Study from Matthew 10

What do you think when you think of Iran?

Terrorism?

Muslims?

Lost souls?

Death?

What do you think of when you think of America?

Founded upon Christian basics, morals, and ethics?

Betraying God?

Lust of the flesh?

Lust of the eyes?

Pride of life?

America was founded up Christian basics, we have multi-billion churches. There is not a city without a church. Most families own their very own dust collectors called a Bible, and even our own Christmas music is bathed in Christian tones. But what has happened to America?

I recently attended John Piper's CrossCon Missionary conference, and there was this woman from Iran who spoke. She said that if you were to ask the question “what do you think of when you think of America?” in her country, everybody would say “Anti-Christian”.

America has been so blinded by all the things that they can do without God, that they have forgotten that without him they are cold, blind, miserable, and naked.

A man spoke at that conference as well, he was a missionary to Iran. “Every Tuesday at noon” he says, “I teach a gospel discipleship class to Muslim students. I do not hide in my home, or underground in some cave. Instead we meet at the local college, in the cafeteria. And we invite all who pass by.” And he went on to say that they have seen so many college aged Muslims come just to hear the Bible publicly.

Yet the other week at work one of my co-workers sneezed. I said God bless you and was met with an interesting reply. Another employee said, I quote, “You know people take offense at that.”

Just for us to hear God's name spoken unless in a cuss word people in America everybody gets all up in arms and grabs their pitchforks and torches and want to hang whoever said it! You think Iran is a closed country, yet they seem to cherish the chance to hear the gospel, even unbelieving Muslim students. So what America? What happened?

I think I know.

I start in Matt. 9:35 and end at the end of Matt. 10. But here is an excerpt.

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him...”

I want to stop there and discuss it. He isn't seeing men and women and children that have sickness and disease, but he sees into their spiritual state of being. He sees that their spiritual need is greater than their physical ailments. And he turns to his disciples and says “There are not enough workers. We need more laborers.”

And from this we get two words. We have three important words in the Christian life: called, called, and sent.

The first called: I am called to the LORD (salvation)

The second called: I am called for the LORD (work)

Sent: I am sent (I must go to Africa, I must go to Asia, I must go to Romania)

But it is so sad that of those who are “sent”, how many are sent to their neighbors, to their families, to their friends, to their co-workers? The answer is everybody, yet for some reason almost everybody forgets that. I heard a statistic at CrossCon that of every missionary called to go overseas, only 12% have witnessed at their home. What is wrong with that picture?

If I were to say that I am called to Mexico to be a missionary, I must first ask myself, “Have I ever witnessed to the Mexican's in town?” We can not forget about our neighbors. That is why America, because we have forgotten to preach in the apartment buildings down the street. We have failed to raise our youth confident and bold to tell their friends at school.

We go to Matt 10:5-7

“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”

We hear of the great commission, but let me tell you of the first commission. Jesus says, “Don't go to the foreigners, go to your neighbors. Go to your friends. Start there. Listen, if you are not bold enough to go to your football team at school and say “Hey, listen, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then don't even think about going overseas to Haiti or Africa! You will accomplish nothing other than an emotional high. And there will be a false fire in you like a fire cracker, it will shoot up and there will be a loud BANG and then it dies!

Jesus begins his disciples ministry to their people. And only after you have done that task can you follow the Matt 28 commission, the great commission, to then go overseas.

Now we have seen the call. The call for all men. Let me look at the word we use, “Sent”. In my Biblical Greek class my instructor gave us the root word for “Send”. And it is the same root as the word “Apostle”. So to say that I am a Christian is synonymous with saying that I am an apostle of Christ. And to say I am an apostle of Christ is synonymous with saying, “I have this duty, a job, I am sent, for Christ, to everyone around me.” And this is not sent overseas. Vs 5 of Matt 10 it begins by being sent down the street. To your school. To your work. And if you refuse then you break the very Matt 10 Commandment.

Now in that class my instructor wanted to add something, the very meaning behind “the kingdom of God is at hand.” Well we all know what it means, but how important is it to us?

In the Greek, he says that it is the picture of a dam, and it is breaking. And God's hand is holding it up. You are the tiny city at the base of the dam, and soon God will pull his hand back, and those billions of tons of water will come rushing down and in less than a second you will be gone. That is how important this is. The Jews understood. It is a Greek Aris text—which means life or death. You want the star player of the football team to die—cause he will. You want your best co-worker to die? He is going to. And when he dies where will he go? And don't take the blame off yourself saying the cliché phrase, “I witnessed through my actions.” with your smug attitude. John Piper says “you can not witness without words.” And for some reason every one says “People see how good you are and they ask you questions. So it opens doors.” Does it? I've never seen that and know nobody who that has happened to. Well mormons are more righteous than Christians. If it was all up to works the Mormons would be safe and most Christians would be damned. So why don't you act more like them if that is your attitude?

Every 1.5 seconds someone dies and goes to hell. It is that fast. And the day is soon approaching where God will release his hand and the great majority of “American Christians”, and church goers, and the surplus population will be in hell. Don't we care anymore, or are we going to continue to be like that Muslim lady said, “When you think of America, you think anti-Christian.”

We have been commanded what to do—go.

And we have been commanded what to say—the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

I encourage you to read Matthew 9:35-10:42, 1 Peter 1, and Exodus 3:4-14.

And to remember the lukewarm church in Revelation 3:14-22.

May the Lamp who was slain receive the full reward for his sufferings.  

Absolute LORD, Dictator, Ruler and King

Matthew 2:3-6

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophets: 'but you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel'.”

