Posted on

There Is No God

I’ve called April 1 Atheists’ Day because Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 begin, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” But, not only atheists but backsliding Christians (2 Peter 2:20-21) and those who don’t seek God fall into the category of fool, according to the rest of this short psalm.

I. Romans 3:9-24. The application of Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 is made here. After describing how we are all alike under sin, this New Testament passage explains how God’s righteousness is made available through Jesus’ work on the cross for those who do seek Him.

II. Hebrews 10:26-31. As the wicked eat up the generation of the righteous, we understand that God gives salvation to all who call upon His name (Romans 10:9-13). Those who sin after the knowledge of the gospel will face judgment as they should know better.

III. Matthew 13:36-43. The last verse of these psalms proclaims that those who do seek God will find restoration, rejoicing, and gladness. Salvation came into Zion (John 12:13-15) and would indeed go forth from there (Acts 1:8). The righteous will shine like the sun.

By your living, do you say in your heart, ‘There is no God’?

Posted on

I Gave My Life for Thee

When my daughter had a flat tire on the highway on the way back to college a few years ago, it was difficult to hear the rough, male voices of the two truckers who stopped to help her change it.  Though they were wonderful Good Samaritans, as a dad I envisioned them abducting her while I was powerless to stop them.

Because of sin, we have earned death (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23).  The hymn, “I Gave My Life for Thee,” challenges us to return all of ourselves to God because Jesus has given all to us (Psalm 91).

I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou might’st ransomed be, And quickened from the dead.

I.  John 17:3-5.  Jesus left the glory of heaven for our sakes.  Since God is His refuge, the same promises are ours if we make our home within His wings.  The question in the chorus challenges us to leave this world for ministry:

My Father’s house of light, My glory circled throne, I left for earthly night, For wand’rings sad and lone;

I left, I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for Me?  I left, I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for Me?

II.  Hebrews 2:16-18.  Jesus was made like us in every way that He might suffer for us in every way to be a help for us in time of struggle (Isaiah 53:4-6).  Shouldn’t we also suffer all things in this world for Him?

I suffered much for thee, More than thy tongue can tell, Of bitt’rest agony, To rescue thee from hell;

I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for Me?  I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for Me?

III.  Matthew 4:5-7.  Because He did not yield to temptation, Jesus was able to bring us salvation, pardon and love.  The last stanza of the hymn speaks of His protection and provision and asks:

And I have brought to thee, Down from My home above, Salvation full and free, My pardon and My love;

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, What hast thou brought to Me?  I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, What hast thou brought to Me?

Thankfully, my daughter got the help she needed to change her tire.  Dead in our sins and separated from God, Jesus gave His life for us to ransom us from hell.  What is our response to that?

I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou giv’n for Me?  I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou giv’n for Me?

 

 

Posted on

Our God, He Is Alive

Because it acts like He is dead or never existed, the world tells us that everything we see exists by accident or macro-evolution.  But, no matter how smart or advanced man thinks he has become, he cannot explain how something came from nothing, complexity evolved from chaos, how life arose from non-life, or how morality developed from instinct.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:19-22).

Rather, because “Our God, He Is Alive,” God is able to help us in many ways here and in eternity.

I.  John 1:1-3.  In the first and second stanzas of the song, God is able to help us as our Creator (Isaiah 40:28-31) and Communicator (2 Timothy 3:16-17):

There is, beyond the azure blue, A God, concealed from human sight, He tinted skies with heav’nly hue And framed the worlds with His great might.

There was, a long, long time ago, A God the prophets heard, He is the God that we should know, Who speaks from His inspired Word.

II. Colossians 1:15-20.  The third stanza shows God as Omnipotent (1 Corinthians 1:21-25) and Omniscient (Isaiah 55:8-9, Matthew 7:7-8):

Secure, is life from mortal mind, God holds the germ within His hand, Tho’ men may search, they cannot find, For God alone does understand.

III.  John 8:34-36.  The fourth stanza explains that because Jesus was our Sacrifice, He can also be our Savior (Romans 3:21-26):

Our God, whose Son upon a tree, A life was willing there to give, That He from sin might set man free, And evermore with Him could live.

Because we know that we serve a risen Savior, we see how He continues to help us in our daily walk with Him and prepares us for eternity, so we can declare to an unbelieving world that …

There is a God, He is alive, in Him we live, and we survive; From dust our God created man, He is our God, the great I AM.

