth
May 27, 2018
Receive to Believe
May 20, 2018
Light and Life to All He Brings
Everyone you meet this week is in one of three positions regarding the light. Some are walking in the light as He is in the light. Those folks know the Lord. Some you meet aren’t walking IN the light, but they are walking TOWARD the light. They are interested in knowing the truth about Jesus. Your job is to lovingly point them to Jesus. But then you are going to meet some people who have turned their backs and are walking away from the light. And they are at risk of dying without ever finding the truth about salvation.
May 13, 2018
In the Beginning
May 6, 2018
Eleanor Rigby: All the Lonely People
April 29, 2018
Yesterday: What Do You Believe In?
April 15, 2018
Let it Be
April 8, 2018
Offering the Sacrifice of Praise
When it comes to praise, we can’t just THINK praiseworthy thoughts about God, we must express these thoughts with our lips—it must be verbal and vocal. It’s not enough to have a feeling of gratitude to God; you don’t complete the praise requirement until it is sung or spoken. An inner attitude of gratitude is the root of praise, but it doesn’t become praise it until it becomes the fruit of praise expressed by our lips.
April 1, 2018
Jesus Christ is the SAME Forever!
Is death the end and there is no afterlife as Dr. Stephen Hawking claimed? Or as Dr. Billy Graham said, is there an afterlife where we may spend eternity with God in a place called heaven? Both of them cannot be correct. And the most important decision in your short life is to decide which position is correct.
March 25, 2018
God’s Promise to Provide
March 18, 2018
Putting Your Faith to Work
God put us in this world to deliver his message to others. And we do this by putting our faith to work. Hospitality, prison ministry, and marriage may seem to be three random topics. But they all show us how believers relate to others. First, our relationship to strangers should be one of hospitality. Second, our relationship with prisoners and those mistreated should be one of compassion and caring. And third, our relationship in marriage should be one of commitment and purity.
March 11, 2018
The Unshakable Kingdom
March 4, 2018
Don’t Miss the Mountain!
Bitterness is created when you harbor a hurt in your heart. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Bitterness writes down every single slight and offense. Bitterness is like an iceberg. You can only see the cold top of an iceberg, but most of it is submerged Bitterness exists when you have a cold heart toward someone, yet most of the resentment is still below the surface.
February 18, 2018
Submitting to God’s Sandpaper
February 11, 2018
The Bible: Your Guide to Economic Freedom
January 21, 2018
Can You Trust the Bible? Part 2
Have you ever had this experience? You’re reading along in the Bible, and you are studying a passage of scripture you’ve read many times before. And suddenly, you see truth in that passage you had never experienced before. That has happened to me hundreds of times. Do you know what is happening? God is breathing life into His Word in your presence.
January 14, 2018
Can You Trust the Bible? Part 1
December 31, 2017
God’s Word Can Light Your Way
December 17, 2017
Consider Him Who Endured
December 3, 2017
The Race of Your Life
November 26, 2017
Faith to Endure Tough Times
October 29, 2017
Conquering Through Faith
October 15, 2017
Moving Forward By Faith
October 8, 2017
Moses: Choosing By Faith
Stephen tells us Moses was forty years old when he made a momentous decision. He could continue to live in palace and enjoy all fringe benefits of being the grandson of the Pharaoh but he decided to turn his back on the trappings of royalty and identify with the plight of the Hebrew slaves. He knew that choice would cause him to suffer alongside them.
October 1, 2017
Faith to Forge Strong Families
It wasn’t so much how Jacob started, but how he finished the race. Maybe you’ve left a trail of mistakes behind you as well. But God can change your life without changing your name. There’s still time to grab hold of His grace and let him turn you from a cheater to someone who is a blessing to others.
September 24, 2017
Longing for a Better Country
Every relationship you have here with Believers will be deepened and enhanced in Heaven. Yes, you will know your loved ones who are in heaven. You will maintain your distinct identity. People want to know, “How old will I be in heaven?” Ready for the answer? You will be the perfect age. And you will know people of faith in Heaven that you’ve never met before. You’ll get to ask David how tall Goliath really was. You can ask Jonah what it was like to sleep on a foam blubber mattress for three nights. You can ask Ruth to tell you her love story with Boaz.
September 17, 2017
Abraham: Waiting By Faith
Let’s face it. God must have an interesting sense of humor. He chose a couple of super seniors to begin his chosen nation. We know God laughs because Psalms 2 says that he who sits enthroned in the heavens laughs. If we had been making that plan we would have chosen a couple of young twenty-something’s.
September 10, 2017
Noah: An Unsinkable Faith
God has placed us in a wicked and corrupt culture and we are to do what Noah did. We don’t need to build an ark, because we already have one. Jesus is our ark who will carry us safely through the waters of God’s final judgment. So our job is to warn the people around us that there is going to be a final judgment against sin. And don’t be surprised if people mock you the same way they mocked Noah.
September 3, 2017
Abel and Enoch: Faith Forerunners
God didn’t primarily save us to serve Him. He has an innumerable company of angels to serve Him. He created us to have fellowship with Him. God doesn’t want you to think of Him as some impersonal force on the backside of the universe who doesn’t care about your life. He wants you to know Him intimately as a loving Father who cares about the details of your life. He wants you to walk with Him every day.
August 27, 2017
Faith 101: Believing is Seeing
Scientists have devoted centuries of studies trying to figure out HOW the universe was created. But the Bible isn’t so concerned with HOW it happened, it’s more about WHY God created the universe. Scientists aren’t even interested in the “why,” they just want to know the “how.” God created the heavens and the earth. Then He created plants and animals. And finally, His ultimate creation was a man and woman. If you can understand why God made them, then you can understand why God made you—it’s the same reason.
July 30, 2017
Persevere for the Promise
July 23, 2017
The Danger of Desertion
What’s the difference between a deserter and a disciple? It’s the difference between a son and a pig. A son may wander away from his father, but he will always be the child of his father and have his nature. Sons return, but pigs love the mud too much to leave. Believers sin, but we feel filthy when we sin. A make-believer can wallow in sin like a pig in mud and never feel bad.
July 16, 2017
The Best LET US in God’s Garden
We used to live in a world that was totally literal. You had literal friends and literal experiences. But today we live in a virtual world. You can have virtual friends and you can have virtual experiences. Some people today are looking for a virtual church experience but the writer of Hebrews stresses that we need to have a literal experience of gathering with other believers.
July 9, 2017
Make America Godly Again!
Let me give you three words to describe our culture without Christ. They are darkened, they are depraved, and they are doomed without Christ. There are fifteen blocks in Hollywood that feature 2,600 stars listing the names of people our culture calls stars. But in God’s accounting, the real stars are His children who allow the light of the word of God to shine through their lives.
July 2, 2017
Standing in the Gap for America
Lanny Bridges
The hope for America is the same as the hope for your life—it is Christ alone.
June 18, 2017
The Faith of Our Forefathers
Our founders believed in absolute moral truth. They believed there is a basis of right and wrong. Truth is not relative. Truth isn’t what the King or the British Parliament decreed. The Bible teaches there is a God-given sense of right and wrong placed in every human heart: A conscience. This truth is self-evident.
June 4, 2017
Step Out of the Shadows of Legalism
Shadows are real, but they are dead. If I walked up to you to greet you and you tried to shake hands with my shadow I would infer one of two things: A) that you are probably crazy, or B) you like my shadow more than you like me. How the heart of Jesus must have been broken when some many of the Jewish people loved the shadow of legalism more that the substance of the Son of the Living God.
May 28, 2017
The Three Appearances of Jesus
May 21, 2017
The Scarlet Thread: What the Bible is All About
We see the important role that blood atonement plays in the Old Testament and the New Testament. This trail of blood redemption begins in the first pages of the Bible and goes all the way to the last pages of Revelation. As we trace this scarlet thread through the pages of scripture we will keep circling back to the key verse that speaks about the importance of the shedding of blood.
May 14, 2017
The Soul-Cleansing Power of the Blood
Some of you are on a life-long guilt trip, and that’s one trip you should cancel. Too many Christians lose their joy and effectiveness because they spend all their time looking in the rear-view mirror, regretting all their past mistakes. The reason that rearview mirror is so small and that windshield in front is so large is because where you’ve been isn’t nearly as important as where you’re going!
May 7, 2017
How to Live with a Clear Conscience
Have you ever told a lie? The first time you told a lie, you felt badly about it. But the next time you told it, the lie came a little easier. We have all known people who were so good at lying that they can look you right in the eye and lie without any sign of moral compunction or remorse. They have convinced themselves that telling a little lie is actually not so bad.
April 30, 2017
New and Improved!
Thank God we are no longer under the Old Covenant. God has given us a new covenant that is New and Improved. The faith of the Bible is all about newness. We read about it in a new Testament; we enter through a new birth; we become a new creation; we receive a new name; and one day we’ll live in a new heaven and a new earth. And on the last page of our Bible Jesus says, “Behold, I make ALL things new!”
April 23, 2017
God’s Temple: The Pattern for Reality
It is all seen in God’s affinity for the number three. In the Bible, numbers mean something. Three is the number of God. Of course, we know there is one God but He reveals Himself through His triune nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are created in God’s image in that we are a tri-unity as well. We are body, soul, and spirit. We are one person, but like the tabernacle pattern, we are comprised of three elements. This triune theme is repeated throughout God’s creation.
April 16, 2017
What IF They Found the Bones of Jesus?
In 2007, Discovery Channel aired a show called “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” claiming Jesus’ tomb had been found. One of the most implausible things about the claims of this show is that IF Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a son, what would be the odds of them naming him after the betrayer of Jesus, Judas? That would be as likely as a couple Holocaust survivors naming their son Adolph Hitler Goldberg. But on this Easter, let’s entertain the possibility that they found the bones of Jesus. What would it mean?
April 9, 2017
Jesus: A Better Bridge
How were people saved in the Old Testament? Not by keeping the law. They were saved the same way we are, by faith. They had faith in God’s plan for redemption. We know God’s plan for redemption is named Jesus. They couldn’t see Jesus clearly yet, but they had faith that God would deliver His people and forgive their sins. They had faith that God had a better priest, a better bridge, and His name was Jesus.
April 2, 2017
Mel-chiz-a-WHO?
Melchizedek was unusual because he was both a priest and a king. Later, when Israel had a king, the king could never be a priest, and a priest could never be a king. They came from two separate tribes. But Melchizedek was both. That’s why he is a great picture of Jesus. His name represented both righteousness and peace. And Jesus is the source of our righteousness and peace.
March 19, 2017
The Anchor Holds in Spite of the Storm
March 12, 2017
Two Unchangeable Things
February 19, 2017
Get Ready, Get Set, GROW!
Loving your neighbor as you love yourself simply means you see yourself as God sees you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, but we are all made with flaws. But God loves us in spite of our imperfections. You and I are trophies of His grace. When you see yourself as a sinner saved by grace, but deeply loved by God, you are free to love others.
February 12, 2017
Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?
I not only believe in the security of the believer, but I believe in the insecurity of the unbeliever. There might be people whose names are on a church roll but they haven’t darkened the doors of a church in decades. If they are hiding behind a “once saved always saved” belief, they are deceiving themselves.
February 5, 2017
Moving on to Maturity
January 29, 2017
Investing in the World’s Strongest Economy
January 15, 2017
The Power of Teamwork
January 1, 2017
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
December 18, 2016
The Danger of Arrested Development
The only way you can move toward spiritual maturity is to constantly get into the Word of God. Listen to it; read it; study it; memorize it; and meditate on it. If you’ve been a believer for more than ten years, and you’re still a baby Christian, I pray that God will give you a sense of holy dissatisfaction.
December 11, 2016
Christmas 2016: Christ is Born
2016 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 4, 2016
The Tears of Jesus
November 27, 2016
How Well Do You Know Your Priest?
Here’s the challenge all of us face in the years to come. Will we hold onto our Biblical faith, or will we let go and grab hold of the popular, shifting values of anything-goes-as-long-as-I’m-not-hurting-you morality? Are you willing to grip firmly and to hold onto the truth of the faith we profess? We live in a culture that will try to rip that belief out of your hands and heart, so hold on firmly!
October 23, 2016
The Double-Edged sWORD
October 16, 2016
Finding the Best Rest of Your Life
October 9, 2016
The Danger of a Hardened Heart, part 2
October 2, 2016
The Danger of a Hardened Heart, part 1
September 25, 2016
Why Jesus is Greater Than Moses
There are several similarities between the life of Moses and the life of Jesus. But while there are similarities, there is no real comparison because Jesus is incomparable. Actually, Moses looked through the prophetic telescope and predicted the coming of Jesus. The greatest difference between Moses and Jesus was that Moses was a man. He was a great man, but he was just a man. Jesus was the one and only God-man. Moses delivered God’s law, but Jesus did something much greater; He demonstrated God’s grace.
September 18, 2016
The Day the Devil was Destroyed
Since the cross, the devil has been a toothless lion, but he still tries to make you miserable. Lions aren’t the fastest animals in the jungle, so they have to sneak up on their prey. In the same way, the devil is sneaky in the way he attacks believers. He often disguises himself as an angel of light. Lions roar to paralyze their prey with fear. In the same way, fear is still one of Satan’s greatest tools. He roams and he roars, but he can’t touch you without God’s permission, so don’t fear him.
September 11, 2016
Meet the Holy Family
To say we’re all God’s children is an attractive, tolerant way to speak about people today, but it’s not in the Bible. We are all part of the family of mankind, but we aren’t all part of the family of God. We are all God’s creatures (created by God), and God loves everyone and wants them to be saved, but only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ become His children.
September 4, 2016
Jesus Tasted Death for Us
August 28, 2016
The Danger of Drifting
Drifting is something that happens slowly and gradually. But here’s the truth about spiritual drifting: You never drift toward holiness, you drift toward ungodliness. You never drift into faithfulness, you drift toward faithlessness; you never drift toward goodness, you drift toward wickedness.
August 7, 2016
The Truth About Angels
Many of the popular depictions and figurines of angels are fashioned after the Greek god Cupid. But in the Bible, angels are most often portrayed as men wearing brilliant white garments. Ordinary isn’t the best adjective, because angels are extraordinary, but only two special categories of heavenly beings are described as having wings. In Isaiah 6, the Seraphim are described as having six wings. In Ezekiel 10, Cherubim are described as having four wings. God’s ordinary angels are never described as having wings.
July 17, 2016
Why Jesus is Greater Than the Angels
July 10, 2016
Eyes on Jesus!
July 3, 2016
Blessed is the Nation, part 2
We’re living again in days of moral darkness and moral decay. It’s not the first time in our history that our culture has slipped into moral decline. The impetus for every spiritual awakening is when God’s people got outside the four walls of the church and showed their culture God’s love in practical ways.
June 19, 2016
Blessed is the Nation, part 1
We’re living again in days of moral darkness and moral decay. It’s not the first time in our history that our culture has slipped into moral decline. The impetus for every spiritual awakening is when God’s people got outside the four walls of the church and showed their culture God’s love in practical ways.
June 12, 2016
He’s Alive! Do You Believe Him?
June 5, 2016
Buried, He Carried My Sins Far Away
May 29, 2016
When He Was on the Cross, You Were on His Mind
May 22, 2016
Life’s Most Important Question
May 15, 2016
Failure Isn’t Fatal
Falling away from the Lord doesn’t happen overnight. It happens gradually over a period of time. Peter found himself walking with the wrong crowd. Then he stood with them, and then he sat down by the fire with them. If you find yourself walking with the wrong crowd, turn around. Don’t stand, and then for sure, don’t sit down with them. It’s hard to stand up and confess Jesus when you are with people who don’t share your beliefs.
May 8, 2016
The Arrest and Trial of an Innocent Man
There were two stages to the trial of Jesus, the Jewish trial before Caiaphas and the Roman trial before Pilate. The Jewish trial was actually illegal, because the Jewish Talmud stated, “The members of the court may not alertly and intelligently hear the testimony against the accused during the hours of darkness.” This trial was taking place in the wee hours of the morning, after midnight. As you might imagine, there have been dozens of lawsuits filed before the current Israeli Supreme Court proposing the legal charges against Jesus be dropped on the basis of the trial at night. To this point the Israeli Supreme Court has declined to hear any of those cases.
April 24, 2016
GETHSEMANE: The World’s Greatest Battle
April 17, 2016
Sharing the Passover Meal with Jesus
The night before the cross. Jesus gathered with His Disciples for a night of firsts and lasts. You might say it was last official Passover meal, and at the same time it was the first Lord’s Supper meal. Here we are two thousand years later, part of millions of Christians who still connect with the Lord through the bread and the cup.
March 27, 2016
Because He Lives!
March 20, 2016
The Beauty of Extravagant Worship
Never miss the opportunity to worship. You never know when will be the last chance to worship God. This lesson also applies to showing love and appreciation to people as well. Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love him or her, because you never know when you’ll have another chance.
March 13, 2016
Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 3
In the Old Testament, Israel is symbolized by a fig tree. The fig tree was cut off at the root, but we have lived in a period of time, when the leaves started growing again. When the nation of Israel was destroyed in 70 A.D., the Jewish people were scattered to all the nations of the earth. But in the early 1900s a few brave Jews started returning to the Holy Land.
February 21, 2016
Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 2
February 14, 2016
Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 1
February 7, 2016
Disgusted or Delighted?
Some people want to be recognized for their religious acts—and if they don’t get public recognition, they are gone. That’s show-off religion. Jesus had something to say about those who practice show-off religion: They will be punished most severely. The sins of these religious leaders were not the gross sins of the flesh; they were the sins of pride, greed, selfishness, and hostility. These are what may be called “religious sins.”
January 31, 2016
Reaching Out and Welcoming In
The members of the church in Jerusalem had such a positive impact on their community; it says they enjoyed the favor of all the people. The word favor means these healthy believers were a blessing to the people around them. Once they came to know Christ, they wanted others to experience the abundant life and joy they were enjoying.
January 24, 2016
Celebrative Worship and Caring Groups
Worship should always be God-centered not person-centered. Our choir and praise team aren’t up here performing to you. They are leading all of us to sing songs of joy to an audience of One. Worship is primarily to express our love and adoration to God. But there is a side-effect of worship: It creates an atmosphere of joy.
January 17, 2016
The Beauty of Unity and Generosity
We are a nation of hoarders. We keep much more stuff than we need and store it in closets, attics, and garages. And then when those places get full, we store our stuff in self-storage units. God created us to be a channel of his wealth, not a container. God gives to you and He wants you to give it away—and you can’t outgive God.
January 10, 2016
Persistent Prayer and Powerful Faith
If you would make that your daily practice, it would change your life. You may be thinking that you’re too busy. John Wesley’s mother, Susana, had 16 children. She used to sit down in the kitchen and pull her apron over her head. All the children knew this meant they must be quiet because their mother was spending time alone with God. Every morning, we need to pull the apron over our heads and block out the distractions of life and commune with God in prayer.
January 3, 2016
In God’s Word and in Fellowship
December 27, 2015
Three Levels of Love, part 2
Here’s a sad thing about America. It’s okay to be passionate about anything except God. You can be passionate about movies; thousands dressed up in Star Wars costumes to watch the latest movie in the series. You can be passionate about sports; millions of Americans wear the jerseys and caps of their favorite college or professional teams. You can be passionate about politics; and that will be dominating the news for the next eleven months. You can be passionate about cooking, about exercise, about fashion, or about your hobby. But to be passionate about God—that’s a no-no in America. People will call you a fanatic, a nut case.
December 13, 2015
Christmas 2015: Star of Wonder
2015 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 6, 2015
Three Levels of Love, part 1
Can you think of one person right now who you find it very hard to love? You may be tempted to think of four or five, but just focus on one person. This person just rubs you the wrong way. Maybe he or she has wronged you or hurt you. Are you thinking of this person right now? By the way, have your ever considered somebody may be thinking of you right now?
November 29, 2015
What Will Life Be Like in Heaven?
In Heaven, our relationship with the Living God will be so powerful our earthly relationships will seem to be insignificant in comparison. And contrary to popular folklore, when we die, we DO NOT become angels—we become LIKE the angels. Our transformed bodies, our eternal bodies, will be like the resurrection body of Jesus.
October 25, 2015
When Kingdoms Collide: God or Government?
There was a time when Christianity was part of the accepted mainstream culture of our nation. But our nation has allowed an ill wind to fill our sails and we have sailed into the uncharted waters of moral relativity and wickedness. As our nation sails further away from God and His Word, we may all be forced with the choice to obey God rather than our government, but we must be willing to pay the price of civil disobedience.
October 18, 2015
The Case of the Murder in a Vineyard
October 4, 2015
God’s Prescription for Powerful Prayer
Forgiveness is an active choice. Forgetting is a passive process in which a matter fades from our memory with the passing of time. We all forget things like names, telephone numbers, and birthdays. It’s amazing how some men can forget their wedding anniversary but can remember the score of the 1983 Super Bowl! The sad thing is when it comes to people who have offended us, we have total recall.
September 20, 2015
Figs, Faith and Forgiveness
When the winds of adversity blow into your life is that what happens to you? “There goes my faith in God.” When mountains too tall to climb stand in your way and block your progress is that your response? “There goes my faith in God.” The solution to any problem in your life is simply this: Have faith in God. The answer to any need in your life is: Have faith in God.
September 13, 2015
Keeping God’s House Clean
Let’s talk about God’s current address. If you’re a Christian, you are His temple. So what comes to your mind when I say, “God won’t live in a dirty house?” If Jesus lives in you, grace means you’re not a dirty house. You are a child of God. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Oh, you and might occasionally have a dirty thought or say a dirty word, but you’re not a dirty house. Being clean is a state of grace, not based on your behavior. God has declared you holy and righteous based on your faith in Jesus.
September 6, 2015
The Passover Party Parade
Jesus chose a donkey intentionally. Why didn’t He ride in on a stallion? A beautiful horse is a magnificent animal. It has large beautiful eyes, a flowing mane, a shining coat, and long graceful legs. A donkey isn’t a thoroughbred horse. It’s a plain, small, ugly animal. Nobody ever called a donkey beautiful. They have floppy ears that are too large, and sad eyes, like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. And when a donkey lets out a loud bray, it usually makes us laugh. In Jesus’ day, horses were the Ferraris; donkeys were the used Ford Pintos.
August 16, 2015
Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord
There are about 10 million legally blind people in America today. Most of those are visually impaired with correctable vision. But many live in total darkness. Bartimaeus was not only blind; he was a beggar. Everyday Bart sat beside the road holding out his hand and asking for money. So when he heard Jesus was passing nearby, he shouted out to Jesus for help in spite of the crowd’s attempt to silence him.
August 2, 2015
What’s in it for Me?
Whenever you study the Bible you should always ask yourself these two words: SO WHAT? Now that I’ve learned this, what changes will this make in my life? Here’s a good answer: Because Jesus gave His life away for us, we should give our lives away in service to others. I’m so glad that when Jesus approached the cross He didn’t stop and ask, “What’s in it for me?” He knew what was in it for us—our salvation and our liberation. So, take off your WIIFM t-shirt and start living a life of service to others.
July 26, 2015
The Man Who Had Only Two Things: Everything & Nothing
July 19, 2015
It’s a Small World…After All!
Our job as parents and grandparents is to create a desire in our kids for the things of God. It is to show them that the things of God are sweet and nourishing to them. And once you create that desire in them to know God, they never really lose it. They may fight against it and rebel, but that desire is there as much as a baby grows up wanting to drink nourishment.
July 12, 2015
God’s Definition of Marriage
If you are a single person, God wants you to honor Him with a life of sexual purity. Teenagers, God wants you to honor Him with abstinence until you are married. Married folks, God wants you to be true to your mate. Your identity should never be found in your sexual preferences. It should be found in Jesus Christ.
July 5, 2015
Our Foundations are Being Destroyed
June 14, 2015
God, Bless America
May 31, 2015
Imagine: No Hell Below Us; Above Us Only Sky
May 24, 2015
From Great to Good
May 17, 2015
Living in the Faith Dimension
May 10, 2015
Humble or Crumble
Louie Gohmert
I don’t know if you have felt the burden, but this country is in severe trouble. Maybe it can last another 200 years, but the dangers lurk out there. Any one of them could bring us down and I never thought that was possible until after 9/11. We saw what just a few planes did to stop this country for several days. We’ve had God’s protective hand over this country and we’re about to do enough that we lose the hand protecting. We have turned from God’s way.
May 10, 2015
Oh, What a Foretaste of Glory Divine!
When Jesus was on the mountain, the Bible says He was transfigured. Jesus was changed from an ordinary looking man into a figure of light with brilliant beams radiating from his body. The reason His clothes became white was from the light emanating from His body. This is a very important event in Jesus’ life, because it confirms He was not merely a man. He was God in the flesh. For most of His 33 years of human existence, His human flesh obscured and veiled His Deity. But at this time, His true divine nature was revealed.
April 19, 2015
Don’t Waste Your Most Precious Possession
Your soul is infinitely more precious and valuable than anything or anybody in this life. It will last when the sun, moon, and stars have all gone cold and dark. Your soul will exist when the entire universe is gone and replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. Your soul is worth more than all the banks and Fortune 500 corporations combined. The worth of all the stocks, bonds, gold, silver, diamonds, oil, and gas in the world can’t compare with the value of your soul, because your soul will go on, endless, timeless, and measureless into the future.
April 12, 2015
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.
The New Testament records Jesus healing seven different blind men. And in each case He employed a different method. God is a God of variety. He seldom saves two people the same way. Some people come to Christ in a dramatic way with tears and anguish. Others are so full of joy they laugh at the point of regeneration. Others just quietly place their faith in Jesus. God saved the Apostle Paul by shining a bright light from heaven that knocked him off his feet. There’s not another account of a similar conversion experience.
April 9, 2015
Convincing Proofs That Jesus is Alive
If the resurrection is a lie, the disciples KNEW it was a lie. What was their motive? People knowingly lie when they think there is some selfish advantage to be gained. If the resurrection story was a hoax, did the disciples get wealth or fame, or pleasure from it? In fact, they gained the opposite. They were hated, scorned, persecuted, tortured, boiled alive, roasted, beheaded, disemboweled and fed to lions—hardly a list of perks. And tradition tells us that the Apostle Peter was crucified upside down.
March 29, 2015
Palm Sunday: The Tearful Entry
I think the crowd turned on Jesus because He didn’t fulfill their expectations of a real Messiah. They were still looking for a military hero to deliver them from the hated Romans. They missed the point that He was riding a lowly donkey. They were looking for a general like Judas the Hammer. Over the next few days, it became obvious Jesus wasn’t a military revolutionary. He was a suffering servant who was going to be handed over to the Romans. He failed them, and they turned on Him in vicious rejection.
March 22, 2015
When Your Situation Seems Impossible
What if we started seeing supernatural miracles occur here every Sunday morning, do you think more people would believe? Let’s imagine, for instance, that every Sunday God gave me the ability to levitate and float around this room while I preached. We’d have bigger crowds but we wouldn’t have more believers.
March 15, 2015
The Day Jesus Used Sigh Language
There are all different kinds of sighs. There’s a sigh of relief when the doctor tells us that the tumor is benign. There’s a sigh of fatigue after we’ve finished a long, hard job. And there is the sigh of anguish and grief when someone we care about is longer with us. This past week, we had to put our 12-year-old Boxer, Boomer, down because she had gotten too sick to function. A day afterwards, I was driving in my car, and found myself just going, “Sigh…poor old Boomer. I’m going to miss her greeting me every afternoon.” Life is one long bridge of sighs.
March 6, 2015
Sample Recent Message
No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself.
Because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure? On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee.
“ But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. ”
But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising.
February 22, 2015
You Can’t OUTGIVE God!
Have you ever thought about the miraculous power of a seed to increase and enlarge? Consider a watermelon seed. One seed weighs about 1/6 of a gram. But that seed can be planted and will suck so much moisture and nutrients out of the ground that it can grow into a huge watermelon. Some watermelons grow to be 100 pounds. That’s about 300,000 times the weight of the seed. And in that watermelon you will find about 300 seeds, that if each of them were planted and grew melons, that first seed would have multiplied its weight by 122 million times! That’s the power of a seed.
February 12, 2015
Do You Have the Eye of the Tither?
Jesus said there are two places where we can direct our vision. We can open our eyes in wonder to what God is doing and we’ll be people of light. Or we can squint at all the stuff around us and try to hoard as much as we can. When it comes to managing the money God has entrusted to you, where is your focus?
February 8, 2015
The Magnetic Power of Your Treasure
In the movie series, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Captain Jack Sparrow had an unusual compass. It didn’t point North. He explains it to Elizabeth. Jack says, “True enough, this compass does not point North.” Elizabeth says, “Where does it point?” Jack replies, “It points to the thing you want the most in this world.” In one movie it points to the Black Pearl. In another movie, it pointed to a bottle of rum Jack wanted, and then it pointed to the Fountain of Youth. If you had Jack Sparrow’s compass in your hand today, what would it point to? Jesus said that treasure has the same effect on your heart. He said, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Your treasure has a magnetic attraction to your heart.
February 1, 2015
The Greatest Investment You’ll Ever Make
January 25, 2015
If God Owns it All, What Am I Doing With it?
We are a generation that is piling up more and more toys based on the misconception that this life is all there is. Everyone in the millennial generation recognizes what these four letters mean: YOLO. It means You Only Live Once. That’s a half-truth, and a half-truth is a full lie. Yes, you only live once physically, the Bible says that. But the Bible goes on to say that after this life, there is eternity. The Bible says it is appointed unto man or woman ONCE to die and after that, the judgment.
January 4, 2015
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt
When it comes to God and money there are some strange ideas floating around out there. Many people are confused. Three different theological positions concerning money.
December 28, 2014
Faith That Feeds on Crumbs
I’ve been a student of faith for many years, and I still consider myself in the first grade of faith. There’s so much more I need to know. But I have learned three things about faith. First, without faith it is impossible to please God. Second, God always rewards our faith. And third, God always tests our faith.
December 4, 2014
Christmas 2014: Hallelujah! Light Has Come
2014 Christmas Program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
November 2, 2014
The Heart of Your Problem is the Problem of Your Heart
How many people will be declared righteous by performing religious acts? Zero. How many mouths will be able to give an excuse for their behavior? Zero. How many of us will be held accountable to God? All of us. So with this truth, Jesus moves on to address the true nature of sin and righteousness and it has nothing to do with the way you wash your hands or whether you eat catfish or not.
October 26, 2014
Jesus says, “Don’t Be Afraid”
The disciples were afraid the boat was going to sink and they were going to drown. They were afraid of going into the water, and the water going into them, and then they would die. So don’t miss this important truth: The very thing they feared the most, the water, was under the feet of Jesus. And leads to a very important life lesson: Any problem over my head is already under his feet.
October 19, 2014
The Miracle of the Minnows and Muffins
Jesus took the minnows and muffins and turned it into an all-you-can-eat buffet. It fed 5,000 men and their families and the Bible says they were all filled, satisfied. If the little boy had kept his lunch to himself he would have only had two minnows and five muffins. That might not have filled up a growing boy. But because he gave it to Jesus, he got to eat all he wanted.
October 12, 2014
Is ANYTHING Worth Dying For?
The Baptist preacher, John, publicly preached that it was both illegal and immoral for Herod to be sleeping with his niece and sister-in-law. This public disgrace infuriated Herod’s wife, Herodias, and she demanded that Herod kill him. But Herod recognized that John was a man of God, so to make his wife happy, he arrested John and put him in jail—but that didn’t satisfy Herodias.
October 5, 2014
Shake Off the Dust
The Bible is full of stories of personal failure. Abraham was a liar but he shook of the dust and became the father of a great nation. Moses was a murderer, but he shook of the dust and became a great leader. David was a womanizer and an accessory to murder, but he shook it off to finish strong. Peter cursed and denied Jesus three times in one night, but he repented and shook off the dust and became the leader of the first church.
September 14, 2014
What AMAZES Jesus?
The people of Nazareth had a dead faith. They doubted Jesus was the Son of God, and there were no miracles done there. The Centurion had a dynamic faith and God rewarded that faith with a miracle. When you face any challenge in life, you’re going to approach it with either doubt or faith and it’s your choice.
September 7, 2014
Disappointments May Be His Appointments
Jairus was desperate to get Jesus to his dying daughter in time, but Jesus stopped along the way to heal a sick woman. A day is a like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day with the Lord. And when you get in a hurry for God to answer your prayer, don’t be surprised if God isn’t in a hurry. Jairus had to learn that lesson, and it’s a lesson for all of us.
August 31, 2014
The Life-Changing Touch of Faith
When the woman suffering from bleeding grasped Jesus’ robe, the Bible says, “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him.” I studied this miracle for many years before I picked up on this amazing nugget of truth. There were dozens of people crowding around Jesus. How did Jesus know someone touched Him in faith? He told Peter He literally felt healing power flow out of His body. That really opened my eyes to the fact that every time Jesus performed a miracle, power flowed out of him.
August 24, 2014
Jesus’ Power Over Demons
If Jesus was willing to cross a dangerous, stormy body of water just to help one troubled man, you need to know He cares for you in the same way. He crossed the great gulf between heaven and earth to bring hope, healing and forgiveness to you. If you had been the only one who needed help, He would have made the trip just for you.
August 10, 2014
How to Faith the Storms of Life
Sometimes life is good. It’s like a summertime when the living is easy. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high. Your daddy’s rich and your momma’s good looking. There’s certainly no reason to cry when life is like that. And it’s also not a time when your faith is tested. Instead, God tests our faith during the difficult times when the living is hard. Fish aren’t jumping and the cotton is burned. And you have no idea what’s going on with your daddy and momma. That’s when God tests our faith.
July 27, 2014
The Mystery of the Mighty Mustard Seed
July 20, 2014
Light and Truth
July 13, 2014
The Perceptive Art of a Receptive Heart
The spiritual impact of a Bible message isn’t based on the content of the message; it depends on how the Word is HEARD and RECEIVED. Jesus repeated this phrase many times, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In this powerful parable Jesus shows us there’s a wrong way and a right way to receive God’s Word.
July 6, 2014
We Are Family
Knowing Jesus isn’t the same thing as knowing facts about Jesus. I know facts about Abraham Lincoln, but I don’t know Abraham Lincoln. I know facts about Dwight D. Eisenhower, and I can say, “I like Ike.” But I never had the privilege of meeting President Eisenhower. But I met Jesus when I was nine years old and he’s more real to me than the carpet on this floor. He’s more real to me than the wood, concrete, and steel in this building. Because one day, all this will be gone, but Jesus will still be large and in charge.
June 29, 2014
I Love America 2014: America Must Return to God
Some people look at the Korean War and wonder: What was the use? It seems we wasted our time in Korea. That’s looking at it from man’s perspective. Let’s look the Korean War from heaven’s perspective for a moment. There was a terrible war going on, but we sent almost 2,000 chaplains to Korea. They preached the gospel to the people of Korea, especially the children. When the war started, only 2% of South Koreans were Christians, today 32% of South Koreans are followers of Jesus. The work of our military chaplains had an amazing impact on the children who would grow up and become the leaders a generation later.
June 22, 2014
The World’s Strongest Man
So, what is the unforgivable sin? Let me tell you what it is NOT. It is not murder. Moses was a murderer and he’ll be in heaven. The unforgivable sin is not adultery. King David committed adultery and God forgave him. It’s not divorce. The woman at the well had multiple divorces and she was forgiven. It is not suicide. Suicide is self-murder and it is no different from homicide—both are forgivable. Once you are a Christian, you don’t have to confess every single sin you commit in order to go to heaven. We confess our sins to stay in fellowship with God, but when you surrender your life to Christ, every past sin you’ve committed and every future sin you will ever commit is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
June 15, 2014
The ReMARKable Power of Teamwork
The Bible says Jesus called His disciples “that they might be with Him.” Jesus wanted to hang out with these guys so He could pour His life into them. The primary responsibility of a disciple is NOT to go out and work for Jesus; it is to get alone with Jesus and spend time with Him. The way we do that today is by spending time in personal prayer and Bible study.
June 1, 2014
The Day Jesus Got Good and Mad
Some people think all anger is sinful, and they have a hard time justifying that Jesus got angry, because Jesus was supposed to be sinless. He was. The Bible talks about different kinds of anger. Some anger is harmful and destructive. But there is a kind of anger that is holy and just.
May 25, 2014
Sabbath: Enjoy the REST of Your Life
May 18, 2014
Old Whiners or New Wineskins?
The religious whiners of Jesus’ day didn’t like His teaching because it was so revolutionary. It was new. He said things they never heard before. His new teaching shocked and offended them. The religious leaders could not handle this new wine Jesus was offering. They were like the inflexible old wineskins. Their attitudes were “If it is new, it can’t be true!” Every time Jesus said or did something new you could almost hear the sound of straining and stretching until “pop!”—so they killed the messenger instead of accepting the message.
May 11, 2014
Hosting a Supper for Sinners
Becoming a Christian can be summarized into three words: Admit, submit, and commit. Jesus is a doctor for those of us who are suffering from the fatal sickness of sin. But before you’ll ever go to the doctor, you’ve got to admit that you have a problem. You must admit you are sinner. Then you have to submit to the doctor’s care. You must submit your wounded heart to the Healer. Then you’ve got commit yourself to the doctor’s plan. You need to take the medicine every day; or follow the treatment regimen every day. You’ve got to be committed to the cure. In the same way, you’ve got to commit to follow Jesus every day.
May 4, 2014
Working for the Faith Skylight Company
Part of our job as followers of Jesus is to build skylights to bring light to dark places. I think the main focus of this miracle should be on those four unnamed friends who brought their paralyzed buddy to Jesus. These four guys formed the Faith Skylight Company by believing if they could somehow get their friend to Jesus that Jesus could make a difference in his life. I think God wants everyone of us to be employed in the Faith Skylight Company.
April 27, 2014
The Healing Touch of Jesus
Our sin sickness operates in the same way leprosy does. Although we are born with a tendency to sin, our first sins are usually what we would call minor. However, unless we allow Jesus to fix our sin problem early in life, sin grows and spreads like a metastasis until it consumes us. The growth of sin in a person’s life can sometimes happen so slowly that they don’t even notice it.
April 20, 2014
Three Easter Questions You Must Answer
April 6, 2014
CSI Golgotha: Who Killed Jesus?
So who killed Jesus? You might say the Jewish leaders did; the Roman government did; I did; and God did. But when it comes to CSI, the Cross Scene Investigation, we’ve got to simply close the case. Because when it comes down to it, when you ask, “Who Killed Jesus?” It’s a moot point, because He isn’t dead! He’s alive today. You can’t have a murder trial if the supposed murder victim is alive.
March 30, 2014
The Trial and Torture of the King
The Bible says Barabbas was part of the insurrection movement against the Romans and had committed murder in the process. There was a roman cross waiting for him. But in the last moment, he suddenly found himself free, and Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross that had been prepared for him. To be honest, I’ve never liked Barabbas. I’ve always been a little angry about this guy. He was a murderer and he got off Scot-free. I want the crowd to yell, “Release Jesus!! Crucify Barabbas!” But instead they yell, “Release Barabbas! Crucify Jesus!” Barabbas, a scoundrel, a sinner, a murderer, was declared innocent and Jesus took his place on a cross meant for him. When I look inside myself I realize the reason I don’t really like Barabbas is because I am Barabbas. We’re in the same sandals. You are Barabbas, too. We’re the guilty ones. We’re the scoundrels, but we get to go free and Jesus died in our place.
March 23, 2014
The Crushing of Gethsemane
I’ve heard of the Garden of Gethsemane most of my life, but it was only a few years ago I learned the meaning of Gethsemane. Gethsemane is a parable of what Jesus endured. The olive tree is called the tree of life because it provides oil for light, medicine, food, and soap. To harvest olives, cloths were spread under the branches, and then the harvesters took heavy sticks and beat the branches to make the olives fall onto the cloths. That reminds me that Jesus was beaten with wooden sticks by both the Jewish guard and the Roman soldiers.
March 16, 2014
The First Truths of the Last Supper
When Jesus announced that one of the twelve disciples would betray him, the disciples didn’t suspect Judas. He was the treasurer of the group, the one you trust the most. Each one honestly wondered if they would betray Jesus. In Luke’s account, Peter was the only who spoke and bragged that he would die with Jesus, but he would never leave him. And we know how that boast turned out, cock-a-doodle-do. And that night, one disciple betrayed Jesus and another disciple denied Jesus three times. But before the night was over, all the other disciples ran away into the night leaving Jesus alone.