It is not difficult to believe that the Jews had long anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Judaism 101 tells us that the most basic of the Jewish beliefs was that out of the line of David he would come. It, being the fundamental part of their faith, has been incorporated into their daily prayers as well.

Let me now take a moment to discuss the Shemoneh Esrei. It was a prayer recited three times daily. It consists of 18 parts. Parts 14 and 15 are what we will put our focus on.

Part 14 Binyan Yerushalyim: (Concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem)

“Return to Jerusalem, Your city, and dwell in her midst as You have spoken. May You build it soon and in our days as an eternal building, and prepare the throne of David within it quickly. Blessed are You O LORD, Builder of Jerusalem.”

And part 15 Malkhut beit David: (Concerning the Kingdom of David)

“Cause the Branch of David to flourish quickly, and raise his horn in Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day. Blessed are You O LORD, Who makes the horn of salvation to flourish”

We see the eager anticipation of the coming of God in flesh to come and take His rightful place in Jerusalem, as the King of the Jews. At this moment in time he was greatly awaited and expected because of what was written in Ezekiel 38:16 “You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” This was heavily interpreted to mean that before the time of Messiah there would be war and suffering upon the Jews. And here the Jews are being ruled and oppressed by the Romans. They were cheated through taxation. They were being violated. If the time for the Messiah to arise it would be now—or so thought the Jews.

They believed him to be a King long awaited. In fact, the term used instead of “Messiah” was “Mashiach”. The term Mashiach does not mean savior. The literal meaning is “the Anointed One” referring to the anointing of the head when a man takes the position of king upon the throne. The Mashiach is one who will be anointed as King of the Jews. Thus, they were expecting a King.

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold the days are coming” says the LORD, “that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and proper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”

And here is more evidence as to why they were searching for a king, or a government official. He will be well versed in Jewish law (Isaiah 11:2-5). They awaited a charismatic leader, one inspiring others to follow His example. They thought he would be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. They expected a great judge, who will make righteous decisions.

They had certain expectations for their Mashiach.

•  
  • The Mashiach will bring about political and spiritual redemption and restore Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5)
  • He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, for Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1)
  • He will rebuild the temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18)
  • He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15)

So we see the expectation which the Jews had for a king. But what about a Savior to the world? As Commissioner James Gordon says in Batman, “the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.” Well here we are looking at the Savior, the king, not that Jerusalem deserves but the one they need. Yet in their search for this King whom they thought would liberate them and bring them to the top above all other nations, something curious happens in Matthew 2:3.

Before I get there let me paint the picture of King Herod. Although born an Arab, he was a practicing Jew. He had been appointed by Rome as the king of the Jews, his iron hand stretching from Palestine to parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. His vast and successful rule earned him the title Herodes Magnus, “Herod the Great”.

The Romans all gave Herod the title, “king of the Jews.” So for when Pilate ordered the sign “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” To be nailed to the cross above Jesus, it was more of an offense towards the Jews. The chief priests shouted out for the sign to be taken down, “I have written what I have written” was Pilates reply.

Now to see what was odd, Matthew 2:3 “...he (Herod) was troubled, and all Jerusalem with Him.” The great king, the deliverer, the man to be born prophesied through the years, long awaited and searched for. Yet when he comes, not only is Herod troubled, but all of Jerusalem with him. They should have rung the bells and rejoiced. The priests should be offering the thanksgiving sacrifices and the people should be feasting. Their Savior was born as promised many hundreds of years before. But instead, Jerusalem is troubled. Why?

This great man long awaited was rejected by his very people. The Jewish leaders of the temple would not travel to see him. Bethlehem had no room for him in the inn (Luke 2:7). The Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head (Matt 8:20), and when he died he was buried in a borrowed tomb (Matt 27:59, 60) This world has no room, nor time for Jesus. We even know from Matthew 14:6 that his family did not even believe him.

As my favorite minister, Leonard Ravenhill, says:

“And there’s no room for Him in the inn.He got a bit older, there was no room in His family, His family turned on Him.He went to the temple, no room in the temple, the temple turned on Him.And when He died there was no room to bury Him, He died outside of the city.Well why in God’s Name do you expect to be accepted everywhere?How is it that the world couldn’t get on with the holiest Man that ever lived and can get on with you and me?Are we compromised? Are we compromised?Have we no spiritual stature?Have we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption?”

Now I would like to get to the point of my note.

This world is the enemy of Christ. Matthew 13:57 “...A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.”

We as Christians, right now, must imagine ourselves as His country. Where is His honor? Where is His glory? Herod was troubled....Jerusalem was troubled. And I have a question. If Jesus came back to earth today to live among us...would you be troubled?

Right now take one minute to think about this.

Would you be troubled?

Read it again, would you be troubled?

Is your business, is your life, is your plans of the kind that you would have no shame nor fear if you knew Jesus would return today?

Herod and Jerusalem showed their wickedness when they were troubled at the coming of the Savior. How about you?

What were you watching on television the other day? Did you program have cussing, adultery, per-marital or extra-marital sex in it? Violence to the degree that would dishonor the LORD? Even one use of the LORD's name in vain, because it is so beautiful and so holy, should make you cry. Our music is corrupt, many songs now playing on the secular radio stations are woman singing love songs to other women, or men being proud to be gay. Drinking, drugs, murder, sex, prostitution. Our movies and shows are corrupt.

I wonder if the church today is even doing its job. Is the church a light. I don't see it anymore. I see churches just as corrupt as the world. I see the majority of the church-goers more rude and angry and hateful than most of the homosexuals, adulterers, and prostitutes that I worked with as a CNA at my nursing homes.

