DOES GOD MEAN WHAT HE SAYS!

The Authority of Scripture
Many in the church today question or debate the authority of Scripture. They offer the fact that there are so many and varied interpretations as proof that the Bible does not speak clearly and is therefore not reliable as a guide to life or standard to follow!

Rather than "proving" that the Bible is not clear, it exposes the flaws of those who interpret it!

Understanding the Bible has more to do with the heart of the interpreter than with his or her intelligence! Often the simplest among us correctly interpret the Bible while the gifted and highly intelligent misinterpret it!

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."
Matthew 11:25 (emphasis added)

Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying! "You - the Father have hidden..." It is God Himself who has hidden truths from the "wise and prudent" and it is God who reveals truths to babes! Those with great intelligence often arrogantly assume that if something were true, they would be able to understand it. Yet Jesus reveals that the revelation of God and understanding of the things of God comes only through Him!

Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight!
Matthew 11:26

The Bible is clear - but we may not be able to understand it!

God wants to speak to us! He wants to make His will known to us! But many things can block our understanding of His Words to us!

Rebellion - Often we don't really want to understand the Bible because we do not really want to obey what it says. Claiming it is vague or open to many interpretations is often used as an excuse to avoid its clear meaning.

Worldview - If we approach the Bible with a predetermined mindset, we will not be open to interpretations which disrupt or undermine that mindset!

Lifestyle - Our lifestyles can also be idols which keep us from correctly interpreting an applying God's Word!

Culture - It is often far easier to flow with culture than to follow the clear teachings of the Bible!

Human Love - If we accept what the Bible clearly teaches, it may cause a rift between those family members, loved ones or friends who reject God and His Word. Choosing the love of man over God's Word is a definite roadblock!

Tradition - Those who are brought up in a certain tradition often find it hard to look at Scripture objectively!

Comfort - Correct interpretation of the Bible challenges our comfort zones. We may "back off" of true interpretation in order to continue in what makes us comfortable!

Ignorance - Honestly not knowing the Scriptures makes the unclear to us. We all ave to start somewhere so that is fine - for a while. Eventually, we must choose whether we want to remain ignorant or take the time to become enlightened!

Lack of Study - Really delving into Scripture can be plain old-fashioned hard work! Many want to avoid the effort and choose to read Christian books or devotionals instead of studying and meditating on God's Word! Extra-biblical materials can be useful tools but cannot take the place of the pure Word of God!

These can also be dangerous because, if we are not personally familiar with the Bible, we can be led astray by the imaginations of man!

Make no mistake about it - the Bible does speak clearly! an may falter but if God intended us to obey what the Bible says, we must be able to understand it!

It starts with an attitude of laying everything on the altar before God - having a willingness for God to burn up all that may be blocking our understanding of His Word.

Then we must intentionally study and meditate on God's Word personally. Sermons, books, devotionals may be a great adjunct but should not be the main source of hearing from God!

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Matthew 24:35

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TOO LATE TO CHANGE!

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."
Revelation 22:10-12 (emphasis added)

I am not one to predict the date of Jesus' return. But one thing is for sure - this dreadful day will come upon us! Why should I describe it as "dreadful?"

It will certainly not be dreadful for those who belong to Jesus. God has promised them eternal life - a huge upgrade from the present world! But verse 11 spells out why it will be dreadful for those who are not His at His coming:

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still...

When this day comes, the contest we call life will be over. In the western world, court cases can drag on for years. But in that day, there will be no more redo's, instant replays, discussions, talking points, new evidence or appeals. One holy and perfect judge will make the final decision for each one of us - for all eternity!

These words or Revelation 22:11 are perhaps some of the saddest in the Bible. They indicate a moment in time when God calls the courtroom to order to judge the world. There is no more time left for changes of heart or promises to do better. The doors are closed and the judgment begins!

God is telling us that the day will surely come - and that whatever state we are in, we should just continue in that state. If we are unjust in that day, it is too late to repent. We made our choices, the door is shut and the time to present new evidence has expired!

36 “ But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 
38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
Matthew 24:36-39 (emphasis added)

The good news is that at the moment of this writing, this is still a future event! 

While it is true that this day will certainly come when time as we know it will end, God has graciously allowed us a glimpse of the future. In the famous story, "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge is shown his dark future. After seeing what would become of him, he responds by repenting. His life changes and so does his future!

God repeatedly warns us in Scripture that this future day of judgment will come!

Some will respond as they did in the days of Noah, by continuing as they are - eating, drinking and marrying - oblivious to the fact that God's judgment would carry them away!