March 9, 2014
A Day in the Life of the Lord
Jesus led a busy life. He was always in action. And yet, though He was busy redeeming the world, Jesus saw the value of setting aside a time to be alone with His Father in prayer. There are seventeen different accounts of Jesus praying in the four gospels. And he often sought solitude for His prayers.
March 2, 2014
If You Aren’t Fishing, Then You Aren’t Following
February 16, 2014
The Devil After the Dove
Think about Jesus’ temptation for a moment. Remember, Jesus was God in the flesh. He was the creator of the heavens and the earth. Jesus created Lucifer and all the other angels. He had the power of life and death. So, Jesus could have just snapped His holy finger and Satan would have disappeared, forever. So, why did Jesus endure forty days of fasting, and then this temptation? He did it for our sake.
February 9, 2014
The First Baptist Preacher
Remember, the word “baptize” means “to immerse.” There is a baptism that is more important than baptism in water. It is baptism in or with the Holy Spirit. Water baptism in an outward act that symbolizes the cleansing of your sins but it only touches your body. Spirit baptism is an inner act that literally purifies your soul and spirit; you become Holy because the Spirit of God is Holy. That’s why He is called the Holy Spirit.
January 26, 2014
Evang-SOW-lism: The More You Plant, the Greater the Harvest!
This is a religious area. With almost 500 churches in Smith County, you’d think that this area would be the purest, most moral, most ethical, most law- abiding place on the planet. But there’s a difference between religion and righteousness. I think when Jesus looks at Tyler He feels the same way he did when he looked at Jerusalem. It’s a city full of religious people, but many people who don’t really know God.
January 19, 2014
Evang-SHOW-lism: Share Your Story with Acts of Kindness
There is a fundamental difference between performing random acts of kindness and intentional acts of kindness that point people to God. The question is, “Who gets the credit?” If you perform a random act of kindness to someone, and say nothing, then you get the credit. If you perform an anonymous act of kindness, the force of human goodness gets the credit. But if you perform an act of kindness in the name of Jesus, you are pointing people to God.
January 5, 2014
Blessings Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
God doesn’t just want your first fifteen minutes of a day; He wants you to acknowledge His presence 24/7. He wants you to pray without ceasing. And God doesn’t just want you to serve the Lord here at church two or three hours a week, He wants you to serve Him every day and in every way. And God isn’t just interested in getting 10% of our wealth. What He really wants is YOU–all of you.
December 15, 2013
Christmas 2013: We Have a Savior
2013 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 8, 2013
God’s Early Warning System
We’re all familiar with weather warning systems. When a hurricane or tornado appears to be approaching a community, the National Weather Service will issue a warning for residents to evacuate or to take cover. Early warning systems save lives. God has an early warning system as well. Sometimes a believer gets involved in dangerous behavior or starts down a spiritually unhealthy pathway. At that point God activates His early warning system. Guess who that is? According to the Bible we are to be the early warning system to help a Christian veering off track from God’s will.
December 1, 2013
A Lazy Christian is an Oxymoron
Laziness is contagious. Part of human nature is that if you do nothing, you’ll always drift in the wrong direction. You have to actively drive in the right direction. I call this phenomenon the gravity of depravity. If you find a friend chilling out on the sofa eating Cheetos and drinking a Coke, you might have the thought that you need to pull them up to their feet and go work out. But if they decide to pull you down to their level it’s a lot easier for them—they have gravity working with them—that’s the gravity of depravity. That’s why you soon find yourself chilling on the sofa with orange lips.
November 10, 2013
Meet the God Who Loves You
Through the years I’ve had people say that they just don’t have faith. But people exercise faith every day. When you sit down and eat a meal you didn’t prepare, you’re trusting that the cook didn’t put poison in it. When you get on a plane, you’re trusting the aircraft manufacturer and the skill of the pilot. Every time you send an email, you trust it will be delivered. When you sit in a chair, you trust it to hold you up. That’s what it means to believe in Jesus. It doesn’t mean just believing the facts about Jesus. You can give mental affirmation to the fact that there was a historical character named Jesus who was born in Bethlehem and was crucified in Jerusalem. But you must be willing to trust him just as you trust a chair that you sit.
November 3, 2013
The Power of Intercessory Prayer
Some people pray in generalities. They may say, “I’m praying for you.” Or, “God bless my family.” Some people pray so generally that they never know if God answers their prayer. But there is a kind of intercessory prayer that employs laser-guided prayer requests. It sends God coordinates for very specific requests. In this passage Paul designates four laser targets for our prayers.
October 27, 2013
Standing Firm in an Unstable World
You’ve heard the expression, “Don’t just STAND there, DO something.” But we can turn that around when it comes to the Christian life. “Don’t just DO something; STAND there.” Because the Christian life doesn’t start with action, it starts with conviction and belief—standing on truth. That truth always leads to action, but first we must stand firm on what we believe. As Martin Luther said when he was charged as a heretic by the Catholic Church, “Here we stand. We do no other. God help us.” Someone said that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
October 6, 2013
The Defeat of Satan’s Superman
The most powerful weapon in the universe is the Word of God. Paul said the breath of Jesus will defeat the Antichrist. Now, maybe you’ve knocked people over with your breath after you’ve eaten garlic and onions, but Paul is referring to the spoken Word of Jesus. The Antichrist might have a massive armament of nuclear and biological weapons, but they will be useless against the Word that Jesus speaks.
September 29, 2013
God’s Prophetic Agenda
We live in a wicked world today. But can you imagine how wicked this world would be if suddenly there were no churches? There is moral corruption everywhere, but we’re the salt of the earth. Salt was used to preserve fish and to slow down decay. Our presence in the world today is slowing down the process of moral decay. There is spiritual darkness everywhere, but we’re the light of the world. Imagine the chaos and wickedness when the light is turned off.
September 22, 2013
What Does God Want with Me?
So what does God want with us? He wants to make us worthy of His calling. He wants to empower us to bear His fruit. He wants to glorify the name of Jesus in our lives. Many people believe that this life is all there is, so their goal is to live it up, because they think they’ll only have about 70 to 80 years to stuff in as much fun as possible. But this life isn’t all there is.
September 15, 2013
Our Eyes WILL See the Coming of the Glory of the Lord
September 8, 2013
The Power of Persistence
Three of the most valuable Christian virtues are faith, hope, and love. You can see all three here in this passage. Faith reaches upward to God in response to His grace; Love reaches outward to others in response to God’s grace; Hope reaches forward into the future to trust God regardless of the circumstances. Perseverance is another word for spiritual stamina. Stamina is the ability to keep on going even when you’re tired.
September 1, 2013
PBPWMGIFWMY!
We’re all in the process of being changed. None of us are there yet. That’s why we should be patient with each other. But when God looks at you and me, He sees not what we are now, but what we will be when He’s finished with us. That’s the power of an artist. They can look at an empty canvas and see a picture. An architect can look at a piece of property and see a building.
August 18, 2013
A Better Eightfold Path, part 2
August 11, 2013
A Better Eightfold Path, part 1
Buddhism won’t get you to heaven. There isn’t even any doctrine of heaven in Buddhism. Nirvana is reaching a state of blissful nothingness, whatever that means. Buddha couldn’t even explain it. With that introduction, I want to expose you to a much better eightfold path given in the Bible. This path won’t take you heaven. Jesus is the only way, or path, to heaven. He’s the one-way path to heaven. But once you’re on that path, this eightfold path of attitudes and actions will lead to a blessed life.
August 4, 2013
How to Have Healthy Relationships
July 28, 2013
Are You Asleep in the Light?
We’ve heard a lot lately about the “stand your ground” law. The Bible isn’t talking about a legal term; it’s talking standing firm spiritually. Notice Paul says there is going to be a day of evil that will come. I was reading this passage not long ago and the Lord impressed on my heart that every one of us are going to have a day that will be the worst day of our lives. It will be THE day of evil for you. Some people have already had the worst day they’ll ever live. Did you stand firm? For others, that day hasn’t come yet. So stay dress up in God’s armor so you can stand your ground when your world falls apart.
July 21, 2013
Like a Thief in the Night
Imagine you were leaving for a trip and you posted on your Facebook page that you’re going to be gone for two weeks on vacation and your alarm system is broken, and nobody is staying in your home. And then you post, “I hope nobody takes the $50,000 cash I have hidden in my freezer.” Now, if you return home, you shouldn’t be surprised if that money was gone. Jesus is coming suddenly, and without warning. He’s coming like a thief in the night. But we have been warned in scripture, so we should not be surprised.
July 14, 2013
Are You Ready for the Rapture?
Many people are confused about the second coming of Christ, because there are passages that speak of Jesus coming as a thief in the night, suddenly and secretively. Then there are other verses that speak of Jesus coming in glory and every eye will see him. So which one is it? Yes. It’s both. When Jesus comes secretively, that’s the rapture—and He only comes in the clouds and we are caught up to be with Him. But seven years later Jesus will return in glory leading a heavenly army to defeat the Antichrist at Jerusalem. Those of us who have been raised from the dead or raptured will return with Jesus as part of His army. But don’t worry; you won’t need to fight. It will be the world’s shortest battle.
July 7, 2013
Will We See Our Loved Ones Again?
If you die in the Lord, the moment you die on planet earth, the angels will escort your soul and spirit to be with the Lord. Your loved ones who died in Christ are already there, and you’ll see them and you’ll know them. But for those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus, death is a scary prospect.
June 30, 2013
I Love America 2013: Faith of Our Fathers
June 23, 2013
Hope at the Graveside
I’ve stood at the graves of my mother and father. I’ve stood at the grave of many of my Christian friends. And I’m here to say that because of Jesus Christ, I stood there with a sense of hope. I knew that it wasn’t the last time I would see my parents, or my friends. I knew that I wasn’t saying goodbye forever. I was simply saying, “I’ll see you soon.” For those of us who know Christ, that’s what we have that the world doesn’t have, HOPE at the graveside.
June 16, 2013
Do You Have a Holy Ambition?
Is your ladder of success leaning against the wrong wall? A selfish ambition is striving to do what YOU want to do and can be unfulfilling. A holy ambition is striving to do what GOD wants you to do. If you strive to BE the person God wants you to be, then you’ll be doing the things He wants you to do. A holy ambition doesn’t mean you grovel in the ashes of obscurity. It means you are productive for God.
June 9, 2013
Sexual Purity in an X-Rated Culture
“Why should I be sexually pure?” Because it is essential for you to walk in fellowship with a holy and pure God. Sex is like a powerful river. It’s a beautiful thing, when it is kept within the boundaries of marriage. But when it goes beyond God’s barriers, the result is always disaster.
June 2, 2013
The Courage to Encourage
May 26, 2013
Don’t Let Satan Stop You
Satan and his demons will try to hinder you, but they can only do what God allows them to do. One of the biggest mistakes Christians make in relation to Satan is that they consider him to have unlimited power. Lucifer is a fallen angel; he isn’t the dark side of the force. He isn’t omnipotent. Only God is omnipotent. Satan doesn’t have unlimited power. God permits Satan to tempt us and to challenge us because He knows when we endure adversity, it builds our character.
May 19, 2013
The Life-Changing Power of the Word of God
May 5, 2013
Church: Where God Sets the Lonely in a Family
April 28, 2013
How God Turns Failure into Favor
According to the world’s standard, Paul was a failure. He was unpopular. There was usually a mob after him. He spent more time in jail than he did in hotels. He was shipwrecked, beaten, and stoned. According to Ignatius, when Nero was Emperor, Paul was locked in the Mamartine prison in Rome. He was taken from the prison and beheaded, which was a benefit afforded him as a Roman citizen. Beheading was quick death, unlike crucifixion. The moment his head was severed from his body, he was absent from the body and present with the Lord. A failure? Think again. Today we name our sons Paul and our dogs Nero. Why? Because God can turn human failure into heavenly favor.
April 21, 2013
The Life of a Model
Faith is one step with two consequences. When a person turns to God, they are turning from their sinful past. Take your hand and place it front of your face with the palm facing you. Now, turn your hand around so the palm is facing away from you. The backside of your hand is now facing you, and the palm is facing away. That isn’t two separate actions; it was only one. Even so, you cannot turn to Christ without turning away from your sin. That turning is repentance. Four different ways we should model the Christian life to others.
April 14, 2013
The Gospel According to You
April 4, 2013
Hope to Hang in There
Are you tempted to give up and quit? Maybe God has given you a dream or a vision and it hasn’t happened yet. You want to give up—but don’t. Hang in there. Maybe you’ve been praying for something to happen for a long time and God hasn’t answered your prayer—don’t give up. Keep on praying. Keep on trusting. You may be in a bad situation, and you don’t know how you’re going to make it. Hang in there and hang on. Don’t give up!
March 31, 2013
Have You Confirmed Your Reservation in Heaven?
March 17, 2013
Heaven’s Activity Guide
Before you make a trip, helps to know everything you can about your destination. That’s why we have travel guides. They tell you the best places to stay, the best places to eat, and a list of the activities that are available to you. If you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, Heaven isn’t a vacation destination; it’s an eternal destination. It’s the hometown of Jesus and He’s there now. So, what will there be to do in Heaven?
March 10, 2013
What Happens When a Person Dies?
Where will you be five nanoseconds after you die? Some people might answer, “I don’t care.” But you will care five seconds after you die. Others answer, “I don’t know.” How sad not to have assurance of eternal life. But if you have placed your faith in Jesus you can say with assurance, “I’ll be away from this body and at home with the Lord—forever!”
March 3, 2013
Planning the Trip of a Lifetime
Imagine you are planning an expensive two-week vacation to Costa Rica. The easiest thing to do is use a travel agent and let them plan the trip for you. But most of us want to do some of our own research online. So you go online to learn everything you can about Costa Rica. But when you Google Costa Rica there are only three words on the website. These words are, “Beautiful, Wonderful, Paradise.” You wouldn’t be satisfied. You’d want to know more about the place. You want to know the history, the climate, the language, the currency, the places to eat and the places to stay. Those are some of the details of heaven we’re going to be examining in this series.
February 17, 2013
The Generosity Gene: A Disciple Offers up Faithfully
February 3, 2013
The Group Gene: A Disciple Grows up Relationally
January 27, 2013
The Growth Gene: A Disciple Grows up Spiritually
January 13, 2013
The Gathering Gene: A Disciple Shows up Consistently
A Christian once asked me, “Why should I go to church?” I thought for a moment and said, “You don’t go to church; you ARE the church.” Church is not a place; it’s what exists when believers gather together. A fully devoted follower of Jesus consistently gathers together with other believers.
January 6, 2013
Could God Ever Curse America?
December 30, 2012
Is America Ready for Jesus to Return?
Throughout this series I’ve said that unless there is a spiritual awakening, America will face the judgment of God. In some ways, we are already experiencing His judgment in these very days. He doesn’t have to send some supernatural visitation from heaven to judge us. We are simply reaping the bitter fruit of six decades of pushing God off the public square in America.
December 23, 2012
It’s Time to Rebuild America’s Spiritual Foundation!
December 16, 2012
Are You Worried About America’s Future?
When your world is falling apart and a foreign country is threatening to conquer your country, it would be easy to live by fear. But Habakkuk shows us that there is another way; we can live by faith. His prophecy begins with an “Oh, no! Things are awful!” And he ends with “Oh, yeah! God is in control!”
December 9, 2012
Christmas 2012: Beyond the Manger
2012 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 2, 2012
What Was America Like a Century Ago?
November 25, 2012
Does America Need a Clean Sweep?
God has blessed America, because, like Israel, we were established with a deep sense of honor and reverence for God. But also like Israel, we have turned away from God. The prophet Zephaniah tells us what happens to nations that forsake God. In this short but powerful prophecy, he first describes the judgment of God; then he describes the hope that people find when they seek God.
November 11, 2012
America Needs a Shepherd
People have asked me what I thought about the election this past week, so here goes: I pledge to pray for President Obama and respect the office of President, because God’s word is clear that we should pray for those in authority over us. However, I believe America missed a good chance to put our nation back on track to God and to Biblical morality. But instead of stemming the flow of blood from the abortion clinics, instead of protecting the sanctity of marriage, we have thumbed our nose at God. As we stand at both a fiscal cliff and a moral cliff, America has voted. We’re moving forward. And when you’re on a cliff, forward is the only direction you should avoid.
November 4, 2012
There is HOPE for America!
Hosea’s marriage to Gomer was a living parable of God’s relationship with Israel and with any nation that wanders from Him. Hosea is preaching came from his own personal experience of love, pain, and redemption. He told the Israelites that, like an unfaithful wife, they were guilty of spiritual adultery. Hosea could say with passion and honesty, “I know how God feels, because I felt the same way. You have broken the heart of God who loves you!”
October 28, 2012
Will Apathy Destroy America?
As I read the prophecy of Amos, I can’t help but notice the similarities between ancient Israel and modern America. It was a time of great prosperity for Israel, but it was also a time of great immorality. But in the midst of it all, they just didn’t really care. They were complacent. Do you care about the direction of our nation? Are you alarmed that our nation’s moral foundation has been cracking for the past few decades? The sad truth is many Christians don’t even care enough to vote. You should let your voice and your vote be heard.
October 14, 2012
High Noon in Nineveh
Lanny Bridges
Conservative estimates tell us there are a hundred million people today professing to be born again, evangelical Christians. Where’s our impact? Imagine a hundred million Jonahs walking around in a culture, in the marketplace, in the government, in the schools, in the health clubs, in the neighborhoods. A hundred million people filled with resurrection power as though alive from the dead. That’s what the world is waiting to see and that’s the hope for America today.
October 7, 2012
Can America Return to God?
It is true that locusts of all kinds come and eat up things valuable to us. They may be literal insect locusts, or they may be the financial or emotional locusts that destroy our savings or our sanity. They may be the judicial or legislative locusts that strip away the leaves from the tree our founders planted. But whatever kind of locust you’ve faced in the past. God gives an amazing promise in Joel. He says, “I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25)
September 30, 2012
Could America Ever Disappear?
The main truth we can glean from both the Major and Minor Prophets is that God not only deals with individuals, He also deals with nations. Edom is a long-forgotten nation, but Israel is in existence today and is in the news almost daily. As we examine the message of Obadiah, let’s consider God’s Word to America, and then God’s Word to me.
September 23, 2012
Every Scar Has a Story
September 16, 2012
One Cross: Three Crucifixions
When we’re crucified with Christ, we’ll be like that thief on the cross. He longer cared about what people thought about him. They could have yelled that he was ugly and stupid, but it didn’t bother him, because he was crucified with Christ. He didn’t fear arousing the wrath of the Romans for talking to Jesus, because he was crucified with Christ.
September 2, 2012
Never Give Up…Never, Never, Never!
August 26, 2012
The Law of the Harvest: You’ll Pick What You Plant
August 19, 2012
How to Handle Burdens
There are some burdens we need to share, and some we need to bear alone. But we all have one burden in common. It’s the heaviest burden that we’ll ever carry: It’s the burden of GUILT we bear because we are sinners. That burden is too heavy for me to bear alone. It’s too heavy for us to share it together. There’s only One who can carry that burden, and He has already carried it to the cross.
August 12, 2012
Grace for the Disgraced
August 5, 2012
The Secret to a Fruitful Life
The biggest mistake you can make about the Fruit of the Spirit is to think you can manufacture love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Fruit can’t be manufactured. You can’t manufacture Spiritual Fruit either. It comes supernaturally when there is a proper mix of the Life of the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit, and your willingness.
July 29, 2012
Who’s in Charge Around Here?
Is your life like a car and Jesus is a passenger? Jesus was in my life, but I had the steering wheel. I’d sometimes see a detour and flip on the blinker and Jesus would say, “Don’t go down that road!” I’d say, “Who’s driving? Me or you?” Then I’d always end up lost and stuck in the mud of my poor decisions. I’d say, “Jesus please give me directions to get back on the main road.” My life was a continual series of bad detours. But on that night I truly surrendered to Jesus as Lord, I said, “Jesus, let’s swap places. I want You to have the steering wheel.” At that moment I became the passenger and He became the driver. Through the years I’ve seen plenty of flashing billboards directing me to go down the wrong road, and I’ve said, “Hey, what about that? Let’s try that road!” And Jesus simply says in reply, “Who’s driving? Me or You?
July 22, 2012
People are Fragile–Handle with Care
Gentleness isn’t weakness; it’s strength under control. Gentleness means you don’t use strength to hurt those who are weaker. It’s true physically, and it’s true emotionally. If you’re ever in a confrontation where you could verbally or intellectually destroy the person who disagrees with you, gentleness prevents you from hurting them. Gentleness means you don’t get in someone’s face and yell at them. People are fragile; they need to be handled with care.
July 15, 2012
Faithfulness: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
You have to move that “Our God is faithful!” understanding from your head to your heart. You have to TRUST that He is faithful. Sometimes when trouble and tragedy afflict us we wonder what God is doing. But these are the very times when you have to TRUST that God is faithful to keep His promises to us. He has a plan for your life—a plan to prosper you, not to hurt you; a plan to give you hope and a future.
July 8, 2012
Good for You!
We think we’re good because we compare ourselves to others. We look at our neighbors, our coworkers, and our friends and if we’re a little better than them, we feel we’re pretty good people. You’re using the wrong standard if you compare yourself to other people. God’s standard is perfect goodness and complete holiness. If you use the wrong standard, then all comparison is useless.
July 1, 2012
I Love America 2012
Presented by the Celebration Choir & Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks, featuring special guest Adam Paul Williams
June 24, 2012
Kiss ‘Em with Kindness
The kindest thing you can do for a person is to introduce them to Jesus. And sometimes the easiest way to do it is by performing some act of kindness to them in Jesus’ name. Kindness is an evangelistic tool. You may not know the four laws or the seven steps, but you can show kindness in Jesus’ name.
June 17, 2012
I Want Some Patience–NOW!
June 10, 2012
Jesus is Your Source for Serenity
Sometimes Jesus calms the storms of life, but most often He calms our hearts in the midst of life’s storms. We all know that a hurricane is a devastating force of nature. But at the center of every hurricane there’s an eye, where it’s calm and peaceful. The sun is shining, the air is still, and even birds fly around in the eye of the storm. Peter was in the eye of the hurricane that night in prison. And when you know that God cares for you, you can be in the peaceful eye of the storm while all around you the storm rages.
June 3, 2012
JOY is a Choice–Not a Feeling
When you wake up every morning, you have a choice. You can wallow in the ashes of the world, or choose the beauty that God offers. You can give in to mourning, or you can have the oil of joy covering you. Are you burdened down with a spirit of heaviness? You can choose to put on the garment of praise. Joy is a choice!
May 27, 2012
The Greatest of These is Love
May 20, 2012
Rotten Living that Leads to Loss
The apostle Paul lists fifteen different sins, but he concludes the list with the words, “and the like.” That means the list isn’t exhaustive: If you don’t find your pet sin listed, that doesn’t mean you get a pass. The fifteen different weeds of the flesh fall into four general categories. A comparison of the weeds of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.
May 13, 2012
The Inner Uncivil War
May 6, 2012
Set Free to Serve–NOT to Sin
I believe that when you come to Christ, God forgives every sin you’ve ever committed and every sin you’ll ever commit. So if I’m forgiven, then why should I run from sin? One word: Consequences. Forgiveness is God removing the penalty of my sin problem—eternity in hell. But as a Christian I still have to face the consequences of my sin in this life. Moses sinned against God by showing pride and disobedience. He was forgiven, and he’s in heaven, but he sinned, he suffered the consequence of never entering Canaan. King David sinned against God, and he was forgiven, and he’s in heaven how. But because of his sin, he suffered tragedy and heartache in his family.
April 29, 2012
Can You Fall from Grace?
How many of you have ever seen a falling star, raise your hand. Really? I doubt what you saw was a star. Our sun is a star, and stars don’t “fall.” What you saw was a piece of space junk, a meteor. It wasn’t a star falling. If you see a star falling, we’re in trouble. And if you think you saw a Christian who fell from salvation, chances are they weren’t a Christian in the first place.
April 22, 2012
Give Me Liberty…or Give Me Legalism
When we live under the liberty of grace, we admit we are powerless to help ourselves. There’s a reason why that’s the first statement in the 12 steps of AA and in Celebrate Recovery. When a person is in bondage to an addiction, they will remain in chains as long as they try to help themselves. They think, “I can fix this. I can do better. I can live better.” But it’s only when they admit that they are powerless, that they begin the journey to wholeness, healing, and restoration. The same is true about the Christian life.
April 15, 2012
Who’s Your Mama?
Isaac was born supernaturally—there’s no way a 90-year-old woman could give birth. The thought of that was laughable. It was a miracle birth that had to be the divine intervention of God. That’s what grace is. Grace is knowing that it is humanly impossible for me to be good enough for God, so instead God must intervene supernaturally at the cross to perform a miracle. Jesus became sin for me so that I may become the righteousness of God.
April 8, 2012
The Echo from the Empty Tomb
This planet is littered with the graves and tombs of millions of people—some are famous tombs, but the majority is obscure. The pyramids in Egypt are really tombs, the Taj Mahal in India is a mausoleum, and the Ming Dynasty emperors are buried in massive tombs, with each complex covering almost 100 acres. Go to the tombs of religious teachers and call roll: Mohammad? “Here.” Buddha? “Here.” Moses? “Here.” Confucius? “Here.” Jesus? (silence) Jesus? All we hear is the echo from an empty tomb. Even if you’re a skeptic, you’ve got to answer the question: What happened to the body of Jesus?
April 1, 2012
What Happened to Your Joy?
There are some Christians who believe you can lose your salvation. They think there is something a Christian can do that would cause them to longer be a child of God. We believe there’s nothing we can do to become a child of God, so there’s nothing you can do to lose that position. Once God has placed you into His family by a new birth, no one or nothing can cause you to lose your relationship with Him. You don’t have to work to keep your salvation; He is keeping you.
March 25, 2012
Don’t Go Back!
March 18, 2012
From Slaves to Siblings
You might have grown up in a small family, or a large family. You might have come from a blended family or a broken family, but we all understand the meaning of the word, “family.” We were once slaves to sin, but now we’re siblings—we are brothers and sisters in Christ. You and I are spiritual siblings because we have the same Father.
March 11, 2012
The Ground is Level at the Foot of the Cross
Yes, we may have different colored skin. Yes, we might have different jobs, and positions of leadership. And yes, there are differences between men and women. But IN CHRIST these differences don’t define who we are. The only two categories that really matter in the world are: Are you IN CHRIST, or not? At the cross, Jesus destroyed all the made-made barriers of hostility.
March 4, 2012
Grace: The Great Escape
We think the door to freedom and happiness can be picked open by our own efforts, when Jesus has already declared us to be free. You may be sweating and straining at the thoughts of facing a holy God. You may be locked up by your fear of the future, tormented by the fact that you can’t DO everything you think you should be doing for God. And meanwhile, through His grace, God has already unlocked the door to freedom.
February 19, 2012
How Can You Know the Will of God?
Dr. Jim Denison
How do you find time every day to submit to the leadership of the Spirit in our “hurry-up” world? There is value in God’s daily will for us, yet we do not trust or seek it.
February 12, 2012
Is Jesus the Only Way to God?
Dr. Jim Denison
Many times in today’s society, we don’t turn first to Jesus or lead others to do so. We must be committed to the truth of Scripture and necessity of faith in Christ and trust him with our problems and with our friends’ salvation.
February 5, 2012
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
Dr. Jim Denison
It’s hard to trust God in hard times until we see that he redeems all he allows. In a hurting culture, when we meet needs in Jesus’ name, we earn the right to share his love.
January 29, 2012
Does Your Life Have a Purpose?
Dr. Jim Denison
In a skeptical culture, where we separate the spiritual and the secular, our lives must prove the reality of our faith by seeing the transforming purpose and power of God’s Kingdom. A discussion of how to be a Kingdom Christian in every dimension and influence of your life.
January 22, 2012
Does God Matter?
Dr. Jim Denison
In a self-sufficient culture, God will matter to others if He matters to us. Find out how you can be filled with the Holy Spirit why we need it.
January 15, 2012
How to Stay Spiritually Sharp
We’re surrounded by dead people who go to great lengths to look alive. And in some respects, they may look better than some of us. They can work out, and have six-pack abs, but unless they know Jesus, they’re dead. They can spend money and wear nicer clothes, and live in nicer houses, and drive in nicer cars, but unless Jesus has come into their hearts to give them life, they’re dead. Just like a cut-off Christmas tree.
January 8, 2012
Soul Food: It’s Good for You
Just as our bodies get tired, our souls can get weary as well. Just as our bodies can experience pain, so can our souls. It’s just a different kind of pain. And soul pain and exhaustion is harder to pinpoint and treat than physical problems. When there’s a problem with your body, you go to a doctor and he or she prescribes medication or performs surgery. But the pain and fatigue in your soul isn’t as easy to treat and some emotional pain is unavoidable.
January 1, 2012
Keep God’s Temple in Good Shape!
In a 24-hour period your heart will beat more than 100,000 times. You have so many blood vessels that if they were all stretched out end-to-end they would wrap around the equator. Twice. So in an average day your blood travels 168,000 miles. You will move and use over 700 muscles, and generate 450 tons of energy. In an average day you will speak 4,800 words, if you are a man—slightly more for the ladies! Your body contains overs 10 trillion cells and each one is more complex and intricate than the New York City power grid. You really ARE fearfully and wonderfully made. To claim that you are a biological accident is about as likely as an explosion in a junkyard miraculously resulting in a perfect Boeing 747.
December 25, 2011
From an Empty Throne to an Empty Tomb
Since I’ve lived here, I’ve met people who moved here from other areas. I’ve heard people say, “I came down from Minnesota, Praise the Lord.” Or, “I came down from Boston where we park the car by the harbor.” I’ve had people say, “Oh, right, I came down from Canada, you betcha,’ where I went out from my house.” I’ve even had people tell me, “I came down from Oklahoma.” (And they sound just like Texans). But here’s my point: In all these years of meeting people, I’ve never ONCE had anyone say, “Oh, I came down from heaven.” But Jesus made that claim about Himself multiple times. An examination of Jesus’ Christmas journey.
December 18, 2011
Far as the Curse is Found
Most of us struggle with the pure grace of God because we feel better about ourselves if we can do something to earn God’s favor. The idea of grace goes against our human nature. Everything in our nature says, “Try hard. Work hard. Earn acceptance with God.” But salvation is not by trying; it is by trusting.
December 11, 2011
Christmas 2011: Miracle in a Manger
2011 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 4, 2011
“Bewitched”
November 27, 2011
Are You Wired for 220?
Christ in you changes your life. This is only a cup of hot water, but when I drop this tea bag in it, it changes the color and the nature of the water. For the water to exist now is for tea to exist. If the water could talk it might say, “It is no longer I (water) but tea lives in me.” Not many people drink hot water—there isn’t much taste there. But water turned into tea becomes a delicious drink. The tea adds value. Even so, in the Christian life, Christ in you changes your nature. He changes your life from being bland and boring to be exciting and thrilling.
November 20, 2011
How God Rescues Sinners
Justified margins means the left margin and the right margin are both straight; they agree. Justified people are those who have been made right with God. Here are God’s standard on the left—absolute perfection—straight up. And here we are on the right—our lives are ragged. Religion or legalism is the attempt to JUSTIFY our lives with God’s perfect standard. But we can’t justify our lives to God’s standard. Thankfully, God does the justification. It is His act, not ours!
October 30, 2011
Too Graced to be Two-Faced
Of these three characters, whose sandals are you wearing? Are you like Paul and you need to help someone who has stumbled? Or are you in the sandals of Barnabas and you’re following the wrong leader? Or perhaps, like Peter, you need to examine your life and make sure your conduct matches what you believe about the gospel.
October 23, 2011
Born (Again) Free
The legalism that exists today isn’t about keeping Jewish festivals as much as it is thinking that a Christian can earn God’s love and acceptance by what they do or don’t do. Legalism is the belief that if I can just keep all my spiritual plates spinning, then I can earn more of God’s favor.
October 16, 2011
From Terrorist to Evangelist
October 9, 2011
The Perils of People-Pleasing
Most people spend their lives trying to please others, but Paul challenges us to the take the road less traveled and live our lives to please God. That’s a pretty important matter to settle in your own life. Are you living to please others, or to serve God? A comparison of people-pleasing versus the blessings we receive when we live to please God.
September 25, 2011
The Bad News Gospel
Jesus’ last words from the cross weren’t “EARN THIS.” His last words were a shout of triumph, “It is finished!” Sadly some Christians spend every day of their lives feeling like they have to live in a way to earn the sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying there was nothing else we could ever do to be saved.
September 18, 2011
Galatians: Our Emancipation Proclamation
Galatians is a short book—only six chapters. You can easily read it in a half-hour. But don’t be deceived by its size. A tiny stick of dynamite can blow up a big building. That’s more than a figure of speech; it’s a metaphor for the book itself. Galatians is spiritual dynamite. Learn how to achieve freedom from fear, doubt and guilt through grace.
September 4, 2011
Sharing the Miracle of Salvation
August 28, 2011
Seven Words that Rocked the World
The absence of a body alone is not a compelling argument for the resurrection. But when you combine it with the fact that a living, breathing Jesus appeared on several occasions to His disciples, you either have to say the account is fictional, or Jesus really came back from the dead.
August 21, 2011
The Miracle of the Cross
When Jesus died on the cross, four things happened simultaneously: Old Testament scriptural prophecy was fulfilled, darkness covered the earth, the Temple curtain was torn and an earthquake raised the dead. But the main miracle of the cross, the unseen miracle, was Jesus took the punishment for sin in my place.
August 14, 2011
The Miracle that Never Happened
If one angel warrior could kill 185,000 soldiers, then 72,000 angel warriors could kill 13.2 billion soldiers. That’s over twice the population of the earth today! And the night Jesus spoke these words, it is estimated there were less than one billion people on earth. In other words, if Jesus had given the word, these angel warriors could have literally wiped out the entire population of the planet.
July 31, 2011
Living in the Shadow of the Cross
July 24, 2011
The Fragrance of Worship
We know from John’s account that the perfume Mary anointed Jesus with was worth 300 denarii, which is equal to a year’s wages. So figure your annual salary, and you begin to have an idea about how expensive this gift was. But she poured it all out on Jesus in an act of worship. To Mary, no expense would be spared. Her great love for Jesus could only be expressed by giving her most prized possession. Breaking the bottle symbolized her brokenness before the Lord.
July 17, 2011
Jesus’ Last Parable: The Sheep and the Goats
In Israel, shepherds often had sheep and goats in the same flock during the day, but at night, the shepherd separated the sheep and the goats. The sheep, which are more defenseless, were herded into a stonewalled sheepfold. The goats, which are more aggressive by nature, were left outside the sheepfold. It was a common sight in Israel to see a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats; and this is the powerful picture Jesus uses to describe how He will judge all people at the end of the world.
July 10, 2011
The Parable of the Three Managers
The parable of the talents is about money, but the application is about managing ALL the resources God has given you. In addition to your money, God has given you health, time, talent, energy, abilities, influence, and relationships. This is not just about money management; it’s about life management. But it all starts with acknowledging that everything I have is a gift from God. I don’t own it; I just manage it.
July 3, 2011
America: God Shed His Grace on Thee!
It is my strong belief that America is a great nation but America is in trouble. We are on a downward spiral. Our foundations are eroding as our moral foundation is decaying. We have lost our moral compass. And unless we, the younger generations, reclaim the values, the dignity, the decency, and the diligence of this greatest generation, America may not survive very far into the 21st century.
June 26, 2011
Here Comes the Bridegroom!
You can’t borrow someone else’s faith. You can learn from my faith, but you can’t use my faith. Even though I’m saved, I cannot become your Savior. Even though you have received the Grace of God, you can’t impart the grace of God to anyone else. I can give my life for you, but I can’t live your life, and you can’t live mine. God has children, but He has no grandchildren. You can’t borrow faith from your parents or grandparents. They can instill God’s Word in your heart and train you in the things of God, but they can’t give you their faith. You have to choose to follow Jesus on your own.
June 12, 2011
Ready or Not, Here I Come!
Are you more concerned about your own needs than the needs of others? In the eyes of the world, greatness is determined by how many servants a person has, but in God’s economy greatness is defined by how many people we serve. Too many people have their eyes on the sky looking for the return of Jesus. Let me ask you the same question the angels asked the disciples: Why do you stand gazing into heaven? Jesus is coming back, so get busy serving God by serving others.
June 5, 2011
Like a Thief in the Night
The Bible says at any moment, the Lord Jesus could return in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye. God has placed warning signs all along the road. Warning! Repent immediately. This message is just another warning. For those of us who have heeded His warning, and put our faith in Jesus, we will escape His judgment against sin. But some people just laugh at the Bible and refuse to heed God’s Warning.
May 29, 2011
Can We Know WHEN Jesus will Return?
Most of us had the childhood experience of riding in the car heading on vacation. We were excited but we didn’t really have an understanding of when we would arrive. So we would yell up to our dad or mom driving, “How much longer? Are we there yet?” And they would often reply, “We’re ten minutes closer than the last time you asked!” That’s a little bit how I feel about the return of Christ. We don’t really know when it’s going to happen, so we ask our Father. “How much longer?” And He smiles and says, “Closer than when you asked the last time.” I’m not a genius but I feel safe in making this prediction about when Jesus will return: Sooner than yesterday. We can’t know the exact day, but we can know the season. Pay attention: The fig tree has sprouted leaves; the Israeli flag flies over Jerusalem; and the gospel is going to all people groups.
May 15, 2011
Safe Beneath His Wings
May 15, 2011
I’ll Take the Camel; but Hold the Gnat
God is interested in how you manage His money, and He wants you to honor Him with the tithe. He’s interested in every area of your personal life. The websites you look at matter to God. The drugs you’re taking? They matter to God. The gossip you’re spreading? It matters to God. How you care for His temple, your body? It matters to God. Your personal morality matters to God, but if your concern for personal morality doesn’t lead you to help hurting people, you’ve missed the point.
May 1, 2011
You Might Be a Hypocrite If…
Do you think, “I’m a pretty good person?” Or do you say, “I’m not perfect, but I’m better than most people, or at least some people?” Or do you say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace?” Maybe you should say, “I’m not what I OUGHT to be, and I’m not what I WANT to be, and I’m not what I’m GOING to be, but thank God because of His grace, I’m not what I USED to be.” I’m just a sinner saved by grace. If you can say that, then you might NOT be a hypocrite—just a recovering hypocrite who doesn’t need a mask anymore.
April 24, 2011
The Scarlet Thread That Runs Through the Bible
The scarlet thread runs from Genesis to the cross, but it doesn’t end there. Satan tried to cut it off at the cross, but the scarlet thread continued into a cold dark tomb. Today, this scarlet thread is God’s lifeline to you. He has tossed it to you. Will you grab it? The scarlet thread runs through the Bible, but when you let it run through your heart, then you can know without a doubt that you’ll spend eternity in the presence of God.
April 10, 2011
Is Heaven for REAL?
What kind of perfect environment do you picture? If you love the beach, you might picture a perfect beachfront with no litter, undertow, sharks or crabs! Heaven is better than that. If you’re a golfer, you might picture being able to play Augusta National and every drive splits the fairway and every putt rattles into the cup. Heaven is better than that. If you love hiking you might picture a perfect mountain trail with no briars or snakes, and you don’t get tired as you carry a 100-pound pack uphill. Heaven is better than that. Imagine what you can, and Heaven is better than that.
April 3, 2011
Show Me the Money!
Some people hold two or more passports because they are citizens of two or more countries. In this passage of scripture Jesus reminds us that we hold dual citizenships. He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” By that statement He indicated that all of us live in relationship to an earthly government. He also said, “Give to God what is God’s.” In addition to our relationship to an earthly government, we must also consider our relationship with God. So, if you’re a Christian, you live in relationship with Caesar, the government and with God. It’s like holding two passports.
March 27, 2011
Your Personal Invitation to the Royal Wedding
The message of this parable is powerful but simple. “Many are invited but few are chosen.” To rephrase that, “All are invited, but only a few CHOOSE to accept the invitation.” God has given you an invitation to join Him for eternity. He provides the clothing of the righteousness of Jesus. If you accept his gracious offer, then you will enjoy the presence of the King of Kings for all eternity. However, if you refuse God’s offer of grace, then you will spend eternity separated from Him in a place called hell.