If were are supposed to be the light of the world why are we so dark.

Some women will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on make-up, getting the right clothes on) yet when was the last time you spent that same amount of time in the bible, or in prayer.

Our world has never been in a greater sense of turmoil than it is today.

“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31. When was the last time you took a sip of water and glorified the LORD through it?

And you Christian who says I can't believe that Jerusalem was disturbed. I can't believe that the Jewish leaders were not there seeking after him. I can't believe that they didn't go bow down and worship him. There may be some specific people coming to mind, but before you jump to criticize others, do you have time for Him? Or would you troubled if he walked into your living room, or you bedroom, or your empty prayer closet, or dusted off your bible?

Subliminal, Honorable, and Dear Anti-Christ

A discussion took place in 1762 between two writers concerning the "shame and infamy of Christianity". The truth is, we who have westernized Christianity, have an issue with the authority and holiness of God. Where in any other day of Christian history, His name could not even be spoken without fear, yet here we disrespect His name daily. In reading through a book entitled "the institutes of Biblical Law" I find that to break the third commandment (blashpheming His name) we not only blaspheme His holy name with swearing or cussing, but in the original definition it meant to tear down something holy from its pedistal. We as western Christians tear God down daily through our words but as well as our actions. Rebecca West in The Meaning of Treason wrote "It was laid down in 1608, by reference to the case of Sherly, a Frenchman who had come to England and joined in a conspiracy against the King and Queen, that such a man 'owed to the King obedience, that is, so long as he was within the King's protection'." But in an age when men deny God and His sovereignty, the world is torn then between two conflicing claimants to the authority of God: the totalitarian state on the one hand, and the totaliarian, anarchistic individual on the other hand. The totalitarian state permits no dissent, and the anarchistic individual admits no possible loyalty outside of himself. When all the world is black, no concept of black is possible, since no differentiation exists. Everything being black, there is no principle of definition and description left. When all the world is in blasphemy, no definition of plasphemy is possible: everything is the same. As the world moves toward total blasphemy, its ability to define and to recognize anything diminishes. Hence the necessity and health of judgement, which, as a catharsis, restores perspective and definition to the world.

The sad truth is that the basic premise of the law and of society today is relativism. Relativism reduces all things to a common color, to a common gray. As a result there is no longer any definition for treason, or for crime. The criminal is protected by law, becuase the law knows no criminal, since modern law denies that absoluteness of justice which defines good and evil. What cannot be defined cannot be delimited or protected. A DEFINITION IS A FENCING AND A PROTECTION AROUND AN OBJECT: it seperates it from all things else and protects its identity. An absolute law set forth by the absolute God separates good and evil and protects good.

When the law is denied, and relativism sets in, there no longer exists any valid principle of differentiation and identification. What needs protecting from whom, when all the world is equal and the same? When all the world is water, there is no shore line to be guarded. When all reality is death, there is no life to be protected. Because the courts of law are increasingly unable to define anything due to their relativism, they are increasingly unable to protect the rightous and the law-abiding in a world where crime cannot be properly defined.

Is there anymore distinction today between Christians and Non-Christians?

Is there anymore distinction in the modern, western society between those who obey God's law and those who don't?

After WWII Chief Justice Frederick Moore Vinson made the claim, "Northing is more certain in modern society than the principle that there are no absolutes." No absolute truth, no absolute salvation, no absolute institution for biblical law and principle. Thus "the principle that there are no absolutes", enthroned as law, means warfare against the Biblical absolutes. As the old saying went (yet is forgotton today) Ecrasex L'infame--CRUSH THE INFAMOUS THING! The shame and infamy of Christianity must be wiped out. This can only be done once the "Christians" start acting like lovers-of-Christ. As Voltair wrote in 1762 "Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror...May this great God who is listening to me, this God who surely could not have been born of a virgin, or have died on the gallows, or have been eaten in a piece of dough, or have inspired these books filled with contradictions, madness, and horror--may this God, creator of all the worlds, have pity on this sect of Christians who blaspheme Him."

See, the problem with us is that we continue to blaspheme His holy name. Not through swearing if you are one of those, in your mind more rightous than others, but through your very act of blasphemous worship. We see this in our own churches in three ways.

1-reductionistic theology. To understand the name of God is to understand the power of the name, and the name implies an entire theology. The revelation of the name of God is a revelation of His character, perfections, sovereignty, power, holiness, and His love--and all these attributes are maligned, distorted, and denied in the reductionistic theologies rampant in our day. God's name is taken in vain among theologians as a matter of routine practice. There are entire libraries of vanity where God's name is taken vain. God has the sole right to define and to name Himself, and it is an act of creaturely arrogance and defiance to deny any component of His revealed name--or to seek to redefine it in a way that would make His character or His being more palatable for a postmodern age. We deny God daily and rob Him of His very power whenver we distort His attributes or name.

It is evident of disguised self-love, disguised idolaters, and it has everything to do with cutting God down to size to accomodate the contemporary standard of thought. Through this all that is left as Dr. Mohler Jr. says is a "desiccated, dehydrated, and demythologized deity--a God who bears no resemblance to Jehovah."

