Monthly Archives: September 2014

Now I see!

John 9:1-3 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

I have been keeping a low profile this week. I am enjoying a lighter workload on many fronts, and trying to get some of my own projects done; all the while trying to spend some quality time with God. I have been listening to a lot of good quality preaching and doing some reading while checking things off my “to-do list.” Part of me is truly trying to hide from the strains that I am under and seek God as my focus. The details are not necessary, but I, just like you, am under a great load in my life right now. I am questioning many things; what does the future hold for many things, and how do I know I am doing the right thing in God’s eyes? Yesterday a pastor said in his sermon how he had come to understand he could never preach with the power he desired, without the great trials of life he didn’t desire. Otherwise, it came from the head in study, and not from the heart through the pain. <paraphrased>. God has me right where he wants me for today.

The disciples were asking Jesus what the blind man, or the blind man’s parents, had done to deserve the punishment of sin from God. It was a common throught then, and even today for God’s punishment to be evident for all to see; sometimes it truly is. But, we also must understand that is not always the case, just as Jesus said above. We are not to judge the blind man. We might judge ourselves if we know God is punishing us for a hidden or visible sin; in our hearts we may know the answer to that question. Jesus was showing the disciples that God’s sovereign hand was at work in this man’s life from blind birth. He was healed and lived likely the remainder of his life proclaiming faith in Jesus! Sadly his parents seemingly denied what they knew to be true before the Pharisees; they feared them. 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

Thank God every day for where he has your feet for the day. Yes, he plans your steps every day. Draw closer to him and pray that he will guide you for each day. Psalm 119:133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. You are a child of God, and as a child of God you are to live for what the next life brings. Seek to draw closer to God in the midst of whatever you are facing today, and know that He is preparing you for tomorrow. The more time you spend each day with him, the more you are prepared for the trials of life that come.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpz740flh8dzr4z/I%20am%20the%20light.docx?dl=0

The Light is the door handle

2 Timothy 1:8-10 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

“Well, I really don’t know how he did that horrible crime; he really is a good guy at heart;” said no one ever that truly understands sin. We are witnessing today evils that were seemingly not present in recent generations. We are witnessing on global scales beheadings, genocide, rape, torture, murder, child molestations on incredible scales…..just in recent weeks in our country we read of fathers killing their children and boyfriends eating their dead girlfriends. I hate even typing those words, but you must realize how far our world is falling away from God. God is not going to let Satan go much farther in his limited control of this world; I believe this with all my heart; that He is coming back soon to rescue those whom have called Him Savior and Lord of their lives.

Look at those last words that Paul wrote, “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Jesus brings to light all the sin and evil in the world; light exposes the sin that you were once blind to, or even as simply as chose to deny or ignore; He brings it and your sin to light. Light and darkness cannot coexist; darkness cannot overcome the Light. You are dead in your sin until you humble yourself before Jesus Christ. You will die without the Light that gives life and immortality to light through the gospel. David Platt put it this way, “When you and I realize that we are morally evil, dead in sin, and deserving of God’s wrath with no way out on our own, we begin to discover our desperate need for Christ.” Your understanding of sin is relative to your understanding of your need for Christ, and your understanding of how lost our world is without him helps to shed light on current events.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” My heart burns for you to respond to Jesus knocking at the door of your heart and help to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world. Repent of your sin, ask Him to forgive you, and let him become the Lord of your life. Your life is not about all the fluff and stuff that so many proclaim from the pulpits today; your life is about serving the One who gives you eternal life. Your life of servanthood for your time here is proportional to your eternal reward, or damnation if you choose to just live for all this world can give you. Only God knows when he will return. Will you be ready to go into his presence, or will you have your excuse of why, or what, you placed before Him for your short time here. Let the light of the Gospel open the doors of immortality for you.

Sermon Link

The Great I AM

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e7bn6ymtt4a1gz4/Great%20I%20AM.docx?dl=0

Because He said so

Exodus 3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

This summer has been one of the toughest seasons of my life. I have been torn at the seams both physically and emotionally with the struggles of bi-vocational ministry. The little energy I have left from the physical work, has left me struggling to find my alone time with God, and study time for sermon preparation. It is a struggle that few understand, but no different from what you are struggling with also. Where do we go for encouragement? Not down the road of dealing with it, but encouragement for the other side of whatever we struggle with. Godly counsel and wisdom from God’s Word himself is my humble advice to you. Exodus three, where God places his call upon Moses’ life, is always a great encouragement to me. Moses received what we all want, a clear sign from God through the only burning bush in the Bible. God gave clear instructions and Moses still wavered; do you see how far we are from God when we even question him at his spoken call? God even gave Moses miraculous signs that proved to Moses, and would prove to those that saw them, that God had placed a call on Moses. These signs should also place deep faith in the prophecies that Moses was proclaiming. How could there be any doubt?!

We are a fallen world; we are a creation that fell at the beginning of time into the snare of sin. Satan roars every time we lack the faith to proclaim our faith in the One who saved us from the hell that was created for him. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Satan roars every time we work late and sleep late to recover and do it all over again. Satan roars every time we pour families into sporting events that turn into our idols or our Gods. Satan roars every time we lack enough faith to share our faith because we have not pursued God daily in prayer and his Word. Satan trembles at worn out Bibles and calloused knees who understand that he is a defeated foe. 1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The more time you spend with God every day, the more you are prepared for every, single, day. The same God that spoke to Moses in a burning bush has given you his written word for every thing you face in life. There is no struggle you face that God cannot encourage you in his Word. You will only realize this, when you make time for God in your schedule. How can you afford not to?