March 27, 2011
The Rejected StONe
February 27, 2011
Why It’s Easier for “BAD” People to Go to Heaven Than “GOOD” People
Someone said each of Jesus’ parables is like a window. You can look through the parable and see the world in a different way. But if you really look at a window instead of through it, you will often catch your own reflection in the glass. When you truly “get it” you’ll always see yourself in the parables of Jesus.
February 20, 2011
Mountain-Moving Faith
The more you talk ABOUT your mountain, the bigger it gets. It grows and grows until sometimes you really do turn a molehill into a mountain. And if you don’t speak to your mountain it will speak to you—it will taunt you, “Look at me! You can’t get past me! You’ll never be healthy! You’ll never get out of debt. You’ll never kick that habit!” So try speaking directly to the mountain; you don’t have to yell. Just say with faith, “Mountain, there’s not enough room for both of us in this life, so you gotta go!”
February 13, 2011
Where Does God Live Today?
February 6, 2011
Has Jesus Touched Your Eyes?
the Bible teaches we were all blind until Jesus touched our lives and gave us the light of salvation. And you and I live with people who are spiritually blind. They are stumbling over themselves trying to find spiritual truth through crystals, meditation, or the newest and latest new age fad. Satan has blinded their minds.
January 31, 2011
And First Place Goes to…
January 23, 2011
That’s not FAIR! No, that’s GRACE!
When we think about what the vineyard workers were paid, our immediate reaction to that story is, “Hey, that’s not fair!” Jesus didn’t say this is what the kingdom of this world is like. He said this is what the Kingdom of heaven is like. Heaven uses different math than the world uses. Jesus leaves the 99 sheep to go after the one lost one—the world doesn’t operate that way. Jesus said that a widow’s two pennies were more valuable than all the gold given in the Temple one day. The world would call that fuzzy math, but the Bible calls it grace.
January 16, 2011
A Camel Through a Needle: A Parable of Impossibility
When Moses faced the Red Sea in front of him and an army chasing him, he faced an impossible situation, but God specializes in the impossible and He made a twelve-lane express highway in the middle of the sea. When Joshua faced the flood-swollen Jordan River, there was no way to cross, but God told the priests to step into the water by faith, and He stopped the river. Impossible? But God did it. When little David faced a nine-foot monster with only a slingshot, victory was impossible by human standards. But the God of the impossible directed the stone to strike Goliath right between the eyes. When Gabriel visited a teenager named Mary he announced she would give birth to a son who would be the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Mary said, “How can this be, since I’m a virgin?” Gabriel said, “Nothing is impossible for God.”
January 9, 2011
Grace: The Gift that Keeps on Forgiving
We love to talk about how God has forgiven us, but we sometimes choke on the idea of forgiving others. The world’s answer is simple: Payback time! But as Christians, we’re told to turn the other cheek; we’re told to forgive. But sometimes forgiveness is very difficult when we know the person who needs our forgiveness is going to keep on hitting us.
December 12, 2010
Christmas 2010: Hope of the World
2010 Christmas program, featuring the Celebration Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Mike Parks.
December 5, 2010
God’s Beautiful Symphony
November 28, 2010
The Parable of the Rejoicing Shepherd
November 21, 2010
Kids in the Kingdom
As an adult you may be waiting until you understand salvation before you accept it. You’ll never understand it. You only have to accept God’s free gift of eternal life. That’s easy for a child to understand, but difficult for an adult. God isn’t looking for childish behavior, but He is looking for a childlike spirit. In a real sense, only children go to heaven–God’s children.
November 7, 2010
The Money is in the Mouth of the Fish
October 31, 2010
The Word IMPOSSIBLE is Not in My Dictionary
October 24, 2010
His Transfiguration Can Transform You
October 17, 2010
Don’t Waste Your Life
Thousands of people are thrill seekers and live on the edge simply because they want the temporary reward of a rush of adrenaline or a new buzz. But the thrill is only temporary and they have to look for the next big thrill and they are constantly unfulfilled. There’s nothing wrong with seeking fun, adventure, and pleasure unless it becomes the driving force of your life. If it does, then you lose.
October 3, 2010
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
This spiritual building Jesus is constructing isn’t made up of bricks that are all the same size and appearance. It’s more like a stone wall of all different shapes and sizes. God loves variety. If you don’t believe it, just look around. Unless you’re a twin, nobody else looks like you. But like the stones in a wall, we are joined together through the mortar of the Holy Spirit. The stonemason carefully chooses each stone to fit with the others. That’s exactly what God does with us.
September 26, 2010
Reading the Signs of the Times
Jesus wants every ethnos, every people group in the world to hear the good news. In fact He said, “I’m not coming back until every people group has heard the gospel.” Could it be that Jesus is waiting for one final people group to hear the gospel? At this very moment there could be some missionaries who have found their village and they are right now in the process of sharing the gospel with this final people group?
September 19, 2010
God’s Invisible Hand at Work
There are basically two ways God works in the world. First, He works through miracles. When a miracle happens you KNOW the hand of God is involved. But the second way God works is through His Providence. And this is when you can’t see His hand, it’s invisible, but God is still at work. It’s like Clint Eastwood. Sometimes he’s an actor and you see him on the screen and sometimes he’s a director and you don’t see him. When God performs a miracle, He’s front and center, but when He works through Providence, He’s in the background.
September 12, 2010
Redeemed, Rescued and Rewarded
In this drama about love and redemption, there is a crisis that must be overcome before Boaz can marry Ruth. This is also a story of God’s love for us and our redemption. In much the same way, there are some issues that must be settled in our understanding of salvation before we can fully accept Jesus as our Kinsman-Redeemer. So, I want to talk about the rival redeemer, the real redeemer and the redeemer’s reward.
September 5, 2010
A Match Made in Heaven
Ruth was obedient when she told Naomi, “I will do whatever you say.” That’s what faith is; it believing God enough to DO what He tells us to do in His Word. She didn’t just believe there was a possibility that Boaz could be her goel; she believed enough to DO something about it! You can say you believe God’s Word until you’re blue in the face, but the only part of this Bible you really believe is that part you act on.
August 29, 2010
My Redeemer Lives!
Jesus qualifies as our goel. He is our kinsman through the incarnation. He has the power and the willingness to redeem us, and He has paid the price. He took on human flesh so He could live among us. Jesus took those human hands and touched the blind and broken hearted. He used those human hands to caress the little children who were drawn to Him. He used those human hands to break the bread that fed thousands. But the main reason Jesus needed a human body was to die.
August 22, 2010
Living in the Field of Grace
Ruth was amazed at the grace Boaz showed her. People from Moab were considered inferior foreigners. There was a lot of discrimination against Gentiles. So why did Boaz notice Ruth and show her kindness and friendship? There’s a wonderful nuance to this story many people miss. I believe one of the reasons Boaz showed favor to Ruth was because Ruth reminded him of his mother, Rahab.
August 15, 2010
You CAN Return to God
Commitment is not bargaining. It’s okay to bargain when you’re buying a Polex Watch from a street vendor in New York City. But true commitment to God isn’t a bargain to see how cheaply you can get off and still go to heaven! It’s offering God everything and asks for nothing. But like Ruth, when we give Him our all, He gives us so much more in return.
August 8, 2010
On the Road Again: Going the Wrong Way
When you start backsliding, it doesn’t happen suddenly, it happens gradually. Automobile mechanics will tell you that more tires go flat from a slow leak than from a blowout. Not many people have spiritual blowouts and run away from God. Backsliding is a gradual process. It is a gradual decline takes you away from intimacy with God and His people. It might begin with a little sin that you think is harmless. But sin is a poison that has a delayed effect. There is no such thing as a harmless sin to God. Sin killed His precious Son Jesus, so God hates all sin, and so should we.
July 18, 2010
Dogging Jesus for a Miracle
Are you a persistent person or do you give up quickly? Jesus taught us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) But those verbs denote continuous action. He literally said, “Ask and keep on asking … seek and keep on seeking … knock and keep on knocking.” You wouldn’t walk up to a closed door and knock once would you? Have you been praying for something for days or weeks and you haven’t received an answer yet? Don’t quit praying. God rewards persistent praying. Don’t give up. Keep praying.
July 11, 2010
Sink or Swim? … or Walk?
When Jesus is out on the waves, sitting in the boat represents a lack of faith. Sitting in the boat represents your comfort zone. It’s the status quo. The boat life is dull. It is safe, but it’s sour. But Jesus calls us to think outside the boat. It took a lot of courage for Peter to throw his leg over the boat and place his foot on water. But he never would have experienced the adventure of water walking if he had stayed in the boat. What is your boat today? What is it that limits you from stepping out in faith and trusting God for something so great that if He doesn’t come through, then you’re sunk? Are you willing to throw yourself out of the boat of mediocrity and move toward Jesus?
June 27, 2010
The ONLY Word Jesus Doesn’t Understand
When you face the very hardest times of your life, it is like God is saying, “Take out a blank sheet of paper.” The only question on God’s test is: Do you trust me? Your answer is not for His information; it is to show you how much faith you really have. Your faith will be tested continually throughout your life, not to shame you, but to strengthen you. Once you realize problems are God’s pop quizzes, it makes it easier to say, “Oh boy! Another test!”
June 20, 2010
God’s Dragnet
Jesus loves every kind of person, not just the good people. Jesus loves the down-and-out as well as the up-and-out. Jesus loves the man who drank himself into a stupor last night. Jesus loves the junkie who shot up last night. Jesus loves the woman who slept last night with someone who was not her husband. Jesus loves the guy who in secrecy and shame looked at porn on his computer last night. Jesus loves the child who cried herself to sleep last night because her parents were yelling at each other. And He loves those parents, too. Jesus loves that inmate sitting in prison because he did unspeakable things to another person. And Jesus loves the person sitting in church with a better-than-thou attitude thinking “Yeah, but He loves me more.”
June 13, 2010
Sell Out and Buy Up!
What if I told you there was an investment you could make and your return would make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams? Would you be interested? Of course, you’d probably be skeptical because we all know about Bernie Madoff and the other investment scammers out there with their “get-rich-quick schemes.” But what if I could convince you this investment would really pay off a thousand-fold? How much would you be willing to invest? Would you invest just a little, or would you sell out everything you have and buy up all of that investment you could?
June 6, 2010
Little is Much When God is in it
Imagine boulders represent burdens. Sometimes we all experience the occasional heavy boulders of pain and grief: the death of a loved one; a divorce; the loss of a job. You carry your own backpack, but if a boulder rolls over onto one of your fellow hikers, you’re going to jump in and help take the load of that burden off them; you’re going to bear their burden. As you do that, you fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ is the law of Love. You are to love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with age; there are plenty of adult Christians who still cannot feed themselves.
May 30, 2010
God’s Final Harvest
Any wheat farmer can easily tell the difference between wheat and weeds. Want to know how? As the harvest time nears, the top of the stalk sags downward, it bows. The head of the wheat grows so heavy with the grain, the fruit, that it begins to bow toward the ground. Meanwhile, the weeds stand tall and straight. They never bow. What a lesson! A true believer is humble; and the more mature and fruitful they become, the more they bow before the Lord in humility. But the counterfeit Christian stands tall, proud of his religious accomplishments which he foolishly believes will get him to heaven.
May 23, 2010
How to Multiply Your Influence 100x
Your heart is like a garden, it needs to be tended. Even a good garden has weeds that spring up. But you can’t just chop off the weeds; you must pull them out by the roots. If you want to be a fruitful Christian, you must constantly attack the root sins of worry and the craving for wealth.
May 9, 2010
Are You a Part of God’s Forever Family?
Wouldn’t it be nice if every biological family were a “big happy family?” But we know sometimes just the opposite is true. We all know our biological families can cause us heartache and pain. Jesus pointed to His disciples and said, “This is my mother and my brothers and sisters. He was teaching that we are part of a huge family of believers. His family is called the church. This is where you can find love and acceptance. And for many people, they feel a closer bond with their spiritual family than they do with their natural family members.
May 2, 2010
Are You Waiting on a Sign from God?
The very best way for you to hear from God is to let His Word abide in you. To do that you have to maintain a steady, daily diet of God’s Word. Once you have it in your head and in your heart, you will be thinking about His Word all the time. When you’re confronted with a challenge, or a challenge, you won’t need a sign. You’ll be able to say; “God’s Word says this about that issue.”
April 18, 2010
Take Out the Trash Talk!
Scientists who study sound waves theorize sound waves never really vanish; they just diminish until they are no longer audible to the human ear. And each sound wave has a unique frequency. Some believe if we could invent a sensitive enough instrument, we might someday be able to go back and capture the faint echo of words spoken hundreds of years earlier. Wouldn’t it be something if we could one day actually hear Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address? Well, that’s the stuff of scientific journals. But, for God, recapturing every word I’ve ever said won’t be hard. But I’m not worried. Do you know why? Because there are a few important words I’ve spoken that take care of all the trash talk I’ve ever done. One day I said, “Jesus is my Lord.” And I asked Him to forgive my sins.
April 11, 2010
What is the Unforgivable Sin?
What is the unforgivable sin? Let me tell you what it is NOT. It is not murder. Moses was a murderer and he’ll be in heaven. It is not adultery. King David committed adultery and God forgave him. It is not divorce. The woman at the well had multiple divorces and she was forgiven. It is not suicide. Although the Catholic Church teaches suicide is an unforgivable sin, you don’t find it in the Bible. Suicide is self-murder and it is no different from homicide—both are forgivable. If you think a person who commits suicide can’t repent of that sin because they’re dead and that’s your attitude, then you don’t understand salvation. Once you are a Christian, you don’t have to confess every single sin you commit in order to go to heaven. We confess our sins to stay in fellowship with God, but when you surrender your life to Christ, every past sin you’ve committed and every future sin you will ever commit is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
April 4, 2010
Hope for Your Broken Heart
One of the most valuable commodities in this world is hope, because it’s so rare. And the Bible promises you can find hope in Jesus Christ. In our vocabulary, we’ve reduced the meaning of hope to something that may or may not happen. We say, “I hope I’ll pass that test.” Or “I hope we’ll win the game.” You can ask someone, “Are you going to heaven when you die?” And their answer is, “I hope so!” We’ve diluted the word hope until it’s something you want to happen, but you aren’t certain that it will. But in the Bible, hope carries the meaning of absolute certainty.
March 14, 2010
A Sabbath Miracle: Stretch Out Your Hand!
Have you noticed in many of Jesus’ miracles He simply told the person to DO the very thing they couldn’t do? When the four men brought the paralyzed man to Jesus and lowered him through a hole in the ceiling, Jesus didn’t touch the paralyzed man. He simply said, “Stand up, pick up your bed and walk home.” Jesus told Peter to walk on water, which was totally impossible. But it wasn’t until Peter stepped out onto the impossibility that he found he could stand on Jesus’ Word! It is only when we trust the Word of Jesus to believe we experience His healing power. Salvation is impossible for us, but God’s power makes it possible.
March 7, 2010
A Sabbath Parable
We don’t have to observe the Sabbath the way the Jews did. But there is another mistake some Christians make. They say, “Oh, well Sunday is our Sabbath.” No, Sunday is NOT the Christian Sabbath. I invite you to find one verse in the New Testament that says Sunday has become the Sabbath. Then where did we get the idea that existed until about 40 years ago that stores shouldn’t be open on Sundays?
February 21, 2010
Taking His Yoke is No Joke
Say a single Clydesdale can pull a sled holding two tons of weight. And another Clydesdale can pull three tons. You would think that when yoked together, the most they could pull would be five tons. But in reality when these two horses are yoked together, they can actually pull seven tons! You may think that’s not possible, but this phenomenon has been proven many times. It’s called synergy. Two pulling together can accomplish more than the sum of the two parts. Now apply that principle to the yoke of Christ. You can try bearing the heavy load yourself, but Jesus invites you to join Him inside His yoke. Think about how much strength He has! He’s the strong one and I’m the weaker partner.
February 14, 2010
The Prince of Peace Carries a Sword
Many of you have told me you have family members who aren’t Christians. At family gatherings and you have to watch what you say, because if you bring up your faith, the battle breaks out. Verbal swords are drawn and the fight begins. Of course we love our family members, but Jesus said our love for Him must be supreme.
February 7, 2010
If His Eye is on the Sparrow…
How many times have you faced a scary situation and given in to fear? Wouldn’t it have made a difference if you had know God was right there with you? Well, He is! Spiritually speaking, we’re all like preschoolers learning to walk. We’re going to stumble and fall, but He has promised to uphold us with His hand. When we stumble He grips us even stronger and that’s when we need to grip His hand even tighter. You don’t have to be afraid, because God has promised He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. He watches over every sparrow that falls, so you can be certain He is watching over you!
January 31, 2010
If I Could Talk to the Animals
Jesus says we are to be like sheep, snakes, and doves. The wolves are those who are enemies of the cross. I want to examine what it means for us to be like these three animals. If we could talk to the animals, or they could talk to us, what would they say to us about being like a lamb, a snake, and a dove? God has called us to go out into the world and share His truth. We are sent out like sheep among wolves. We must be as clever as snakes, and as innocent as doves.
January 24, 2010
iFocus on Giving App
As human creatures, we love to accumulate stuff. You know what stuff is. I’ve got my stuff and you’ve got your stuff. Don’t mess with my stuff. People have accumulated so much stuff that they have to rent storage units to store all their stuff. But Jesus taught that we shouldn’t hoard our blessings, we should give them away.
January 17, 2010
iFocus Worship App
Our work for God must spring from our worship of God. Too often we come into a worship service and leave totally unchanged. It’s possible to come to a worship service, but never actually worship. Worship means you meet God and you express your adoration to Him, and every time you encounter God, your life is changed.
January 10, 2010
iFocus Opportunities App
God is going to give you some opportunities over the next few months to make a difference in someone’s eternity. All you have to say is, “Come, see what a difference Jesus has made in my life.” Are you looking for those opportunities? One of my favorite quotes about opportunity comes from Thomas Edison. Edison said, “Most people don’t recognize opportunity because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
January 3, 2010
iFocus Faith App
If you want to live according to Philippians 4:13, you’ve got to start believing “I can” instead of “I can’t.” The word “can’t” is the most destructive word in the English language. It kills dreams, and destroys motivation, it denies the power of faith. If you want to see changes in your life, I suggest you take your dictionary and cut the word “can’t” out of it. You may say, “I can’t because I don’t have a dictionary.” I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you said because “can’t” isn’t in my vocabulary!
December 27, 2009
Do You See What HE Sees?
December 20, 2009
Two Words God Loves to Hear
We talk a lot about faith, but many people don’t really understand it. People who aren’t followers of Jesus claim they just can’t have faith, but everyone practices some kind of faith every day of their lives. Is there something you need in your life? Don’t stop trusting God for it. Keep on praying. Keep on persevering! Don’t give up on God.
December 6, 2009
In Plain Sight
Dr. Charles R. Gordon, M.D.
The Bible promises that God knows the number of hairs on your head, just like your fingerprint is unique; a zebra’s pattern is also unique. God planned you from the moment of creation. From the moment of creation, he sat this universe in order with these laws and these principles and he foreknew you and you can trust him with every detail of your life.
November 29, 2009
From Desperation to Deliverance
The bleeding woman would have been content to slip away into the crowd, but Jesus wouldn’t let her. She didn’t just sneak up and “steal” a measure of Jesus’ power; it was something Jesus willingly surrendered to her when He felt her touch of faith. Jesus wanted to give her an affirmation for her public confession of His power. The same is true today. Jesus wants us to go public with our testimony of how Jesus has changed our lives. There is no such thing as a “secret agent” or “closet” Christian. Jesus invites us, He requires us, and He expects us to openly confess our faith in Him.
November 22, 2009
Jesus Honors the Faith of a Father
Have you begged the Lord for something, and you think you need it right now, but the Lord doesn’t seem to be in any hurry? With God, timing is much more important than time. God’s delays are not God’s denials. Psalm 90:4 tells us a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day with the Lord. We get impatient, but the Lord never gets in a hurry.
November 1, 2009
New and Improved!
Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you don’t deal with suffering. Life is full of sadness, pain, and disappointment. If you compare the Christian life to a song, the melody line is always joy and praise. The harmony line is suffering and pain. Together, our lives are a beautiful song—but the melody of joy must prevail.
October 18, 2009
The Doctor Who Still Makes House Calls
When Jesus looks at us, He doesn’t just see the “AS IS” sign around our necks He also sees something more—He sees “what I can be” when He takes possession of my life. He delights in accepting “as is” people and transforming them into something wonderful. He saw Matthew “as is” and saw what he could become. He didn’t just see a despised tax collector, Jesus saw a “facts collector” who would one day use his pen to write down His words and deeds. Jesus accepted the woman at the well in Samara “as is.” He knew she had a jaded past and was living in sin, but he looked beyond that to see she could be a relational evangelist bringing her thirsty friends to find the living water. Jesus looked at little Zacchaeus and saw Him “as is”–another despised tax collector. And He saw He could become a generous giver. Jesus looks at each of us and accepts us “As Is.” Then He says, “I see what you can become.” And we should look at people the way Jesus looks at people. We should be willing to accept them “as is” and rejoice as Jesus makes them into something beautiful.
October 4, 2009
Take Your Faith Through the Roof
It requires both faith and persistence to bring someone to Jesus. Do you REALLY believe Jesus can forgive and change even the most hardened person? Then start working on them. And don’t give up. The paralytic’s four friends didn’t give up. When they found the way blocked, they didn’t quit, they tried a creative approach! God wants you to be a persistent roof-ripper and do whatever it takes to bring your friends to Jesus.
September 27, 2009
Say Goodbye to Your Demons
If the thought of the devil and demons makes you want to change the subject and talk about something else, the devil has successfully snared you in his trap of fear. Satan knows if he can keep the whole topic of demonic control in the realm of horror movies that produce nightmares that people won’t ever discover the real truth—that he is a defeated foe.
September 20, 2009
It’s Just the Storm Before the Calm
Some Christians make the mistake of thinking that just because they have the Lord in their life that they will be immune to trouble, tribulation, and problems. Even if Jesus is in your life, you will still encounter storms. There are physical storms, financial storms, emotional storms, and relational storms which can strike you suddenly with no warning. But just because you find yourself in a storm it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you or is punishing you. Jesus led the disciples into this storm to teach them to trust Him, so don’t be surprised when you face storms.
September 13, 2009
The Parables of Foxes and Funerals
Regardless of your age, are you willing to follow Jesus more faithfully now than ever before? There may be some of you who are at an age when you think the best of your life is behind you. Every car needs a rear-view mirror, but if driver constantly looking in the mirror then you are an accident waiting to happen. Some people live life the same way: They look in the mirror of their memories and talk about the good old days. And you can only see a tiny sliver in your rear-view mirror, while God has a windshield full of blessings in front of you. The past is a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. The wonderful thing about following Jesus is that the best is always ahead.
September 6, 2009
Jesus is STILL Performing Miracles
The fact that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled these prophecies is powerful evidence that the Bible is a supernatural book and Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Son of the Living God. Why? Because the odds of one person randomly fulfilling 40 predictions about the details of their life are astronomical!
August 30, 2009
Sunday Morning Live
We hold precious the doctrine of the Persistent of the Saints. That’s sometimes called “once saved always saved.” But it’s misunderstood. We don’t believe “once a church member always saved.” A person with a living faith may drift away from God for awhile, but they always return to the fold. One of my seminary professors used to say, “The faith that fizzles before the finish was faulty from the first.” So don’t be like the crowd, be one of the faithful few whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life!
August 23, 2009
Desperate Households
August 16, 2009
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor
God is offering you the gold of His grace, and our hands are full of the garbage of this world. We must be willing to release our garbage in order to accept the gold of his grace. But this is a limited time offer. Why? One day you are going to die, and after you die, the offer of salvation is no longer on the table. You may think, “I’m young and healthy, I’ve got lots of time.” But there’s another event that could change this offer: Jesus is going to return without warning, and when He does, the offer changes, so the only certain time you have to accept God’s offer of the free gift of eternal life is right now.
August 9, 2009
American Idols
In the 21st Century whenever we talk about idols, we usually visualize ancient religious icons or statues that pagans worshipped–like Baal in the Old Testament or the totem poles of native Americans. Or we think of people in other countries bowing down before statues of Buddha, or Krishna and offering them food and flowers to gain their favor. But an idol doesn’t have to be a thing, it can an attitude or a desire. So don’t think of idolatry as bowing down to a statue or a stick. Are you and American Idol?
August 2, 2009
Grace Anatomy
People who are used to living in the world of ungrace sometimes have a hard time accepting the free gift of eternal life. They think it’s too easy. Like the prodigal son’s older brother, they think if they slave away and work hard and do good and be good that they can earn it or pay for it. You can’t. It’s already been paid for. The only decision you have to make concerning the grace of God is whether or not you will accept it as a free gift.
July 19, 2009
The Power of Jesus’ Word
Have you ever noticed Jesus often talked to people the crowd rejected? He spoke to tax-collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and even little children His disciples tried to shoo away. And here Jesus speaks with a Gentile—and worse than that, a Roman soldier! The Jews hated Gentiles, and they despised the Romans. This Italian was not just a soldier; he was a commander of 100 other Roman soldiers who were occupying Israel. Most Jews avoided the Roman soldiers and spat on the ground when they passed. We’re reminded here that Jesus receives any kind of person who approaches Him. That should give us hope today that none of us are too sinful to be outside the love of Christ.
July 5, 2009
Wake Up, America
Have you ever been to an auction? When the bidding reaches a climax the auctioneer says, “Going … going …. gone!” and he raps his gavel. That item is no longer up for sale. I fear God may be looking at our nation and saying, “Going … going …” and that we are only one word away from losing the blessings of God. The answer for America’s problems isn’t going to come from the White House; it’s got to come from the Church House. But the problem is most American Christians are asleep and unaware of the dangers we face.
June 21, 2009
The Power of Jesus’ Touch
Today when Jesus’ disciples gather here Sunday after Sunday, it’s a mountaintop experience as we praise Him and study His Word. And sadly, for some, that is the pinnacle of their faith. When they leave church they just look forward to the next spiritual high point of worship and fellowship the next Sunday. But you can’t just stay on the mountaintop with Jesus. Monday through Saturday, you’ve got to go into the valley where the people are hurting and in need of Jesus.
June 14, 2009
How to Storm-Proof Your Life
I’ve often heard God can bless ignorance, but He cannot bless stupidity. Do you know the difference? Stupidity is informed ignorance that refuses to change. Jesus is talking about people who have been informed about God, but they simply ignore Him.
This reminds me of those homeowners in California who build $3 million homes on the side of cliffs for the great view, but whenever there are heavy rains, those same houses go sliding down with the mud. Those elegant structures become mobile homes as they slide down the hill and crash into pieces—yet people keep building their homes there!
June 7, 2009
You Might Be Religious But Lost If You…
You don’t have to be a botanist to know the reason you can’t pick grapes from thorn bushes is that a plant only produces fruit after its own nature. An apple hangs on a tree because that tree has an inner apple nature. And Jesus said it doesn’t matter what a person says, you must examine their fruit—their lifestyle—to determine their true nature. I can say anything. For instance, “I’m a car. I’m a car. Beep. Beep.” But just saying it doesn’t make me a car. I don’t have a car nature on the inside, so there is no car exterior. Likewise, I can say, “I’m a Christian! I’m a Christian!” But don’t take my word for it, look to see if I have the nature of Christ displayed in my life.
May 24, 2009
Two Roads, Two Gates and Two Destinies
Jesus said, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many follow it.” As much as we might hope that most people would trust Christ, Jesus said that many are on the wrong road. Some people were upset when President Obama spoke recently in Turkey and said that America is not a Christian nation. But he’s right. Our nation was founded by God-fearing people who embraced Christian principles, but today we are a post-Christian nation. There are more lost people than saved. Don’t be surprised because Jesus said most people are on the wrong road. But these people really think they’re on the right road.
May 17, 2009
The Parable of Stones and Snakes
The Golden Rule is greatly misunderstood in our world. Some people think it’s a formula for getting into heaven. Ask some people if they’re going to heaven and they say, “Well, I try to treat others the way I want to be treated.” This isn’t a formula for salvation. It’s a description of how God’s children will act like our heavenly Dad by showing them the same kindness that He has shown us.
May 10, 2009
Poodles, Pigs and Pearls
There are two extremes that must be avoided if we are going to make wise evaluations about people. At one end of the judgement spectrum is a harsh, condemning attitude. But the other dangerous extreme on the judgement spectrum is an attitude of total permissiveness—no judgement whatsoever. The motto of total permissiveness is “Live and Let Live.” Today this attitude is often concealed within the politically-correct cloak of tolerance. Tolerance has become the catch word for “anything goes.” Tolerance means you can’t disagree with me because if you do, you’re intolerant—and the only people we DON’T tolerate are those like you Christians who are intolerant. What a double standard!
May 3, 2009
Who Appointed YOU Judge Judy?!
When we judge others while ignoring our own faults, Jesus says we’re a hypocrite. That means that we playing a part—we’re acting—rather than being real. We can evaluate other people, but we must realize our evaluation will always be limited to the fact that we can’t see inside a person’s heart. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” To put it another way, I can judge what you do, but I cannot judge WHY you do it. I can judge what you say, but I cannot judge WHY you say it: Only God can.
April 26, 2009
Is Your Computer (mind) Infected with the Worry Worm?
In our wealthy culture, there are not many of us who worry about whether or not we’ll eat, drink, or wear clothes. We worry more about what we eat, drink, and wear. We worry, “Should I eat a Chick-fil-a or a Papa Murphy’s pizza?” We worry, “Should I get a café latte’ or a mocha? Venti, or Tall?” “Should I wear the black pants, or the khaki?” Decisions, decisions. The truth is that most of us worry about so much more than the basic necessities of life. We worry about terrorism attacks, gas prices, and the stock market. But whatever you worry about, Jesus said that worry is a sin.
April 19, 2009
What You See Is What You Get!
What are you looking at right now in your life? If you focus on climbing the ladder of success so you can have more money to buy more toys, you’ll probably get it, but what will you have? I’ve known people who spent the best years of their life scaling the ladder of success only to discover toward the end of their lives that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall! There is something more to life than just this physical existence, and if you focus you eyesight and attention on knowing Jesus, then that’s what you’ll get as well. What you SEE is what you get.
April 12, 2009
Light Your World
Is Jesus the light of the world, or are we the light of the world? Yes. Here’s a simple way to understand it. Jesus is like the sun, and we’re like the moon. We say the moon shines, but it really doesn’t. It’s just a dead rock orbiting the earth. Sometimes the moon doesn’t shine brightly, because the world gets between it and the sun. But at times, when the angle is right, the moon is full and it shines so brightly you can see your own shadow. It only reflects the light from the sun. The sun radiates, and the moon reflects. Like the moon, we only reflect the light of Jesus, and our job is to stay oriented to Him, so the world doesn’t get in our way of reflecting His light. Jesus radiates love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control. I can’t produce that kind of light, but my job is to simply reflect His nature to others.
April 5, 2009
Pass the Salt, Please
A few years ago, a popular comedian came to Tyler and performed at the Oil Palace. His act was so crude and sexually explicit that a couple from our church told me they had to get up after a few minutes and walk out. That wasn’t easy to do, but they did it because they refused to sit there and listen to that mess. Later another couple who saw them walk out said, “When we saw you walking out, it gave us the courage to walk out as well.” That’s what it means to be salt.
March 22, 2009
The Doctor’s Gone Fishin’
Do you realize that every experience of healing costs Jesus something? When the woman slipped through the crowd and touched the hem of His garment, Jesus said, “I felt power go out of me.” All healing from the hand of Christ—emotional, relational, physical, or spiritual—comes at a high cost to the Savior. In order for us to have our sins removed, Jesus had to bear them Himself. The Bible says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
March 15, 2009
The Parables of the Kingdom
As Americans, it’s hard for us to understand the idea of kings and kingdoms, because few of us have ever lived in a political kingdom. However, we know enough about British royalty to know that an individual like Queen Elizabeth deserves honor and respect. In fact, many Americans are fascinated by the pomp and circumstance of they royal family. When Prince Charles married Lady Diana at St. Paul’s in 1981, 750 million people were glued to their television sets to watch the wedding. Even though we’ve never had a political king, we have a basic understanding of royalty. Now, just multiply the honor, respect, authority of an earthly king by the power of ten billion and you might start to understand what an awesome King our God is.
March 8, 2009
The Miracle of Overcoming Satan
It’s sad to say that there are multitudes of misguided Christians who have fallen into the trap of seeking the sensational and calling it faith. Every time you hear about the latest Elmer Gantry who appears on the scene claiming to do miracles, there are plenty of gullible people to fill the seats and the offering bags. Don’t confuse spectacular tricks with spiritual truth. If tricks and special effects were a testimony for truth, then we should all be worshiping Penn and Teller. God is awesome, but He doesn’t need to be noisy and dramatic. There is nothing dramatic about a beautiful sunset, but it has the signature of God stamped on it.
March 1, 2009
The Miracle of Jesus’ Baptism
In 1611, when King James enlisted Greek and Hebrew scholars to translate the Bible into the King James Version English, the translators stumbled when they came upon the word “baptize.” They knew it meant to immerse, but they also knew their boss, King James, had been sprinkled, so they were between a rock and a hard place. If they translated the word “baptize” as “sprinkle” or “pour” they would have been ridiculed by the academic community because there are other Greek words that mean “sprinkle” or “pour.” But if they translated “baptize” as “immerse” they would have been inferring that the King was not properly baptized. So rather than translating the word “baptize,” they just transliterated it, and for the first time, “baptize” became an English word.
February 15, 2009
The Miracle of the Escape to Egypt
What are we to think about those little boys who were killed by Herod? God delivered Jesus, Joseph, and Mary—why didn’t He protect the other children? I don’t know why God chooses to protect some and not others. As we learned earlier, God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. However, I do believe these little boys will occupy a special place in heaven. Stephen is often called the first Christian martyr, but these little boys were actually the first Christian martyrs. They were the first to shed their blood for the One who would later shed His blood for them. I believe God the Father welcomed them into heaven and gave them the special prominence only reserved for His martyrs.
February 8, 2009
The Miracle of the Magi
The Bible calls the light that led the magi a star, but that’s what most people call every light in the sky except the sun and moon. There has been endless speculation trying to explain the nature of this light. Some say that it was the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn, which astronomers calculate happened around 7 B.C. Others say it was a comet, or a supernova, an exploding star. But I think the scriptural evidence refutes all of these natural explanations. They saw the star at times, and then it’s apparent they didn’t see it when they stopped in Jerusalem, and then they saw it again and were overjoyed. The language says the star moved ahead of them and then stopped over the house where Jesus was. This would preclude the possibility of it being an actual star. I believe this was simply a unique light God provided for this special occasion—and it wasn’t the first time God used a light as a guide.
February 1, 2009
The Miracle of the Virgin Birth
An interesting thing about the list of names in Jesus’ genealogy is some of the people on the list we might think weren’t spiritually qualified. For instance: Rahab (who was once a prostitute) and Ruth (who was not Jewish, but Moabite). There are some pretty lousy kings who made the list too. Manasseh was one of the worst kings in Israel’s history. The Bible says he led Israel into sin and did more evil than any other king. The point is that God can use all kinds of people. If He can redeem the life of a former hooker, an unclean Gentile, and a lousy king, do not be surprised that He can make something special of your life, even if your past is less than perfect.
January 25, 2009
Get Good and M.A.D. for Our Country’s Sake
Sadly, I know some evangelical Christians who say “our kingdom is not of this world” so they embrace a hunker-down mentality and just wait for Jesus to come and rescue us from this mess. But they forget that Jesus said, “Occupy until I come.” (Luke 19:13). He meant we should be busy in the world until He returns. We shouldn’t retreat behind our stained glass windows and wait for the rapture. Jesus commanded us to be salt and light in a decaying and dark culture. Thankfully, we live in a political system that invites our participation. From the beginning, our government has been of the people, by the people and for the people.
January 4, 2009
Get Good and M.A.D. for the Children’s Sake
There are many ways that you can make a difference in a child’s life. Good parents certainly make a difference in their children’s lives. But what about the need to make a difference in the lives of orphans? The traditional definition of an orphan is a child whose parents have died, but actually an orphan may be a child whose birth parents are alive, but he or she has been abandoned or neglected. Adoption or foster care is one the best ways to make a difference in a child’s life. I want to educate you about the need and challenge you to start listening for God’s voice. I want to encourage you to open your eyes, open your heart, and open your arms.
December 28, 2008
Get Good and M.A.D. for Christ’s Sake
Without getting into a debate about WHY we do good, let’s start with the premise that God is good and He has commanded us to perform good works for Jesus’ sake. (Ephesians 2:10) Before you and I were even born, God prepared for us some acts of kindness that we can perform for Jesus’ sake. So start looking for someone—it might even be a stranger—who needs a cup of cold water.
December 21, 2008
The Reason for the Season
THE GREATEST NEED The reason we even have Christmas is because of sin. Joseph heard it straight from angel’s mouth–God is sending Jesus into this world because there are sinful people who need their sins forgiven. Had there been no sin, there would have been no need for God to send a Savior.
December 7, 2008
How’s Your Aim?
Christian harmony is like a piano, we don’t have to all sing the same note, but we have to be tuned into the same pitch. A piano tuner told me that if you lined up 100 pianos and tuned the first one to a tuning fork, then tuned each piano to the one beside it without the fork, the 100th piano would be terribly out of tune with the first one. Why? There are such minor variations in pitch that it would be impossible to precisely duplicate each piano’s pitch. But if you tuned each piano to the same tuning fork, then all 100 would be in perfect tune. The same is true if you try to tune your life spiritually to mine, even if I’m tuned in to Jesus. Church people get out of tune with each other when we start comparing and criticizing each other and using anyone else other than Jesus as our measure or standard.
November 30, 2008
Test Time
Some people read their Bibles like a tax attorney reading the IRS code looking for loopholes. But God wants us to read and study His Word like a love letter He has written to guide us through our daily lives. When you’re asked a question that involves morality or ethics, is your first response, “What does the Bible say?”
November 9, 2008
Is There Life After Debt?
We live in a culture that promotes greed. Everyone wants more and more, but the truth is LESS is more. The Bible says “godliness with contentment is great gain.” You live in one of two tents; either you’re content, or you’re discontent. We’ve all met people who are never content—things are never the way they want them to be.
November 2, 2008
Taming the Money Monster
Money can be a monster if you love it more than God. There’s nothing inherently evil about money—it’s just a measure of value. Money can be used for good or evil. Money can be used to buy drugs, or it can be used to buy bread for a hungry child. Money can be used to buy missiles, or it can be used to send missionaries around the world.
October 26, 2008
Are You a Debt Row Prisoner?
If you are serious about becoming debt free, then you must call an absolute halt on any new debt. If the faucet is running, it doesn’t do any good to mop up the floor until you turn the faucet off! Find out what debt is, where debt comes from, and how you can develop a plan to start living debt free.
October 19, 2008
Repairing Fractured Friendships
In our consumer-driven culture, we tend to work harder to accumulate possessions than we do friendships. But people matter more to God than anything else. Have you discovered people are much more valuable than things? When you do you’ll cherish friendships and relationships and do anything you can to maintain them, and to repair the ones that are broken.
October 12, 2008
Are You Being Torn by a Thorn?
Experts are saying this crisis affects the global economy—every nation. Do you think God is worried? Instead of listening to all the pundits and so-called experts, maybe we should listen to God’s Word written 3,000 years ago found in Psalm 2:1, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” There’s plenty of raging going on, and there are more bailout plots and rescue plans than we can handle. But I love verse 4. It simply says, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” When we try to scramble around to fix a problem that is the symptom of the greedy, sinful human heart, God must surely chuckle. Maybe God is using this to remind us that happiness and security will never come in stocks, bonds, and possessions.
October 5, 2008
Heavens!
The current problem is that most of us don’t seem to be as excited about going to heaven. I think one of the greatest tragedies of the modern church is that we have either ignored heaven or we have robbed heaven of its wondrous joy to the point that most Christians are apathetic about the idea of heaven.