Posted on

Up from the Grave He Arose

Last July, six year-old Bridger Walker threw himself in front of a mean dog to shield his little sister from certain death.  After the dog tore open his face, he still got her to safety.  When asked why he did it, he said that as the big brother, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.”  Isn’t this what Jesus determined at Gethsemane and Calvary that He must do for us?  Just as the scars that Bridger carries are a reminder of the love he has for his sister, Jesus, being fully God, shields us from certain death by rising from the grave.

I.  Luke 24:1-7.  At the tomb, Jesus conquered our death problem.  Because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23), we’ve all earned death, but the gift of eternal life can now come to us because Jesus conquered death (Romans 6:23).  He was fully man to be our sacrifice, yes, but He was fully God to be our Savior.  We no longer need to be held in slavery to our fear of death because Jesus conquered (Hebrews 2:14-16).

II.  1 Corinthians 15:1-26.  At the tomb, Jesus had to be fully God to be our Savior.  The leaders of every other world religion died; only in Christianity do we serve a risen Savior.  Jesus reveals His divinity by promising to raise Himself from the dead (John 2:18-22).  On Pentecost, Peter confirms this by stating that God raised Him (Acts 2:22-24).  Because Jesus was fully God, the gospel can save us.

III.  1 Corinthians 15:42-57.  We can rise with Jesus who was fully God to be our Savior.  We, who die in Christ, will also live in Him.  Because death has been conquered, we can have victory in Jesus.  But we must obey.  Jesus’ work at the cross and at the tomb is ours to obey (Romans 6:3-5).  Because Jesus overcame death, He became our source of eternal salvation if we obey (Hebrews 5:7-9).

As noble as Bridger Walker’s saving of his sister was, Jesus’ conquering of death for all who obey the gospel is a better salvation story.  Have you obeyed it?

Posted on

The Old Rugged Cross

We are to let the Word dwell in us richly, Colossians 3:16 tells us, and one of those ways to teach and admonish with thankfulness in our hearts is by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.  “The Old Rugged Cross” is a beloved hymn that proclaims Jesus’ death for our sins and then gives us a glimpse of our glorious future if we not only obey but live out the gospel.

I. Romans 3:21-25.  After describing the place of Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice (John 19:17-19), the song tells us that the cross is an “emblem of suffering and shame” (Galatians 3:11-13).  And yet we “love that old cross.”  How?  Because, we discover, that the “dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”  As we realize that Jesus died for us, we want to live for Him (Galatians 2:19-21) … and the horrific cross takes on new meaning.

II. John 15:18-19.  The world doesn’t get it, and in the best of its wisdom despises the cross … and so us who have obeyed the gospel and are living it out in our lives (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).  But to us, the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  That the “dear Lamb of God” would leave His “glory above” to “pardon and sanctify me” (John 1:29; John 17:4-5) is the “wondrous beauty I see.”

III. 1 Peter 4:12-13.  Then promising that living out the principles of the gospel will be hard, we’re encouraged in the song to persevere to one day share in Jesus’ glory.  If we “cling to the old, rugged cross,” we will one day secure a crown (James 1:12).

Since Jesus gave all for you, won’t you give all for Him?

Posted on

Build One Another Up

Whether photoshopped or not, this picture of a cyclist being chased by a bear is a great illustration for motivation.  In our Christian walk, however, we struggle to see the bear behind us and often fall into drudgery or complacency.  How do we find the enthusiasm for ourselves and then to encourage and build up others?

I.  1 Thessalonians 5:8-11.  First, we belong to the day.  This we should not forget.  When we came up out of that water of baptism, we set aside the deeds of darkness as a new creation and pledged to live for God and His will (Romans 13:11-14).  So, we live as children of light (John 3:19-21) with the protection of God’s breastplate of faith and love and helmet of the hope of salvation.  So many face the trials of the day not equipped with what God has provided.  They haven’t grasped their motivation.

II.  Colossians 3:1-17.  The world tells us that heaven is for all and hell for a few, and sadly many live this motivation-killing lie.  The Bible shows us that the opposite is true–that hell is for all (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23) and that heaven is for a few (Matthew 7:13-14).  We’re told to ‘obtain’ salvation.  This means we need to work it out with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13).  Even Jesus needed to do this (Hebrews 5:7-9) and used the joy of heaven as motivation to endure the cross (Hebrews 12:1-3).

III.  Ephesians 4:12-16.  In that is our motivation!  If in Jesus’ sacrifice we share in His glory, then we have reason to enthusiastically obey Him in our daily walk.  But that’s not enough.  We are to then encourage one another and build one another up.  Here’s the purpose of the church coming together each week and staying connected throughout the week.  Here’s why edification is so much more than just instruction.  It’s the application for our own lives and concern for others.  Because of Jesus, we do so.