2-triumphalistic piety. Next, we take our LORDS name in vain through our triumphalistic piety. If we could hear ourselves talk--chattering of  "religious nonsess" as Mohler says. Leonard Ravenhill call its "useless rheteric." What do we have to say about God. Or better yet what do our bumper stickers say about God: "God is our co-pilot", "our dream weaver", "our life artist", "our friend", "our coach", "our therapist." Not Jehovah? He renders no therapy, he offers no coaching, and he weaves no dreams. He reveals to people their sin. He saves people from the full evil and wrath of hell. He rules over all the earth and no one can limit His power. The triviality and triteness of our triumphalistic piety, the backslapping easy familiartiy with the things of God and his own name. We avoid forbidden words yet take the LORDs name in vain by the sheer triteness and cheapness of so much of how we speak when we talk about Him. "God told me", "God showed me", "God led me". Yes he does show, and he does tell, and he does lead...through His reavealed word. Forms of idolotry come upon us when without any revealed, canonical, scriptural word we speak as if God has spoken to us and given us a new revelation. This is where false theology comes into play...theology such as the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. Yes God does want us wealthy...but wealthy in His word and grace. 

3-superficial worship. God takes worship seriously. He demonstrates this all throughout the Bible. The story of Cain and Abel. And Nadab and Abihu who were consumed by fire. Our worship should be word-centered, biblically regulated, scripturally established, Christ-focused, and trinitarion. Yet the modern church turns it into a laboratory of Frivolities and circus of creativites. We care more so about entertainment rather than the honest worship of Christ. We go to church wondering whther the green bay is winning or not. Or where to eat afterwards. Or about golf later. Or even about going out with the kids, or wife, or girlfriend later. And your heart isn't in worship. You are so dependant upon things of this world that your spiritual life is being molded and formed by them. As the chinese missionary said when he went back to China our churches are flodded with distractions. Christ is not in the church today, the center of our church is football and sports, and family meetings, and 'look at me and what I am doing for the LORD,' instead of "God come fill this place and bring us to our knees." There is no more agony in the church today. What happened to the weeping? Leonard Ravenhill tells us that "todays church wants to be raptured from responsibility." We are so full of ourselves and our own desirings...yet we dont desire Christ. How can you pull down Satans strongholds when you dont even have the power to turn off your own television. Ravinhill asks, "Is the world crucified to you tonight, or does it facinate you." I know that 99% of everyone I know is more fascinated by the world than crucified to it. You know what fascinates me...some women will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on makeup, find the best dress, their hair, etc). What if we spent the same amount of time in prayer? We can go to the movies for three hours and not even give God five minutes in prayer. Our morning bible study is spent with four mintues in "My utmost for his highest." Or  any other little five minute bible study. Yet even those people will tell us not to use them as a substitute for the Bible but we do everyday. Our worship is a sham, the way we praise God is a farce, our horizen of worship over him is too low. When we do not worhsip Him seriously or in the way that He would have us worship Him we are creating an idol  and that is all. We fabricate a new God which will merely tolerate our sinful pethetic existance where we only care about how we want to worship him and nothing else.

the God you "love"

I was talking with a brother the other day and here is what he says to me..."I see all these people around me and they all have missions and ministry, but I have none." Now being young and foolish and unable to descern the human heart (not that I can either) I ask him "what is more important, your ministry, or you loving Christ?". Now of course I went somewhere with this...I didn't just end it there. So anyway, lately I have been doing an study over the course of the last several months on loving Christ...how can I love Him more? How can I show that love? How can I love Him more honerably? What does it mean to truly love Him? How does loving Him effect me? Etc etc etc. What I have found out is that everything you do in life all must relate to loving Him. All is for His glory. Even the smallast sip of water. A brother blessed me by praying and praising Christ for the water last weekend at TGIF. I am about to be married (praise the LORD) and I am glorifying Him througnh this relationship...it is a marriage covenent based unpon Him and loving Him. But my point is...loving Christ is probably the most (And i say probably...I am no Bible scholar by anymeans and have not yet matured enough for definite answers like this) important aspect of our Christian walk. 

I have a question now. Do you remember the last time when, back in your Christian life, all that you ever wanted was Christ? Not a ministry, not a mission field, just Christ? All that you ever wanted was to just be with Him? Like I said I am about to marry the most amazing woman Christ created. I love Maegan. I lover her so much, and there is so much that she can do. She is so smart and talented. But I am not marrying her because I want something from her--I am amrrying her simply because I want HER. I just to be with her. That was one of the ways that I knew I loved her because we could sit down and be with eachother and not say a word. Just the joy of being in her presence was all that I needed. And this is the same thing we must do with Christ. I believe that we are (And I say we as Christians as a whole) getting to wrapped up in a ministry. So often have I heard (and prayerd myself many times) "God use me!" shouted out with such depiration for Him to use me, Him to need me. I hear cried out, "Give me a ministry!" "Give me a mission!" "Make me be great for you!" (A wonderful brother several sundays ago was determined that he would be 'big for Christ'). Yet how often do we silently and lovingly whisper in Gods ear "God just sit a while with me, let me hear your voice, let me smell your presence, just catch a glimpse of your eye" (you think this sounds femanine just remember I'm praying to my lover). I have been taking Maegan through Song of Solomon 4 lately, but in chapter three I see something so beautiful. 3:1-4 reads, "All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; looked for him but did not find him.2 I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares;I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him.3 The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves." This woman is not searching for the man to say give me something to do so that I can be great--how prideful is that, instead it is "I love you, I need to be with you". And she got up and searched for him. Let us search for Christ just to be with Him. Let us do ministry as well and not forsake our jobs, but I want us to not forget our love and the sacred romance we have with Christ. He is our lover...lets start treating Him and acting like He is. 

the Fear of God: The Church has Lost it

But to this one I will look to him who is humble and contrite and who trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

Jerimiah 2:13 For my people have commited two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.