September 28, 2008
True Confessions from a Basket Case
Do you have an episode of failure in your past that you can look back to and say, “I blew it there. I was a flop, a failure. But I got back up and God has blessed me since.”? If you’ve had a midnight basket escape of your own, it equips you to deal with the next time you fail. That’s a great promise of God from the Bible: We will fail, but failure doesn’t have to define us. God can still use failures like Paul and like us.
September 21, 2008
What Kind of FOOL Am I?
Anyone has a right to be an unbelieving fool, but I am disturbed when a tiny percentage of aggressive atheists work with evangelistic zeal to try to remove every mention of God from our public life. God who created us, loves us so much that He gives us the ability to choose to believe in Him. Life is full of so much sin that suffering that people often look around and ask, “How can there be a God?” But they must remember most of the suffering we endure is created by the sinfulness of humanity.
August 31, 2008
A Champion Turns Adversity into Advantage! (Ehud)
Ehud was left-handed, but he didn’t allow his disadvantage to stop him from being God’s servant. What’s your excuse? You may think your weakness is that you aren’t educated enough to teach children, or that you’re too shy to stand at a door and greet people. But God is looking for people who turn adversity into advantage. God delights in using people that the world thinks are unfit.
August 24, 2008
A Champion Can Stand Alone! (Micaiah)
Four hundred prophets were saying, “Go to war and you’ll win.” Micaiah had the courage to stand up and speak God’s truth. He had to go against the crowd. He faced peer pressure just as we do today. Peer pressure starts when we are young. We want to “be like” everyone else and we want to “be liked” by others, so we tend to go along to get along.
August 17, 2008
A Champion Does the Right Thing! (Puah & Shiphrah)
There is a law of cause and effect woven into the fabric of our universe. It basically says the small choices you make now can have enormous consequences down the road. In hindsight, the bravery of Puah and Shiphrah NOT to kill the boy babies saved an entire generation of Hebrew men. Included in that generation was a man named Moses—God’s deliverer. If Puah and Shiphrah hadn’t displayed the bravery to defy Pharaoh’s order, Moses’ mother may never have placed Moses in a basket in the river to be discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter.
August 10, 2008
A Champion Takes Risks! (Abigail)
There are so many things I admire about Abigail. She was married to a fool, yet she was willing to defend him. Just imagine, when she had heard that David was on his way to kill Nabal, she could have said, “God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform! Good riddance!” But instead, she chose to defend her foolish husband. She didn’t defend Nabal because he was good and deserved it, she did it because SHE was good and it was the right thing to do.
August 3, 2008
A Champion Conquers Fear! (Benaiah)
The Bible never tells us how many possessions Benaiah accumulated; instead we’re told about his mighty exploits, which is another word for his experiences. I can just picture King David sorting through the résumés for a bodyguard. One says, “I majored in security at the University of Jerusalem. Another one says, “I worked for Brinks Armored Chariots.” He laid those aside, and picks up Benaiah’s. “I ripped a spear from an Egyptian giant, and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.” David said, “That’s the man with the kind of experience that I’m looking for!” Later he gave him the job of leading his entire army! Have you ever considered that God allows you to go through tough challenges because He is simply building your spiritual résumé? Every lion you go after is preparing you for bigger and better challenges.
July 20, 2008
Straight Talk about Crooked Teachers
The same serpent who deceived Eve is actively trying to deceive believers today. And in our age of advanced technology, we have even more ways to believe lies. Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” But it seems that Christians are some of the most gullible people around these days. We’re prone to believe anything that someone emails us.
July 13, 2008
Saving the BOAST for Last
There is a kind of arrogant boasting that destroys good relationships. Nobody really likes being around someone how is constantly talking about how great they are. Truly great people don’t brag about themselves. The English philosopher Francis Bacon said: “The less people speak of their greatness the more we think of it.” There are three kinds of boasting that should be avoided.
July 6, 2008
America at the Crossroads
The security of our liberty is only guaranteed for every generation. Is this generation going to step up, like that greatest generation did and say we must have a revolution—not a revolution against a foreign tyranny—but a revolution of righteousness against those forces in America that would try to divert us from the road of righteousness that has brought us to this place?
June 29, 2008
Are You Suffering from Comparisonitis?
There are three comparisonitis myths that enslave us. (1) I must be like everyone else to be happy. (2) I must be liked by everyone to be happy. And (3) I must have the things everyone else has to be happy. Comparisonitis is psychosomatic, because it’s all in your mind. You start believing Satan’s lies rather than God’s truth.
June 15, 2008
Satan Flees God’s WMDs
There are as many possible stronghold as the wicked creativity of Satan can devise. If you are honest with yourself, you’ll admit there is an area in your life in which you seem to fail over and over. Your desire to live right is there, but it seems as if someone evil is perched on a high wall and like a sniper, he keeps taking pot shots at you when it comes to those areas. If there is some weakness, or recurring sin in your life, you should consider the possibility that it is a spiritual stronghold. But coming to the realization that it is there is good, because only when you identify your target can you prepare to do battle against it!
June 8, 2008
Give ’til You Giggle
When you give to God, are you giving grudgingly and reluctantly? Or do you find yourself giggling as you give? If you want to be a giggly giver, understand that your attitude is more important than your amount. You’ve got to recognize God’s law of the harvest and start joyfully, extravagantly planting seeds. And you’ve got to give out of a sense of gratitude for the grace that God has given to you.
June 1, 2008
Blessed to Be a Blessing
May 18, 2008
From Riches to Rags…to Riches
May 4, 2008
Grace-Full Living
April 20, 2008
Finding Strength Through Sorrow
April 13, 2008
Repentance for Dummies
There is a deep-seated need in the human heart to seek forgiveness. For those of us who know Christ, we find our forgiveness in God’s amazing grace. But what about the millions of people who claim to have no relationship with Jesus? They are still desperately seeking ways to find forgiveness and to unload their sense of guilt. Because of this need to confess and seek forgiveness, there are a number of “apology websites” in cyberspace where guilty people can go and anonymously confess their sins.
April 6, 2008
Converting Trouble Into Joy
The amazing thing about God’s power is He can convert our troubles into joy. When the world does it worst to us, that’s when God can do His best for us! Do you think I’m making this up? Here’s a quick reality check. Joseph in the Old Testament—beaten up by his brothers—trouble. Sold into slavery—double trouble. Spent time in prison for a crime he never committed—triple trouble. Through it all, Joseph kept his focus on God, and he found joy in the midst of his troubles. So that in Genesis 50:20 Joseph said to his brothers, “You intended this to HURT me, but God intended it for GOOD, for the saving of many lives.” Joseph did look at the thorns, he looked at the rose. He never focused on the black clouds, he looked for the silver lining. He never stopped making lemonade with the lemons life game him.
March 30, 2008
Radioactive Relationships
There are three great promises of God that should motivate us to want to avoid the dangerous radioactive relationships that are possible. Now, you could approach this by emphasizing the negative: I will keep away from the wrong kind of people. But a much better approach would be to focus on the positive: I will desire to have a dynamic relationship with my Father. As you desire to love God more and more, you’ll find that the desire for the wrong kinds of relationships will naturally fall away.
March 23, 2008
Open Up Your Heart
I suspect there are some people whose hearts are so closed to the truth of the resurrection that if Jesus literally appeared in our midst right now, some would claim it was a hologram or done with smoke and mirrors. If you don’t believe by faith, I doubt you would believe if He stood before you with His wounded hands extended.
March 2, 2008
Don’t Waste God’s Grace
WPaul warns us about receiving God’s grace in vain, because there is the possibility that we can actually waste God’s grace. Grace has been defined as “God’s unmerited favor.” But that definition isn’t enough. To say that God’s grace is “unmerited favor” is like saying Niagara Falls is a trickle. It’s like saying the Grand Canyon is a ditch. It’s like saying the Amazon is a creek. Grace is so much more than unmerited favor.
February 24, 2008
The Great Exchange
February 17, 2008
Proper Protocol for Ambassadors
We are Ambassadors for Christ. We are the only exposure to Jesus many people will ever see. That’s why we should live lives of loving kindness toward others. To show them that Jesus loves them. That’s why we should always try to live in such a way that no shame or dishonor is attached to the name of Jesus.
February 10, 2008
Extreme Makeover: An Inside Job
Every Christian should wear a sign around our neck that says, “Under New Management.” What used to happen inside our lives has changed. I have a new purpose for living; a new attitude toward others; a new identity in Christ; and a new nature that’s changing me. I’ve had an extreme makeover—on the inside.
January 20, 2008
Spare Change or Life Change?
One of the greatest life changes you’ll ever experience is when you allow God to change you to become a truly generous person. Are you generous? A truly generous person is too humble to admit, “I’m a generous person.” But when someone is talking about you to others, does the word “generous” come out of their mouths?
January 13, 2008
Ride the Change Wave
The church of the Lord Jesus Christ must change the way we share God’s message. Notice I didn’t say we need to CHANGE the message, I said we need to change the WAY we share God’s message. There’s a saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, the way we’re sharing the gospel must be broke, because it’s not working as well as it once did. We need to wake up to the sobering fact that we aren’t doing a very good job of reaching people in our own nation.
January 6, 2008
Change, of Course
Have you become old and unimpressed? Maybe it’s time for a change of you to become like a little child. Look into the eyes of a child when they see a rainbow, or a butterfly, or a caterpillar, or a mud hole—that’s joyful wonder. Most of us have lost and need to recapture that sense of fun and joy kids have.
December 30, 2007
Change: No Pain, No Gain
December 23, 2007
Rejoice! The New Has Come!
December 16, 2007
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Why do you do what you do for the Lord? Instead of focusing on WHAT you do for God, I want you to think about WHY you do it. WHY did you get up and come to church this morning? WHY did you give an offering to the Lord? WHY did you sing songs of praise? WHY are many of you teaching children, youth, or adults? In other words, what motivates you to serve God? Do you do it out of a sense of obligation, or out of a sense of love?
November 25, 2007
And the Reward Goes to…!
November 18, 2007
Beyond Sight to Faith
Before you can learn to read, you’ve got to learn the alphabet. Before you can ever live the Christian life, you must learn this elementary spiritual principle: We walk by faith; not by sight. To me, that priceless principle is one of the foundational truths of the Christian life. We must learn to go beyond sight to faith.
November 4, 2007
State of the Church 2007
Our organizational handbook is the Bible and in the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul and Barnabas gave the early Christians reports about what God was doing. That’s what I want to do, to report to you the great things God has been doing in our church. As I examine our church, I feel somewhat like a doctor who’s examining a healthy patient. Our church is very healthy. We aren’t perfect, but we are healthy.
October 28, 2007
This Old House
October 21, 2007
I’ll SEE It When I BELIEVE It!
October 14, 2007
God’s Expanding Grace
October 7, 2007
Down But Not Out
You may be struggling and hurting right now because of all the personal pain you’re having to endure. You may be pressured, but you WON’T be crushed; you may be perplexed, but you WON’T be left in despair; you may be attacked and persecuted, but you WON’T be abandoned by God; you might even be knocked down, but you WON’T be knocked out!
September 30, 2007
God Uses Cracked Pots
A pot or a vessel is designed and created to hold something, not to be an object in itself. Consider for a moment the pots in your kitchen cabinet. As long as they sit there empty, they aren’t really fulfilling the reason they were made. A pot really doesn’t truly become a pot until it’s holding peas, spaghetti, or soup. In the same way, our lives are a contradiction until we understand that God created us to contain something.
September 23, 2007
Blind-Sighted by God
Paul says Satan’s plan is to place a “think” veil between God’s truth and the mind of an unbeliever. There are at least three truths Satan wants to keep covered from you. He wants to conceal the truth that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. He whispers, “You’re a good person, you don’t need Jesus.” Satan also wants to conceal the truth about Jesus. He doesn’t mind you thinking that Jesus was a great teacher like Plato or Buddha. He just doesn’t want you to believe Jesus is the sinless Son of God and the only way to heaven. Satan even wants to hide the truth about who he is. Satan doesn’t want you to believe in him, or to bow down and worship him. In fact, he wants to stay incognito. If you tell a person without Christ that Satan is blinding their minds the most common answer you’ll get is, “That’s impossible! I don’t even BELIEVE in the devil!” You don’t have to believe in the law of gravity to fall on your face either, but it’s real.
August 26, 2007
It’s All About Reaching the Goal
There are some interesting parallels between football and being a Christian. In the same way, before you can move on to the deeper truths about God, you must begin with the fundamentals—a belief in God; prayer; Bible Study; belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Four ways in which football and the Christian faith are alike.
August 19, 2007
Keep it in the Fairway
As in golf, our job is to make our way around all eighteen holes of God’s course for our lives. In golf, the first nine holes are called the “outward half” because in early links courses, the first nine holes always went away from the clubhouse. The second nine is called “the inward half.” Some of you are still on the “outward half” but many of us are on the “inward half.” We’ve already lived more of our lives than we have left. But age really has nothing to do with which hole you’re on. We’ve all seen young people who finished the course. You might be on your last hole, or you might be facing your final putt on the 18th hole. Only God knows.
August 12, 2007
Fishing Tips from the Master
In order to be an effective people-catcher, you have to know something about how people without Christ live. One of our biggest challenges we face in “fishing for men” is the longer we are Christians, the less time we spend with non-believers. Jesus understood sinners, because he spent time with them, to win them. He didn’t become a sinner; He just understood them. You don’t have to jump into the water and swim underwater to be a good fisherman. You don’t have to become a fish to catch fish. But you CAN evaluate the “water conditions” at your job or at school. We need to become students of our culture for the simple reason that we want to “catch people” out of it into life. For some of you that means you need to cultivate a genuine friendship with someone who isn’t a Christian.
August 5, 2007
How to Make it Safely Home
How do you get on base in the Christian life? You can’t, but there’s Someone who can get you on base. Righteousness, like baseball, sets an impossible standard. Who could ever bat 1.000? The very best players are only going to get on base about 1/3 of the time. We all strike out and make plenty of errors. There’s only one man who ever batted 1.000 at life, and that’s the God man, Jesus Christ. When it comes to righteousness, why don’t you ask Jesus to be your pinch-hitter? He never strikes out. He never makes an error. He can get you on base, and then He will Coach you to make it safely home.
July 22, 2007
Unveiled at Last!
Some Christians are confused and think people in the Old Testament time were saved by keeping the Law. Nope. If that’s the case, then nobody from the Old Testament times would be in heaven. So will there be any Old Testament characters in heaven? Sure. Moses will be there. Did he keep all the commandments? No. He murdered a guy. But he’ll be there because he put His faith in God’s plan. Will King David be there? Sure, but he broke a whole bunch of commandments. He’ll be in heaven for the same reason you and I can go to heaven: he placed his faith in God and had a personal relationship with Him.
July 15, 2007
The Ultimate Secret for Total Confidence
Sometimes people think they lack confidence because when they face a challenge, they’re afraid they don’t have what it takes to be successful. You DON’T have what it takes, but God does! He has everything you need to be all that He wants you to be. He has a storehouse, a reservoir, an ocean of resources that He wants you to access. The sad thing is that many of us don’t claim these resources.
July 8, 2007
Discovered! A Signed Letter from Jesus Christ
Imagine an archaeologist digging near Capernaum in Galilee finds a clay jar with a sealed top, (just like the jars containing the Dead Sea Scrolls). He takes the jar to a laboratory and using the latest scientific technology, opens the jar. Inside, he finds a scroll of papyrus, perfectly preserved. As the scientists and scholars unroll it, they discover it is a letter written to Simon Peter and it is signed by Jesus of Nazareth. Can you imagine the stir that would create in the scientific and academic world? If it could be authenticated, could you imagine how much it would be worth? Millions? Billions? Trillions? No doubt, that letter would be the most valuable writing in the history of the world.
June 24, 2007
What’s That Fragrance You’re Wearing?
You may have family members or friends who don’t know the Lord. You’ve shared with them and tried to show them the Christian life. You’ve allowed the fragrance of Christ in your life to envelope them in the things you do and say. And yet, they still haven’t come to faith in Christ. They hold their noses and say, “No thanks!” You need to remember they aren’t rejecting you, they are rejecting Jesus. When you expose them to the beautiful aroma of Christ through your life and your lips, then you’ve done what God has expected of you. So don’t be discouraged. Don’t stop. Keep on loving them. Keep on sharing Christ with them.
June 17, 2007
Chained to His Chariot
When we surrender to Jesus, we haven’t lost, we’ve won! Our victory is assured when we surrender completely to the rule and reign of Jesus Christ in our lives. The Bible says, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Some people stop here and think that since faith is the victory, that if I want more victory I must have more faith. Not at all.
June 3, 2007
How Should We Treat Someone Who Messed Up?
In our culture we have worn out the phrase, “I’m sorry.” We use it for everything from, “I’m sorry, but we’re out of peanuts,” to “I’m sorry I bumped into you.” But the words “I’m sorry” originally meant, “I’m experiencing sorrow over what I did.” In Corinthians 7, Paul writes about sorrow and repentance. “I am happy not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance…godly sorrow brings repentance” (2 Corinthians 7:9). So the Bible teaches that godly sorrow produces repentance. There is a kind of worldly sorrow that doesn’t lead to repentance. When someone says, “I’m sorry” they might be saying, “I’m sorry I got caught.” Or if they say, “I’m sorry” but they don’t plan on changing their behavior, that isn’t godly sorrow. Godly sorrow always produces repentance. When a person truly repents, their heart is broken over their sin.
May 27, 2007
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
In our fallen, sinful, self-centered condition, we can’t get along with others. But those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ live by a different standard. The only way we can get along with others is through the supernatural power of Jesus Christ. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you automatically get along with everyone else in the church. There were conflicts in the church 2,000 years ago and there are still conflicts between Christians today.
May 20, 2007
Salvation Guaranteed!
It’s hard to live up to the promise “satisfaction guaranteed” because there are plenty of people whose theme song is the old Rolling Stones ballad, “I can’t get no satisfaction!” Some people will never be satisfied! The Bible teaches true satisfaction comes from having a relationship with God. And God guarantees we can have that. The term “salvation” covers more than just your original commitment to Christ. The Bible teaches we have been saved—that’s justification; we’re being saved—that’s sanctification; and we WILL be saved—that’s glorification. And God guarantees our salvation.
April 29, 2007
God’s Favorite Word is “YES!”
Sadly, many people conceive of God in the same negative terms. To them, God is a cosmic killjoy who watches from heaven just waiting to catch them doing something wrong. They imagine Him shaking His finger at people saying, “No! No! Bad person! Stop that right now!” But the God of the Bible isn’t trying to spoil your fun by constantly telling you, “No!” God loves you and He wants you to enjoy life to the fullest. I believe that God’s favorite word is, “Yes.”
April 22, 2007
Why Do Bad Things Happen to God’s People?
The biggest question about our suffering is not “Why?” but “What?” What am I going to do in response to my suffering? You have a choice in the matter. When pain comes, some people grumble, some people gripe, some people groan, others grieve. Some people grunt and growl, but there are some people, like Paul, who GROW. The choice is yours!
April 15, 2007
Are You Comfort-able?
Let me give you a visual definition of “comfort.” Imagine an elderly man or woman is standing at the bottom of a steep set of stairs. They look up and wonder if they can make it. If you see their need and then come alongside them help them up the stairs, you are giving them comfort according to the Bible meaning of the word. If you see their need and just yell, “Use the handrail!”—that’s not comfort. Or if you yell, “Go use the elevator around the corner!” —That’s not comfort. In order to comfort them, you must come alongside them and physically give them your strength to help them.
April 8, 2007
Words of Life
I can pick up this glove and tell it to pick up this Bible, and it can’t do it. I can fuss at it and even demonstrate how to do it, but it still can’t do it. But when I put my hand in it, that’s when it becomes alive and can do anything I do. That’s a simple but profound picture of the Christian life. Galatians 2:20 says, “Not I but Christ lives in me.” Jesus can give you the strength to do anything. God says to love your enemies, and we don’t have the strength to do it, but Christ in you can love your enemies. God tell us to give thanks in all things, but we don’t have the strength to do it, but Christ in you can do it. He is my strength and I can do all things through Christ!
April 1, 2007
Words of Victory
As horrifying as the physical agony of the cross was, the spiritual and mental agony of carrying the sins of the world was much worse. Jesus literally endured hell for us. When Jesus took our sin in His own body and experienced the hell of separation from God. He experienced the darkness of hell for us. He experienced the agony and torture of hell for us. As He moved closer to death, death must seemed to be as pleasant as a warm blanket on a cold night. Praise God, His suffering was over!
March 25, 2007
Words of Anguish
From the beginning of the beginning of the beginning, God the Father and God the Son had been co-equal and co-existent. They communed together in a relationship which Jesus described as “I and the Father are ONE.” But for those few hours in which Jesus became sin for us, that bond was somehow broken. Did you notice Jesus addressed God with the title, “God?” Every other time Jesus spoke to God He called Him, “Abba” which means “Father” or “Daddy.” The first word from the Cross was “Father, forgive them.” The last word from the cross was “Father, into your hands…” But at this central moment of His suffering, Jesus called God, “Eloi” or simply “God.” My two daughters have always called me “Daddy.” This cry of Jesus would be like one of my daughters calling me Mr. Dykes.
March 18, 2007
Words of Promise
I’m amazed the two thieves died the same distance from Jesus on the cross. Yet one died trusting Jesus while the other died rejecting Jesus. That should serve as a warning to all of us that you can be close to Jesus and still die without trusting Him. How can two people be seated on the same pew and hear the same gospel, and one comes running to Jesus while the other person walks away unchanged? It’s a mystery to me how anyone can see the cross and not give their heart to Christ. The same sun that melts ice will harden clay.
March 11, 2007
Words of Grace
We talk a lot about that word grace, but what is it really? You’ve probably heard the acrostic for GRACE that says it is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. That’s nice, but it really doesn’t define grace. Years ago, I learned a simple definition for grace: Grace is something I need, but don’t deserve. To me, that says it all. Grace and mercy are two sides of the same coin. Grace is God giving me what I need, but don’t deserve—His unconditional love and His full and free forgiveness. Mercy is God withholding what I DO deserve: death and hell.
March 4, 2007
I’ll Wait for My Reward
February 25, 2007
I’ll Build Bridges, Not Walls
Sometimes people ask a dying person, “Have you made your peace with God?” I know they mean well, but you and I cannot make peace with God. We don’t have to make peace with God, because Jesus already made it. We only have to accept His terms of peace. Jesus is the world’s greatest peacemaker. The Bible says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things…by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)
February 18, 2007
I’ll Admit My Faults and Accept God’s Cleansing
The Holy Spirit doesn’t convict us of sin to make us feel guilty. He convicts us so we’ll realize the need to be clean. There is a huge difference between conviction and condemnation. The Bible says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17) According to Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When you are dirty and sweaty it’s a reminder you need to take a shower. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin so we’ll understand the need to confess our sin and experience God’s cleansing power.
February 11, 2007
I’ll Show Mercy Because I Need Mercy!
How do you release someone who has hurt you? You forgive them. You don’t do it for their sake; you do it for your sake. You don’t forgive them because they ask you to forgive them; you do it because God has forgiven you. They may not every ask you to forgive them, but you can forgive them anyway.
How do you know when you’ve truly forgiven someone? When you can think about them and it doesn’t hurt anymore. People often say, “Forgive and forget.” But outside of brain damage or senility, you CAN’T forget—but you can still forgive. You will never forget that messy divorce but you can get rid of the pain from it by forgiving the offender.
February 4, 2007
I’ll Cooperate with God’s Change Process
Once you decide to cooperate with God’s change process, don’t expect to see results overnight. But you CAN expect to see some long term results. The Bible says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Isn’t it refreshing to know you aren’t responsible for working on your life to bring about change? It is God who is working in you. That truth alone should set you free. God isn’t expecting you to be perfect, so don’t expect in yourself or in others.
January 21, 2007
I’ll Be Meek Without Being Weak
Meekness is strength under control. In the same way God wants to lovingly break you and put you under His authority. He wants to make you sensitive to His leadership; ready at any time to respond to the commands of your Master. Rather than following your own will, you are following the will of God. As you consider your level of meekness, simply answer this question: Have you allowed god to break your stubborn will?
January 14, 2007
I Believe God Can Help Me
The opposite of being poor and spirit and mourning over your spiritual poverty is an attitude of being proud and unbroken in your belief that you can do anything. It’s the attitude that says, “I don’t need God’s help or strength. I can do it myself!” Have ever tried to help a child do something, and they say, “Let ME do it!” That’s our old sin nature that rises up and says, “I don’t need any help. I can do it myself!” That attitude will get you in trouble.
January 7, 2007
Refresh! What to Do When Life Crashes
Playing God will wear you out. There was a time when King David tried to play God and deny his sin. He later wrote, “My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.” (Psalm 32:4-5) Sometimes we try to run from pain by staying super busy. We ignore our pain by working 100 hours a week. Or we jump into some hobby or sport and it becomes a compulsion so we’ve got to be on the golf course, the tennis court, the Mahjong group, or the dominoes table. You can even get so involved in religious activities, and it becomes an outlet to hide your pain. And before long you wonder why you’re exhausted. When you play God, you feel like Atlas with the weight of the world upon your shoulders. Stop it. The last time I checked there was a “no vacancy” sign above the Trinity.
December 31, 2006
When the Roll is Called up Yonder…Who’ll Be There?
December 17, 2006
Inside Out & Outside In
As Christians, we don’t have to make our lives extraordinary, we are extraordinary. Jesus Christ lives in us, and that makes us different. We are naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural. Every day, we have opportunities to show people how we are different. We turn the other cheek. We go the second mile. We pray for our enemies. We don’t have to act different, we are different.
November 26, 2006
G.F.I. w/E2!
Do you do sloppy, sub-par work? Do you only work hard when your boss or teacher is watching? God says that is the kind of attitude and behavior that will guarantee you fail in life. A lazy, sloppy employee brings shame to the name of Jesus. A Christian who is dedicated to enthusiastic excellence in everything he does presents a good testimony for Jesus. And in the same way, a Christian who is lazy and unreliable brings dishonor to the name of Jesus.
November 5, 2006
Extravagant Love Offered to Jesus
The story of Mary and the alabaster flask. Scholars speculate this bottle of perfume might have been part of Mary’s inheritance. Some suggest it was something she was saving it as part of her dowry in case she got married. It was probably the most valuable thing she owned—but she gave it all to Jesus.
Three important lessons we can learn about extravagant love offered to Jesus.
October 29, 2006
Giving That Grabs God’s Attention
October 22, 2006
Do Not Hold Back!
Remember I told you our students are trading up a tiny paper clip for something more and more valuable? When Aaron received his paper clip, he contacted one of the car dealers in town, asking if they would like to please trade him a car in return for a paper clip! But guess what? Because he had big faith in a Big God, he got one. That’s right, he got a great-running used car for his paper clip. I like that kind of faith! Even more, I like what that kind of faith says to everyone about the kind of God we serve—He’s BIG. And he wants us to not hold back when we come to him. The Bible says in James 4:2, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” People say you never know until you ask. I say you never know how big God really is until you ask Him to show you.
October 15, 2006
Enlarge the Place of Your Tent
We are children of promise. God wants more children, and if we share God’s heart, we’ll have a passion to reach and disciple more and more people. On any given Sunday morning, within a thirty-minute drive, there are 60,000 people who don’t attend church. As a church, we cannot be content to limit God’s family to those of us who are already here. Jesus told His disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35) He wasn’t talking about corn or wheat—Jesus was talking about people who needed to have a relationship with the Living God. God wants more children in His forever family.
October 8, 2006
Insanity is Hereditary: You Get it from Your Kids, part 2
Nobody said it would be easy being a mom or dad. God’s instructions for parents in Colossians 3:21 contains a warning against making your children bitter and discouraging them. There is a battle going on for the minds and hearts of your kids. This is not a time to retreat. This is not a time for passive parenting. You must be proactive in raising your kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
October 1, 2006
Insanity is Hereditary: You Get it from Your Kids, part 1
Kid’s can drive their parents crazy sometimes—but for some of us, it’s not a very long drive to start with! In this section of the Bible, we’ve been seeing how God gives very practical advice on how we should live in relationship with others. In this passage, we find God’s directions for children and parents.
September 17, 2006
Step Forward Wives and Prefect Husbands
Marriage is the primary relationship on the planet. Before God created parents and children, He established marriage. Before there were nations, there was a marriage. Before there was the church, there was a marriage. Before there were friends, there was one man married to one woman: That was God’s first priority. If you are married, then loving your wife should be your first priority. You should love her more than your children, and your parents, and your friends.
September 10, 2006
Finding Hope for Your Future
Five years after 9/11 I am a man full of hope. Have you ever stopped to think if you had added up all the employees at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the capacity of those four jets that crashed, there was a minimum of 75,000 potential casualties? The final fatality count stands at a little less than 3,000 people. That means 96% of the potential casualties survived. Belying engineering logic, the two towers stood long enough for almost 20,000 people to escape. The section of the Pentagon attacked was the first of five sections newly rebuilt to stronger standards to resist terrorist attacks. Three of the four jets had only 25% of their passenger capacity and the fourth was only 1/3 full. When was the last time you flew in an airliner that was mostly empty? Even though it was a terrible day, I can see the hand of God there preventing it from being much worse.
September 3, 2006
The Kind of Music God Loves
Because we are so used to being entertained, it is easy to make the mistake of thinking a worship service is to entertain the audience. If you think it is like an opera, or a play where this is the stage and we’re the performers—you’ve got it all wrong. Here’s an important spiritual truth about worship: Worship is always for an audience of One. Every song, every prayer, every offering is to be directed to God Almighty. When we applaud, we really aren’t applauding the talents or efforts of the person or group singing. Our applause is to show appreciation to the audience of One who has filled our hearts with grace and made all this possible.
August 20, 2006
Is Peace Possible?
Is peace possible? Can there be peace in the Middle East? With God all things are possible. A more pressing question is, “Is peace possible for you?” In the midst of your pain and suffering, it may seem impossible. But with God all things are possible. As you read this passage of scripture there are three themes that rise to the surface. (1) The peace of Christ; (2) The word of Christ; and (3) The name of Christ.
August 13, 2006
How to Dress in Style with Jesus
In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul compared the Christian life to taking off old clothes and putting on new clothes.
The Bible lists seven positive characteristics we are to put on to replace those old clothes. But these aren’t just qualities we have to create ourselves. They all form a description of Jesus Christ. To put it simply, we just need to dress like Jesus. I’m not talking about his robe and sandals—but rather we should wear His personality.
July 23, 2006
Get Rid of Those Stinking Grave Clothes
In some ways, we’re like Lazarus. He was saved, but he still stunk. He was rescued but he was still reeking. He was energized, but he was still entrapped. He had life, but he wasn’t liberated. Jesus could have exercised His divine power and Poof! The grave clothes would have disappeared miraculously. But I think He wanted to involve the other people in what He was doing. Fortunately, there were people there who cared enough to get their hands dirty and obey the words of Jesus and help Lazarus remove those old grave clothes. And I’m quite certain there was someone standing by who quickly found a clean garment to put around Lazarus as well.
July 16, 2006
Ready, Set…LIVE!
Things look a lot different when you’re up high. I’ve traveled the globe enough to know our planet is scooped out and piled up with valleys and mountains. But when you look at our world from outer space, the surface appears completely smooth. We know there are deep valleys and high mountains, but when you back away few thousand miles, it appears as smooth as a billiard ball. Life is the same way. Up close, the challenges of life may appear to be unclimbable or uncrossable, but when you look at problems from the perspective of being seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms, those problems don’t seem nearly as big and scary.
July 9, 2006
Are You Living by Rules or a Relationship?
The trouble with doing things to impress God is it forces you to keep coming up with more and better things to do for God. For instance, if you really want God to bless you, then maybe you can do more than the average person to earn more of His favor. Throughout history people have become monks, fasted, or endured masochistic pain as religious acts of devotion. Paul refers to this in verse 23 when he writes about “harsh treatment of the body.” Those kinds of acts may appear valuable, but the Bible says they are worthless.
July 2, 2006
One God Over Our Nation
The Bible teaches that not only does the Creator want to have a personal relationship with you through Jesus Christ, but that God also chooses to have relationships with nations; and nations are accountable before God. I believe we as Americans are blessed more than any nation on the face of the planet and the reason we are so blessed is because God has blessed us. I just want to talk to you today as a friend; not really as a pastor—and of course not as a politician. I want to have a little “fireside chat” as a fellow patriot, somebody who loves America like you do, as someone who still gets a tear in my eye whenever I sing the National Anthem. I just want to share my heart with you.
June 25, 2006
Follow Jesus–Not Your Feelings
June 18, 2006
Stop Chasing Shadows!
June 11, 2006
Beware of Grace-Robbers!
Some grace-robbers today insist we should still obey obscure Old Testament rules and regulations, and have even substituted a whole new set of rules. Legalism is the attitude that I can establish or improve my standing before God by my activities. It’s not an act–it’s an attitude. If you think there is anything you can do to either establish a relationship or improve your relationship with God, you may have fallen into the trap of legalism. An introduction to three insidious grace-robbers.
June 4, 2006
What was Nailed to the Cross?
In this age of computing, we have generated a new word: Multitasking. That means while you are working on one particular task, your computer can be working on two or three other processes simultaneously. You may think that’s neat, but God is the original Multitasker. He can ignite the mighty sun in the sky to hold the planets in orbit, and He can use that same sun to ripen your tomatoes as if He had nothing else to do. As I began to study this passage I realized there were several divine tasks occurring simultaneously at the Cross of Jesus. At the same moment Jesus Christ was being nailed to the cross, God was also nailing three other things to the cross.
May 28, 2006
Powerful Pictures of the Christian Life
Too many Christians are like tumbleweeds. We’ve all known Christians who got sucked into every new fad and fashion that comes along. A tumbleweed can become a big plant, but it lacks deep roots. Deep roots in people, as well as plants, create stability and security. The only kind of Christian who can survive periods of personal storms and emotional droughts are those who have sunk deep roots into the nourishment and stability that Jesus gives.
May 21, 2006
What Happens N-Side a Jesus Church?
We live in an age of marvelous electronic connection, but it has only created miserable personal isolation. Today a person can sit in front of a computer monitor and feel like they have friends all over the world. There are dozens of websites facilitating social networking. To me, this trend demonstrates how hungry people are for genuine relationships. A Jesus church is a place where all different kinds of people can be united in love. A church is not a showcase for shiny saints, we are a hospital for sick sinners. We are to be a safe harbor for those whose lives have been shipwrecked.
May 7, 2006
History’s Greatest Mystery Solved
Paul suffered more than most of us can imagine. By his own admission in 2 Corinthians he had been beaten eight times, shipwrecked three times, and once was stoned so badly they left him for dead. But rather than complaining about all his suffering, he boasted about them–he rejoiced in his suffering! He had uncovered a mystery that enabled him to deal with pain and adversity with a positive attitude.
April 30, 2006
I’m Not What I Used to Be…
Why are we alienated from God? Because of our evil thinking and behavior. We are all born with a sin problem. The reason we act evil is because our minds are evil. We are both mentally and morally bankrupt before God. How many of you have ever told a lie? Hold up your hand. Those of you who didn’t hold up your hand are lying right now! How many lies does it take to make a liar? Just one. We aren’t liars because we lie–we lie because we are liars. You can never become a Christian until you’re willing to admit you are a sinner who is separated from God.
April 16, 2006
The Supremacy of Jesus
If the corpse of Jesus was stolen and hidden, either His enemies did it, or His friends did it. If His enemies took the body, when the message of the resurrection started spreading, all they had to do was produce the body and the movement would have died quickly and quietly. And suppose for argument’s sake, that the disciples took the body of Jesus, and then they made up the legend of the resurrection. If they were deceitful enough to do that, surely they would have had a selfish motive leading to some personal benefit for them. So what did the disciples receive? History tells us all of them were abused and tortured; and except for John, they all died by execution. Surely, one or more of them would have recanted their story in the face of the death–but all of them went to their deaths with unshakable profession that Jesus rose from the dead. Would dishonest men be willing to die for a lie?
April 2, 2006
The Autobiography of Jesus
If I were to ask you what you were doing last year, you may try to remember. At least that would be a valid question, because you were doing something a year ago. But if I asked you what you were doing a thousand years ago, you couldn’t answer that. You weren’t doing anything because you didn’t exist!
Jesus was in existence long before the world came to be. We find His own supporting testimony of this when He said, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)
March 26, 2006
Catch and Release–Jesus Style!
Redemption is a lot like catch and release. He is the Fisher of Men. Salvation is all about Jesus. Jesus sought you, caught you, brought you, bought you, and taught you; then He released you into this world to live a life worthy of that kind of love. And when you stand before God, He won’t ask you, “Have you lived a good life?” He will ask you what you did in relation to His son Jesus. And if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus, you can kneel before God and hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
March 19, 2006
Living Life to the Fullest!
Our world still defines success as living in a big house, driving a new car, or having a lot of money. But in the midst of this lust for financial success, people aren’t satisfied. They are hungry for someone to tell them about God’s purpose for their lives. If you define success as finding and following God’s purpose, then God wants you to be success-full beyond your wildest dreams.
March 12, 2006
And Now for Some Really Good News
It’s not a question of whether you have faith, because everyone has faith. When you mail a letter you’re putting faith in the postal system. When you drive over a bridge you’re putting trust in the architect and builders of that bridge. The key question is: In what (or whom) are you placing your ultimate faith?
February 26, 2006
Caleb: How to Thrive at Age 85!
Caleb had been promised a piece of property 45 years earlier. Since that promise, he spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness with a bunch of dissatisfied, unfaithful, whining people. Then under Joshua’s leadership, Caleb spent five years fighting as a soldier against the Canaanite kingdoms. Even after 45 years, he still held onto God’s promise. “I remember God’s promise to me; now give me this hill country!” He never let go of that promise–that’s what the Bible calls persistence.
February 19, 2006
The Tragedy of an Achan Breakin’ Heart
You may think your sin only affects your life, but it always affects others. Your sins are like a pebble dropped in a pool of water–the ripples always spread out and touch those around you. Because of Achan’s sin, 36 soldiers died. Because of Achan’s sin, his entire family died. Sometimes people try to justify sin by saying, “It’s my life, as long as what I’m doing doesn’t hurt anybody else what’s wrong with it?” The problem with that is that none of us lives in a vacuum. We are connected to other people and our sins always hurt those we love.
February 12, 2006
How to Have Victory in Jesus
Can you honestly say that you have daily victory over worry, fear, depression, bitterness, anger, and greed? As a Christian, you must understand that you don’t fight FOR victory. You fight FROM victory. Jesus has already won the battle, and we fight on the basis of His victory of sin, death, and hell. Victory is our birthright as God’s children. If you aren’t experiencing much victory, this message is for you. In the story of the battle of Jericho there are three important keys we can learn about how to have victory in Jesus:
January 15, 2006
Moving from Borderline to Blessing
Do you know what the Israelites ate for 40 years? Manna. God supernaturally fed them with little white wafers that appeared on the ground every morning. When they first saw it they called it manhu, which means “What is it?” Based on the description in the Bible, the closest food we have to it today is Corn Flakes. Corn Flakes are okay, but can you imagine eating corn flakes every meal–for 40 years? It got so bad they longed for the food they ate back in Egypt. Many of the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt, where they had been slaves. When you are living in the wilderness, you find yourself longing for the life you had before you were a Christian.
January 8, 2006
Rahab: How God Changes a Prostitute into a Princess
God took Rahab from the House of Shame to the Hall of Fame. God can change a lady of the night into a lady of the light. He can change a woman of ill repute into a woman of illustrious reputation. God can turn a harlot into a heroine. And in this message we’re going to examine just how He changes a prostitute into a princess.
January 1, 2006
Take Possession of Your Promised Land!
The book of Joshua is one of the most exciting books in all of the Bible. It reads like an action novel. But it is much more than an historical record of Israel’s military conquest of Canaan. It is a powerful picture of how every follower of Jesus can experience victory. In order to understand this exciting truth, it’s important to study the book of Joshua in its historical context. It’s a story of a group of people who moved from Egypt to the Promised Land.