Others will repent now, and alter the course of their lives forever, escaping the judgment of God!

The even better news is that Jesus paid for our sins - ALL OUR SINS!

God will count Jesus suffering and death on our behalf! We simply need to accept His free gift and allow Him to change us! The big question, of course, is not what one or the other will do with this glimpse into the future.The important question is...

 "What will you or I do?"

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FILL ME LORD!

39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains."
John 9:39-41 (emphasis added)

This is one of the great truths of the Bible! Those who "say they see" disqualify themselves from the true enlightenment that comes only through Jesus Christ!

The predispositions, biases and worldviews we have all accumulated from birth are like huge curtains, or veils which keep the light of Christ from coming through!

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (emphasis added)

God Fills Empty Hearts! If we are to come to Jesus, we must empty ourselves! After that, if we are to grow in Jesus, we must empty ourselves again - admitting that we are blind and need Him to open our eyes! Then, and only then, can our hearts be open to receive His heavenly light!

God is always willing to fill us! But if we are already full of something else, we have left no room in our hearts for Him!

The Lukewarm Church Jesus rebuked the lukewarm church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation!

17 Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Revelation 3:17-18 (emphasis added)

This is a graphic example of the great discrepancy between how we often see ourselves and how God sees us!

The Laodicean church viewed themselves as rich, wealthy and needing nothing. Jesus exposed them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked! What a stark contrast between their own opinion and the judgment of God!

If we want to see, we must admit our blindness.  If we want to be filled, we must empty ourselves! We must come to Jesus to buy the gold that matters and the clothes that will cover our nakedness. Only Jesus can anoint our eyes with eye salve so that we may see!

The Only Path to God! Do we pray that God would reveal Himself, open our eyes and fill us? Then we must be also be willing to pray that God would shake everything we believe to the core! We must lay ALL of our preconceived notions, competing loves, political views and comfort zones on the altar - allowing Him to upend, correct, remove and obliterate anything and everything that is not pleasing to Him - however dear it may be to our hearts!

Admitting our blindness, emptying ourselves and laying all on the altar are the only means to finding God!

We do not need to fear! God is gentle and good and only wants the very best for us!
When we do let go and give everything to God, we will not be disappointed! The results are glorious! The same God who spoke light into existence will shine in our hearts!

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6

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FEAR OF BOLDNESS!

Satan has many strategies and many weapons in his arsenal!

We are all well aware of the obvious, straightforward, direct ones such as hatred, racism, violence and adultery - but it is the more insidious, subtle weapons which affect the world for the worse and ultimately undermine the cause of Christ!

False Guilt
One of the enemies most subtle weapons is false guilt! We should feel guilty and be convicted for our sins - but Satan's name literally means, "the accuser" and he wants us to feel condemned all the time! The Holy Spirit convicts - the devil condemns! Unless we are striving to grow in Christ, we will not be able to discern the difference!

How many of us would be able to identify a genuine Van Gogh from an excellent forgery? The obvious fakes would be easy to spot. If one of his paintings is purchased on a shiny poster at Walmart  for $9.95 - I'm guessing is probably not the original!

But what about master forgeries which are so difficult to differentiate from the real thing that they are sometimes sent out to be tested by labs to be authenticated? I know I could never tell the difference - but an expert can!

We must strive to know God, His Word and His voice so well that we can easily spot the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the lying accusations of our enemy - the devil!

False guilt can result in sleepless nights, lack of peace and many bad decisions! Perhaps one of its consequences that most negatively impacts the world is that it causes Christians to be fearful about sharing Christ boldly and without apology!

Agape Love (God's Love) Requires Boldness!

We are rightfully taught that one of the marks of a true Christian is love. Yet so often, the our understanding of love becomes clouded by false guilt! We have all heard of, or experienced, those who rage against sin with hate, anger, arrogance or even violence! We are right to rest and be repulsed by these false representations of Christianity!

We  want to avoid this kind of attitude but if we are not careful, we can allow the devil to twist our desire to love into believing that to boldly stand for God's Word is offensive and unloving. We must be clear that it is not!

The result is that we shrink back! We are afraid to boldly proclaim our faith because we fear it might be unloving. So we play it safe and water down our message so as not to offend. As Billy Graham said, "We are unwilling to offend anyone except God!"

To be more concerned about a person;s welfare than whether we are loved in return is true love. Parents discipline their children at the risk that their children may hate them. Selfish parents spoil their children. The result is that those children grow up to be self-centered aand usually, unhappy adults!