God through Paul tells the Thessalonians “… just as you are doing.”  How encouraging it must have felt to know they were on the right track.  We too, if we do these things and rediscover our motivation for our Christian walks, can know that we are living out God’s plan for us.

 

Posted on

For As the Man Is

In an age where our secular culture attacks any show of masculinity as ‘toxic,’ should the church settle for the feminized version of what it means to be a man?

I.  Judges 8:18-21.  Having overcome his fear and fully trusting in God, Gideon routs the armies attacking Israel and captures two of their leaders, who basically tell him to kill them himself if he were to be a man.  Gideon does, but is it toxic masculinity or doing what has to be done–even if it’s hard?  Fear almost always is the cause for most men to shrink back from being ‘men.’  Describing David as a man after God’s heart, God explains that he would do all of His will (Acts 13:22).  So, to be a godly men, we must be a living sacrifice to know what God’s will is (Romans 12:1-2), choosing to do His will–even if it’s difficult.

II.  Hebrews 5:7-9.  Jesus was such a man, who suffered greatly in His obedience to His Father’s will, but became the source of salvation to all who obey Him.  We are told to fix our eyes on Him as our example and for perseverance to obey because the way He endured the cross was “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:1-4).  Jesus fulfilled what it means to be a godly man in the fullest sense and then left us an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21-23), even forgiving from the cross (Luke 23:34).

III.  Psalm 18:29-40.  So, only in Jesus and walking as He did (1 John 2:6) are we able to be ‘men’ by God’s definition.  “For as the man is, so is his strength,” Gideon was told.  Since “the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25), how better to truly be a ‘man’ than through Him?

God made both men and women in His likeness.  There’s no reason why the church must accept that there’s no difference or that gender is somehow fluid or subject to choice.  Rather, both men and women must live out how they were intended to be in Him as outlined in His Word.

Posted on

To the Interests of Others

The man in the WWII hat shuffled towards the door of the bank I was exiting, and even though I was in a hurry, I waited and held the heavy door open for him.  Surely my general courtesy could extend so far.  Then, he stopped in the doorway, thanked me, and asked if I knew of a Volkswagon dealership in the area.  I didn’t and it would have been so easy to politely tell him that so I could get to my errands, but instead I took out my smartphone and googled the information for him right there.

I. Philippians 2:1-8.  So often we tell ourselves that we love others and, of course, love God when we really are just looking out for our own interests.  God says that if we love others, we first love Him by making His joy complete by being like-minded and one, focused as one on the goal of heaven.

II. 1 John 3:16-18.  We need to love others like Jesus did us: dying for our sins and rising for our redemption.  This means action and sacrifice!  We understand this as parents, but we must extend this to others, some who have done nothing for us or may even be enemies (Romans 5:6-8).

III. 1 John 2:3-6.  When Jesus took on flesh, He did not take a vacation among His creation.  He emptied Himself of His Godness and became like us in every way, so that He could suffer, die, and rise from the dead–for us!  We are to have that same attitude; we must obey to walk as Jesus did.

This time the sacrifice of my time took about half a minute, and I was able to tell this elderly veteran what he needed to know.  Referring to my phone, he said he might have to get himself one of those “frizzly-frazzly” things.  Though it may cost, how do you look out for the interests of others?

Posted on

May faithfulness and love not disappear from among us

Based on Hosea 4

Father, let us hear your word, and may it not be a word of accusation against us. Help us to live according to your commandment so that we may hear your approval.

May faithfulness and love not disappear from among us, nor the knowledge of your glory. May they flourish in our midst.

May sin not been seen, but righteousness. As your servants and holy priests, keep us from stumbling. Let us not be destroyed for lack of knowledge. Let us not reject knowledge, but help us to choose it so that we may be chosen by you.

May we not ignore your law, so that we are not ignored by you. We confess, Lord, that so many among us disparage and disdain your commands. We confess that your people are moving away from your demands. Move among us, Lord, to place us squarely in obedience to your will.

Let us refuse to exchange our glory—our knowledge of you—for shameful things. Let us not feed upon the sins of the people nor feel pleasure in their iniquities.

Feed us, so that we may be satisfied. Keep us from abandoning you. Strengthen us that we might be faithful. Let us always turn to you for answers.

We want our sacrifices to be spiritual and acceptable to you. Keep us from running after the vain worship of the religions around us. Break our rebelliousness. Feed us as the pastor feeds his sheep in the field.

May we remain grounded and protected on the day when your wind of judgment sweeps away all those who belong to false religions.