December 18, 2005
Life’s Turning Points
The difference between Jesus and the devil is the devil always serves his best first and then it gets progressively worse. The world, the flesh, and the devil always operate according the law of diminishing returns. What starts as a moment of pleasure always ends up as an eternity of misery. But with Jesus, He always saves the best for last. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the best part of your existence is ahead of you–it may come after you die, but it will come. If you aren’t a Christian, this is as good as it will ever get for you.
December 4, 2005
What to Do When You Run Out of Answers
We have now reached the climax of the book of Job. God finished questioning Job, and was waiting for Job’s reply. If Job had argued with God and said something like, “Yeah, I heard all of what you said, but, Lord, it’s just not fair that I’m suffering! What are you going to do about it, God?” If that had been his response that would have been the end of the story, and we probably wouldn’t even be reading the book of Job! Instead, Job finally gets it and responds to God in the proper way. If you are suffering and hurting, this is way you need to react as well.
November 27, 2005
God’s Voice in the Storm
The Bible is not a science textbook that tells us HOW we were created. It is God’s love letter that tells us WHY we were created. Man is arrogant enough to suggest how life began, but everything man says is pure speculation and hypothesis, because as God reminded Job, nobody was around to see it!
November 6, 2005
The Wisdom of Youth
If God had delegated creation to me, I would have done things differently. I would have created a world where there is no disease or accidents or, terrorism, birth defects, or killer weather. But wait—God did create a world like that didn’t He? But he also created something extremely powerful: Human choice. He gave mankind the option to be cruel and unkind, or to be loving and kind. He didn’t create us as zombies or robots who would automatically bow before Him and love Him. When mankind chose to sin, we unleashed a horrible chain reaction of natural and accidental evil into the world.
October 30, 2005
The One Thing Worth Knowing
Do you realize everything we see around us is temporary? All the mansions, all the skyscrapers, all the money, all the fame will soon be gone. But when you know Jesus you are in a permanent relationship. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
October 23, 2005
Hope in the Midst of Pain
Job used his tears as telescopes to look ahead to what God had in store for him. Even in his pain, Job confessed his belief in the goodness of God. He believed he would meet God and that God would forgive his sins. As we join Job on his journey in this lesson, notice his temptation, testimony and trust.
October 16, 2005
I Need An Umpire!
Job expressed his frustration at not being able to talk to God as an equal. He cried out for an umpire, a mediator. He needed someone to negotiate with God so His rod of punishment would be withdrawn. Too many people think they don’t need this spiritual mediator. They think they can find God on their own. But if you’ve ever committed one sinful act, or had one sinful thought in your life, you have disqualified yourself from being a mediator with God.
October 9, 2005
The Insomnia of Despair
During Job’s time of testing, he suffered from the insomnia of despair. If you’ve ever lost a night’s sleep worrying about something, maybe there’s something you can learn from this message. We’re going to consider the reasons for insomnia and then we’re going to talk about the remedy for it.
September 18, 2005
With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?
Job was the target of hostility from his friends, but he refused to direct hostility back toward them. When someone insults us, our human nature screams out to say, “Yeah? Well, the same to you and more of it!” Job refused to become bitter about his friends’ false accusations. He said, “I’m not going to treat you the way you treated me. I’m going to treat you the way I want to be treated.”
September 11, 2005
Would I Be Better Off Dead?
God can take the most terrible situation imaginable and make something beautiful out of it. Our God is an awesome God and I’m glad He is in control. Whenever you go through tough times, you can either look for the junk or you can look for the joy. And in the end, God rewarded Job’s persistence and patience.
September 4, 2005
What to Do When Your World Crumbles In
Whenever we suffer, we immediately look for someone to blame. If we can blame our suffering on our parents, our spouse, our co-workers or society in general, we can justify our bitterness, and it prevents us from moving on to becoming whole. And God gets blamed for a lot of suffering today. But in spite of his pain, and his unanswered questions, Job never charged that God was wrong.
August 28, 2005
Surrounded by God’s Hedge of Protection
August 21, 2005
The Peril of Fair Weather Faith
What kind of faith do you have? Is it a fair weather faith? As long as things are good, you’re okay with God? Or do you have a foul weather faith–when a crisis comes you go running to the Lord? Jesus said that the Heavenly Father makes it rain on the just and the unjust alike, so make sure you have an all-weather faith.
August 14, 2005
Setting Your Life on God’s Cruise Control
Has there ever been a time in your life when you consciously surrendered control of your life to God? After studying the life of Joseph, I’ve learned it isn’t about Joseph; it’s about what God did for Joseph. It’s not about you and it’s not about me, it’s about what God can do in and through us.
July 31, 2005
Revenge: The Danger of Road Rage
Joseph suffered an incredible amount of frustration on the road to success. He could have easily become the poster child for road rage. He didn’t do what came naturally–he did what only comes supernaturally–he forgave them. Just because revenge is a natural instinct doesn’t make it right. God will eventually sort out the business of rewards and punishment. When we try to be the judge and jury in regard to unpleasant treatment we’ve received, we usurp God’s plan. Three important lessons about revenge.
July 24, 2005
God’s Detours: Enjoy the Scenery
Whatever you’re going through right now, don’t forget God has a plan for your life. His plan doesn’t always take you directly from point A to point B. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but the shortest distance between misery and joy is knowing and loving God. Joseph discovered that, and you can, too. Four similarities between life’s detours and actual traffic detours on the highway.
July 17, 2005
Temptation: Don’t Run God’s Stop Signs!
Before you give in to any temptation you need to ask yourself this question: How much is this going to cost? How much is this going to cost me? How much is this going to cost those around me? For years, I’ve been quoting a little verse that helps me fear sin. It says: Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go; sin will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay; and sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. An examination of the temptation in Joseph’s life.
July 10, 2005
Surviving the Sinkholes of Life
The glorious truth about Joseph’s life is that God was with him all the way. God was with him when He was a cocky teenager, full of pride. God was with him when he was sulking in the pit of despair. God was with Him when he was unjustly thrown in prison. And God was with him when he ruled as Prime Minister in the Palace. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you can be sure God will never leave you nor forsake you. He is there with you when you find yourself in a sinkhole.
June 26, 2005
Pay Attention to God’s Speed Bumps!
April 24, 2005
Is There HOPE for My Fractured Family?
We are attached to Jesus by a lifeline of faith. A lifeline is not that crease in the palm of your hand. A lifeline is not a phone call you make on a television quiz show. A lifeline is our faith connection with Jesus Christ who is already in heaven. Sure, there are waves and storms out here, but there is safety and security in the harbor. Jesus, our anchor has been firmly established there, so it’s our job to hang onto hope.
April 17, 2005
Is There Any HOPE When I Feel Like Quitting?
We all have problems. Some are big problems and some are small problems. Do you know the difference between a big problem and a small problem? A big problem is anything I’m going through and a small problem is anything you’re going through. It’s like minor surgery–it’s never minor when it’s on you! If you isolate yourself from others, you become an easy target for the devil’s discouragement.
April 10, 2005
Is There HOPE When I’m Afraid?
If you let your mind run away, you can start entertaining all kinds of thoughts about bad things that could happen. As you look toward the rest of this year, is there a feeling of fear of what might happen? As you look toward the next couple of years, is there uneasiness in your spirit? That feeling didn’t come from God. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and a sound mind.” God is not the author of fear. The devil is the sinister minister of fear. He knows that if he can keep you in fear, you’ll be ineffective as a Christian.
April 3, 2005
Is There HOPE When I’ve Messed Up?
There are no beauty contests when it comes to God’s love. There is nothing you can do to earn God’s love. He knows me for who I really am, and He still loves me–warts and all. I think that’s one reason why the animation movies Shrek and Shrek 2 are so popular. Fiona was once a beautiful princess who lost her beauty. But ugly old Shrek loves her for who she is on the inside, not on the outside. And in a way, his love makes her beautiful. That’s the kind of love Jesus has for you.
March 27, 2005
Is There HOPE for My Broken Heart?
Hope is what gives people the reason to go on even when their hearts are broken; that’s exactly what Jesus does. He gives out hope to everyone who encounters Him. Has there been such pain and disappointment that you’ve wondered, “What’s the use?” Jesus is willing and able to heal your broken heart, but you’ve got to be willing to give him all the pieces.
March 20, 2005
What Kind of Person Should I Be?
The greatest tragedy in the church today is there are thousands of people who claim to be Christians, but they are stuck in a level of spiritual immaturity. They are spiritual babies. We all love babies. We love to ooh and ahh over them. But there’s nothing attractive about a 40-year-old baby.
March 13, 2005
God’s Personality Profile
We are finite people. It’s hard for us to even grasp the concept of an eternal God. Our lives are defined by beginnings and endings. But God didn’t have a beginning and He’ll never have an ending. When the Bible says God is infinite, here’s the plain meaning: God isn’t limited by time or space. He doesn’t wear a watch. He’s never been late–or early. God doesn’t occupy any space, yet He occupies it all. He’s never had to stop and ask for directions because He’s never been lost.
February 20, 2005
How to Answer a Sarcastic Skeptic
Don’t be surprised when you encounter skeptics who mock and ridicule you because you believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This isn’t some fantasy doctrine that has been dreamed up in the past 100 years by nutty American preachers. Since the beginning of the creation, God has been moving this world toward an event that will serve as the culmination and climax of His dealing with mankind.
February 13, 2005
Lessons From Sick Dogs and Slimy Hogs
A pig returns to its mud because it is the nature of a pig to love mud. Don’t be surprised when you see some people start attending church, and seem to clean up their lives, only to go running back into the same old filthy, sinful lifestyle. Their nature was never changed. A counterfeit Christian is like that old pig. The lesson of the prodigal pig is this: You can clean a person up on the outside, but unless their inner nature is changed, they will always return to sin.
January 30, 2005
How to I.D. Counterfeit Christians
Our faith is more precious than gold, but counterfeit Christians possess a false faith–it’s like fool’s gold. Their faith may appear to be real on the surface, but when it is put to the test it is found to be fake. When a counterfeit Christian faces the heat, they generally give up on God–because their faith is not genuine. But when a genuine Believer endures painful trials, their faith stands the test.
January 23, 2005
Surrender Your Treasure
God wants each of us to come to the point in our lives where we say, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.” It’s not about money. God doesn’t need your money. You need God. Truthfully God doesn’t want your money–He wants YOU! He wants you to surrender fully to Him. Have you come to a place in your life where you have said, “God, I offer myself to You?” When you do that, your faithful and generous giving will be a natural result of your surrender.
January 16, 2005
Surrender Your Thinking
Too many times, we’re asking people if they want to find Jesus, and they wonder if Jesus is lost. If we’re going to present the claims of Christ to this generation, we have to start talking in ways they can understand. We must start asking the right questions and listen to their questions so we’ll know the answers they’re looking for.
January 9, 2005
Surrender Your Trust
You often hear the statement, it doesn’t matter WHAT you believe, as long as you’re sincere. Not really. You can be sincerely wrong. In other words, you can have a great faith in the wrong thing, and it won’t help you. But a little faith in the right object of your trust can make all the difference.
January 2, 2005
Surrender Your Time to God
In sports and business, we are taught to play hard and to never quit. Sadly, we sometimes transfer this same competitive, win-at-all-costs attitude to our Christian faith. Because of our proud human nature, surrender doesn’t come easy, but when it comes to your relationship with your Creator, surrender is the ONLY pathway to peace and victory.
December 26, 2004
The Blessing of Surrender
December 19, 2004
Mary, Now We Know
Certainly Mary was shocked and amazed to receive the news from Gabriel that she would be the mother of God. I’m sure she had a lot of questions, but she placed her trust in God, with whom nothing is impossible. Two thousand years later we have a lot more answers about Jesus. And examination of six profound questions that might have been in the mind of Mary.
December 5, 2004
God’s Search and Rescue Mission
November 28, 2004
FALSE (teachers) ALARM!
November 15, 2004
Watch Your Mouth!
If there was ever a message America needs to hear, it’s a message about cleaning up our national vocabulary, because it seems more and more people have become more and more profane and obscene in what they are saying, not only on the airwaves, but also in public life. How profanity insults God’s character.
November 7, 2004
Who is America’s God?
In your lifetime, there are lots of important questions you are going to need to answer, but none are probably more important than these questions: Does God really exist? And if he does exist, what is he like? And if God exists and you find out what he is like, what does he require of me? And in the Ten Commandments we have answers to all of those questions, where God reveals himself to us. He says, “This is what I am like and this is what I require of you.”
November 7, 2004
Seven Wonders of the Word of God, part 2
Pastor David Dykes explains wonders 5-7 of the Seven Wonders contained in Bible. Most people will never see all seven of these natural wonders, but anyone with a copy of the Bible can experience the seven wonders of the Word of God. When you get a firm grasp on the Bible and start applying it to your life, you’ll find Jesus on every page.
November 7, 2004
Seven Wonders of the Word of God, part 1
October 31, 2004
In-Tents Living
Give me a home anytime rather than a tent! That’s what the Bible promises us. This body is susceptible to pain, weariness, and hunger. Our resurrection body will be like the body of our Lord. In heaven there will be no pain, no sorrow, no sickness and death. That’s why death isn’t a scary subject for a follower of Jesus Christ.
October 24, 2004
How to Be Absolutely Sure about This Election
The future of America is at stake in every Presidential election, but the future of the universe doesn’t depend on who is sitting in the White House in Washington. It all depends on Who is sitting on the Great White throne in heaven. The election spoken of in the Bible is the act whereby God elects men and women to be His children. It is a Divine Election for salvation. And it is possible to be absolutely sure about this election.
October 17, 2004
Seven Steps to Spiritual Health
October 1, 2004
God’s Precious Promises
September 19, 2004
I Saw the Light
It’s interesting to notice the different ways animals respond to light. When a cockroach is exposed to the light, it goes scampering toward the nearest darkness. Deer often freeze. Moths fly right toward the light. People respond in different ways, too. You may be running from Jesus. Or you may be frozen by fear or doubt. But God wants you to turn from your darkness and run into the God’s light.
September 12, 2004
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
When the Bible says “It is appointed for men to die once” it is speaking of the absolute certainty of death. We live in a day of uncertainties. Nations rise and fall, the stock market goes up and goes down, spouses leave, jobs are cut back. Someone said the only two certain things are death and taxes. But there are many folks who have figured out how to avoid paying taxes, but nobody except Jesus figured out how to cheat death. It’s the only true certainty.
September 5, 2004
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
August 29, 2004
Your Cheatin’ Heart
When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is referring not to the fist-sized muscular pump in your chest, but to the moral and intellectual control center of your life. In the Bible there are a little over 1,000 chapters, and the word “heart” appears almost 800 times. That means the Bible has something to say about the human heart in nearly every chapter!
August 22, 2004
True Grace Produces True Grit
August 8, 2004
The Truth about the Terrible but Toothless Lion
I believe Satan has succeeded in convincing most Americans to believe his three greatest lies: (1) He doesn’t really exist; (2) Evil is good and good is evil; and (3) You can sin and you will not suffer. If you are going to have victory you must recognize him as a liar. The best way to resist the devil is to understand and claim the victory Jesus has already won. The devil really has no power over us because of what Jesus did on the cross.
August 1, 2004
Who Cares? God Cares!
Some of you may think God is harsh toward you right now because He’s stirred up your nest. Maybe God knows you’ve been stuck in your comfort zone too long. God loves you so much He is stirring up your life and He may be getting ready to push you out of your nest of complacency. Or you may have already been pushed out and it seems as if you’re plummeting toward a hard landing. Don’t worry God will be there to catch you. It may be terrifying at first, but God knows what He’s doing. Who cares? God cares–like an eagle coaxing its young to fly.
July 25, 2004
How to Dress for Success
Can you really dress for success? It all depends on your definition of success. If success to you is working harder and harder to advance farther and farther in your career so you can buy more and more toys–then, yes, the way you dress will affect that. The Bible’s definition of success is this: finding and following God’s will.
July 18, 2004
Can You Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking?
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly! Instead, God allows us to experience struggles, pain, and suffering because He wants us to be able to float above our circumstances like a beautiful butterfly.
July 11, 2004
The Rest of Your Life Can Be the Best of Your Life
Have you discovered the secret of God’s strength? If you do, the rest of your life can be the best of your life. Here’s how: Pray like never before, because God’s clock is winding down. Show love to others so deeply that you welcome strangers into your life. Give your life away to others–but do it in God’s strength.
June 20, 2004
Clash-Mates with the Crowd
Although Christians aren’t being thrown to the lions, our contemporary “crowd” still heaps abuse on everyone who is a fully devoted follower of Christ. They just use different weapons. Instead of spears, fires, and wild animals, the crowd today employs ridicule and scorn to make fun of Christians.
May 30, 2004
Thumbnails of Truth
May 23, 2004
Is There an “Out of Order” Sign on Your Life?
We expect life to be fair. We can’t understand why good people suffer, and bad people seem to be getting all the breaks. We want to say, “It just isn’t fair!” No, life isn’t fair, but God is good. And when it seems like your life is out order–when life malfunctions, there are four ways to respond.
May 2, 2004
Every Day Can Be a Good Day–Because God is Good!
Not only is God listening to what we say to others, His ear is attuned when we talk to Him. He always answers prayer. Sometimes people pray and don’t get the answer they want so they wonder, “Is God really listening to me?” He is always listening, but that doesn’t mean He will always grant your requests. I’ve said many times: When you ask for something and the request is not right, God answers: No. When you ask for something and you aren’t right, God answers: Grow! When you ask for something and the timing is not right, God answers: Slow. But when you ask for something and the request, the timing, and you are right, God answers: Go!
April 25, 2004
Marriage: Made in Heaven But Maintained on Earth
In some ways, marriage is like a car. It’ll get you where you want to go, but you’ve got to put something into it. If you got a new car and never changed the oil, or got a tune up, that new car is going to malfunction. I’ve never understood why a couple will spend so much energy, time and money on a wedding, but then they think the marriage will automatically be great. Marriage is a high maintenance relationship. Marriage is made in heaven, but it must be maintained on earth.
April 18, 2004
The Crush of the Cross
Imagine the shock of bearing all our sins to Jesus’ entire system—a sinless, holy man being defiled with the humiliation of every murder, rape, robbery, and lie every committed. It was the foul rottenness polluting His pure personality that killed Him—not the nails. Have you ever seen the significance in the fact that Jesus only survived the cross for six hours? It was common for crucified men to linger for many days before they died. The two criminals crucified with Jesus had their knees broken so they would die, but Jesus was already dead. If you were filling out a death certificate for Jesus and it asked for the cause of death, don’t write “crucifixion.” Don’t write “Roman Execution.” The true cause of death was carrying our sins. The strain of carrying that load overwhelmed His entire system and that’s what killed him.
April 11, 2004
Suffering? Walk in His Steps
WThe question, “What would Jesus do?” doesn’t work in every situation. First of all, we may not know what Jesus would do in any given situation. He was always doing the opposite of what people expected. In addition, if we knew what Jesus would do, that doesn’t mean we could do what Jesus would do. For instance, when Jesus saw his disciples out on the Sea of Galilee, He simply walked out on the water to meet them. If you’re fishing out on the lake and I’m standing on the shore, and I want to join you, I know the answer to “What Would Jesus Do?” But that certainly doesn’t mean I could do what He did! The only time we can be 100 percent sure we can ask and answer the question WWJD? is when we are suffering.
April 4, 2004
How to Take Your Job and Love It
March 28, 2004
Our Duty as Christian Citizens
March 21, 2004
The Aliens Have Landed!
When we were born the first time, we were born into this world. This is the world you can see, smell, taste, hear and feel. When you experience a spiritual birth, you are born again into a new world. From that moment on, we belong to a different world and we no longer feel at home in this world. There are two kinds of people living on this rock-the natives and the aliens. The natives are the ones who live for this world, the aliens are the ones who live here but realize there is another world to live for.
February 29, 2004
The Passion of the Christ–Revisited
From my years of study concerning Roman crucifixion, I’m prepared to say The Passion comes closest to portraying the brutality and horror of scourging and crucifixion. But, for the sake of decency, it STILL falls short of the full brutality of what really happened. Special effects and make up can’t reflect the hideous effects of being beaten with metal balls embedded in the ends of leather thongs. Just ask any ER physician or state trooper how much blood the human body is able of spilling and you’ll realize the movie was tempered in that respect. And there is ample documentation that the Romans stripped prisoners nude for the scourging and crucifixion to add to their shame. As bad as the graphic torture was, I came away thinking we had been spared from the full horror of it.
February 22, 2004
The Power of Positive Praise
Right now, some of you are in bondage. You may chained to your past, or by your problems, or by your pain. You’re still bleeding from some emotional or relational beating that you endured. You may think, “Well, when God sets me free, then I’ll praise Him.” No! Start praising Him NOW and you’ll find that the chains slipping away. Pardon me for using so many song lyrics, but I can’t help but remember the great lines in the old song from the group Truth that says, “For the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him” Have you discovered the liberating power of praise?
February 15, 2004
The Rock and Our Role
In America today, it’s okay to be religious and to talk about God in vague terms. But if you start talking about the blood of Christ, or that Jesus is the only way to heaven—watch out, you are going to be in trouble. As I’ve predicted for years, we have arrived at a time where Bible-believing Christians are labeled as mental Neanderthals because we oppose such liberating ideas as same-sex marriages. But that’s the way it’s always been. One of the early Christians, named Stephen, had the audacity to stand up and say that Jesus was alive and standing at the right hand of God, and what did they do? They stoned him to death.
February 8, 2004
Will You Grow Up?!!
A religious hypocrite is someone who talks about praying but seldom prays. They talk about how the Bible is the Word of God, but they seldom read it or carry it to church. People who don’t go to church often use the presence of hypocrites to keep them away. When someone says to me, “I don’t go to church because it’s full of hypocrites,” I usually respond, “Well, come on anyway, we’ve always got room for one more!”
February 1, 2004
The World’s Greatest Gospel Quartet
January 25, 2004
Winning the W.A.R. Against Rage
People who jump to conclusions and lose their temper seem to have motto in life: Ready! FIRE! Aim! They’re impulsive and volcanic in their anger. You can often tell about the character of a person by that which makes that person lose their temper.
January 25, 2004
Connected Through Your Commitments
Have you ever heard the expression “prime the pump?” Back in the days when people used hand water pumps, you had to pour water into the pump to often get water flowing out of it. Think of your resources as the jug of water–and then think of God’s blessings as the cool, stream of gushing water.
January 18, 2004
Winning the W.A.R. Over Anxiety
There are things in our lives which are like the frets on the neck of a stringed instrument. And it seems like our patience gets shorter and shorter and our endurance gets tighter and tighter and the pitch of our life grows higher and higher, until it seems like you can hardly stand it.
January 18, 2004
Connected Through Your Community
Telling others about Jesus must be our top priority. How can we be content to go to heaven when there are thousands around us who haven’t yet trusted Christ? It’s as if we have been rescued from drowning and we’re sitting in the lifeboat of salvation while all around us the water is full of drowning people who are calling out for help.
January 11, 2004
Winning the W.A.R. of Words
The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We know that’s not true. We know that sticks and stones leave one kind of wound that you can see, but words create another kind of wound—invisible—but every bit as painful and sometimes even more painful.
January 11, 2004
Connected Through Your Church
People in our culture are hungry to be connected. We are a generation of “screenagers” that spends hours in front of a computer screen or a video screen trying to connect with the people we see on television. The best place to make friends and build meaningful relationships in through the Church, the Body of Christ.
January 4, 2004
Connected Through Your Creator
I’m amazed by how many Christians report they have never received a message directly from God. What are you listening for? Are you waiting for an audible voice? Or are you looking for God to write a message across the sky in letters a hundred feet tall? Or perhaps you check your email every day to get a message from [email protected]. Don’t hold your breath. You need to know God speaks to His children through His written Word, the Bible.
December 14, 2003
Mary Had a Little Lamb
I love to read about the great characters of the Bible, because the Bible doesn’t try to cover up their mistakes and sins. Noah was a great man, but he got drunk and laid around naked—two of his sons had to cover him up. When he woke up he cursed his other son for looking at him naked.
Abraham was a great man, but when he visited Egypt, he lied and said Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. Jacob was a man of faith, but he had history of dirty deals. Moses did some great things, but he murdered a man. King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery and murder. Even the big fisherman writing this letter denied he knew Jesus and cursed in front of a teenage girl. The Bible is about real people who made tons of real mistakes.
December 7, 2003
Hunger for Holiness
Being holy makes you different, but it doesn’t make you weird. To be holy, you don’t have to shave your head and carry a huge cross around in the streets. Or you don’t have to take a vow of chastity, poverty, silence, or move to a monastery. Being holy means living such a God-filled life of kindness and gentleness that your life becomes winsome to others. Consider the lifestyle of the most holy man who ever lived. Jesus hung out with drunkards and prostitutes. He told stories. He made people laugh. He was without sin, and he never compromised His Divine nature, but He had the kind of personality that the scriptures say “the common people heard him gladly.” The only people who didn’t like Jesus were the uptight religious leaders who were more interested in an external kind of holiness that was displayed by the way they dressed and the kind of food that ate or didn’t eat.
November 30, 2003
Concerning Salvation
I’ve often been asked the question: How were people in the Old Testament time saved? How would you answer that question? You may be tempted to say, “By obeying the Old Testament Law.” If you think that, you’d be wrong. Nobody could obey the law. And what about Noah and Abraham? They lived and died before the Law was given through Moses.
Here’s the correct answer: People in the Old Testament time were saved in exactly the same way we are today—by grace through faith.
November 16, 2003
Refined by Fire
When you’re being tested it’s important to remember God set a limit to what Satan could do in testing Job. In the same way, our trials may come from Satan, but they are filtered by God. When I make coffee every morning, I put a paper filter in the coffee maker. I don’t want to have the coffee grounds in my cup. It’s good to know that all of your trials have to pass through the filter of God’s grace, and the filter of His mercy, and the filter of His omnipotence.
November 2, 2003
Reasons to Rejoice
I like the world “permanent.” So many things in life aren’t permanent. I have pants that claim to be permanent press, but I doubt they’ll still have their crease in a hundred years. Ladies go the beauty salon and get a permanent on their hair. Ladies how long does a permanent last? There’s something new called permanent cosmetics in which lipstick or other cosmetics are surgically applied to the face—see if that’s permanent in 1,000 years. Permanent markers aren’t really permanent either. But our home in heaven is as permanent as God Himself. You can rejoice that you have a permanent home in heaven. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2) There is no inheritance tax, and no probate court can ever take it away from you. Your title and name have been recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven. That’s a great reason to rejoice!
October 26, 2003
Strangers in the World
The word “home” is a powerful word. It means so much more than a house or an apartment where you live; it’s a place dear to your heart. Have you ever lived somewhere or visited somewhere and you seemed “out of place?” In your heart you felt a longing and a tugging to return home? We call that homesickness. As you grow closer to Jesus through your relationship with Him, the more out of place you will feel in this world. You’ll find yourself becoming homesick for heaven, and the pleasures and allures of this world become less and less appetizing.
October 19, 2003
When Your Life Seems Out of Control
We can’t control the weather. God is in control and He says he makes it rain on the just AND the unjust. There are a lot of things in life you can’t control but you should be able control how you react to adverse circumstances. If you wake up on a gloomy, rainy morning, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. But if you allow that gloomy, rainy morning to make you gloomy, depressed and downcast–that’s the real problem. Because you should be able to control how you react to circumstances.
October 12, 2003
How to Deal with Difficult People
When God is trying to teach you how to love, don’t think for one moment He is going to send some wonderful, kind, sweet, loveable person into your life. He’s going to toss some old bear of a person into your life and He’s going to say, “You love on that one for awhile, and then I’ll send you another one.” That’s the challenge. That’s why He said, “This is why you need my power to do it.”
September 28, 2003
To Thine Own Self Be True
The word “tolerance” has undergone the same change. Tolerance used to mean, “respecting the beliefs and practices of others without agreeing with them.” The new use of the word tolerance means that I must not only allow but I must accept the beliefs and practices of those with whom I disagree. This new tolerance came to be in a postmodern world where objective truth no longer exists. There are only subjective opinions and if someone’s truth differs from your truth you must accept it as being as valid as your truth; if you don’t, you are intolerant.
September 21, 2003
How to Keep Stress from Becoming Distress
Have you ever noticed how when a rubber band is kept at its maximum tension for a long time that it loses its elasticity? That can happen to people. When you perform at your maximum stress level for a long time, you can lose your effectiveness. We all know what happens. Sometimes the pressure builds up until finally it snaps and there is a breakdown. Have you ever heard someone say, “He had a nervous breakdown.”? Nerves do not break down. Nerves may be severed, but they don’t break down; PEOPLE break down when they are subjected to excessive stress.
September 21, 2003
Let Your Conscience be Your Guide
When a person continually ignores the dictates of his conscience, the conscience can become faulty. You can take a perfectly good compass that is pointing north, and you can hold a magnet next to the compass, and the needle will rotate and no longer be a reliable guide. The same thing happens to your conscience when you expose it to repeated sin—it no longer is reliable guide. Your conscience doesn’t become ruined instantly, it happens gradually.
September 14, 2003
God Moves in Mysterious Ways
Many people think God’s ways are so mysterious they are beyond our understanding. Perhaps the phrase “God moves in mysterious ways” was coined because in the Bible, God often did the unexpected. For instance, instead of using Moses when he was 40 years old, God waited until Moses was 80—that’s moving in a mysterious way! Instead of using Gideon’s army of 32,000 soldiers, God told Gideon to whittle his ranks down until only 300 soldiers remained—that’s pretty mysterious. God seldom acts or moves the way we think He should.
Instead of having the Messiah, the King of the Jews born in a great palace, He was born to a peasant girl in a barn. Instead of having the Messiah placed on a great throne of gold, God had the Messiah nailed to a cross of wood. Unexpected? God specializes in the unexpected.
September 14, 2003
How to Deal with Emotional Burn-Out
We’ve got to learn God’s rhythm of work and rest, work and rest, work and rest. Why do you think God rested on the seventh day of creation? Because He was tired? No. God never gets tired. He was trying to teach us that if you work all the time and stay wound up all the time and you don’t stop and rest on a regular basis, you’ll wear yourself out spiritually, relationally and physically.
September 7, 2003
When God Shuts One Door, He Opens Another
Have you ever been excited about an opportunity and suddenly found the door closed? The worst thing you can do is to camp out at that closed door. Don’t quit—keep on moving, and God will direct your paths. But what about “waiting on the Lord?” Waiting is not a passive experience. Waiting on the Lord is acting like the waiter or server in a restaurant who takes your order and brings your food. Waiting on the Lord is asking God, “May I take Your order? Is there anything else You need?” God doesn’t tip—but His retirement benefits are out of this world!
September 7, 2003
How to Stay Sane in a Changing World
It is not change that creates stress. Is is our resistance to change that causes our stress. Why is that? Because we like the old ways; we like the old days; we like the old things. We don’t like to be disturbed out of our comfort zone. Zig Ziglar said, “The only person who likes change is a baby with a wet diaper; and even HE cries!” Our tendency is to hang on to that which is comfortable. Focus on that which NEVER changes, those things which you can anchor your soul to.
August 31, 2003
To Err is Human; To Forgive Divine
Jesus taught we should not be the kind of person who seeks to get even. In Matthew 5:38-39 He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” “An eye for an eye” may sound cruel, but at the time this Old Testament law was given, it was merciful. Human nature demands if someone blinds you in one eye, you want to kill them. The Old Testament law taught limited revenge. If they broke out your front tooth, you should limit your revenge to breaking out their front tooth. But someone said “An eye for an eye would leave the whole world blind” so Jesus introduced the concept of grace-not responding in anger, but giving people what they need—forgiveness. It was a revolutionary concept, and it still is. Forgiveness is expensive, but it’s not nearly as expensive as seeking revenge.
August 24, 2003
God Won’t Put More on You Than You Can Bear
To us, a broken dish is worthless, or a broken television is no good, but to God, brokenness makes a vessel more usable. God uses broken things. The little boy brought the five loaves and two fish to Jesus and He broke them in order to feed thousands. When Mary brought the spikenard of perfume to anoint Jesus, the vessel had to be broken before the fragrance filled the room. And the body of Jesus had to be broken before we could be forgiven. My personal prayer continues to be that God will use my life to give Him glory, and I realize I must be broken for Him to do that.
August 17, 2003
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
“God helps those who help themselves” it is seldom spoken in kindness and usually spoken as a harsh statement challenging someone to get up from their pity party and get to work. This is a half-truth because the Bible does teach God won’t bless laziness. Let’s imagine that you need a job to feed your family. You should get on your knees and ask God to give you a job, but then you shouldn’t get up and sit by the phone and just expect some employer to call you out of the blue and offer you a job. Don’t do anything until you pray, but then get out and knock on doors and put in applications. That’s what Jesus meant when He told us to ask, seek, and knock. We’ve all met slackers who created the need for such a biblical misquote. Laziness is part of our sinful nature. Some people would love to just lay around and have God put food in their mouth and then massage their jaws to chew it, and tickle their throats so they’ll swallow it.
August 10, 2003
Money is the Root of All Evil
Let’s face it: It’s not money people love—it’s the things that money buys—all the stuff. When your life is driven by a desire to have more and more stuff, you can suffer from what I’m calling possession obsession. Americans are notorious for spending money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t even like! This obsession with getting more and more is what the Bible warns against. Paul writes in verse 9 that people who are driven by a desire to get rich fall into a trap. It’s the money trap–and there are many money myths that catch people in the money trap.
August 3, 2003
Spare the Rod, and Spoil the Child
Sometimes when a toddler stomps his foot and says, “No!” Parents laugh and say, “Isn’t that cute?” But it’s not cute, it’s dangerous. When your children willfully disobey you, and you spank them, you are teaching them an important life lesson: They are not a law unto themselves. Someone (parents) has moral authority over him and there are unpleasant consequences to disobeying authority. If your child doesn’t learn that lesson they will have trouble in school, trouble at work, and trouble with the law. Most kids only need about four or five real spankings in their life to get the point—although it took many more than that for me. There are some things a child can learn through the seat of his pants that otherwise he would have to learn later in life at the cost of much greater suffering.
July 27, 2003
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Salvation is like a bath. What a bath does to your body, salvation does to your soul—it cleans you up on the inside. But as we walk in a dirty world, our spiritual feet get dirty, and we have to stay in His Word to stay pure and clean. The Bible says Jesus makes His church holy by “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” (Ephesians 5:26) God’s desire is that we be holy and pure. Soap is good for cleansing the outside of the body, but doesn’t get below the skin into the heart.
July 13, 2003
It’s Not the End, It’s Just the Beginning!
When you meet the living Christ, you won’t have to TRY to be a witness; you’ll naturally BE a witness. That’s what happens when you know Jesus. You won’t be ashamed to tell the whole world how much He means to you. That’s what the disciples did, and because of that, it wasn’t the end, it was just the beginning!”
July 6, 2003
The End of Your Grave Problems
This planet is littered with the graves and tombs of millions of people-some are famous tombs, but most are obscure. The pyramids in Egypt are really tombs, the Taj Mahal in India is a mausoleum, and the Ming Dynasty Emperors are buried in massive tombs, with each complex covering almost 100 acres. Millions of Muslims visit the tomb of Mohammed in Medina each year. But there is no tomb of Jesus, no burial shrine. We don’t know if the tomb I showed you was really where He was buried or not—because wherever it was, He was only there for three days. Today, we don’t visit some holy site and say, “That’s where the body of Jesus is.” Because no one has ever produced the corpus delecti—the body of Jesus. One of the greatest proofs of the resurrection is the fact that nobody has ever produced the corpse of Jesus. The Romans couldn’t be convicted of murder in an American courtroom today because there is no corpse. Even if you’re a skeptic, you’ve got to answer the question: What happened to the body of Jesus?
June 29, 2003
The Extreme Love of the Cross
God’s judgement against sin is like a raging wildfire—nothing can stop it. The only way you and I can escape it is to stand where the fire of God’s judgement has already fallen. And the only safe place is to stand at the cross of Jesus, where God’s judgement against sin has already burned.
June 15, 2003
Three Cross-Roads
When the thief on the cross prayed His prayer of faith, Jesus responded with a three-fold promise. He said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” He didn’t say, “tomorrow” or “in three days” or “in forty days when I ascend” or “next year” or “in a thousand years.” He didn’t say, “after you’ve been baptized” or “after you’ve gone through catechism” or “after you’ve spent a few years in purgatory.” No, He told Jason, “TODAY, you’ll be with me.” The great part of this promise for us is the moment a Christian dies they can be with the Lord in paradise. The Bible doesn’t teach the doctrine of limbo, or purgatory, or soul sleep. We are told when a Christian dies they are “absent from the Body and present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8) If you’ve trusted Jesus, then the moment you die, you can claim that part of His promise, “Today, you’ll be with me in paradise.”
June 8, 2003
The Place of the Skull
As a boy, when I read in the Bible that Pilate had Jesus “scourged” I didn’t understand that word. I remember asking my Pastor, Brother Fred, what that word meant. He could have replied it meant to “be beaten” and he would have been technically correct. Instead he gave me an answer I’ll never forget. He said, “David, that was when a cruel Roman soldier turned the bare back of Jesus into hamburger meat.” Don’t forget—at any moment during His torture He could have escaped. He could have said, “God these people aren’t worth this kind of pain and suffering. He told Peter He could have called 12 legions of angels to rescue Him. But He didn’t—because He loves us.
June 1, 2003
What’s Your Verdict?
Judas never came crawling to Jesus begging Him to forgive him—Jesus just forgave him. Do you have a Judas in your life? You may feel as if you have been betrayed and hurt by someone. They have abused your trust and wounded you in a way that is still painful even though it happened years ago. What are you waiting for? Do you want them to crawl and beg you to forgive them? Do yourself a favor—forgive them anyway. Nothing will make you more miserable than carrying about a bitter spirit of unforgiveness. Arthritis is pretty painful, but there’s something worse than arthritis—grudgitis. When you harbor unforgiveness it makes your food taste bad, it keeps you from sleeping well, and it will send you to an early grave.
May 25, 2003
The Bitter Cup of Suffering
May 18, 2003
How to Survive Satan’s Sifting
May 11, 2003
Uninvited Guests at the Last Supper
Judas represents all the people who have the outward appearance of being a follower of Jesus, but they have never been cleansed from within. These are people speak the correct religious jargon, they give their money to their church, they attend the services, but they have never been cleansed from their sinful condition. Don’t be too quick to condemn Judas. He serves as a warning to us all that we can be close to the things of Jesus, yet in your heart be as spiritually dead as Judas, for God reveals all of us has a Benedict Arnold and a Judas inside of us. His name is Adam, Old Adam, Nature, Sinful Nature. He would like nothing more than to betray Jesus for money or fame. He would like nothing more than to hand Jesus over to his enemies.
May 4, 2003
Back to the Future, part 2
When you read the words of Jesus, you are going back to the future. He spoke of an event that hasn’t yet happened–His return to this world. Will you be ready? You can’t say it’s unexpected, because the signs are everywhere. Jesus warned the worst thing that could happen would be for the Day of His return to come on a person unexpectedly, like a trap.
April 27, 2003
Back to the Future, part 1
Many of the ancient Greek philosophers, especially the Stoics, taught that like a wheel, history repeats itself. Some said each cycle lasted 3,000 years. They really believed “What goes around comes around.” But the Bible doesn’t teach History is like a circle. The Bible teaches all of history is moving in a linear direction toward one final cataclysmic event.
April 20, 2003
On the Road with Him
Do you know why God created mankind? He wanted to have some people with whom He could relate—somebody He could talk to and walk with. In Genesis we read after God created man and woman, He walked with them in the garden of Eden in the cool of the evening. He wanted to have a fellowship with them. After they disobeyed God’s orders, their sin ruined that fellowship. On the evening they sinned, God came walking through the Garden and Adam and Eve hid from Him. In Genesis 3:9 God asked the first question recorded in the Bible. “Where are you?” He knew where they were, He just wanted them to admit why they were hiding. At that point, they fell out of their relationship with God. Since that time, God has been bringing men and women back into a right relationship with Him. He still wants to walk with you and talk with you on a daily basis. But some people are still hiding from God.