Some spoiled children may be relatively successful in this world. But there is much mire are stake in proclaiming biblical truth! In fact the eternal destiny of each person hinges on obedience to God;s Word! To refrain from proclaiming those truths from a lost and dying world is not loving. When we applaud in others what God condemns, we are setting them up for an eternity away from God.

People may temporarily feel better when we hide unpleasant truths from them - but how will they feel when they appear before God?

It's time to "Come Out!"

The world is often bold in proclaiming what it stands for - but we Christians are often timid! Well known pastor, author and radio minister, Dr. Tony Evans, recently said, "It's time for Christians to come out" [of the closet]! The unbelieving world is "coming out" - unashamed of behaviors which offend God. Any kind of ungodly belief is proclaimed boldly in movies, TV, songs, internet and literally paraded in public for all to see! Many who claim to represent freedom and tolerance are on a mission to shut down all opposition!

Christians are to boldly proclaim the message of the gospel - accurately, fully and in its entirety! The world ready accepts a church that worships God privately and shies away from politics and public view. As long as we stay hidden in our monasteries, as long as we do not define or expose anything as sin, we are not a threat to Satan or his kingdom!

Yet unbelievers in the western world are bold to declare Christianity as archaic - but fine for the ignorant and naive! The world is fine with us - as long as we remain "in the closet!" They have no problem shutting down the voice of any Christians who accurately declare the truths of the Bible!

As Christians and ambassadors for Christ, we must never feel guilty for proclaiming the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth of God's Word!

Paul exhorted Timothy to be bold:

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord...

2 Timothy 1:7-8a

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THE DEATH OF SELF!

Churches today often make plans to bring people to Christ based on what people "want."

Church leaders say things like, "No one wants to come to that kind of church anymore." or "Who would want to serve that kind of Jesus?" They view reaching the lost as something akin to an advertising campaign. "Give the people what they want, keep things exciting and show them our smiling faces." is their mantra!

Yet true Christianity is often the exact opposite of what we naturally "want!"

The clear message of the Bible is that man is fallen! Therefore man cannot receive, know or grasp the things of God - apart from salvation. Man does not naturally or intuitively "want" the right things. On the contrary the things of God make Him uncomfortable and seem wrong to him until he is enlightened by the Holy Spirit! (See 1 Corinthians 2:14)

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “ If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25

Jesus is counter-culture, counter man's inclination and most important - counter-self! We cannot find Him on our terms. We are fallen and He is holy! Nor can we remain loyal to our culture and find God at the same time!

This is also true for believers. Our perceptions of God are skewed by our fallen culture. We must walk among our culture but we are not to be conformed to our culture! We are to be salt and light to our culture. If we lose our flavor, we will be trampled by our culture. If we hide our light under a bushel, we cannot bring true light to a dark world!

Every Christian must honestly evaluate himself or herself - as to how much we are influencing culture toward God - versus allowing culture to guide us. Are we trying to reach them on their terms or present God on His terms as His ambassadors?

OUR TRANSCENDENT GOD!
God is transcendent to ALL man-made cultures. Man is sinful by nature and therefore separated from the Holy, perfect God who created the universe! The world desperately needs to make contact with, and be in right relationship with, this transcendent, holy God! If all the church can provide is the same things found in the world - with a Christian "theme" or "flavor" - we cannot meet the deepest need of mankind- a personal reconciliation with The Living God through salvation!

Modern Christianity downplays the need for salvation and reconciliation - and the eternal consequences of dying without Christ! Today Jesus is presented as someone who will make your life better. It will be beneficial to "add" Jesus to our lives - but death to self is optional!

Jesus states clearly that we MUST deny our "self!" It is not an option. We must be baptized into Jesus death if we are to receive His life! (See Romans 6:1-14)

If Jesus teaches that this death to self it is essential to our salvation, what will be the result of lessening its importance? The answer is clear - not only are we dismissing and contradicting Jesus words - we are also giving false assurances to the world that they we can find God or be right with God apart from death to self!

Let's face it - if we teach another gospel - one in which salvation does not require death to self - our churches can be full! After all, who would choose to die to what we want - if we can get the same results without surrendering our own ways!

This may make for a more pleasant church experience now - but what about eternity? There will come a day when we will all stand before God and He will judge us for all eternity!

We don't seem to realize that in that day, no opinion of man will come into play! We may celebrate and congratulate each other now - as we are - without death to self. But in that day - only those who have died to self and received new life in Christ will inherit His Kingdom!

What we naturally "want" is more often contrary to the thoughts, ways and Word of God!