How appropriate that in the very next verse Jeremiah asks, "Are God's people slaves now? WHy are they spoiled?" Can such a thing be possible, that God's chosen could actually turn away, forsake the refreshing fountain of living water to sip muddy water from a polluted, diseased well? The water Jesus offered the woman at the well, water that forever satisfies thirst--REJECTED for a drink from the germ-laden, shallow well. 

Would you call a man a fool who walks past a pure artesian well to stoop down and drink from a muddy puddle? Yet, what are Christians doing but that, when they drink the filth of what is on television, or the music of the world, or the entertainment of the world, or speak like the world and look like the world and love everything that is of the world. And they say "I am a Christian!" Yet you cannot win the world by being like the world and in the end the Devil will win you!

Is the pure water flowing in your secret closet not good enough? Must you shot of the flow of that loving well springing up in you, so you can drink from the filthy cisterns you have dug for yourself? How much time do we spend watching television compared to the time praying for our families and for a lost world? In such an hour of impending judgement, can we spare any time in such foolishness. Or, as Leonard Ravinhill passionatly says "YOU CAN JUST SIT THERE UNTIL YOUR FAMILY DIES AND GOES TO HELL!!!"

Christ looks upon the nation on a Sunday night with millions of Christians comfortably seated in front of their television sets, drinking filthy water, and He certainly must grieve. What can Christ, our Intercessor, say to the Father but, "My people have forsaken me, the fountain of living water. They prefer broken cisterns." 

The commonly loved music of the world is now flooding the church like a landslide and no one is stopping it. Yet instead, our churches our welcoming it. It is as if the baptist preacher holds the door open for the world, shakes his hand, says "have a seat in the front pew, and welcome." We are developing an appitite for dirty water. There is no fear of God in the church anymore. Have we lost it? 

A great man once said "You can tell how much the church loves the church by how many people are in the sunday morning service, and you can tell how much the church loves pastor by how many people are in the sunday evening service, and you can tell how much the church loves God by how many show up to the prayer meeting." And I spoke with a preachers son today and he said "had I known we would be having a prayer service tonight I wouldn't have come." Shocking. And what are we doing at home other than feeding our eternal souls on the filth incubated in hell. Where is the congregation? Home--drinking in that which makes heaven weep. And incredibaly they can't seem to get enough of that water; they go back for more and drink it to the full. 

Will God permit taht, or will we be judged for it. 

Think of what God is saying to us. "I am not enough for my people anymore! I no longer meet their thirst, nor do I satisfy them now. They ahve rejected Me as their source; they thirst for another water! They have turned to the lusts of the flesh and the eye and no longer  yearn after me!" 

And at the last day of Feast, Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." He told his disciples, "My blood is drink indeed." Then we hear Paul's ominous warning "Ye cannot drink the cup of the LORD, and the cup of the devils: ye cannot be partakers of the LORD's table, and of the table of the devils." 

Paul asks, "Do we provoke the LORD to jealousy?" Paul was referring to the fellowship with idols and the drinking from the cup of the devil. Where is a true lover of Jesus who would not lay down, nay, smash any cup that provoked his Beloved to jealousy? 

And I know you will say "Nothing sinful about it--no harm--God isn't angry--just relaxation--a change of pace." Spending hours watching sports, another idol for many, and robbing God of that precious time leads to loss of vision and glory. No wonder so many churches are twice dead and plucked up by the roots.

And our music, and our alcohol, and the secret pornography and homosexuality in the churches, and our television is the very stumbling block Jeremiah cries out about in 6:21. 

We are just like the children of Israel--stubborn and self-willed and determined to indule in the sins of the heathen. And we are laughing so hard out our soap operas, and our comedy program, that we are laughing people right to the gates of hell. We laugh so hard when we ought to be laying down before God with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We are laughing ourselves right out of an awareness of soon-coming judgement. 

We a sedated with a big "ho-hum". Sedated by all the visions of terror, and violence, and turmoil on tv and wonder why our generation is so violent and rebelous. And we are blinded. Nothing seems real anymore becuase all this life is now is just one great fantasy celluloid reel. 

Who, or what, is your god

Leonard Ravenhill asked "is the world crucified to you tonight, or does if facinate you?" He has a good point there. Many people don't stop to think about that. I recently was talking with a friend of mine who claims his sins have become habitual. Allthough he does not want to do them, he claims, they were a part of his life that he can not give up anymore. So basically his sin is become his god. He claims that he knows Christ, and even after a lengthy talk with him he still held strong to the belief that his sin was merely a "habit" and that Christ was still his true God. But is this even possible.

Revelation 20:11-15  "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

1 John 2:15-17 says "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 

So basically my question is, are you enslaved to the things of this world? Paul Washer answers this question with a question--What consumes your thoughts? If some worldly item or idea, or way of life, or sin is flooding your thoughts throughout the day to the point that it pushes Christ out, that is your god. I'll put it another way, this truth, the thing that most consumes your thoughts is your god. Whether that be Christ, or whatever little, petty worldly thing that may be. For many people it's a sport, fishing, soccer, football, whatever it is. To others it may be a job. I recently read an article of a man who was a work acholic. This man worked in the morning, came home for lunch, worked at night. It wasn't very long before he realized that he was throwing his life away, wasting it. For what? What was the end to his means? 

What do we lack? While we are still in the flesh we must, "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:14 He is not calling us to a selfish gain, or an immoral end to the immoral means. We are to serve Christ. 

Now I must say that according to God's word we can not serve two masters. Are you enslaved to sin? What is your god? Everything that you live for, does it reflect God's will for your life, or have the things of this world been elevated in your life to the status of an idle. 