April 13, 2003
Pennies for Heaven
If you are going through a tough time, I have a Word for you. It’s found in Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God never says your heart won’t break. He never promises your spirit won’t be crushed. But He says, “I’m aware of your pain. I know what you’re feeling. I care. I’ll help you through it.” You may be battling cancer right now. Some of you are still grieving because someone you love has died. Others of you are out of work—you need a job. Some of you are dealing with children who are behaving in a way that makes you wonder if someone exchanged babies with you when they were born. Some of you are tired from being the primary care giver to a sick loved one. I could go on for hours…and I still might not name your tough circumstance. But God knows, and He cares.
April 6, 2003
One Bride for Seven Brothers
Jesus said we’ll be LIKE the angels, but He said we ARE the children of God. Does that mean we’ll all look and act like little children in heaven? Is God going to be operating a day care in heaven? No, it means we’ll have the same simple, carefree attitude of kids. When you were a kid, life was so simple it consisted of just getting up, getting dressed, and eating the food placed in front of you. Somebody else was handling all the details of your life. In the same way, I believe heaven will allow us to be kids again—God’s children. There will be no deadlines, no funerals, no hospitals, no wars, no arthritis, no Alzheimer’s. You won’t have to spend time worrying about your kids and grand kids—you’ll BE a kid! As Isaiah says, “the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)
March 30, 2003
The Shocking Truth About God
Over 90 percent of Americans claim to believe in God—but what kind of God do they trust? For some, He is the nice, neat God they salute for an hour a week and then live the rest of their lives as if He doesn’t exist. For others, their religious rules and rituals have become a substitute for knowing God. Jesus Christ visited planet earth 2,000 years ago to teach what God is really like. In the parable of the tenants, He reveals four foundational aspects of the nature of God. You may be shocked to learn the truth!
March 23, 2003
Good Answers to Bad Questions
There’s a standard everyone uses to determine what is truth or error and your basis for truth is either man’s wisdom or God’s Word. The Bible calls man’s wisdom the “wisdom of this world.” Some people have chosen to reject the Bible as an outdated book of fairy tales and myths. They have designated their source of authority to be what some other person has said or written, or in most cases, their source of authority is their own intelligence.
March 16, 2003
A Day of Cheers and Tears
In Jesus’ day, horses were the Ferraris–donkeys were the pickup trucks. If you think you’re emotionally and spiritually more like an old donkey than a graceful horse, congratulations! The Bible says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong-so that no one could boast before Him.” (I Corinthians 1:27)
February 16, 2003
Use It or Lose It!
If you lie in a hospital bed for a week without exercise, you’ll lose your strength. Atrophy occurs when muscles aren’t used. That’s why physical therapy, exercise, and rehabilitation are so important after you have been hospitalized. It’s true of your muscles and your mind. It’s also a spiritual truth. If you don’t use God’s resources you may lose them. If you aren’t actively doing business for God, you may lose the ability or the desire to do business for God. Are you investing time for God? Are you obeying the truth He has given you? Are you taking advantage of those opportunities to serve Him?
February 9, 2003
Zacchaeus: Out on a Limb for Jesus
Zacchaeus had an itch in his heart all his wealth couldn’t scratch. He probably didn’t even know what he needed. He just knew he desperately needed something. When he heard Jesus was in town, he was hoping Jesus might have the solution to his problem. He didn’t know it, but he was looking for God.
January 26, 2003
Are You Plugged in…to Celebrate God’s Goodness?
January 19, 2003
Are You Plugged in….to Support God’s Work?
January 12, 2003
Are You Plugged in…to Study and Obey God’s Word?
December 29, 2002
What the Blind Man Saw
You may think that in the larger scheme of the entire universe you aren’t very important. In comparison to the enormous universe, our planet is just a small rock circling a minor star. And you are just one of 6 billion human beings sharing this rock. In spite of this, you are of such importance to God, that when you call out to Him, He pauses to help you! The mighty sun burning 93 million miles away provides the gravitational pull that keeps all the planets in orbit, but that same sun will warm your face on a cold day as if it had nothing else to do at that moment. The awesome God who keeps the entire universe running will stop and answer your cry for help as if He had nothing else to do. God isn’t distracted by the millions of other voices. He always has time for you.
December 22, 2002
The First Star Trek
A study of the Magi’s search for Jesus and the meaning of the gifts they brought.
December 15, 2002
The Road to the Cross
At the beginning of His ministry, large multitudes crowded around Jesus because they were amazed by His miracles and wisdom. After all, when you see that a man can feed five thousand people with five biscuits and two sardines, you follow Him because He’s your fast food source. When you learn He can heal any disease, you’ve got your own walking, talking HMO. And teaching? Why go to college, when you can go out into a beautiful grassy field and listen to this Rabbi? But Jesus didn’t come to heal, teach, or to do miracles. He came to die.
December 8, 2002
Can You Pass a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle?
To me this is one of the saddest stories in the Bible. Jesus didn’t ask everyone He met to follow Him. He said that to the original twelve disciples–and He invited the Rich Young Ruler to follow Him. Who knows what might have been? He could have become the 13th disciple. If he had only followed Jesus today, we might be studying the gospel according to Benjamin! There was only one thing he lacked, but it was a big obstacle. Would you buy a car if the salesman said, “It’s a good car, only one thing is missing–the engine.” What is the one thing in your life that may be preventing you from following Jesus? “The saddest words of tongue or pen are these four words: What might have been?”
November 24, 2002
2002 State of the Church Address
We live in a world where thousands of people need to admit. “God…I’ve got a problem.” It may be a drug problem, a marriage problem, or a lust problem–all normal people have problems–NUTS, too. As the church we are like the workers at NASA. It’s our job to lovingly guide these people home. If we don’t, they may burn up, or their lives may careen off into nothingness. We exist as a church to love those people with problems and to guide them safely home.
November 17, 2002
The Peril of Proud Praying
When you are preparing to come to church, are you thinking more about who will be there to see you than you are about connecting with God? Do you choose what you’re going to wear based on what other people will think about you? I know you can’t believe it, but some people actually come to church because they think it will help them in their business, or in politics, or will improve their social standing. Answer honestly: Why do you attend church?
Jesus warned about this kind of behavior in Matthew 6:5, “But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.” Worship does involve an audience. But it’s an audience of one.
November 3, 2002
P.U.S.H.–Pray Until Something Happens
I’ve known people who have quit praying because they didn’t seem to get an answer. If I walk into a room and flip the light switch, I expect the light to come on. If it doesn’t, I don’t curse Thomas Edison and say electricity is a lie. I start looking for the problem. Maybe the light bulb is burned out, or a breaker has been thrown, or the power is out. If it seems your prayers aren’t answered, don’t quit praying—start looking for the reason. It may be the wrong request, or you may have unconfessed sin in your life, or the timing may not be right. God always answers prayer. But He answers prayer in different ways.
October 6, 2002
Bible Prophecy for Dummies
When Jesus returns, He won’t come as gentle Jesus meek and mild–He will come as the all-powerful King. He came the first time as the Lamb of God to bear the sin of the world. But when He comes again, He will be the mighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
The Bible says nobody knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return. You can’t know the exact date, but it’s possible to discern the season, the general time. Jesus predicted when world conditions match those during the time of Noah and Lot; we should start paying attention, because God’s Judgement will happen soon. Two important conditions existed during the days of Noah and Lot: Extreme immorality and wickedness.
October 6, 2002
Lessons From a Leper
Too many people today are living in denial. They don’t want to admit their need because they look around and they can usually find someone worse than themselves. Because we live in a spiritual leper colony called America, there are plenty of chances to think, “I’m not so bad. I’ve never robbed a bank, I’ve never murdered anyone. I’m not a drug pusher or a child molester. In fact, I’m better than many of those hypocrites who go to church!”
Before Jesus can help you, friend, you must quit fooling yourself and admit you have a problem, but that’s not enough, you must cry out to Jesus. All the twelve-step programs agree the first step for recovery is to admit your problem. But that’s not enough, you must seek help. Before you can have a relationship with Jesus you must say, “I am a rotten sinner! Jesus, have mercy on me! Help me Jesus!
September 29, 2002
The Conspiracy of Kindness
There is a great deal of talk these days in America about what the true God is really like. People think all the gods of all the religions are the same. We need to SHOW them the God of the Bible is a God of love, a God of mercy, and a God of kindness. He is a God who loves people so much that He sent His one and only Son into this world to suffer and die in agony on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. That’s the kind of loving God we need to show this world.
September 22, 2002
Basic Training for Disciples
Forgiveness is not a feeling or an emotion–it is a choice. It is your decision not to want to punish that person for what they’ve done to you. Our forgiveness should be a reflection of the forgiveness God offers us. He places our sins behind our back and remembers them no longer. If you actively choose to continue to remember what that person has done to you, you haven’t truly forgiven them.
When God forgives us, He doesn’t keep bringing up our sin–but the devil keeps trying to make us aware of our own sin and the sins others have committed against us. That’s why the Bible calls him the accuser of the brothers.
September 15, 2002
What Happens After You Die?
The Bible teaches many religious people will be surprised on Judgement Day. These are people who go to church, give their money, and speak the right religious jargon. Some of the most staggering words to ever proceed from the lips of Jesus are found in Matthew 7: Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.'” (Matthew 7:23)
If you stood before Jesus Christ right now, could He say, “I know you?” Do you have a personal relationship with Him, or do you just have an occasional habit of being religious?
August 25, 2002
What in Hell Do We Need?
Life is tough by itself, and sometimes people wish they could erase their memories like they erase a video tape. That’s why so many people commit suicide: they want to erase the memories. There is no Alzheimer’s in hell. Everyone will have a crystal-clear memory. Hell will be a place of eternal remembrance and regret. Have you ever bought something on a whim and later regretted it? It’s called “buyer’s remorse.” Fortunately, you can take a lot of things back for a refund or an exchange. In hell there will be what I call “invitation remorse.” It won’t be over something you did, but it will be remorse over something you didn’t do: accept Jesus.
August 18, 2002
How Much Can God Trust You?
The main reason God gives us worldly wealth is to test us. He wants to see how well we manage that kind of wealth. Jesus speaks of another kind of wealth. He calls it “true riches.” If you are trustworthy with a little, God knows you can be trusted with a lot. If you prove to be trustworthy with worldly wealth, God can trust you with true riches. True riches have nothing to do with money. They include spiritual blessings like peace, security, and strength that are so valuable they can’t be bought at any price.
August 11, 2002
The Parable of the Pouting Son
Sometimes church members who have been around for a long time get jealous when a church starts paying attention to new people. That’s the “older brother” syndrome. You can recognize an older brother Christian because they are quick to grumble and complain. You want to say to them, “Come on in and join the party!” But they’d rather be miserable and stand on the outside with their arms crossed, a sour expression on their face…The funny thing is these are some of the same people who will go to a college football game and lift their hands in the air and shout “Touchdown!” Or, lift their claws, or hook ’em horns, or bend over and whoop-and they are happy when they do it! But they’re afraid things are going to get out of hand in church. Vance Havner used to say, “Some people are so afraid of getting out on a limb that they never get near the tree!”
August 4, 2002
How to Return to God
Through the years, I’ve known hundreds of Prodigals. They are teenagers and adults who had a loving relationship with God, but they allowed restlessness and reckless living to enter their lives. They walked away from God’s blessings and they ended up a mess. Some of them are still there, others have come back home to their Father. That’s the good news: you can come back home. You don’t have to wait until you reach the pig pen either. At any time, you can decide to return to the blessing and fellowship with your Heavenly Father…If you have wandered away from God and allowed sin to take control of your life, it’s not hopeless.
July 28, 2002
What is God Really Like?
Jesus said God runs to meet us when we decided to return to Him. Some of you have drifted out of fellowship with God. You have walked away from the presence of your heavenly Father. Whenever you choose to sin and disobey God, you are leaving His holy presence. Do you sense God is far away from you? God didn’t walk away from you; when you sinned, you walked away from him. But God is a loving heavenly Father who is longing for you to return. He is looking for you to return to Him. Wayward and backslidden child of God, He has a message for you today. With tender words of compassion He is saying to you: “When you start home, I’ll meet you more than halfway.”
July 21, 2002
What Makes Heaven Happy?
You can lose your mind, and it’s not as tragic as a lost soul. You can lose your character, and it’s not as bad as a losing your soul. Death will heal the loss of a fortune, or a loss of health or a loss of a mind-but a lost soul is for eternity. We are all like a lost lamb at one time in our lives. Jesus can never find you until you admit you are a lost sinner. That’s the bad news, without Christ we are lost. But the good news is Jesus searches for us in order to save us.
June 30, 2002
Five Marks of a Real Disciple
Today, the image of the cross has lost its horror. The true message of the cross is death. How many of you are either wearing a cross today, or have a cross on your Bible? How nice. But what if we began to sell little miniature models of an electric chair in our bookstore, would you wear one? Or what if someone made a syringe of poison and started offering it as jewelry to wear? Can’t you hear someone walking up to you saying, “I love your electric chair, where did you get it?” Or would you say, “Have you seen my James Avery lethal injection syringe?”
Today, the cross has become benign—a piece of harmless jewelry. In Jesus’ time, it was a horrible, agonizing tortuous mode of execution. It was the noose, the electric chair, the lethal injection of His day. In the time of Jesus when you saw someone carrying a cross it meant one and only one thing-they were as good as dead.
June 23, 2002
Excuses: The Skin of a Reason Stuffed with a Lie
June 16, 2002
Have a Slice of Humble Pie
Someone once said pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it. In the Catholic list of the seven deadly sins, pride used to be called vanity. The Dutch painter, Bosch, painted a picture of each of the seven sins and for pride and vanity, he painted the picture of a woman looking at her face in a mirror held by the devil. We can see pride and vanity in others, but we are usually blind to it in our own lives.
June 9, 2002
Jesus: The Rejected Lover
When you are carrying the cross of Jesus, you have already died to self. You can’t scare a dead man. When you’re carrying the cross, it’s a liberating experience because you don’t have to be afraid of anybody or anything…The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” (I John 4:18) That’s why Jesus wasn’t afraid, because He possessed a perfect love for us. And we don’t have to be afraid because of His perfect love for us. Jesus laughed in the face of the fear of death. When you are carrying the cross, you can laugh at any other threat, too.
June 2, 2002
Family T.I.M.E.
How valuable is an hour? Ask the businessman whose flight was delayed an hour and he missed an important business deal. How valuable is one minute? Ask the man who had the heart attack in the restaurant and an EMT happened to be sitting at the next table and CPR saved his life. How valuable is a second? Ask the person who hesitated for a second before swerving to avoid the oncoming car. How valuable is a fraction of a second? Ask the Olympic swimmer who missed qualifying by six-tenths of a second. Time really is valuable.
May 26, 2002
Ten Habits of Highly Successful Families
Families in our church have experienced everything from the death of child, brain tumor in a child, physical handicaps, infertility, degenerative disease, and a variety of assorted and sundry disasters. Every family has to face and deal with adversity, tribulation, and problems. It’s how a family deals with these problems that makes them stronger.
May 19, 2002
Do You Read Me?…Over
We should be quick to listen, but we should be very slow when speaking. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a purpose: you should listen more than you talk. Few people ever got into trouble from saying too little, but people talking too much have caused multitudes of miseries. Some people put their mouths in motion before their brains are in gear. I like the saying that goes, “Measure your words carefully. If you think by the inch and speak by the yard you’ll soon be kicked by the foot.”
May 12, 2002
How to Build a 3-D Marriage
When you first met your future spouse, you probably went on what we call “dates.” These are times you have pre-arranged to be together to do things like go to a movie, eat dinner, or have a picnic together. The main purpose of a “date” is to spend time with each other. Do you remember how nice you were to each other to each other on dates when you were “courting?” You anticipated the date with excitement and you dressed up nice and were on your best behavior. That’s the same way you ought to be with each other after you get married! Before you were married, dating was FUN-and marriage ought to keep continue to be fun, too. The Bible says, “May you rejoice in the wife of your youth … may you ever be captivated by her love.” (Proverbs 5:18-19)
May 5, 2002
Undertaker or Risk-Taker?
Sometimes we forget the treasure we have belongs to God and we start acting like we are the owners. There is a good word in the Bible to describe what we are: STEWARDS. A steward is a man entrusted with the management of the household or estate of another. That’s what we are, we must carefully manage our money, our time, and our abilities; they aren’t ours anyway. Matthew 25:14-30.
April 28, 2002
Jesus Loves the Little Children
There is a difference between being “childish” and “childlike.” The Bible warns us many times about the dangers of spiritual immaturity, but there are some wonderful qualities in children that are necessary for us to enter God’s Kingdom. If you don’t reflect these qualities, you’ll never see it. There are three simple qualities describing a childlike spirit: a sense of awe and wonder, simple trust and a spirit of forgiveness.
April 14, 2002
Have You Found Heaven’s Narrow Door?
You can choose to enter heaven’s door today. Jesus said it’s a narrow door. Think about that for a minute. It’s so narrow only one person can walk through it at one time. In other words, you can’t walk through heaven’s door holding your daddy’s hand, or your mother’s hand. I thank God my parents told me about Jesus, but when it came time for me to give Him my life, I walked through that door all by myself. Some of you think because your grandfather was a preacher or your mother was a godly saint that you can walk through with them–but you can’t. The narrow door to heaven says, “One person at a time, please.”
April 7, 2002
When You Get Bent Out of Shape
We are all like old Humpty Dumpty. Some of you know the problem: you’ve fallen and you can’t get up. We live in a world of broken people. Life is fragile; it should be handled with care, because people break easily. All the self-help programs, and the religious rules can’t fix the broken hearts, broken hopes, and broken homes of people around us. Jesus Christ was the only person who ever claimed to be able to heal broken hearts.
March 31, 2002
Why Do Good People Suffer?
This is a message about terrorists and falling towers. Everybody still talks about that day; it was a day of tragedy and injustice. People were going about their business when they were suddenly and brutally killed. And what about the tower that fell suddenly? Towers remind us of strength and security—and when a tower falls and people are killed, we feel a little less secure. The initial reaction was shock; then we began to ask the inevitable questions: Why were those innocent people killed? Why did the tower fall? Where was God during all of that? Most of you think I’m talking about 9/11, and everything I’ve said does apply, but I’m really talking about 13:1. Luke 13:1. 2,000 years ago, Jesus talked about some innocent people who died at the hands of what could be called terrorists—and He talked about a tower that fell and killed people. In fact, the similarities between 13:1 and 9/11 are amazing. The same questions people are asking today were being asked 2,000 years ago. But more importantly, the answer Jesus gives is the same answer we need to hear.
March 24, 2002
Tuning In to the Spiritual Weather Channel
Some people have the idea that Jesus is the great Uniter of the world’s people, and that Christianity is a wonderful ethical system that will produce one world family where everyone lives in peace and harmony with each other. Actually, the words of Jesus are so radical they divide people into two groups. He said that there are only two eternal destinies: Heaven and Hell. In Matthew 25, Jesus said at the Judgement, people would be divided into two groups: sheep and goats. The Father would welcome His Sheep into heaven, and the goats would be sent to the hell. He didn’t say there would be sheep and goats and squirrels and cows, only two groups.
March 17, 2002
Are You Fired Up For Jesus?
Fire will only keep burning as long as it has fuel and oxygen, but when it runs out of either, it will go out. Now, God is eternal, but the power He provides us is not something we can just take for granted as always being there. We must tend the fire in order to keep it burning. There’s a great lesson we can learn from the fire on the altar of the temple. God gave these instructions in Leviticus 6:12: “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire.”
February 24, 2002
The Misery of Spiritual Mismanagement
Are you wasting your time on things that don’t really matter in light of eternity? In this life, there are only two things we deal with that are eternal: The Word of God, and the souls of men and women. Think about it, the best way to spend your God-given time is by investing it in the Word of God or the souls of men and women. Are you a good time manager or are you involved in so many frivolous sideshows you can’t focus on the main thing?
February 17, 2002
Ready or Not–Here He Comes!
There have always been people who have laughed at the idea of Jesus returning. The Second Coming is rich material for Leno and Letterman. It’s nothing new. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:3, 8: Scoffers will come in the last days saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? … all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” … do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. To us, it may seem like 2,000 years since Jesus made His promise to return, but for the Lord it only seems like a couple of days. God’s sense of timing is so different than ours. That’s why we must wait patiently, actively, and expectantly. We must live each day as if He was going to return to planet earth today.
February 10, 2002
Don’t Be Afraid!
Theoretically there are only three ways to get into heaven when you die: First, if you die before the age where you are accountable before God, before you are old enough to make the choice to sin, then we believe God takes his precious children to heaven. But if you are in this service, understanding my words, chances are you have already passed that possibility.
February 3, 2002
Don’t Worry–Be Faithful!
The challenges in life can be divided into two broad categories: those things you can’t do anything about (like the weather); and those things you can do something about. Don’t worry about the first category, because there’s nothing you can do about those things. Don’t worry about the second category, because if you can do something—do it, don’t worry about it! Many years ago, I learned a little poem that has helped me overcome worry. It says, “For every evil under the sun, Either there is a cure, or there is none. If there be one, seek ’till you find it. If there be none, never mind it!” Jesus said, “Do not worry” because it’s a waste of time!
January 27, 2002
How to Live Well and Prosper
If you want to learn how to live well and prosper you need to get into God’s economy. It’s going in only one direction! The very first principle in God’s economy is acknowledging that God is the source of your wealth. It’s not your job, or your investments, and some of you got your money the old fashioned way-you inherited it! But these things are not your true source of wealth, God is. Some of you disagree with me because you think you trained, and worked, and slaved and you earned everything you possess. Who do you think gave you the ability to work and earn?
January 20, 2002
A Church on Purpose: Across the Globe
WWhen we think about the 3 billion people on our planet who don’t know Jesus Christ, we can get overwhelmed. We wonder how we can ever convert these multitudes to Christ. The job of global missions is NOT to convert people to Christ; only God can truly convert people. Our job is to communicate the good news to these people without Christ. Millions of people don’t know how much God really loves them, and they must be told.
January 13, 2002
A Church on Purpose: Across the Street
It’s easier to steer something when it’s moving. Do you remember the old cars before power steering? Sometimes when the battery was dead, you could get somebody to push the car and then you could pop the clutch and get the engine cranked. You could hardly turn the steering wheel when the car was sitting still, but if somebody was pushing it, it was easier to steer. God can steer you in the right direction if you are already moving forward toward obeying him, but when you are an object at rest, remaining at rest, it’s difficult for you to know God’s direction. So get moving in the direction of sharing Christ.
January 6, 2002
A Church on Purpose: Across the Aisle
You can’t be right with God if you aren’t right with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
December 30, 2001
A Fool’s Formula for Failure
You can chase the wind, but you’ll never grab it. You can seek for happiness and purpose in accumulating wealth and possessions, but you won’t find it. The truth is, life will never be trouble-free. The only stress-free people are in the cemetery! Job said, “Man is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7)
Some people’s motto is, “Live as if there’s no tomorrow.” When what they really mean is: “Live as if there is no eternity.” Compared to eternity, this life is very brief. James 4:14 says: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
December 23, 2001
God’s Nativity Activity
It is possible to love nativity sets and to display them in your home every Christmas without ever stopping to understand what God was doing on the first Christmas. A study of the Nativity scene and the ten elements involved. You’ll learn a personal lesson from each of these parts of the overall picture.
December 16, 2001
God’s Warning Signs on the Road to Hell
I can never escape from the fact that God has the power to throw me into hell. Most of us know John 3:16 from memory. The scariest word in that verse is the word perish. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Perish” means to be thrown into hell. We talk about nonperishable food and perishable food. What’s the difference? Perishable food spoils, it rots, it loses its quality. That’s a pretty graphic picture of what happens to a person in hell but the spoiling process is stretched out over eternity.
December 9, 2001
Six Marks of Dead Religion
December 2, 2001
See the Light? Be the Light!
November 25, 2001
One Greater Than Jonah is Here
November 18, 2001
One Greater Than Solomon is Here
October 28, 2001
The Danger of an Empty Life
October 21, 2001
Prayer That Just Won’t Quit
Let’s say you need a job. Pray and ask God for a job, but don’t sit at home and wait for someone to come hire you. Seek His Will and plan for your life, and then go out and knock on many doors. That’s why prayer involves an action plan. It’s not about sitting and asking; it’s seeking and knocking.
September 30, 2001
The Prayer of Jesus
September 23, 2001
A Tale of Two Sisters
September 16, 2001
Facing the Future Without Fear
You may wonder, “How can I face the future without fear? I don’t know what’s going to happen!” Take a moment and write the word “LIFE.” Circle the two middle letters. Life is full of “ifs.” There is so much uncertainty. Pastor, what are we going to do IF there are more attacks on American citizens? What are we going to do IF our economy takes a nosedive? IF, IF, IF. My response is we need to do the same thing we would do IF none of those things happen. We need to completely place our lives in God’s hands. We must keep on trusting God and work on developing an intimate relationship with Him.
September 9, 2001
What Happens When You L.Y.N.?
Because there is so much crime and hatred in our world, people have become cynical and skeptical. We are so afraid of being conned or scammed we don’t trust any stranger anymore. That is a real handicap when we are trying to share the love of Christ with people. They think we have an ulterior motive. Before you can give people the Word of God, you must show them the Love of God to soften or open their hearts.
September 2, 2001
Love–Like a Good Neighbor
August 26, 2001
America Makes Sodom Look Good
August 19, 2001
All I Really Need to Know I Learn as I Walk with Jesus, part 2
As you and I walk along with Jesus, He brings us closer and closer to being conformed to His likeness: self-denial; and dying daily to our own feelings and desires. As we move along, He wants us to forget the past. We can’t go back there. We must fix our eyes on Jesus and keep growing and progressing.
August 12, 2001
All I Really Need to Know I Learn as I Walk with Jesus, part 1
July 22, 2001
America Needs Revival for Survival
There is no shortcut to revival. There is no secret to revival. It’s part of God’s economy. When you lower the temperature of water to 32 degrees, ice WILL form. It’s just as certain when we humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face and repent, God WILL hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. WE can’t heal America but GOD can. When we are faithful to do our part, He is always faithful to do His part.
July 15, 2001
Down in the Valley With Jesus
Why do people want to look at things from above? I don’t know if I would feel close to God in a lawn chair at 11,000 feet but I do enjoy a good mountaintop experience. When you are on a mountaintop, you see how big the world is that God made and it makes you feels smaller. In the Bible, some important events took place on mountains. Perhaps you’ve had some mountaintop experiences. Nobody wants to come down from the mountaintop. Mountaintop experiences are wonderful, but you have to be sure you leave the mountain to go down in the valley with Jesus.
July 8, 2001
Transfiguration: Preview of a Coming Attraction
The Transfiguration of Jesus is a preview of a coming attraction—the Second Coming of Jesus. It will be a powerful attraction, too, strong enough to raise the dead and to rapture living Christians. I’m not going to be around to read the Second Coming headline, because when Jesus comes, I’m going to be meeting Him in the clouds.
July 2, 2001
America’s Spiritual Heritage: What Happened?
July 1, 2001
High Cost of Following Jesus
There’s not my way to be saved and there’s not your way to be saved–there’s only one way to be saved that’s Jesus. It’s the Jesus way. In fact, he said, “I am the way.” If you insist upon your own stubbornness, your way will be to destruction. Or my way will lead to destruction, because the Bible says we’ve all turned our own way.
June 24, 2001
Jesus is STILL Feeding the Crowd
A good cook can do amazing things with leftovers. We often consider it second-class food but God’s leftovers are special! Some of you may feel like a leftover yourself. You’ve come through a tough experience and you feel like a second-class person. God has always used leftovers, remnants. There was nothing special about five biscuits and two fish but in the hands of Jesus, it became a feast. Some would have considered the twelve baskets of leftovers scraps or garbage but they fed the disciples. In God’s hands, leftovers aren’t garbage; they are delicious.
June 17, 2001
Packing Light for the Journey of Life
We pack our suitcases to overflowing because we like having our precious “stuff” with us. But when we are loaded down with our own stuff, we often depend on our possessions rather than on God. Are you trusting God to provide your needs, or are you trusting your job, your bank balance, your securities portfolio, or your 401K to meet your needs?
June 10, 2001
Where There’s Death–There’s Hope!
One common thread running through these miracles in Luke 9 was that everyone was at the Point of Total Desperation. They were all “POTD.” Do you need God’s power? Do you want to see a miracle in your life? Then you’ve got to be “POTD” as well. What do you do when you get to the end of your rope? What do you do when your rope breaks?
June 3, 2001
Touching Jesus? Or Just Part of the Crowd?
God knows suffering makes us stronger, and it makes us depend on God. I’ve often said the name of God’s college is the University of Affliction, and although the tuition is steep, the classes and the degrees we receive are priceless. Some of you are enrolled right now in the University of Affliction.
May 27, 2001
The Day Demons Performed a Swine Dive
I think we can make the mistake of trying to determine whether our problems are demon-induced or not. Remember, we saw the Bible never uses the term “demon possession.” We are all demonized in different ways. Any obsession, addiction, or impure habit is a demonic influence that must be addressed but you must admit it–name it–before you can deal with it. You can’t just shift the blame to some “demon,” because we are all ultimately responsible for all of our actions and reactions, but admitting your problem, naming the demon, is your first step toward wholeness with Jesus.
May 13, 2001
Jesus is All You Need
From the cradle to the grave, each of us is a bundle of needs. What is your need? Do you need truth? It’s found in the word of God. But if you don’t obey it, you will lose the little that you have. Are you feeling lonely and isolated? Here’s a great big family opening our arms to you saying, “Come just as you are” we will love you and accept you the way Jesus loves and accepts you. Or do you need that inner peace and tranquility so that, like Jesus, you can sleep soundly in the midst of the storm? Come to Jesus–He really is all you need!
May 6, 2001
How to Cultivate a Teachable Heart
There is a something going on right now, invisible to the human eye, which makes it even harder to receive the Word of God. Jesus says Satan tries to “steal” the Word from you. Don’t ever be surprised if you have trouble concentrating when you are reading the Bible or when you are hearing the Bible being taught. One the enemy’s most effective strategy is distraction. At this moment, Satan would love nothing better than for you to be distracted by this building, or these screens, or the choir, or the people around you. Why? He is actively attempting to steal the Word away from you.
April 29, 2001
Lifting High the Name of Jesus
Have you ever heard it said of someone that they “stand alone?” In greatness and glory, the name of Jesus does stand alone, higher in prominence, preeminence, and position than any other name. The name of Jesus stands alone in its prominence and position because His name includes everything we need for life.
April 22, 2001
Don’t Let Greed Spoil Your Miracle
We may think greed isn’t as evil as some of the more evident sins of the flesh. But God catalogs selfish greed right beside those physical sins. Greed is actually idolatry. You would never picture yourself bowing down before a statue or some man-made god. That’s idolatry! But when you hang onto your possessions and refuse to give them up you are basically saying, “I trust my wealth more than I trust God.” People say, “well, you’ve got to save for a rainy day.” But, my friend, you can trust God during your rainy days.
April 15, 2001
What Do These Stones Mean?
When it was time for the Israelites to cross the Jordan River, it represented both the border to blessing and a barrier to blessing. Only when the priests stepped into the raging water did it stop. You have to trust God first and then He releases His power. The reason many people live on the wrong side of the river is they are waiting for God to stop the water before they step in and God is waiting for them to step right into the water. When they stepped into the water, the river stopped flowing–a miracle!
April 8, 2001
We’ve Never Been This Way Before
The word “consecrate” isn’t too familiar today, but it basically means to set your life apart for God’s use. Occasionally, I will make reservations at a nice restaurant for Cindy and myself. We will be escorted to “our table” and sometimes there is a little card on the table reading, “Reserved for David and Cindy Dykes.” That table has been “consecrated” or “reserved” for our use; nobody else is going to use it while we are there. When you consecrate yourself, you are saying, “God, my life is reserved exclusively for You.”
April 1, 2001
Get Ready to Move–Finally!
For us, Kadesh Barnea is a place where we stand with an opportunity before us. This challenge can only be claimed by faith. At Kadesh Barnea, the Israelites failed to seize the moment and claim God’s promise; as a result they wandered aimlessly for 40 long years. As members of Green Acres, standing before a great opportunity, we must avoid the attitude of fear and unbelief.
March 25, 2001
Would You Kiss the Feet of Jesus?
Have you been forgiven but you really haven’t shown your love and worship to Jesus for His forgiveness? Worship always happens at the feet of Jesus. Worship is a preoccupation with Jesus, not some form or ritual. Worship is more concerned about giving something than getting something. Do you need to fall at the feet of Jesus today and kiss them and say, “Thank you Jesus for forgiving my horrible sins?”
March 25, 2001
Unpleasant Message? Attack the Messenger!
Amos gave a consistent message of God’s judgement. He did not back up, shut up or let up. He kept preaching the same message God had given him: Repent or judgement is coming. Amos 7:10-17.
March 11, 2001
When Doubts Arise…
March 4, 2001
God is Touched by Our Tears
Throughout my ministry, I’ve seen Jesus do the same thing. I’ve seen Jesus give a wayward rebellious son or daughter back to his or her parents. I’ve seen Jesus take a sorry, alcoholic husband, clean him up and present him back to his wife and children. I’ve see Jesus take a wayward wife and give her back to her family. Jesus is the business of healing broken relationships.
February 25, 2001
Amazing Faith! How Sweet the Sight
Just as the Roman centurion got his authority from a higher power, he recognized Jesus had access to higher authority–His Father in heaven. God has set up a clearly defined system of authority in our world. When God’s chain of authority is followed, there is peace. When God’s chain of authority is ignored, chaos and misery ensue.
February 18, 2001
How to Build a Storm-Proof Life
I have seen it happen hundreds of times. People can be going along fine in life until adversity suddenly strikes–and they find they are knocked off their feet and their foundation crumbles. This just serves to show them “something is missing.” Forget the popular TV show–we are all survivors! You are wise if you will allow that collapse to motivate you to rebuild your life upon the foundation of the rock of Jesus, because there will be more storms. What might have been the worst experience of your life actually becomes the experience leading to a new and better life for you.
February 18, 2001
God is Slow to Anger
Amos has three visions of the destruction of Israel. He intercedes on behalf of Israel twice and God relents. But Amos did not intercede a third time. Amos 7:1-9.
February 11, 2001
Do You Hear the Fruit?
FBefore you get this new heart, it is impossible to obey God and to please Him. It’s like your heart is made of stone. But when He puts His Holy Spirit into your heart, you are regenerated, made alive. And you will find He even places the desire there for you to obey Him. Have you had a heart transplant? If you haven’t, it’s impossible for you to produce godly fruit, because you still have an old sinful, human nature dominating.
February 4, 2001
The Humor of Jesus
There’s nothing funny about sin. It’s sad to see people who ignore their beams and look only at the faults of others. That’s why we must constantly ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, so we can confess our sin–but it is a beautiful sight to see someone with a clear eye gently and lovingly helping someone remove a speck from his or her eye.
January 28, 2001
Back to the B.A.S.I.C.S., part 3
One of the most important disciplines of the Christian Life is the discipline of stewardship. Some of you in the investment business work very hard to understand our local and national economy so you can make wise investments for yourselves and your clients. Nowadays, you also have to understand what we call the global economy. Sharpen your pencils, because God has His very own economy, and understanding God’s economy is absolutely essential if you want to be a good steward.
January 28, 2001
The Problem with Spiritual Pride
Amos calls the Israelites’ spiritual pride senseless. The fruit of their spiritual pride will lead to Israel’s destruction and oppression. Amos 6:8-14.
January 14, 2001
Back to the B.A.S.I.C.S., part 2
If I was your neighbor and I saw your house was on fire, and you didn’t know it, what would be the kindest, most loving thing I could do? I would run to your door and warn you to get out quickly–your house is burning! We know there is a heaven and we know there is a hell. We have a sacred obligation to lovingly warn others about the danger of eternal judgement. I fear hell will be populated with people who ask for all eternity, “Why didn’t David warn me about this?” We have an obligation to tell them about the grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness of God. This should be something we do gladly and eagerly because Jesus has saved us, and we love Him.
January 1, 2001
Back to the B.A.S.I.C.S., part 1
One of the best synonyms for “fellowship” is “friendship.” You may have friendship without Christian fellowship, but it is impossible to have true Christian fellowship without heartfelt friendship. In other words, you may have some friends who aren’t believers, but koinonea (Christian fellowship) will be absent from your relationship. But some of the best and dearest friends you’ll ever have in this life (and you’ll know ‘em forever) are those with whom you have true fellowship.
December 31, 2000
God’s Four Universal Laws
December 24, 2000
Try a Little Kindness, part 2
When we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, we really can show kindness to others by demonstrating love to our enemies; by lending without worrying about the return; by showing mercy to those Jesus tells us in several places that when we practice kindness to others we are actually showing kindness to Him.
December 10, 2000
Try a Little Kindness, part 1
December 3, 2000
Jesus’ Plain Sermon
In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus is giving us some plain principles. These principles don’t tell us how to become a Christian, they tell us how to live once we have decided to follow Jesus. He is telling us how to live a blessed, happy fulfilled life. He is warning away from the attitudes that destroy our lives; which set are you following?
November 26, 2000
What CAN You Do on the Sabbath Day?
November 5, 2000
State of the Church Message 2000
Our purpose is to worship and adore God–exalt His greatness. We exist to take the good news of Jesus across the street and across the globe–evangelize God’s World. Our goal is to help you discover your spiritual gifts then lead you to minister in the name of Christ–equip God’s people. And we believe God has called us to demonstrate His love to a lost and wounded generation through good stewardship of our resources–express God’s love. But all of this is only possible through Jesus Christ our Lord (Boss, ruler, master, leader). So I challenge you to raise your understanding of the importance of the church and to heighten your appreciation for what God is doing and wants to do through this Body of believers.
October 29, 2000
Parties, Patches, and Wineskins
The religious snobs of Jesus’ day didn’t like His teaching because it was so revolutionary. It was new. He said things they never heard before. His new teaching shocked and offended them. He did things they never saw before–he ate and drank with sinners! In our next passage–horror of horrors–His disciples picked and ate grain on the Sabbath. The religious leaders could not handle this new wine Jesus was offering. They were like the inflexible old wineskins. Their attitudes were “If it is new, it can’t be true!” Every time Jesus said or did something new you could almost hear the sound of straining and stretching until “pop!”—so they killed the messenger instead of accepting the message.
October 22, 2000
Why Jesus Came to Planet Earth
Before Levi started following Jesus, his life revolved around his job. He was going to make a boatload of money because he was fixed for life in this lucrative occupation. When Jesus called him, he had to choose whether his life would revolve around making money or around pleasing and obeying Jesus. Let me ask you today: What or who is at the center of your life?
October 15, 2000
How Many Friends Have You Brought to Jesus?
There are many needy people around us. Some need housing, others need food, and others need clothing. We see poor people who need money. We see sick people who need health. We see confused people who need peace of mind. So many needs surround us, we often feel overwhelmed. But the greatest need everyone possesses is the need for forgiveness. That’s why the very best thing you can do for your friends is to bring them to Jesus, because He is the only one who can do anything about their greatest need.
October 15, 2000
Seek God and Live
God outlines Israel’s sins and describes his punishment for them. Amos 5:1-17.
October 8, 2000
Touching the Untouchable
In the Bible, leprosy is often used as a symbol for sin. While none of us have the disease of leprosy, we have been afflicted with a terrible malady worse than leprosy–a sin sickness. I believe there is a remarkable parallel between leprosy and sin. Four ways in which leprosy and sin are alike.
October 1, 2000
How to Fish for Men
Personal evangelism is more than just getting to know people who aren’t saved, although that is the first step. You must be willing to build a bridge of friendship with a person without Christ, but then you must walk across that bridge and tell them about the good news of Jesus. Give them a chance to trust Christ, that’s putting your hook in the water. A good salesman calls this “closing the deal.” But what you are doing is “closing the door of hell” for that person and opening the door of heaven.
October 1, 2000
Fat Cows of Bashan
Amos warns the spoiled women of Bashan against their sin, ignoring God’s call to repentance, and the consequences of their inaction. Amos 4:1-13.
September 24, 2000
Fishin’ With Jesus
Peter started following Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, Peter went. Whatever Jesus did, Peter did. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle. Today, it means we constantly ask ourselves, “Would Jesus go here? Would Jesus do this?” Here’s how Jesus expressed this call in Mark’s account: “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) I like that phrase because it means Peter wasn’t naturally a fisher of men; Jesus was going to make him into one. So many people are afraid of following Jesus because they feel unqualified. Relax. You are unqualified. The good news is that when you start following Jesus, He begins to teach you and to make you into the person He wants you to be.