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

The gate into God's Kingdom is narrow; the path to God is difficult and requires death to our fallen "self" nature! Our fallen nature does not need adjustment, healing or tweaking - it needs to die - before we can truly live!


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LOVE - GOD'S WAY!

Most Christians agree that we are to think and act in love toward others.

Many issues arise today which seem to be controversial. When these issues arise, we usually take a side. Many fringe Christians act in hate and in spite. These are the ones most often cited by the media of course! It should be clear that God never called us to mock, bash or harm others!

There is great disparity, however, when it comes to defining love and how we should act when these issues arise. Our best course is to look carefully at Jesus as our example of love! Below are just a few ways that Jesus loved us:  

1. HE GAVE!
God loved the world so much that He GAVE us Jesus to die in our place. Jesus said He willingly GAVE His life on our behalf - no one took it from Him by force! Wherever Jesus went, He met the needs of people! He healed them, fed them, set them free and comforted them!

Do we love the world enough to give?

2. HE TAUGHT!
Many churches and organizations give - but stop there. If we send people on their way after meeting only their temporal needs, we are selling them short! Jesus also TAUGHT them eternal truths that would change the world forever! If we feed and clothe people only, we are not meeting their greatest need - to be reconciled to God!

Do we love the world enough to teach them the things of God?

3. HE WAS HONEST!
Jesus did not "sugar coat" the truth to make it acceptable to the culture of His time! He taught the hard truths as well as the sweet truths! He was willing to be unpopular and was hated by many for what He taught. The Bible teaches that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." Jesus truly loved the world by telling the truth! Thank God for friends who tell us the truth - not just what we want to hear!

Do we love the world enough to tell them the truth?

4. HE SUBMITTED!
Though He was the Son of God, He submitted fully to the authority of God the Father while He walked on earth! He said that He only did what He saw the Father doing and only said what he heard from the Father!

It seems obvious. But as followers of Christ, we can love the world best if we "FOLLOW!" The more we submit to the will of God, the more we seek to find God's ways and what God thinks, and then obey it, the greater benefit we will be to the world!

When we allow our own opinions to cloud God's, it may seem right but it cannot produce the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. We all have many preconceived ideas which must be laid at the feet of Jesus! He designed this universe and knows best how to run it!

Can you imagine the power that could be unleashed in the world if we walked as Jesus walked - complete surrender and obedience to the will of the Father?

Do we love the world enough to submit to God and obey Him?

5. HE DIED!
Ultimately Jesus loved us by suffering and dying for us!

For most of us that will not involve becoming a martyr for Christ. But we can suffer and die while we are still alive - we can die to self! The more we allow God to get ahold of us and change us, the more we can really show Him to the lost dying world! When we allow "self" to rule - however seemingly great that self might be - we push Jesus to the background and hide Him from the world!

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1 (emphasis added)

Do we love the people in the world enough to suffer and die for them?

If we want to truly love, we will ALL have to ask God to demolish our preconceived ideas of what love is and allow Him to impart His own perfect understanding of what it means to love!

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EXCUSES, EXCUSES!

16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,  18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused. ’
19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them...'
20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife...'
Luke 14:16, 18-20 (portions shortened for brevity)

We all tend to make excuses when we don't really want to do something!

When that day comes - that we all have to stand before Him to give an account - what excuses might people use as to why they didn't accept His offer? More important, what might His response be?

Below are just a few possible excuses and suggestions of how Jesus might respond:

"I didn't have time."

Jesus: "Let's see. It says here that you spent hundreds of hours up in the middle of the night, studying for your master's degree."

"I was too busy."

Jesus: "Let's look at the record. You watched (fill in the blank) hours of TV and movies and (blank) hours of vacation time!"

"No one told me."

Jesus: "Let's watch this video which recorded all the times I tried to speak to you through someone."

"Someone at the church hurt me - so I never went back."

Jesus: "You were hurt at school, the bar, sporting events, parties - and yet you kept going back."

"I had a very demanding business to run."

Jesus: "Let's look at the history of many who gave up being rich and settled for less for the sake of God, their family and their own soul!"

Notice that in the above verses, no excuse is acceptable to God! Nothing can come before Him! These are mere suggestions. I am certain that God's responses in that day to any excuse we make will be far more accurate and able to shred every excuse we can think of into tiny pieces!

Let's all stop making excuses while we still can and answer God's kind invitation! That is what He really wants for us in this parable! He does not want to "set us up" so He can "catch us in the act" and prove we were wrong. His warning proves that He wants us all to answer the invitation and come to the wedding feast!



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