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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