September 17, 2000
The Great Physician is In
I am certain the most serious kind of sickness and disease in mankind is sin. This congenital moral cancer afflicts every one of us. If not treated by Jesus, it will result in eternal death. For millions of us, Jesus has touched us and healed us of this sin sickness and now we are whole. To me, that is still the greatest miracle!
September 10, 2000
Homecoming at Jesus’ Church
When Jesus returned to his “home synagogue” to preach, many of the people remembered him and looked forward to what he had to say. However, what he said almost got him thrown over a cliff. But what Jesus said was not an accident: He intended it. We can learn something from the response of the people in Jesus’ home synagogue.
September 10, 2000
Judgement Begins at Home
How to nation of Israel failed: Guilty of ignoring the poor; indulgence of sexual sin and injustice in business. Amos 2:4-16.
September 3, 2000
How to Overcome Temptation
Some people wonder why Jesus even allowed the old devil to tempt Him. Didn’t Jesus have power and authority to banish Satan from His presence? I believe He did. Just as Jesus cast out a thousand demons from one man, I think Jesus could have kicked Satan right out of the desert too. Why then, did He endure this temptation? I believe He did it to teach us how to overcome temptation. Just as He refused to call on His Divine Authority to turn the stones into bread, I believe He refused to zap Satan. Instead He met him and defeated him with exactly the same resources we have available today: The Power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. That’s why Jesus quoted three verses from Deuteronomy. To show us how to do it.
August 27, 2000
The Search for the Real Jesus
August 20, 2000
What is Real Repentance?
Repentance before God is one of the most frequently recurring messages in all the Bible. No less than 969 times, God thundered, “Repent!” It was the first message Jesus preached. Matthew 4:17 says, “Jesus Christ came preaching, ‘Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The last message Jesus left with the church was a message of repentance. Some people think the Great Commission was His last message to the church, but almost 60 years after Jesus gave the Great Commission He gave this message to the church in Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent!”
August 13, 2000
Have You Lost Jesus?
You may wonder, “How can I lose Jesus? I thought you believed in ‘once saved always saved.’” I’m not talking about losing your salvation. I’m talking about losing a sense of fellowship with Jesus. Throughout this ordeal, Mary and Joseph never lost their relationship with Jesus. It was intact. What they lost was His presence with them.
August 13, 2000
The Troublemaker from Tekoa
God sends his messenger, Amos, to judge the wicked nations. Amos 1-2.
July 30, 2000
Have You Recognized Jesus?
July 23, 2000
The Day God Became a Baby
July 16, 2000
The First Baptist: John
Throughout your life, you will find problems are lined up like cars at a tollbooth. When you get rid of one problem, and the gate falls down on an unpleasant episode of your life. You breathe a sigh of relief and then—ding! There’s another problem (and others are lined up behind that one). The Christian life isn’t devoid of problems but God gives us strength to cope with them.
July 9, 2000
When Your Heart is Full, You Just Have to Sing!
July 2, 2000
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Luke’s description of the birth of Jesus is far more detailed than any other gospel writer. In order to help us grasp the fullest significance of who Jesus Christ was and what He accomplished, Luke takes us back to the very beginning of Jesus’ life. He describes more fully than any other gospel writer the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth and the announcement of Jesus’ birth, then the birth of John and the birth of Jesus. By describing the origin of John and the origin of Jesus side by side he shows how their destinies dovetail in God’s plan, but also how Jesus is vastly superior to his forerunner.
June 25, 2000
The OTHER Miraculous Birth
June 19, 2000
God’s Chosen Queen
God may put you in a special place for a special purpose for a special time. Place, purpose and time! Esther didn’t know why she became Queen, but God knew why. God may have you in a special place for a special purpose, for a special time and you don’t even know what it is yet. Your job is to be faithful, be patient and honor God. Who knows, but that you have come into your position for such as time as this? Bloom where you are planted. Brighten the corner where you are, because God could have you exactly where he wants you and you don’t even know it yet!
June 18, 2000
Is the Bible Really True?
If at the end of this message you do not believe that the Bible is anything more than a collection of myths and legends, then you really don’t have any hope for the future, because this business about heaven could be just a myth. If however, you believe, as I do, that this Bible is the totally inspired Word of God–and is totally without error–then I expect to see you continue to base your entire life on what we find in its pages. And you can be certain that your hope of heaven is sure!
May 28, 2000
Nine Words That Can Heal Your Marriage
May 21, 2000
Is Your Home a Lighthouse?
All around you there are people who are lost and confused. They have no clear direction in life. God has given you the light and now He says, “Let your light shine.” Will you be the lighthouse that shows people you care enough to be willing to see that their personal ship lands safely within the protective harbor of God’s love?
May 14, 2000
Where are the Proverbs 31 Women?
May 7, 2000
Will the Real Men PLEASE Stand Up?
April 23, 2000
God’s Final Forecast
Some of you think you can live with one foot in the world and with one foot in the kingdom of Jesus. You have two lifestyles, one for church and one for the rest of the time. As we get closer to the end, this option will disappear, like a boat drifting away, and you have one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat, you are going to have to decide: Jesus or this world? The boat is moving away, and if you don’t decide–splash!–you end up all wet!
April 16, 2000
When History and Prophecy Meet
Daniel chapters 10-12 make up one final climactic prophecy. It actually is a clarification and a simplification of the earlier visions Daniel received. In chapter 7 Daniel had a dream of four animals, each representing a kingdom. In chapter 11, there are no statues or animals. The prophecy is shared in a straightforward uncomplicated way. The angel makes it clear he is talking about kings and kingdoms.
April 9, 2000
Prayer is Spiritual Warfare
We also have an enemy who stands in our pathway of progress. We must understand the real battle takes place in prayer. We have a spiritual weapon with “divine power to demolish strongholds.” Are you using this weapon? Prayer is where the real battle takes place when we get up off our knees, then we go out to enjoy the spoils of battle.
March 19, 2000
The MVP of the Old Testament
Prayer is a relationship to God in which we bend our will to meet his will and we don’t spend as much time asking God for things as we do confessing our sins and praising God. Rather than praying for our own needs we need to pray for the needs of others. What we see here is one of the greatest examples of how to pray and especially to confess your sins before the Lord.
March 19, 2000
The 70 Sevens–God’s Countdown
Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9 is neither a vision nor a dream. There are no strange symbols of animals or statues. It is a direct message to the prophet from God, delivered by the angel Gabriel. This is the same angel that appeared to Joseph and to Mary, as recorded in the opening chapters of the New Testament. The angel Gabriel was sent to the prophet Daniel to give him a clear and undisguised look into the future in answer to a prayer of the prophet.
March 12, 2000
Confession IS Good for the Soul
We need a revival in America in the deepest way. What’s the answer to the teenage drinking and driving problem? Revival. What’s the answer to violence and crime? Revival. What’s the answer to fractured marriages where husbands aren’t the spiritual leader of their home? Revival. The problem is not with the pornographer, the bootlegger, the casino, or the drug pusher. God never said anything about those folks repenting.
March 5, 2000
The Little Horn With the Big Mouth
This message should demonstrate to you the absolute reliability and infallibility of the Word of God. When we see things predicted in the Bible that have already come true, it gives us great assurance that those things yet to happen will also come true. An examination of Daniel’s prophetic dream and how it came true.
March 5, 2000
Learning God’s 3 Rs
There was a time in Israel’s history when they had a whole bunch of kings and they didn’t do very well. In fact, they drifted far away from God. This message is directed toward people who have come out of Egypt. They are Christians and they have come to the place of growing as a Christian for a while but then in the middle of that, something happens and they get out of favor with God. This is a beautiful picture of it in the Old Testament.
February 27, 2000
God’s Animal Farm
The most important question we can ask ourselves is, “Is my name written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life?” But can we know for sure? Yes you can. That’s why Jesus said to “rejoice because your names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” He wouldn’t be so cruel to tell us to rejoice over something you can’t be sure about. Is your name in the Book of Life? Are you sure?
February 20, 2000
The Lions in Daniel’s Den
Daniel had a living, personal, relationship with the God of heaven. He carried on a conversation with the God of the Universe three times a day, and when he found himself in the pit, God was there! The satraps and their families didn’t know God. And there was no peace for them, only agony.
February 13, 2000
Turn on the Lights–The Party’s Over
January 30, 2000
How to Keep Your Cool When the Heat is On
God is not some heavenly puppet, and your prayer is not some string you pull. God is the King of the Universe, and He always knows what’s best. Why don’t you stop running from Him? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were prepared to die! They could say, “Lord, even if I have to suffer, if my body ignites and my burning flesh fills the air with stench, I will go out trusting You. I will believe You, even if I don’t get the answer to my prayer!”
January 23, 2000
The Bigger They are, the Harder They Fall
Have you truly repented of your sins? There is a huge difference between regret over your sins and repentance. Some people say, “Ooh, I’m sorry I did those things.” Or “I’m sorry I got caught.” True repentance does what Daniel says: You renounce your sin and change your behavior. Too bad, Nebuchadnezzar didn’t listen to Nebuchadnezzar’s advice, just like some of you will walk out of here today, thinking you can get away with your sin.
January 23, 2000
Prophecy is History in Reverse
The image of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is still standing, because we are living in the time of man’s kingdoms. But there was more to the dream! There was a stone—a rock that was cut out of a mountain without human hands. That rock came hurtling toward the feet of the statue and demolished it. It became dust and is blown away. What is that all about? Obviously, the rest of the Bible identifies that rock as Jesus.
January 16, 2000
The Fall of the Unconquerable Nation
We are going to find that this “unconquerable” nation, God’s people–the people with whom he had established a covenant –is going to fall. You’d think God would sooner fall from the heavens above than for these nations to fall. Not so, because these nations collapsed and fell. Actually, it is the fall of TWO unconquerable nations and then we’re going to draw some parallels between them and the United States of America.
January 16, 2000
When Dreams Come True
Do you ever wake up in the morning after having dreamt all night and then you couldn’t remember what you dreamed about? Dreams are strange things. Experts tell us everybody dreams, some people just can’t remember their dreams. Out of eight hours sleep at night, on the average you’ll dream an hour-and-a-half to two hours of those eight hours. Today we’re going to be looking at a dream a king had 2,600 years ago that also had personal, national, and eternal significance.
January 9, 2000
The Daniel Diet
It’s easy to trust God when things are going great, when all your bills are being paid, when your health is great, when everybody loves you and you love those around you, it’s easy to trust God then. But you let the bottom fall out, and that’s when the trial comes. Will you still trust God then? Well Daniel did. And you can, too. The greatest triumph of life is to stay pure in the midst of moral decay.
January 2, 2000
2000–Now What?
The Bible says that the common people heard Jesus gladly. They loved to be around Jesus. Jesus enjoyed being with people, and people enjoyed being with him. The only people Jesus didn’t get along with were those straight-laced religious hypocrites called the Pharisees and nobody can get along with those people. There are some of those obnoxious people around today. When you love God, you will receive His favor and the favor of others.
December 31, 1999
Where Are We Now in the Book of Revelation, parts 1-3
Where are we now in the book of Revelation? A lot of people think the book of Revelation is a very serious, hard to understand book, but in essence it’s not. It is shrouded in mystery, but tonight when I share with you the key to understanding the book of Revelation, I think you’re going to be amazed at how simple it is to understand the totality of it.
December 26, 1999
The Man Who Divided History
December 19, 1999
God’s Impeccable Sense of Timing
December 12, 1999
To God Be the Glory!
Paul says God is bigger than my brain or your brain. God is bigger than any person’s ability to even imagine God, and if you think you have condensed God down to some little thought in your mind and you’ve got him figured out where he’s convenient to you and for you, you’ve committed idolatry. God is saying, “I am the only wise God, and don’t limit who I am and what I can do.”
December 5, 1999
The Power of Positive Encouraging
November 28, 1999
The Four Lucky Lepers
November 28, 1999
Blessings are to be Shared–Not Stored
Sometimes people think that the Christian life is a playground. It’s not a playground; it’s a battleground. Life is tough. It’s a struggle, even for the best of Christians, even for the strongest Christians. He says, “I’m in a struggle.” And it is a struggle. That’s why you need to share your burdens with one another. That’s why we need to say, “Pray for me as I pray for you.”
November 7, 1999
Preaching Where Christ is Not Known
The problem with many American Christians is that to you Christianity is just such a personal thing; you don’t ever want to share it. You have your ticket to heaven, you have your eternal fire insurance, and frankly, you don’t really care whether anybody else goes to heaven or not. We’re like a bunch of people using first aid on ourselves, when there are hurting people all around us. If you’re content to hang on to the gospel and not share it with anybody else, you don’t share the missionary heart of the Apostle Paul.
October 31, 1999
State of the Church Address
As I talk about our church today, I feel like a physician who is examining a very healthy person. When a physician conducts a physical examination, a person can be very healthy, but they never say you’re perfect. They may say, you’re doing great, but you probably need to drop your cholesterol a couple of points or lose a few pounds or exercise a bit more. They always have some words to encourage them to be healthier.
October 17, 1999
A Church With an Open Door
We’re all so different. We come from different backgrounds, different convictions. But when we all love each other and open arms to all kinds of people, that’s when the beauty of unity is seen. And God wants that here. And we can never stand and say to anybody, “You cannot come to the body of Christ.” Because that’s what Jesus would do. He opens His arms.
October 10, 1999
The Beauty of Unity
Almost every day, I sing praises to the Lord, but I come together with you on Sunday. With one voice, we sing praises to the Lord. That promotes and enhances the unity of our church. When a lost person comes in the doors of this church, they sit down and they look around and see a thousand Christians in here singing praises to God. I want to tell you, that has an impact on them because with one heart and one voice, we are glorifying God together.
October 3, 1999
The N.T. Condensed Version of the Gospel
That phrase “in the Holy Spirit” covers all three of those, righteousness in the Holy Spirit, peace in the Holy Spirit, and joy in the Holy Spirit. When you understand that, anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God (vertical relationship) and is approved by men. That’s your horizontal relationship. That is the condensed essence of the gospel of the kingdom of God.
October 3, 1999
The Miracles of Elisha, part 2
Elijah was a great prophet, but then he put his prophetic mantle on Elisha and Elisha said, “I want a double portion of the Spirit that has been on you.” If you happen to count up the miracles Elijah did and Elisha did, you’ll see that under the power of God Elisha performed about twice as many miracles as Elijah did. A study of the miracle of the lepers healed and enemies blinded.
September 26, 1999
Love is Better Than Liberty
A tightrope is a picture of Christian liberty. It’s not just a wide valley you stroll through with no consideration of other people. On one side, if you’re not careful, you will fall into legalism and go back to your list. On the other side, if you’re not careful, you will fall into unrestrained license. But somewhere in between the two is the beautiful tightrope of balance, and the balance bar for a Christian is love. Love for God on one hand and love for others on the other end. And when you understand love is more important than liberty, you’ll be able to walk the tightrope of liberty, and you’ll enjoy the Christian life and you’ll be a blessing to others.
September 19, 1999
Hey! A Christian Can’t Do THAT!
September 12, 1999
The Miracles of Elisha, part 1
September 12, 1999
Wake Up and Get Dressed!
Sometimes people are so content, they just get into a spiritual rut, where nothing ever changes. A rut is nothing but a grave with both ends kicked out. God is trying to say to every one of us today, “Hey, wake up! The alarm has gone off.” I know that part of the problem is with us preachers. There is so much Sermonic Sominex dispensed in churches today, it lulls people to sleep. Today, God is trying to say to Green Acres Baptist Church, “Wake up from your apathy.”
September 5, 1999
The Debt of Love I Owe
What does the Bible say about debt? The Bible says you should never carry any more debt than you can successfully pay for. We live in such a materialistic culture it causes people to borrow money they can’t repay. Do you know what the American culture says? The American culture says you need to buy things you don’t need with money you don’t have to impress people you don’t even know. That’s what gets so many people in trouble.
August 29, 1999
Murder in a Vineyard
August 29, 1999
How to Be a Christian Citizen
God has drawn a moral standard, a line. “That’s my boundary. That’s my spiritual fault line. You better move your life to get in line with it.” And too many Americans are saying, “No, I want to move God’s line and change God’s standard to fit my life.” This is a recipe for destruction, because the Bible says, “There’s a way seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of destruction.”
August 22, 1999
How to Deal with Mean People
Sometimes when your enemies treat you wrong and insult you and hurt you and you try to get revenge and you try to do something about the situation, all you do is make a bloody mess of it. There are some of you right now, you’ve got that sword in your hand, and if you had the chance, you would get back at them. You would hurt those people who have hurt you. And if Jesus doesn’t say anything else to you in this service, it may be that Jesus just tells you to put your sword away. Some of you just need to put it in the scabbard, because God is going repay evil.
August 15, 1999
Five Laws for Healthy Relationships
What is it that makes you different, as a Christian, than somebody out there that’s not a Christian? The fact that when you die, you’re going to go to heaven? It ought to mean so much more than that. One of the main differences between a person who is a Christian and one who is not is how we relate to other people, especially to other people who don’t like us, especially to people who mistreat us.
July 4, 1999
Stop Enduring Life and Start Enjoying It
Some people say, “When I get some of these problems in my life, that’s when I’ll rejoice, that’s when I’ll start enjoying life.” The only time you’re going to get rid of problems in your life is when you’re in a cemetery. In life trouble is inevitable, but misery is optional. Think about that. You have a choice about whether you are going to be miserable about the problems in your life, and the way you deal with it determines whether you are miserable or not.
June 27, 1999
The Greatest of These is Love
June 21, 1999
God’s Prescription for Depression
If you are depressed or if you go through periods of depression, don’t worry because even some of the greatest saints of God in the Bible went through periods of depression. That’s where we find Elijah. Right after this great victory on Mt. Carmel we see him going through a time of depression.
June 20, 1999
Unwrap Your Spiritual Gifts
One source of frustration in the church is that people are trying to do the wrong ministry, play the wrong instrument. That is tragic. But do you know what is even worse than that is having your instrument, but refusing to play it. Everybody in this church has been given a special gift that nobody else has, when you mix it with your personality and your own gifts and abilities. If you are just sitting there with your instrument, refusing to play it, there is a part of the symphony that is missing. You need me. I need you. We all need to be playing together. No person is a one-man band.
June 13, 1999
How Beautiful is the Body of Christ
Have you ever heard somebody say about another individual, “When God made that person He broke the mold?” That is literally true of everybody in this room. There was one mold for you and nobody else is in that mold. My friend, you are not one in one million. You are one in 6-and-a-half billion. There is nobody else like you on the face of the planet, and there is nobody else like you in this body. You are a unique member of the body of Christ.
June 6, 1999
Your Supreme Act of Worship
May 30, 1999
I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
I want to remind you that friendship is a great investment. One of the things that makes a difference between a house and a home, a family and just people that are together, is the element of friendship both within the family and outside the family. And examination of some ideas about friendship.
May 23, 1999
B.I.B.L.E. Truth for Parents
The Bible says in the heart of every child, even at a young age, they have a self-centered nature, a stubborn and rebellious nature. I believe that if America is going to survive, we must get back to the old-fashioned biblical principles of raising children. We have allowed too many liberal social scientists to tell us that we should never inflict any kind of pain on our children.
May 16, 1999
How to Love Your Mate for the Rest of Your Life
If you want to find out about love, you don’t open the pages of Vogue or Playboy magazine, you open the pages of the Bible. This is God’s instruction book for life, every experience of life. The Song of Solomon is God’s definitive word on romance, marriage, love and sex. And it is in the Bible and it is God’s truth. A study of some characteristics of the kind of love that keeps marriages together until one partner dies.
May 9, 1999
Marriages Are Made In Heaven–But Maintained on Earth
I think the longer you’re married, the more you figure out you’re not going to completely figure it out. There is no such thing as a perfect marriage because you’ve got an imperfect husband and wife. There’s no way it can be perfect. Couples who think their marriage is going to be perfect have unrealistic expectations. Marriages are either healthy or they’re unhealthy.
May 2, 1999
Our God Is an Awesome God
You can’t separate your body and your soul and your spirit. God knows if you give your body to Him, the soul and the spirit is going to be given to Him. Sometimes people say to me, “Pastor, I’m not going to be in church this Sunday, but I’ll be there in spirit.” It’s kind of spooky to me to stand up here and preach to a bunch of spirits in these pews. The truth is, you cannot do that. I know they mean they’re going to be there in thought, but you can’t separate your spirit from your body. That’s what happens at physical death; the spirit departs from the body. You can’t do it until then.
April 25, 1999
A Branch Can Never Boast
When I see a tree with an orange hanging on it, that’s an orange tree. Do you know what the fruit does? The fruit reveals outwardly the inner nature of that tree. The same is true in the Christian life. When there is fruit in your life what you are expressing outwardly is the inner character and nature of Jesus Christ. That’s what the fruit of the Spirit is.
April 18, 1999
Elijah: A Man Just Like Us
Elijah was one of the most notable characters in the Bible. Not only do we see his miraculous ministry, but also the Bible tells us in the book of Malachi that before the Messiah comes, Elijah is going to return. What a powerful character he is in the Bible! A look at Elijah’s ministry in two perspectives.
April 18, 1999
From Rejection to Reconciliation
April 11, 1999
Solomon: The King Who Didn’t Follow His Own Advice
Solomon sowed disobedience; he sowed compromise; he sowed little sins of setting up those little altars and before long the Bible says, “His heart had been turned from God.” How different from his father, because although David was a man who sinned and fell, to the very end he still was a man after God’s own heart.
April 11, 1999
Do You Need a Faith Lift?
April 4, 1999
Saving Faith: A Matter of the Heart
Calling on the Lord has never saved anybody, but calling on the name of the Lord, who is Jesus, always saves. How can you do that? How can you have that kind of faith?” I’ve noticed there are at least three different types of faith (probably more) I think everybody possesses one of three types of faith. Of course, the first two are defective, inferior faith, and they don’t save anybody. The third one does.
March 28, 1999
Religious–But Lost!
God said, “East Texas is full of religious people, but that does not mean they are saved.” They get a good sense of satisfaction out of being religious. What’s wrong with being religious? Nothing, as long as it does not become a substitute for knowing Jesus Christ. You can brush your hair and there is nothing wrong with brushing your hair, but if one day you decide you are going to let brushing your hair stand as a substitute for breathing, in just a few moments that harmless act of brushing your hair will kill you, because you substituted it for something that was totally necessary.
March 21, 1999
Stumbling Over God’s Stepping Stone
God’s wrath has been revealed throughout history. It has been demonstrated or revealed throughout history. We have seen many examples of his wrath mixed with mercy and grace. Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” It’s being revealed right now. Why does God show us some demonstrations of his wrath in history? To warn us. To teach us that one day God is going to judge sin.
March 14, 1999
If Looks Could Kill
Isn’t it interesting how God can take a mess and turn it into a message? Take the time to read Matthew 2 about the genealogy of Jesus. It says, “David, who was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Uriah’s wife…” Not David’s wife, not even Bathsheba. “Solomon whose mother was the wife of Uriah.” A thousand years later when they wrote it down, God still did not recognize the validity of that marriage, because of the way it began. Even in spite of that God made something beautiful out of a mess. That’s the business God is in. Look at our lives! God is in the business of taking mistakes and using us for his glory!
March 14, 1999
God’s Freedom of Choice
Have you ever thought about how through the centuries God has preserved the Jewish people and they have maintained their identity even though they have been scattered all over the planet Earth? Why? Because God preserved them. And that’s what Romans 9-11 is all about. We’ll start that section today. Looking ahead Romans 12 through 16–the last section of the book–is God’s righteousness displayed in our practical duty. Starting in Romans 12 it is very practical because we are righteous in Christ, and this is how we ought to live.
March 7, 1999
When a King Shows Grace to a Crippled Man
March 7, 1999
Are You Concerned About Your Friends Without Christ?
Those people out there without Christ are not going to break down the doors of this church to get here and learn about Jesus. Chances are the majority of lost people in East Texas you know somebody they know or you know them personally. We cannot be satisfied. We cannot be complacent until someone has shared with them like somebody shared with us.
February 14, 1999
A Tale of Three Kings
Each of us has three kings fighting for control (there are probably a lot more). In each of us, there is a King Saul, a spirit of jealousy, a spirit of envy, a spirit of anger that becomes so blinded that this is a true “rage-a-holic.” Thank God, I think in each one of us there is the potential for a King David, a spirit of submission. It is the spirit of Christ of submitting to God’s given authority. And I also think in each one of us there is a “king-to-be” Absalom and he is the spirit of rebellion, the spirit of selfish ambition. Who I can become? What I could do if I were in charge? I could do a whole lot better if I was in charge of this outfit! Be careful, because those three kings are usually fighting for control of your life.
February 14, 1999
God’s Inescapable Love
The Bible says we have enemies in this world. It is the world, the flesh and the devil. We have enemies, but who’s afraid of the big, bad world? The Bible talks about how our flesh needs to stay crucified. We understand we can resist the devil and he will flee from us. There are going to be many people who try to oppose us in the Christian life, but the good news is God is FOR us. That means you and I do not have to fear. We never have to be afraid of anything the world, the flesh or the devil can throw at us!
February 7, 1999
God’s Incredible Plan
God is interested in making a whole family of people like Jesus. Some people say, “Well if we were all like Jesus, wouldn’t it be boring?” No it would be pretty exciting. Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where everybody was loving and totally unselfish in their loving? Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where everybody was full of joy? Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where everybody was full of peace and patience and kindness? That’s what God is doing. He’s trying to make you and I more like Jesus. That is our destiny our destination and God has already predetermined to make us that way. So that’s God’s purpose. He chose us and then he changes us.
January 31, 1999
God’s Infallible Guarantee
Have you ever bought a product and along with it you receive a guarantee or a warranty that says if anything goes wrong with it, you get your money back? Well Romans 8:28 is “God’s Infallible Guarantee!” He says, “I guarantee if you meet my conditions that you’re going to see all things become a part of his plan to produce good.”
January 31, 1999
How to Kill Those Pesky Giants
When David heard Goliath’s threat, he knew the enemy was there before him and he said, “We have to do something about this!” Before you ever succeed in battle you have to identify who your giant is. Your giant may be your temper. It may be lust; it may be a financial problem; it may be some personal problem you have. Before you can ever conquer your giant, you have to identify your giant.
January 24, 1999
David: The King of Person God Uses
It had to be tough on David knowing he was anointed the next king and here was Saul, whom the spirit of God had left. Here was a holy man in the presence of an unholy person, yet he submitted to him and the Bible says he served Saul. God was trying to prepare David. David was out in the field taking care of the sheep and wild beasts came. By killing those wild beasts he knew that when a giant of a beast stood before him he could do it. But he also had to deal with another beast, a human beast named Saul. Throughout his life David was going to have to deal with difficult people sometimes in his own family. God was preparing him for that.
January 17, 1999
Saul: The Man Who Could Not Be King
Are you aware there is something we may call the “perfect will of God?” There is something that has sometimes been called the “permissive will of God;” it’s not God’s perfect will, but he allows it and then he takes it from that point. God has a perfect will for your life and if you don’t stay completely on track with that, there are some times that God will give you what you ask for. Israel wanted a king. God did not want them to have a king, but he permitted them to have a king and they got what they asked for. This is true in our lives sometimes when we seek that which is less than God’s best.
January 10, 1999
When the Glory has Departed
December 27, 1998
The Groanings of the Spirit
Where is the Lord Jesus right now? He is actually here in the person of the Spirit. But did you know Jesus Christ was crucified, he was buried, he was resurrected, and he ascended into heaven and the Bible says right now he is seated at the right hand of God, the Father, and do you know what he is doing? He is interceding for me. He is interceding for you. The Bible says there is one mediator between God and man. It is the man, Jesus Christ! Isn’t it good to know Jesus is praying for you?
December 13, 1998
Hang on to Hope
The Apostle Paul said if you take all of the suffering you’ve ever endured in this life, it is like a drop in the bucket compared to a vast, deep ocean of glory that’s going to come. And so today, we’re going to look into the future and talk about the future glory. Paul will give us three examples of why we ought to have hope and the words drawing these three together is the word “groan.” First of all, he talks about creation groaning, then he talks about how we groan, and in the third example the Bible says even the Holy Spirit groans in us in prayer.
December 6, 1998
All in the Family
You can rejoice because the Father lovingly chose us. It was His love that caused us to be chosen by him. Have you ever stopped and thought, “Why me? Why did God choose me to be his child?” It just pleased God to do so. It gave God pleasure to choose you to be his child. And when God does something he does it so he derives personal pleasure from it. That’s why he did it.
November 29, 1998
Mindset = Lifestyle
Paul said, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” I call this frustration without faith. Surveys tell us most people in America believes in God. Most people in America really want to try and please God. But if they don’t have faith it is just a constant frustrating experience, because most people think the way you please God is by ceasing to do “wrong things,” stopping the sinful faults we all have, cleaning up our acts, or getting it all together. And the thing we learn in the book of Romans is we don’t have the power to do that!
November 29, 1998
Samson’s Bad Hair Day
Of course the story of Samson is a story you have heard all of your life. I don’t know about you, but I always used to picture Samson as some huge, built-up, bulked-up, he-man! I mean a guy that looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Incredible Hulk all put together. The more I studied the text, the more I am convinced he probably didn’t look like that at all, because the source of Samson’s strength was not his hair, the source of Samson’s strength was not his muscles, the source of Samson’s strength was the Holy Spirit of God, because of his commitment and his devotion. It is clear every time he did something requiring supernatural strength, it was the Spirit of God coming on him. A study of “the downward slope” of Samson’s spiritual decline.
November 15, 1998
The Joy of the Spirit-Filled Life
Romans 8 is all about how to live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. You start out with no condemnation in Romans 8–you end up with no separation–and in between you have all things working together for good for them that love the Lord. So I want to talk to you about how as spirit-filled Christians we can make four wonderful affirmations.
November 8, 1998
Correcting Your “I” Problem
November 8, 1998
Judge Gideon’s Victory, part 2
God takes the simple things of life and tests us. What was God trying to teach Gideon? What was he trying to teach the Israelites? The New Testament message is this “Be serious. Be vigilant, because our enemy, the devil, roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” You and I as Christians like these three hundred faithful must be vigilant.
November 1, 1998
Have You Reached the Age of Accountability?
We become accountable when we know we are choosing to sin. When we know it’s right or wrong, that’s when the law has come alive and that’s when as he says in Romans 7:9, “Sin springs to life and that person dies spiritually.” Parents often ask me, “How old is a child when they reach the age of accountability?” I can’t answer that because children develop at different stages, emotionally and spiritually, and this development is not always attached to a biological age. But it has been my observation most children reach that age around 7, 8, 9, 10, when they know what the rules are, but then they knowingly and willfully choose to break the rules. You’ve got to understand the Bible teaches we are sinners by nature from when we are born, but we also become sinners by choice when we choose to break the rules and that’s when we are held accountable.
October 25, 1998
When a Second Marriage is Better
What’s the difference between living under law and living released from law in a relationship with Jesus? There may be some people who put their children in a safety seat because the law says to do it and they’re afraid that if they get stopped and their child is not in the correct seat, they may get a ticket. You know what motivates them? Fear of being caught. That’s what it’s like to live under the law. But I know this is true of all of you who have children. You know the reason you put your child in that safety seat is not because the law of Texas says to do it, but because you love that child. You do it because the very last thing in the world you’d ever want to happen to that child is for him to be hurt. This person does it out of fear–this person does it out of love. I obey the law of God not because I’m afraid, but because I love Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
October 25, 1998
Judge Gideon’s Victory, part 1
God reveals his will in a variety of ways. Is it okay for me and you to lay a fleece out before the Lord? Christians do it and I’ve done it but it is a dangerous thing to do. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush. Can you give me one other person in the Bible he spoke to out of a burning bush? You make a mistake if you go around to every bush and wait for it to catch on fire for God to speak to you. God spoke to Gideon through a fleece that got wet and then got dry. God blinded the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus and spoke to him in a voice. Are you waiting for God to do that? Who else did he do that to? When you study the word of God you find God spoke in a variety of ways and God has a variety of ways he shares his will.
October 18, 1998
Life’s Greatest Choice
You ask most people and they say, “living forever, existing forever.” The only thing wrong with that is that some of you are so miserable right now in your life the idea of existing as you’re existing right now forever– that’s eternal misery. No, eternal life is not a quantity of life, it is not how long it is, it’s how deep it is, how wonderful it is, how good it is. If you want to know what eternal life is, look at John 17:3 where Jesus says, “Now this is eternal life. That they may know you, the only true God, and know Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” What is eternal life? It is knowing God; it is knowing Jesus Christ.
October 18, 1998
The Tragedy of “Secret Sin”
I want to talk to you about the tragedy of “secret” sin. I put quotes around it is because no sin is secret. You just THINK it is secret. Achan thought what he did was a personal “secret” sin. I don’t want you to think so much about Achan tonight and I don’t want you to think so much about any other person who might have committed the kind of sin we are talking about tonight and covered it up. I want you to discover if there is any hidden secret sin in your life.
October 11, 1998
Joshua DIDN’T Fight the Battle of Jericho
When God tells us to do things sometimes in the word, we look at it and we say, “Why?” That’s not the right response. We should just obey the Lord and not ask why, because God is trying to get us ready for even bigger and better things. Sometimes when God tells us to do simple things in the word of God, we want to look at and say, “Why would we do that? We want bigger and better things!” God is just training us. He is getting us ready.
September 20, 1998
Free at Last!
The apostle Paul uses the issue of slavery to simply illustrate and demonstrate how sometimes people can be in bondage to sin, and then how we need to be in servitude to God. When you talk about slavery, the only image many of us have of slavery is antebellum slavery in the South, Uncle Tom’s cabin. But, that’s not really the historical backdrop against which Paul is writing. In the Roman Empire there were millions of slaves, and we would call these people indentured servants, bond slaves, people who were often so close to the family members we have many historical records of a slave literally being adopted into a family and becoming the legal heir of the leaders of that family. Paul said you used to be slaves to sin, now you are slaves to God.
September 20, 1998
Rahab and the Spies
In this first story about the beginning of the conquering of the Promised Land shows us that God can strike a mighty lick with a crooked stick. In other words, God can use all kinds of people–anyone who’s available to him. I want to go below the level of the actual historical story itself and talk about how what Rahab did is a beautiful picture of what all of us must do if we want to be redeemed, if we want to be part of the family of God, because this is basically what Rahab did. She was a part of the people who lived in the area around Jericho, but she made a decision. She said, “I no longer want to be affiliated with my past with these people of my past I choose to be a part of the family of God.” If you want to be a part of the family of God you have to follow five steps.
September 13, 1998
Wanted: Dead and Alive
A problem for a lot of people who name the name of Jesus as Christians is there hasn’t been a lot of growth in their Christian life. If I could have a timeline up here, there would be a point in time when you were B.C. (Before Christ) but then there was a point of conversion where you passed from death unto life. The problem a lot of Christians have is they don’t grow much beyond that point. There is no growth in grace, as the Bible calls it. They stay to close to the point of conversion.
August 23, 1998
Many People in One Grave
This passage of scripture addresses Christians who have been born again and describes what has happened to us. I’ll remind you this is not about things that ought to happen to you. These are not things you ought to try to do. These are things that are true realities in your life if you are born again.
August 23, 1998
Snakes in the Wilderness
August 16, 1998
A Tale of Four Kings
Do you remember what happened to Adam when he sinned? He died immediately in his spirit, he died gradually in his soul, and he died ultimately in his body. Now, let me tell you what salvation is. It reverses it. Look at it. When you receive Jesus you receive life immediately in your spirit. Instantaneously, you are justified. Immediately, you receive life in your spirit.
August 2, 1998
Don’t Waste Your Sorrows
As long as we are cruising along, we have everything under control and we can handle it. We are not depending on God. So, one reason God allows suffering is so we will depend on him. I didn’t say God causes suffering, but he allows it. Here’s another reason, because suffering shows us the value of God’s grace. Sometimes, we think grace was just something way back yonder when we got saved. It was grace that brought about the forgiveness of our sins, but we forget that God’s grace is active right now, present tense.
July 27, 1998
Are You Wandering in the Wilderness?
July 26, 1998
The Blessed Benefits of God’s Love
The secret to living the Christian life is not trying to imitate Jesus. It is not trying to perform all these Christian acts in the strength of your flesh because Jesus said in John, 15:5, “Without me, you can do nothing.” The secret to the Christian life is allowing Jesus simply to control every part of your life so his character is just displayed.
July 19, 1998
A Foretaste of Glory Divine
I admire women and men who can take a piece of fabric, put it down on a table, and then can take a dress pattern and put the pattern down on the fabric and cut out along the dotted lines, and then sew it together, and have a beautiful garment. That’s a miracle to me! I want you to know that I could never do that. What God is saying, “Upon the fabric of human suffering, I have superimposed my Biblical pattern, and if you will understand what I am trying to do, the result will be something beautiful if you just don’t mess it up.”
July 12, 1998
A Credit Line of Righteousness
The difference between when Jesus died and the death of every martyr or every hero who ever died is this: Those people died and they are still dead. The thing about Jesus Christ is he died, he was buried, and he came back after three days. We wouldn’t have Christianity to celebrate if there was not a risen Savior. He would be just a good man who died. We wouldn’t be here today. We wouldn’t believe this book. We wouldn’t tell people how to be saved. It’s the fact he’s alive today! That was God’s stamp: PAID IN FULL. He was delivered over for our sins and was resurrected for our justification.
July 5, 1998
Faith 101
When somebody directs us to do something, before we take the first step, most of us want to know all the details. In fact, if Abraham had been like most of us, and God had spoken to us, we would have said, “Now wait a minute. I need to know who you are, God. What’s your name?” Abraham didn’t ask. We would have asked, “Now, Lord, we want to know exactly where it is you are going to take us. What is the name of the land you are leading us to?” Abraham didn’t ask that. Later on, Abraham just kept on moving by faith until he came to this land that was going to one day be Israel.
June 28, 1998
God of Grace and God of Glory
Have you ever been in a relationship with somebody and it seemed like you could not please them? Some of you I’m sure have been and may be married to people like that. That’s somewhat true of God, because if you try on the basis of your own behavior to earn God’s approval or his glory, you’ll miss the target every time.
June 21, 1998
Look in the Mirror
June 14, 1998
Objection Overruled!
The question the writer of Hebrews asks is the question all of us ought to be considering: How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? Here’s the bottom line! God is holy, and he must punish sin. We are sinful and in one way or another, we’re going to have to deal with the punishment of God against sin.
June 7, 1998
The False Security of Religion
You can be religious, ritualistic, a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, and people around you will look at you, and they will say, “Oh, what a fine, religious, spiritual person he or she is.” And you’ll receive the praise of men. Or you can choose to live Godly, and one day the only applause you will hear will be the applause of the nail-scarred hands and he’ll say, “Well, done good and faithful servant.” Let’s just boil it down. Who are you trying to please? Are you into a religion or are you into a relationship?
May 31, 1998
The Law Written on Your Heart
Our judgment is not like God’s judgment. Man’s judgment is blind, not only to all the evidence, but we are blind to our own mistakes. We all have blind spots in our character that a lot of other people can see, but we can’t see them. Paul says, “You are doing a dangerous thing when you judge other people because you may be guilty of the same thing.” God’s judgment is perfect. God’s judgment is perfect! He has no flaws, no character deficiencies, so His judgment is perfect because His character is perfect.
May 24, 1998
Following the Fire
The Exodus is not just an historical story about God delivering the children of Israel. It is a story about what has happened to every one of us who are children of God. We have been set free from the bondage the slavery of sin and that’s the picture portrayed when the children of Israel come out of Egypt. A message about when God sets you free and the characteristics of this freedom and how he deals with us in much the same way he dealt with the children of Israel.
May 24, 1998
The Slippery Slope of Sin
Did you know it is possible to commit sin without even doing an act? Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” So many people have trouble with that verse, because they realize it is possible to commit what we call “mental adultery,” or adultery in a person’s heart. The difference between a tempting thought and a sinful desire is you could look at somebody of the opposite sex and say that person is nice-looking, but if you entertain thoughts about entering into a sexual relationship with that person, you begin to fantasize it and visualize it, then you can step over the line and you can commit adultery in your heart with that person, but it all began with a tempting thought.