The kingdom of Christ is coming. Paul Washer says that, "with one hand Christ is holding back the judegement of almighty God, and with the other he is pleading for you to come to him. And you know that someday both hands will drop." Are you living for Christ, or is your god of this world? 

Fatal Attraction

Fatal Attraction

1 John 2:15-17

Several years ago there was a movie entitled "Fatal Attraction" in which a man finds himself attracted to another woman. He yields to this temptation, no doubt thinking that it will be a brief encounter. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an affair that threatens to destroy his entire life.

Why is it that we are attracted to the very things which can destroy us? Is it because we like to take risks? Is it because we like dangerous excitement? Is it because we’re just plain stupid? Whatever it is, it is true that we are attracted to things that can destroy us. I suppose that we think that the thrill is worth it. How else can you explain bungee jumping otherwise?

Unfortunately, Christians are attracted to the world and worldliness in much the same way. This is why we have this command not to love the world. It is there not to inhibit our adventurous spirit, but to save us from a world of grief.

Wallace, Paul. "Fatal Attraction Sermon, Fatal Attraction Sermon by Paul Wallace, 1 John 2:15-2:17 - SermonCentral.com." SermonCentral.com - Free Sermons, Illustrations, Videos, and PowerPoints for Preaching. Oct. 2005. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.

Lord Kill me if I don't preach the Gospel part 2

She claimed to be a Christian. She was kind to others. She was generous, caring, loving. What really concerned me was when she answered my question, “Yeah,” when asked if she went to church. I remember asking a boy in Colorado if he went to church. The answer was the same, but come later to find his church preached three gods. I instantly thought back to that boy.

“So you’ve been saved?” I asked her skeptically. I was skeptical because she was living and sleeping with her husband before they were married, all justified by the fact that they were going to get married. What came next startled me really. She asked a question I was not prepared for.

“Okay, I really don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘saved’. Explain this to me.”

My mind went blank. Many of her friends had come into the clinic, all claiming to be Christians, carrying bibles, going to church. Many of whom I personally know from churches. One of whom is a home school family that I know.

So I’m trying to explain to her what it means to be redeemed. Saved—saved from hell, saved from the powers of sin, saved from an eternal punishment. Salvation with a change in your heart and in your mind. As Paul Washer describes, “It’s a growing in holiness. A desire, not to be like Britney Spears, not to be like the world, and not to be like the great majority of American Christianity but to be like Jesus Christ.” Your whole mindset will change once you are saved. Your once selfish desires are now a hunger to be like Jesus Christ, to follow after Him, and to serve Him, to lay your life down for Him, to worship Him alone and to go hard for Him. LORD kill me if I don’t preach the gospel.

Why did her ‘friends’ never tell her? Why did it have to be a co-worker that barely knew her? What is wrong with this picture? I left that room with her finally understanding, but appearing to have no affect on her as she just shrugged off the thought that we as sinful beings need a savior. Nobody knows how many souls are going to be damned to hell forever, so why don't we actually try to do something about it? 

Lord Kill me if I don't preach the gospel.

John 13:20, “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

August 18th, 9:30 I was trying to share the LORD with a co-worker. She claims to be a Christian, but is she I wondered? Randomly I just spouted the words, “John 13.”

“Oh yes,” she replied, “I know that one. ‘Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death’. Yeah, I know my bible.”

“Psalm 23 you mean?”

“Oh yes. What is John 13 again?”

“Jesus is betrayed.”

“Oh yeah, now I remember.”

“I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” After speaking with her I realize rather quickly that she hasn’t accepted Christ. Pregnant before marriage, divorced, alcoholic, gambler, cussing more than I care to hear but what really gets me is her using our LORD’s name in vain so many times. She justifies all of her action—“I’m poor, starting over you know. It’s tough times.”

“But that is what the LORD is for.”

“Yeah, but I really don’t have time.” No time for our LORD? No time to spend five minutes in prayer? It’s when I’m the busiest that I spend the most time in the word. If we let tough times come between us and the LORD are we really Christians? I can not say that you are. I can not, and I will not. Christ is first. If Christ is not the absolute number one priority in my life I pray that I die. ‘LORD kill me if I don’t preach the gospel’.

Enough said.

What Love is This?

"As the Father hath loves me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love" (John 15:9)

The Father's love drove Jesus into a wilderness--after an inglorious birth. It led Him to cursing mobs and misunderstanding co-workers. It took Him to Jerusalem as a hero, then dropped Him as an imposter. It took Him before kings and rulers to be mocked and ridiculed as a pretender. This love left Him bleeding and dying on a cross. It drove Him to the despair of loneliness and brass heavens. This love left Him as a corpse in a sealed tomb. What kind of love is this? Has Jesus really offered us the same kind of love--over the same path? Yes, but here is love: "The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies."



(excerpt from David Wilkerson's "I'm Not Mad at God")

The Love the Father

It is an awesome, mighty thing that the creator of the wind and the holder of the sea would love a sinner like you and me. And His love is exemplified through Christ Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for us, and once the sinner can see the minor illusion of the enormity of his sins then the power of God is at work. The revolting, horrific thoughts of his wrong is uponed, but then a heavenly peace flows upon the man’s heart and the once heartrending thoughts of your sin is put to rest. The Bible says that Jesus has cast our sin as far as the east is from the west. He remembers them no more. They are cast into the sea of forgetfulness. The love of God is greater than any mans conception. It is beyond the human mind to even fathom it. And yet, in my sin, when I least deserved it, God showed His undying and ever increasing love for me. God reached down to me. He killed me in my sin, and then he raised me up again as a new creature in Christ, as a son of the Living God. It is by His grace and mercy alone that I can even take my next breath. This is the love of my Father, that He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure. A love beyond compare. A love out of the reach of any mans perception. 

“How great the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure.
That He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure.
How great he pain of searing loss,
the Father turns His face away,
as wounds which mar the Chosen One, bring many sons to glory.”

There was a great and Godly man. His life was a true witness of the Father’s love towards humans. I got to meet this man and I was blessed to hear his testimony. He starts off by telling of a girl, his sister. She was older than him and smarter. She was a witness for the Father and told every one about him, but high school came soon upon her. In high school she met and started hanging out with the wrong crowd. By college she was addicted to drugs and her life, witness, and beauty soon diminished. She ran away from home, taking her drugs with her. Her parents were heart broken. They loved her so much, that they hired a private investigator to find their prodigal child. They knew that it would take all of the money that they had in order to find her, but they loved her so much that they gave it all up. When they found her she was living in an attic of a building, drugged out, pale, malnourished, to the point of death. Her parents brought her home, fed her, clothed her, and took care of her. They tried to get her off of her addictions and sin but she didn’t care for any of that. She had a loving family, a warm bed to go to, food to eat, and all of the joys of a Christian home to protect her. Yet with all of this love and kindness surrounding her, she ran away once more. This time they were unable to locate her. She was gone from their lives forever. They continued to love her even though she betrayed them. 
He was born with a birth defect which caused his feet to turn inwards. The parents saw this and took him to a hospital to correct this problem. They would lose everything that they had to do so, and they would be paying off the hospital for so many years to come, but they loved their son enough to take him and have the expensive surgery done. The defect was corrected. By the time that he was about ten they noticed one day that his feet once more were turning inwards. They took him back to the hospital, and had the surgery once more to correct the problem. This time it would cost them more. They cared not as their love for their son, and their desire to see him grow up to be able to walk, over came their longing for financial peace. The son grew up and stayed close to the LORD all of his life, and is now walking like he never had a defect. The love of his parents poured out on him saved his legs. And as well the love of the parents extended to his sister offered her peace, love, warmth, and freedom from sin. Yet she chose to continue living in the rut that she was in. 

This love is a perfect example of the love of my Father in heaven. He has given His only Son to die for us, that we may live. We could do like the sister did and not choose Him, instead turn away from Him and live in sin, but if we do choose to walk in the light like the boy, then we will live a peaceful life through Him able to do great things. 
That girl, when she turned away, killed her parent’s heart. As well, whenever we betray the LORD, whenever we sin, we take that whip and lay it across Christ’s back. We drive that nail deeper into his feet and press those thorns yet deeper through his skull. Nevertheless if we did not nail Him there, His love was so strong that He would have reached over and grabbed that hammer from the soldier’s hands and finished the job Himself. 

For I go to prepare a place for you,
If it were not so I would have told you.

That love is beyond all measure. He offered us a home, freedom from sin, love—yet we have to choose it.

Tell Them I am Coming Very Soon

*Matthew 18:28 Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell*

My eyes opened. Disorientation soon set in on my frail and weak body. I was in a holding cell—15 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet. The walls were made of rough, hewn stone and there was a door before he constructed of thick, metal bars. 

*Isaiah 24:22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison* *Proverbs 7:27 Her house is a way to hell, going down to the CHAMBERS OF DEATH* *Lamentations 3:6 He has set me in dark places like the dead of long ago*

I was naked, yet I was not cold. I was on fire. The burning hell fire that once had ignited my soul with passion and greed now burned my flesh. I looked around and saw two great, stone statues on each side of me. To my left stood a figure with the word EVIL on it, and on the other it said TERROR. Suddenly, the beasts started circling me. Fear jumped into my once I realized that these were no statues at all, but demon like. The first was tall, towering about thirteen feet over me. The second was ten feet tall. They were reptile type beasts, stealing the forms of humans. Their arms and legs were unequal lengths. The first had bumps all over its body and scales covered its face. It had a large, protruding jaw which housed gigantic teeth. Above its jaw were black, sunken in eyes. It paced around me, watching me like a starving animal about to pounce its prey. The second beast was thinner, with very long arms and razor-sharp fins covering its body. Coming out of its hands were claw-like fingers nearly a foot long. I stood in the center of them, when suddenly, like ravaging beasts, they jumped on me. 

*Mark 5:3-4 ...no one could bind him, not even with chains…the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces* 

The first picked me up and twisted my weak body. I felt my bones break under his strength. The second slashed at my skin with its long claws. My flesh hung from my body like ribbons as I fell to the cell floor in excruciating pain. Death penetrated me…yet it eluded me. 

*Psalm 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow*

Death would not come to me, as much as I pleaded for this torture to be over. Mercy was a foreign thing to this world. All was evil, from the very pillars to the walls, the gates to those who entered through…it was all pure evil.

*Edward Donnelly—The reality of Hell is so far beyond our experience that language cannot adequately describe it.* *John MacArthur—Hell is a place of enrelieved torment and horrible misery…a place of impenetrable darkenss…a place of fire…a place of unrelieved torment for both body and soul. Hell will be horrible for everboyd there, but some people will suffer more than others.*

The beasts continued to torment me till nothing but flesh and blood hung from my exposed bones. Death…this was death so it was impossible to die yet again. Instead, I would have to life this life…this life that I have chosen on earth. This was my eternal home now. The beasts quit tearing me apart, and soon left the cell. I lay there, wanting to cry, but even crying proved impossible. I crawled out of my cell and what my eyes beheld was indescribable. 