May 17, 1998
Passover and Freedom
May 17, 1998
Homosexuality: Lifestyle or Deathstyle?
I’m going to say something that may shock you out of your socks: Jesus had to deal with homosexual temptation. How I can say that? It’s simple. Jesus dealt with every kind of temptation. He dealt with alcoholic temptation. Jesus dealt with the temptation to lie. According to Hebrews 4:15, Jesus is our high priest and he’s the high priest who was tempted with all of our weaknesses. It says, “He has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet without sin.”
May 10, 1998
Moses and Pharaoh
Moses resisted all the compromises of Pharaoh. He said, “No, we’re going to go! Not only are we GOING to go, we’re going to go all the WAY! Not only are we going to go all the way we’re going to take our FAMILIES with us. Not only are we going to take our family with us, we are taking all of our POSSESSIONS with us!” Where have you drawn the line? Do you say, “Well that’s as far as I’m going. I’m a Christian, but I’m not going to go all the way with Jesus. I’m just going to stand on this side and make sure I have my ticket to heaven.” or “I’m going to really get fired up, but I’m going to leave my family out of it!” If you have gone all the way and you say, “I’m going all the way with Jesus. I’m taking everybody I can with me and I’m taking everything I own, everything I possess, and it all is going to be offered to God. That’s what total commitment is all about.
May 10, 1998
No Excuse!
Have you ever wondered what the eternal destiny is of a person who is born and raised and lives and dies in a place where they never once have access to a Bible, they never hear about God, they never hear the Christian message? What’s going to be their eternal destiny? What about a person who is faithful to another religion, say Buddhism or Islam all their lives? Is God going to excuse them? Is God going to excuse those people who never had access to the Bible?
May 3, 1998
Not Ashamed!
Some people think they are going to go to heaven by doing good deeds or acting righteously. I asked a retired lady in our church the other day how she was feeling. “Oh, I feel so great today.” She said, “I led two Boy Scouts across the street.” Some of you think you are going to heaven by helping little old ladies across the street, or by feeding the poor, or clothing the naked. You think you are going to go to heaven by doing all these good things. No, God’s righteousness is humanly impossible. The very best thing I have ever done in my flesh compared to God’s holiness and purity, looks like dirty, filthy, stinking rags before God. It’s all a matter of comparison.
April 26, 1998
What’s in the Heart of a Believer?
April 12, 1998
The Good News About Jesus
Let’s say you own a secular bookstore and everything in your bookstore is classified as fiction and nonfiction. Where would you put the Bible? Would you put it in the nonfiction section with historical truth, or would you put it over here in the fictional section with the other fairy tales and mythology? If you were a librarian and your job is to classify all the books in the library, where are you going to put the Bible? That is a fundamental decision everybody must make.
April 5, 1998
The Résumé of a Real Christian
Have you ever wondered what the apostle Paul looked like? While it is true we do not have any written eyewitness description of Jesus’ physical appearance, we have a fairly reliable one for Paul the apostle. A pastor living in the second century (which means the 100s) who perhaps as a child had actually seen Paul, describes him: “A man small of stature with a bald head and crooked legs in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel.” Can you just see this little man so full of energy? Before he became a Christian, he was full of energy for the wrong thing, but once he was tamed and changed by Jesus Christ, he used his energy for the right cause. Three ways Paul was changed by Jesus.
March 29, 1998
The Call of Moses
March 15, 1998
Joseph’s Ministry
March 15, 1998
Joseph’s Mystery
We want microwave character. We want instant perseverance. We want God to shape us and change us and fix us right now. God is not in a hurry. If you are suffering or you know someone who is suffering, you ought to do what Joseph, the apostle, Paul, and Job did: Make the best out of it and say, “I will not let this make me bitter. I will let it make me better.” And you’ll let God take his time with you.
March 8, 1998
Joseph’s Misery
The story of Joseph was terribly important to all the Hebrews in slavery, because Joseph was their hero. We’re going to see that the life of Joseph parallels the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph is one of those characters in the Bible who (most of the time) was totally faithful to God. He was one who was rejected by his own brothers, just like Jesus was rejected. We’re going to see that Joseph was particularly loved by his earthly father, just as Jesus was particularly loved by his heavenly father. A study of the parallels between the life of Joseph and the life of Jesus.
February 15, 1998
Wrestlemania
Jacob was not the finest character you could ever meet. He was a liar, a cheat, and a swindler. His very name means “grabber.” But Jacob was a part of God’s plan. God can take failures and change them and then use them. For anybody who has ever made a mistake, God can still use you. For anybody who is not absolutely perfect, God can still use you, because God always saw what he knew Jacob could become rather than who Jacob was. That’s the great thing about God’s grace.
February 8, 1998
Jacob the Grabber
February 1, 1998
Love Story
The story of Isaac and Rebekah is a beautiful love story in and of itself but it’s also a beautiful story of how God, the Father, loves you and wants the best for you. He sends the Holy Spirit to draw you to the Father and then you as a person, like Rebekah, chooses whether or not to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit but when you do, you are entered into an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
November 30, 1997
God’s Agonizing Testing of Abraham
Did you notice Isaac had to be a willing sacrifice? We don’t know exactly how old Abraham was, but we do know he was a hundred years older than Isaac. Imagine Isaac is 16. Don’t you think a 16-year-old boy can overpower a 116-year-old man? Do you think when Isaac was tied up with that rope and laid up on the altar, don’t you think a 16-year-old old could have said, “Wait a minute! What are you doing, old man? Stop it!” No not only did Abraham trust God’s plan, but Isaac also was a willing sacrifice. Always remember that about Jesus. They didn’t murder Jesus. He was not a martyr. He willingly laid down his life! And that was God’s plan all along.
November 9, 1997
God’s Amazing Promise to Abraham
October 26, 1997
Father Abraham Had Many Sins
October 19, 1997
Captain Noah and the Good Ship Grace
The story of Noah and the catastrophe that struck the whole earth. There is widespread archaeological evidence that every culture has some story of a flood. We are not talking about some idle event that took place in a little corner of the world. Many, many cultures have stories about a flood dating back to this flood. There is geological and meteorological evidence. I have been told and read that if the polar caps of our planet melted, every square foot of land on earth would be submerged. When you think about it, the idea of a worldwide flood is not at all far-fetched. The spiritual reason behind the great flood.
October 5, 1997
Paradise Lost
The world began when God created the heavens and the earth. He created Adam then he created Eve. Perhaps you’ve heard the world’s shortest poem entitled, “Troubles” and the poem goes “Adam had ‘em.” That’s right. Adam had a lot of trouble. When sin entered his life, all the trouble began.
February 9, 1997
Order in the Church!
According to the Bible there are three principles that provide a structure to order in the church. (1) When you come together, everything should be done for the strengthening of the church; (2) God is not a God of disorder but of peace; (3) Everything should be done in a fitting and an orderly way.
January 19, 1997
The Truth About Speaking in Tongues
I believe there is a spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. However, I do think it is much misunderstood, abused and misused today. In fact, in my experience I would have to say I believe about 90% of what is passed today in speaking in tongues is not what the Bible teaches about it. A message about what the Bible has to say about speaking in tongues.
January 5, 1997
The Limits of Love
The church at Corinth was located within a morally corrupt society. It was the worst society you could imagine. Immorality was rampant. There was a byword used in biblical times, where you would take the word, Corinth, and make a verb out of it and you spoke of “corinthisizing” someone. To corinthisize someone meant to take a moral person and despoil them, introduce them to an immoral lifestyle. Anywhere in the Roman Empire you took a good person and despoiled them, the word they used was corinthisized! That’s how morally corrupt this place was. Paul tells this little church in Corinth, “More important than anything else, you have to have agape love.” Paul’s four observations on the limits of love.
August 18, 1996
What’s Greater Than Gifts?
One of the problems in the English language is we really only have one word for love. We have other synonymous words, like affection, friendship, things like that. But in the Greek language, they had four different words to describe four different kinds of love: Agape, storge, eros, and phileo. But the highest most perfect most mature love the Bible talks about is the word used here in 1 Corinthians 13, the word Jesus most often used and it is that word agape, which means “unselfish, divine love.”
July 7, 1996
The Greatest Members and the Greatest Gifts
The truth is throughout the history of the church, it has been known as a body that attracted all different kinds of people. You didn’t have to have a certain kind of IQ; you didn’t have to have a certain bank account; you didn’t have to have a certain social standing. The church has always been, “Whosoever will may come.” For that reason the church is made up of all different kinds of people and some are more prominent by the world’s standards than others.
May 26, 1996
Unity and Diversity in the Body
None of us are still wearing the same clothes we did when we were five years old. We can’t fit in them anymore because something happened to our bodies. They grew. In any healthy body or body of Christ, growth indicates health. That’s one way you know God is blessing the church, when there is growth, when he is adding to the body every day those people who should be saved. A discussion of unity and diversity in the church.
May 12, 1996
You are a Gifted Child
Every Christian is a minister. That means you serve the Lord in the body through the gifts God has given you. Every Christian has one or more gifts and no Christian who has all of the gifts, because that would make that person a church in and of themselves. So, no Christian has all the spiritual gifts. The Bible also teaches there is no gift that EVERY Christian has. We are also going to learn that gifts without love are useless. This is just a reminder of the definition of spiritual gifts.
April 28, 1996
Seek the Giver–Not the Gifts
A gift is something you don’t deserve and that’s the nature of grace. If somebody gives you something because you deserve it, that’s not a gift—that’s payment. You’ve earned it! And a gift is something you are given that you don’t deserve. None of us deserves spiritual gifts. God just says, “I’m going to give you this so you can serve!”
December 17, 1995
Battle Stations! Know Your Assignment
The problem with so many of us is we treat prayer like a fast food drive through. We pull up, roll down our spiritual window and say, “I’ll take the Full Meal Deal, number one, and supersize it, dear Lord if you would.” We pull up to the window and expect to pay our money, get our stuff and go on our way and that’s the way we treat prayer. “Lord, give it to me quick.” “I want it right now.” Let’s just keep on going. That’s not the kind of prayer the Bible talks about. The Bible talks about spending much time in prayer persistence in prayer praying over and over and over. One reason some of our prayers are not being answered is we just stop too soon.
December 10, 1995
Battle Stations! Know Your Weapons
Has this ever happened to you? When you read a passage of scripture that you have read time and time again and suddenly, it just reaches out and grabs you by the lapels and slaps you in the face like one of those Aqua Velva commercials and you just get a wake up call and you say, “Whoa!” When that happens, it is a sword you can use to dispel fear, anxiety, depression and anything the devil is shooting at you.
December 3, 1995
Battle Stations! Know Your Armor
When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus, he was in prison and there was a Roman soldier right beside him, guarding him. So as he is dictating this letter he looks at the Roman soldier and he looks at the pieces of equipment he is wearing and he says, “You know, that’s a picture of how we ought to be equipped and armored as believers.” So he takes a physical truth of literal armor and he relates spiritual truth
November 26, 1995
Battle Stations! Know Your Enemy
The devil accuses us to ourselves and although accusing us before God has no power because of our Advocate, some of you are still listening to the devil’s lies. He tries to make you feel unworthy and rotten. He slips up to you and he whispers in your ear and tries to make you feel unworthy. Don’t argue with him. It takes two people to argue. Whenever he accuses you of being unworthy, just agree with him. Say, “Devil you’re right. I am unworthy. I don’t deserve the love and forgiveness and grace that I received. I’m not worthy of it, but I have accepted it by faith.”
November 19, 1995
Your Work Matters to God
When you get up tomorrow morning and go to work, what kind of difference would it make in your job if when you arrive at your workplace you said to yourself, “Today I’m going to work for Jesus”? I’m going to treat my boss as if my boss is Jesus. I’m going to treat my company as if my company belongs to Jesus.” Your boss may not even be a Christian or your workplace may not even be a Christian-based company but your attitude can be, “I want to serve the Lord in my situation.” That will make a tremendous difference.
November 12, 1995
Oddly Godly Parents
Does the time ever come when a parent begins to take a deep breath and breathe a little easier feeling like now their kids are doing okay? I have discovered that as a parent, no matter how old your children are, you still feel a sense of responsibility for them. The difficult thing about being a parent is that suddenly you become a parent and you don’t have any previous training. It’s different from other skills.
November 5, 1995
How to Survive Your Teenage Years
I know it is tough being a teenager and it’s tough to be the PARENT of a teenager. Mark Twain gave some advice on raising teenagers, “Things run along pretty smoothly until your kid reaches age 13. That’s the time you need to stick them in a barrel, hammer the lid down nice and snug and feed them through the knothole. And then about the time he turns 16 you’d better plug up the knothole.” It is part of the sense of humor of God that he has arranged it that parents would be going through middle age at just the time when they have teens in their home.
October 29, 1995
What Every Woman Wishes Her Husband Knew About Her
Your wife is not a possession. She is a part of you. That’s what the word “partner” means. The Bible says you are to treat her the way you treat your own body. Instead of thinking of your wife as a new automobile, think of her as your hand or as your arm. She’s an extension of who you are. She’s a part of you. For you to get rid of her and trade her in on a new model would be like you saying, “I’m going to cut off my arm and go to the hospital and get another arm.”
October 22, 1995
What Every Man Wishes His Wife Knew About Him
For every seven couples who get on board the good ship Matrimony, one of those couples will jump overboard, but two of those couples will stay tied to the mast, lashed to the deck. They are not happy, not enjoying the ride, but because of religious or social reasons they stay in that marriage. Only about four out of seven couples say they are enjoying the cruise, so two out of seven marriages are at extreme risk in America today.
October 15, 1995
Men are from Pluto and Women are from Mercury
Men and women are different and if you don’t try to understand some of those differences, you’ll have trouble in marriage, or in the workplace, or in relating to people of the opposite sex. Some guys just don’t want to learn; some women don’t want to learn. They think ignorance is bliss. No. In marriage ignorance is absolute misery if you don’t understand the special, unique differences between you and your spouse.
September 24, 1995
Filled? You’ll Be Submissive
September 17, 1995
Filled? You’ll Be Thankful
In the end Jesus Christ is victorious and no matter how you get from where you are to where you are going, know in the end that Jesus Christ wins. Because of that you can say, “God I thank you that you are good and whatever is happening to me is going to work out for your glory and for my good.”
September 10, 1995
Filled? You’ll Be Singing
September 3, 1995
Intoxicated by the Holy Spirit
The filling of the Holy Spirit is God receiving more of your surrender, not you receiving more of the Spirit. When you come to Jesus Christ, you receive all of God that you will ever receive. He doesn’t give the Holy Spirit like a down payment here and then an installment here and there. All you ever receive of God you receive at the point of salvation. You may grow into more surrender.
August 27, 1995
Preparing for Your Final Appointment
The foundation of salvation is Jesus Christ, but we are all building a superstructure of Christian service, some using gold, silver, precious stones, that means it really lasts, it’s permanent, some using wood, hay and stubble, that means it’s perishable, temporary. But when we stand before the Lord, he’ll try it with the fire of his eyes and he’ll pass out rewards. Some of you are thinking you don’t want any rewards. That’s the point. If you’re serving the Lord for rewards, you won’t get any but if you’re serving the Lord because you love him and because you obey him, you can’t help but get rewards. He is the one determining it—not you.
August 20, 1995
Walking Through the Valley of Grief
Studies tell us the most painful death experience and the most intense grief comes from the death of a spouse, followed closely by the death of a child and then by the death of a parent. Studies have also determined the grief that accompanies suicide is unique among any other kind of grief experience. As we talk about grief today, and the stages and categories, these are not hard and fast. Different people’s grief experiences will be as different as their own personalities. But it’s good for you to understand that you CAN survive grief and move forward after being devastated by the death of a loved one.
August 13, 1995
Death: The Last Frontier
Jesus said there are only two destinies at the point of death: Hell or Paradise. Some of you are probably wondering how a loving God could send people to hell. Most people don’t even believe in hell. According to the Gallup polls, 68% of Americans believe there is a heaven—almost 7 out of 10 people. But only 43% believe there is a hell. People deny the fact there is a hell. And if there is a hell, why would God send people there?
August 6, 1995
Deceived by the Light
Reports of near-death experiences have confused a lot of people. Many of us want to know the same thing: what happens at the point of death? In the Old Testament, even Job asked the question everybody wants to know: If a man dies, shall he live again? Death is not a period; it is a comma.
July 23, 1995
Don’t Be Drunk on Wine
July 16, 1995
How to Find God’s Will
I’m going to make a profound statement at the beginning and I’m going to tell you it’s profound because if I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t recognize it as being profound: The will of God for every child of God is to be in the will of God. (I said you wouldn’t recognize it as being profound.) It is the will of God for every child of God to be in the will of God and there is a line is drawn down everybody listening to me today—either you are on one side of the line or the other. You are either in God’s will right now or you are out of God’s will one or the other.
July 9, 1995
How to Redeem the Time
What would you do if every night at midnight someone deposited $1,440 into your bank account with the stipulation that you had to spend it all in 24 hours or it would be gone? Wouldn’t you enjoy that? Sure! I imagine you would make sure that every day you spent all $1,440. The truth is better and it is this: Every day God deposits 1,440 minutes into your life and you have to spend them wisely or you will lose them.
July 2, 1995
Watch Your Step!
We are living in evil days, even secular columnists point that out. I was reading an editorial from the New York Times awhile ago and the editor was talking about how our American culture reads like a modern day soap opera. He said, “If someone had written down in a book the things that would happen in America, nobody would have believed it.” The truth is somebody has written all of it down in a book and it is called the Bible. The sad thing is, many people do not read it.
June 25, 1995
Open Your Eyes to the Light
If you want to have the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth in your life, the way to do it is get close to the light! Spend time next to the Light, because he is goodness he is righteousness he is truth. That’s why it’s important to have a quiet time. That’s why it’s very important every day for you to spend personal quality time with God in prayer and Bible study. That’s why you need to come to church and have a Bible study group to be a part of be involved in discipleship because you are exposing yourself to the light and the only way that you and I can shine out there in the darkness is if we stay close to the light who is Jesus.
June 18, 1995
The Difference Between Real and Counterfeit Love
Wherever God has something genuine, the devil has his cheap imitation. Satan takes God’s pure agape love and offers a cheap imitation to the world. A lot of people think that they are in love or they think they know what love is and it’s just a cheap imitation of the real thing. Agape love is never demanding, but perverted love is always dominating and demanding and controlling.
June 11, 1995
How to Recognize a Real Christian
The book of Revelation says during the time of the Tribulation there is going to be hail the size of a millstone (two thousand pounds). Softball-sized hail is scary. Millstone-sized hail is absolutely terrifying! I’m glad I’m not going to be here during the Tribulation, aren’t you born-again Christians? Hail is the same thing as raindrops but the difference is it is cold and hard and it damages. The words you speak can either be raindrops or they can be hail. When they are cold and hard they are like hailstones that destroy, but when they are kind and liquid they are like raindrops they give nourishment. The Bible says slander should not be a part of the lifestyle of a Christian.
June 4, 1995
How to Be Good and Angry
May 28, 1995
What Grieves the Spirit of God?
When a Christian lives the wrong way, we grieve the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. There is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the unforgivable sin, and there is a lot of confusion about what the unforgivable sin is. The unpardonable sin is finally and ultimately saying, “No” to Jesus, rejecting faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the unpardonable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. If you are a born-again Christian, you have not committed that sin and you can never commit the unpardonable sin, so just put your mind at rest.
May 21, 1995
How to Get Rid of Your Old Man
Christians still have to deal with sin. When I was just beginning my ministry, an old preacher came to me and said, “David, remember this: Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go. Sin will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay!” It is so true. Deal with sin. Learn how to conquer sin. The first thing to do is recognize that old man, that old sinful nature, still with you.
May 14, 1995
Are You Growing Up or Just Older?
We do not create unity; it is something the Holy Spirit creates. We ought to protect it and strive toward it. I don’t think as a church you ever come to the place where you say, “We have found unity.” It is always striving for more and more unity. Does that mean unity in a church is that a sign nobody ever disagrees? That nobody has their own opinion? No, that’s part of the diversity. You can disagree with me sometimes. Many times, and that’s okay, as long as you love me and I love you and Jesus is our Lord, there can still be unity. I think churches have unity sometimes and unity is not even demonstrated until you get threatened from the outside.
May 7, 1995
A True Charismatic Church
April 30, 1995
The Seven Pillars of Biblical Christianity
I know some people who believe the truth right down the line. They are so orthodox, but they are like a gun barrel: They are as straight theologically as they can be, but they are just as cold and empty. You can believe correctly and still be mean as a snake. That’s wrong. On the other hand if you are totally Christian in your activities and in your behavior if you love people and you are kind and forgiving, but you believe the wrong thing, then you will be spiritually handicapped as well.
April 23, 1995
Learning How to Walk Straight
We all have seen that beautiful sight of a child taking his first steps. They have that stiff-legged Frankenstein-kind-of-walk as they toddle and maybe fall, but they get back up and try it again. Then, they learn how to walk better as their balance and their equilibrium improves. There is a progression to walking. First, you crawl, then you stand then you begin to walk. That’s a picture of the Christian life.
April 16, 1995
Prayer That Moves Heaven
You will never understand God’s love so, don’t try to figure it out—just receive it. You don’t have to figure something out before you use it and enjoy it. I don’t understand electricity, but I’m not going to stumble around in the dark until I have it figured out! I’m just going to flip that switch and use it. And so it is with the love of God. This is what Paul prays for, that you will be strengthened, that Jesus will be your Lord, and you will understand how much Jesus loves you.
April 9, 1995
The Greatest Mystery
If I were to give you a choice between suffering a little bit or being free from suffering, you would say, “I choose to be free from suffering. I don’t want to suffer.” I don’t know anybody who has this attitude: “Man, I can’t wait to suffer some more. I am looking forward so much to suffering this next week, I can hardly wait!” No. The mystery is that even though we suffer, it can bring glory to God and it can work out for good to us.
April 2, 1995
The Yahweh Construction Company
The secret of the Christian life is opening the door of your heart from the inside and just like a person walking into a building say, “Lord Jesus Come and live inside of me. It’s not you trying to live the Christian life it’s not you doing something for God; its Jesus coming to live in you and Jesus doing things through you. It’s Jesus loving people through you. It’s Jesus forgiving people through you. It is Jesus drawing lost people to himself through you. He never wanted you to imitate him; he just wanted you to contain him and to release him. That’s what it means to be a Christian. I’m afraid so many Christians are going to stand before God on Judgment Day and are going to be disqualified because they did not understand that simple little truth that the Christian life is Christ in you.
March 26, 1995
The Fall of the Great Wall
To the Jew there were only two kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles. But when Jesus died, he made the two one, destroying the barrier. Are you reconciled with God? I hope so. But, are you reconciled to other Christians? Reconcile means “to agree.” Every month most of you receive a bank statement in the mail and you are supposed to reconcile the amount in your check register with what the bank says. If those two figures don’t agree, they are not reconciled and somebody is in trouble. What it means to reconcile with others is you agree with them. To be reconciled with God means you agree with God about your sinfulness and about how only God can save you.
March 12, 1995
The Wonder-Working Power of the Blood
March 5, 1995
What’s So Amazing About Grace?
As I stand looking out at the shoreline of the mercy of God into the ocean of the grace of God, looking at the skyline of the love of God, I think, “It is so wonderful to find something that there is enough of.” Of all the sinners in the world, of all who have ever lived, there is more than enough grace, more than enough love, more than enough mercy for all of God’s creatures.
February 26, 1995
Trophies of Grace
Sometimes we look at a 50- or 60-year-old man who has never darkened the doors of a church in his life and is an awful scoundrel. We look at him and we say now it’s easy for the child to have life, but it’s so hard for this older man to receive life No, it’s not. It takes exactly the same amount of grace to save a child as it does a 60-year-old scoundrel and it is just as much of a miracle when a child accepts Christ as when an old man accepts Christ.
February 19, 1995
Are You Enjoying Your Inheritance?
Paul said there’s a kind of Christian that caused him to thank God when he thought about them. This is what I call a healthy Christian. There are two marks of a healthy Christian according to the apostle, Paul. Number one is faith in Jesus. You cannot be a Christian unless you put your faith in Jesus. But it is not your faith that saves you. It’s your faith in JESUS that saves you. It’s the object of your faith. You can have a ton of faith but if it is in the wrong thing, it won’t help you a bit.
February 12, 1995
Saved, Sealed and Secure
Today we are looking at the Holy Spirit. The first thing to notice is a sinner’s path to salvation. How can a sinner like you and like me enjoy or experience true salvation? There’s not much for us to do, because God has already done it all. Before the foundation of the world, God chose you. He selected you and said, “You are going to be one of mine.” In other words, before the world was even created, you were in God’s mind and heart.
February 5, 1995
Biography of a Believer
What was it about salvation that made the apostle Paul break out into spontaneous, exuberant praise? He began to understand what had happened to him. If you could catch a glimpse, if your spiritual eyes could be opened to who you are in Jesus and what has happened to you in Jesus, you would also break out in spontaneous praise and adoration.
January 29, 1995
Blessed with the Best
A lot of Christians are like a wasp. When a wasp first comes out of the egg, it is larger at that time than at any time in its life. It continually shrinks in size until it dies. When a lot of people are first born to the kingdom of God—when they are first saved—they are so excited, it seems like they are closer to God at that moment than they are at any other time. That’s a real problem. Ephesians is a book about how to grow as a Christian, how to increase your intimacy with God. It’s not how high you jump when you get saved; it’s how straight you walk when you come down. This book is a guide book for growth.
September 11, 1994
Wise Men Still Seek Him
I am amazed at anyone who can restore old cars. If you give me enough tools and enough time, I could go out here to just about any car in the parking lot and take it apart. That’s knowledge. But there’s no way I could ever put it back together again. And that’s what wisdom is. Wisdom is the ability to take all the knowledge of the world and put it together to see things from God’s perspective. Knowledge is just the ability to analyze things—and that’s what the world does—that’s why it’s called the spirit of the world. Knowledge is needed to pass the test in school, but wisdom is needed to pass the test of life.
August 28, 1994
The Preacher Who Had Stage Fright
April 24, 1994
The Last Words of Jesus
The very first promise in the Bible is found in Genesis 2:17 where God said to Adam and Eve “Eat of all the trees in the Garden that you want to but don’t eat of this tree, and the day that you eat of this tree, I promise you shall surely die!” That’s the first promise and that’s the promise that got us into trouble. Sin! But the last promise of the Bible is Jesus said, “I am coming soon.”
April 17, 1994
Heaven Can’t Wait
Let’s talk about heaven as John describes it, the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to a new heaven and a new earth. Don’t try to place it anywhere on planet earth now, because the Bible says clearly the old heaven and the old earth were passed away. We have no frame of reference with which to compare it so you just have to imagine it’s absolutely new, because that’s what Jesus says “Behold, I make all things new.”
April 10, 1994
What’s a Millennium, Anyway?
Have we ever lived in a world and do we live in a world right now where all the governments of the world are upon the shoulders of Jesus? When the Security Council of the United Nations meets in New York do they fall on their knees and say, “Lord Jesus, this is your world and what do you want us to do”? Of course not. That hasn’t happened yet–but it will! Why do you think Jesus told us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?” I believe the Bible teaches the time will come when Jesus will live and reign on Earth and we’re going to reign with him!
March 20, 1994
The King is Coming!
A lot of people get confused about the dual aspect of the return of Christ because some say, “I thought the Bible says that when Jesus comes back he’s going to come back like a thief in the night, suddenly, silently, secretively.” What we are studying today and elsewhere in the Bible says when he comes, he’ll come in mighty power and every eye will see him. Which one is it? because it certainly can’t be both. It IS both, because when Jesus comes to rapture the church–which could happen at any moment–he literally won’t come to planet Earth. The Bible says we’ll meet him in the clouds and all the true Christians will be caught up to be with Jesus. We’ll be in heaven from that time all the way during the Tribulation and that’s when he is coming silently, secretively, like a thief in the night but at the end of this Tribulation he will come like we are talking about today. This is when he is coming in power and might and majesty and every eye will see him.
February 13, 1994
A Marriage Made in Heaven
There’s going to be a marriage made in heaven and a wedding in heave–and you and I are going to be there. In fact you and I are going to be part of the wedding. Do you know what’s going to be different about this wedding in heaven? In heaven, the focus is not going to be on the bride–the focus is going to be on the bridegroom–Jesus!
February 6, 1994
The Coming Meltdown of the World System, part 2
What we see in chapter 18 is not the fall of religious Babylon; it is the failure of economic Babylon. “Babylon” is a godless world system led by the Antichrist. The first thing we see is the cause of the destruction. Why is this future commerce system going to fall? Our world is definitely moving toward a unified economic system. If they could, those in high places would make the entire world a one monetary system one system of exchange, because, let’s face it when you are trying to do business in another country, you have to consider the fluctuating exchange rates and there are people who keep talking about the “New World Order” where economically there will be one monetary system. This scripture envisions a time when that has already taken place under the leadership of the Antichrist. However, the time is going to come when it is going to absolutely fall apart.
January 23, 1994
The Coming Meltdown of the World System, part 1
January 16, 1994
The Gathering at Armageddon
The main part of this message deals with the strategy of judgement. The seven-year period of Tribulation follows a chronological framework of the three series of sevens. There were seven seals, seven trumpets and now we come to the third series of sevens: The seven bowls (or vials) of wrath that are going to be poured out. What are these seven bowls of wrath?
January 9, 1994
The International Harvest
Earlier in our study of Revelation we were introduced to these 144,000 individuals. Who are they? Throughout history there have been many groups who have claimed to be this 144,000. When we studied about them before, I told you they are 144,000 Jewish evangelists who go about during the time of Tribulation preaching the gospel of the kingdom. We studied that 12,000 of them come from each of the 12 twelve Jewish tribes, and while the Antichrist and the false prophet are spreading their doctrine around this world, these 144,000 Jewish evangelists are spreading all over planet earth the gospel of the kingdom of God.
November 14, 1993
Satan’s Demonic Duo
When Jesus died on the cross it was not God’s afterthought. It wasn’t a “plan B” It was something God planned from the very foundation of the world. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. The Antichrist is going to blaspheme God. He’s going to stand on the earth and stand in the temple in Jerusalem and shake his fist at God and say, “God, if you are God destroy me right now. There is no God! Worship me instead!” He’s even going to blaspheme those who are in heaven.
October 31, 1993
How to Beat the Socks Off the Devil
Some people have the weirdest ideas about Satan. They really Satan is some guy in red longjohns down in Hell with a pitchfork and a whip cracking a whip over people shoveling coals into some furnace. The Bible says Jesus, said Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels but he is not there yet. The Bible calls Satan, “The Prince of the Power of this Air.” Jesus calls him, “The God of this world.” The Bible says he roams about seeking whom he may devour. You see that’s where he is right now but the time is going to come when he is going to be cast out of his access to heaven.
October 24, 1993
When Men Will Celebrate Anti-Christmas
Somebody needs to tell Indiana Jones he will never find the Ark of the Covenant, because it is in heaven. How did it get there? I don’t know but the Bible says there it is! The beautiful thing about the temple is that this temple in heaven is the dwelling place of the power of God but the glorious news about the temple is this all of this is in the future. The temple John measured at the beginning of the book is going to be in Jerusalem; the temple we see at the end of this chapter is in heaven but right now there is a temple of God.
October 17, 1993
The Bitter-Sweet Book
October 10, 1993
Life and Death on Earth During the Tribulation
How do you think people on earth are going to react judgement after judgement after judgement after judgement? Thousands of people are killed. There are signs in the sky. There is environmental damage there are all kinds of disasters happening. What do you think is going to be the reaction of mankind?
October 3, 1993
The Sky is Falling…Really!
In the Bible there is a highly organized strata and structure to angelic organizations. We don’t get all the details about it, but anytime you read the words “principalities and powers” that’s a word that means ranks of order, both the good angels and the fallen angels. In Ephesians chapter 6 when it says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.” Have you ever wondered what those words meant? It means against the organized, structured ranks of demons. God’s angels are organized with archangels and the other angels we are talking about. So these seven trumpet angels appear and they are going to be the ones who blow these trumpets to announce judgment on the earth.
September 26, 1993
The Eye of the Storm
What’s it going to be like the first Sunday after Jesus raptures the church? We make jokes about it and say things like, “Mostly deacons will be there in church and most of the choir will be there,” but I want to tell you the first Sunday after Jesus raptures the church, the church buildings are going to be PACKED, because there are going to be some people who know and have heard all about this and when it happens, they are going to realize they were counterfeit Christians and never were saved and now they have been left behind and what a terrible, terrible time it’s going to be!
September 12, 1993
The Coming World Chaos
Has there ever been a time in the history of the world when it was technologically possible for there to be a one-world ruler? Never before today! But with communications and transportation it could happen today. Every time you hear somebody in government start talking about a global economy, global politics, or one-world government, they don’t even know they are setting themselves up. I’m not saying everybody that says that is the Antichrist. All I am saying is the system is in place and many people want to see it happen.
August 22, 1993
Worthy is the Lamb
June 27, 1993
What will it be like in Heaven?
Do any of you have a hobby where you create things? Maybe you do a little woodworking in your shop. And when somebody asks why, you say, “I just enjoy doing it.” It’s an awesome thought, but do you know why God created this planet? It just gave him pleasure. An angel said, “God, why did you create earth? Why did you create the heavens? Why did you create all of those people in Tyler, Texas?” God said, “It just gives me pleasure to do it. I enjoy the fellowship and the praise these, my creatures, give to me.” I’ll tell you what. When we get to heaven, we are going to know who is boss and who is worthy of praise!
June 13, 1993
The Tragedy of a Lukewarm Faith
A deep theological question I have been asked is, “Was Jesus ever sick?” Some say because he was God in the flesh he never got sick; others say he never had the sniffles or He never had a headache or a cold. Did Jesus ever get sick? I don’t know if he got sick during the thirty-three years he was here on earth. I’m not going to answer that question, but he does tell us there is one thing that makes him sick: Lukewarm Christians–compromising, side-stepping, lukewarm Christians.
June 13, 1993
Help! Someone I Love is Dying!
How do you cope with the experience of a terminally ill loved one? Many of you may have experienced or are currently experiencing pain because someone you love is dying. That’s the kind of pain that’s really hard to deal with but it is the kind of pain that just about every one of us will face during life.
May 30, 1993
The Kind of Church God Blesses
Of all of the seven churches in Revelation, this is the only church of the seven that does not receive a rebuke from the Lord. This is what you might call a church that is really blessed. Philadelphia means “the place where the brothers love one another a place of brotherly love.” This was a very small, insignificant community in Asia Minor and it was not nearly as important as Ephesus or Sardis or some of these other places, but this is the location of a group of believers although they only had a little bit of strength, God was blessing them and he was using them. If we want to be a certain kind of church of all of these seven churches, we as members of Green Acres Baptist Church we want to be like the church at Philadelphia.
April 25, 1993
How to Wake up a Dead Church
I have never wrung a chicken’s neck, but my mother had an expression, “The most active chicken in the barnyard is the one who just had its neck wrung.” When you wring a chicken’s neck, that chicken is dead, but it’s out there flopping around and running around even though its neck is broken. It’s dead but it’s busy and that’s true of a lot of churches. There’s a lot of activity going on but the church is dead. That’s what Jesus said about this church here at Sardis.
April 18, 1993
Torn Between Two Lovers
Thyatira was a literal church in Asia Minor. This was a place well-known for the color purple, because they had a profitable business of dying cloth into the royal color of purple. Lydia, who became a Christian in the book of Acts, was from the city of Thyatira and she was known as a seller of purple garments. We don’t know much about the church. Of all these seven churches, this is the most obscure and unknown of all of them. I want us to learn three lessons from this church and apply them to our own lives.
March 28, 1993
Kicking Satan Off the Throne
The church in Pergamum is the third of the seven churches. So, let’s look at this church at Pergamum and talk about that and think about what God wants to do for us. The title of the message is “Kicking Satan Off the Throne,” because twice Jesus says Satan has his throne in Pergamum and Pergamum is where Satan lives.
March 21, 1993
How to Persevere Under Pressure
Smyrna was the center of emperor worship for the Roman Empire. If Romans had believed in Jesus, they would have put him up on a shelf in the Pantheon with all of their other gods: Jupiter, Zeus, Mercury, Mars, etc. But when Christians refused to name any other God than the one God of heaven they were called atheists and many of them were put to death. That’s the kind of setting in which they lived and that’s why Jesus said, “I know what you are going through.”
March 14, 1993
What to Do When the Glow is Gone
The city of Ephesus was one of the most important cities of the ancient world. Ephesus had a problem. It was the center of a fertility type of pagan religion. It was a religion that basically worshiped sexual reproduction. It was also home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
These Christians in Ephesus lived in that kind of a setting. Yet they were a church Jesus wrote to and said, “I praise you. You are working hard and you are not giving up. You are hanging in there. You are keeping on keeping on.” Yet the church at Ephesus was guilty of forsaking their first love.
March 7, 1993
Face-to-Face with Jesus
When you see Jesus what do you think he will look like? Most of us have in our mind what we think Jesus looked like when he ministered for three years. Then we have in our mind what he looked like in his post-resurrection appearance when they recognized him but sometimes they didn’t, how he could appear through walls. But the description in the Bible is not his earthly appearance, nor his post-resurrection appearance it is his post-ascension appearance, after he went back to heaven where he is right now. We’re going to see what he looks like.
February 21, 1993
This is Dedicated to the One Who Loves Me
Revelation is the only book in the Bible that has a blessing promised at the beginning and a warning posted at the end. Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” We all know we are blessed when we study and read God’s word but this is the only book in the Bible that promises a specific blessing to the people who not only read it and hear it, but especially those who obey the things that are found in it.
February 14, 1993
The Blessing of Baptism
Salvation is not achieved by works; it is only by the grace of God and our faith. Baptism, as good and as important as it is, is a good work and we are never saved by works. I’m not saying it’s not important. If you want to be fruitful in your life and want to have the blessing of God on your life, you ought to be baptized. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
February 7, 1993
Preview of the Revelation
The word of God, the Bible, is a total completion; it is a unit. It is not 66 disjointed books. There is a marvelous unity to the word of God that begins with the book of Genesis and ends with the book of Revelation. Even though they were written thousands of years apart, Genesis and Revelation are sister books. For instance, in Genesis we read about the creation of the first heaven and the first earth. The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In Revelation, the first heaven and the first earth pass away and we read about the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. That’s the parallel.
December 27, 1992
The Message of Angels
December 20, 1992
The Lord of Angels
When you think about angels, I hope that you will only look at angels in your spiritual peripheral vision. Our focus should be looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. A study of angels in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and how they interfaced with the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
December 13, 1992
The Ministry of Angels
December 6, 1992
The Amazing Truth About Angels
October 4, 1992
A Visit to the Garbage Dump
September 27, 1992
A Dynamic Duo
September 20, 1992
Points of Light
Have you ever walked into a dark restaurant during the daytime and you can hardly see anything? And you sit down at a table and try to read the menu? But after a few moments your eyes become adjusted and you get used to the dark and it doesn’t bother you anymore. Sadly, the same thing has happened spiritually in America. We’ve become accustomed to the darkness. Things that ought to bother us don’t bother us anymore.
September 13, 1992
The Way Up is Down
September 6, 1992
Linked Together in Love
The Bible says if we don’t humble ourselves, God has a way of humbling us. The secret to joy is found when Jesus is first, others are second and you are last. If you have selfishness and pride in your heart, turn from it and repent. Ask God to replace your selfishness with love and to replace your pride with humility. Guard the unity God has created.
August 30, 1992
Take Your Battle Stations!
A study of how the Christian life is spiritual warfare. The Bible says you’re a soldier if you’re a Christian. Are you a good soldier of Jesus Christ or are you a deserter? Have you folded up your uniform and put it away, maybe put it on every Sunday morning or are you obedient to your Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ?
August 23, 1992
A Matter of Life and Death
August 2, 1992
Bad + Evil + Misfortune = Good
The apostle Paul’s priority was advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is that thing that you think about or talk about the most? Where do you invest most of your money and time? Whatever your priority is will determine how your entire life is directed. Three principals we can learn from Paul’s life and apply to our lives.
July 26, 1992