*Exodus 10:21 …darkness which may even be felt*

Cell with beast tearing other humans bodies to shreds. Each creature different in its way, more horrendous and frightful than a humans mind can fathom. It was a large, stone land. Burning hot, the smell of sulfur running up my nose causing me to gag. There seemed to be no escape.

*Psalm 140:10 Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again*

I saw a chute, like a large slide, and on it were millions of souls sliding down into this dark place. A never ending line of poor souls to be brought under the same torment and eternal punishment as I.

*Ezekial 26:20 Then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit…and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit.* 

Edward Donnelly puts Hell in this manner. “The lost will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the LORD (2 Thess. 1:9) No one lives without God…He gives you every breath you take. His kindness surrounds…He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on the unjust as well as the just (Matt. 5:45) He gives you the beauty of a summer evening, the coolness of a refreshing breeze…He delights you with the taste of fresh crusty bread or the juice of a ripe peach….These are God’s gifts…All of these are blessings of God…But in Hell, all this will be taken you…all the dignity that you now have as an image bearer of God will be stripped from you…the wicked with burn with fire but they will not be consumed.”

The wicked will burn with fire and yet they will not be consumed. A never ending death and torment, great suffering and agony. This is what awaits the wicked, those who have not followed the LORD. (Job 33:22 his [their] soul draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners)(Romans 1:28-31 They did not like to retain God in the knowledge…being filled with all unrighteousness…murder…haters of God…unmerciful) This is their destiny. They will all burn in the fires and pits of hell, a never ending fear rushing through their bones. 

*Franklin Graham—Hell is going to be eternity filled with grief and pain, an unquenchable fire, according to the bible*

As Christians, we are called to not be like these people, but to be different. In this ungodly nation there is never a break from needing to tell these people about our Savior. There are many who do not know the LORD and this is their punishment. Are we so afraid of what people will think of us in this life? When instead we will be rejoicing in the next life and they will be wishing that we had told them. The LORD is coming back, and He instructs us to tell them [as many people as we can reach] about Him so that they may not suffer this terrible fate described above. 



(notes taken from the book by Bill Weise entitles 23 Minutes in Hell)

Honor and Obedience to Parents

No one can despise his father or mother without being guilty of an offense against God. “An inevitable curse threatens all stubborn and disobedient children.” Obedience is the evidence of that honor which children owe to their parents, and is therefore more earnestly enforced. It is likewise more difficult; for the human mind recoils from the idea of subjection, and with difficulty allows itself to be placed under the control of another. Experience shows how rare this virtue is, for do we find one among a thousand that is obedient to his parents? 
…parents are to be obeyed, so far only as is consistent with piety to God, which comes first in order. 

“I am the Lord thy God, who show mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:5, 6 …no other commandment but that which enjoins the obedience due by children to their parents is distinguished by a promise.”

The commandment specifies the reverence due those to whom we owe our being…For they are monsters and not men who, petulantly and contumeliously violate the paternal authority. Hence, the Lord orders all who rebel against their parents to be put to death, they being as it were, unworthy of the light in paying no deference to those to whom they are indebted for beholding it.

The honor here referred to consists of three parts, reverence, obedience and gratitude. The first the Lord enforces, when he commands that [he] who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death. In this way he avenges insult and contempt… To the third belongs our Savior’s declaration, that God requires us to do good to our parents (Matt. 15). A promise is added by way of recommendation; the better to remind us how pleasing to God is the submission which is here required.

The whole lies in this: We must consider that long life is promised only in so far as it is a blessing from God, and that it is a blessing only in so far as it is a manifestation of divine favor.

If they instigate us to transgress the law, they deserve not to be regarded as parents, but as strangers attempting to seduce us from our true Father. The same holds in the case of rulers, masters, and superiors of every description.

This one thing ought to be considered by children – that whoever may be your parents, they have been allotted to them by the providence of God, who by his appointment makes children subject to their parents. In all things, therefore, that they may not refuse anything however difficult or disagreeable, that in things indifferent they may give deference to the station which their parents occupy – that they may not put themselves on a footing of equality with their parents, in a way of questioning and debating, or disputing…

Those who show kindness to their parents from whom they derived life, are assured by God, that in this life it will be well with them.

We should look up to those whom the Lord has put over us, and should treat them with honor, obedience, and gratefulness. It follows from this that we are forbidden to detract from their dignity either by contempt, stubbornness, or by ungratefulness. 

… Nature itself ought in a way to teach us this. Those who abusively or stubbornly violate parental authority are monsters, not men! Hence the Lord commands that all those disobedient to their parents to be put to death.

But we ought in passing to note that we are bidden to obey our parents only “in the Lord.”

He commands all those to be exterminated who have laid violent hands on their parents…or addressed them in abusive language. The word, kalal, from which the participle used by Moses is derived, not only means to reproach, but also to curse, as well as esteem lightly, and to despise…added by God in Leviticus, “his blood shall be upon him, because he has cursed his father or mother.”

Since the duty of all is not to look behind them, that is, not to inquire into the duties of one another, but to submit each to his own duty…If we are cruelly tormented by a savage…if we are neglected by a sluggish, if in short we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake by an impious and sacrilegious prince, let us first call up the remembrance of our faults, which doubtless the Lord is chastising by such scourges. In this way humility will curb our impatience. 

(Excerpts from Chapter 17 pages 209-224) 
Family Reformation: The Legacy of Sola Scriptura in Calvin’s Geneva By Scott Brown