Follow Jesus Through Genuine Communion

We are going through a series examining different aspects of Jesus’ invitation to each person He calls to come and be His disciple. We can see through the New Testament that Jesus gave one clear and pointed invitation to any who would trust Him: Follow Me. Jesus continues to extend this invitation to people today.

The part of this invitation we want to look at today is following Jesus through genuine communion. When it comes to following Jesus, it is much more than just saying a prayer. This invitation from Jesus is a call to come and have a genuine relationship with the God of the universe. This relationship operates much like any other relationship that we have in our lives. It takes time to get to know one another and trust each other more and more.

The Bible is filled with stories of people to whom the Lord extended this invitation. Their stories show how each would come to know and trust the Lord more. One person’s life that is mentioned throughout the Scriptures is a man we know as David. David was the overlooked shepherd boy whom the Lord raised up to be king over Israel. In the Bible, we do not just have others recording what happened in David’s life, but we also have David himself sharing his heart at various times.

In Psalm 27, we see David’s song and prayer. It has been said that the book of Psalms is the songbook of the Bible. In this psalm, David shares how he had come to know and trust the Lord in a deeper way.

With our time today, I’d like to look at this psalm and let the Holy Spirit use it to show us how we can follow Jesus well through genuine communion.

‌Our Confidence

In Psalm 27:1-3, David begins this psalm sharing about our confidence. When we talk about confidence, we talk about something or someone with whom we have put great trust. This is something or someone who has proven to be worthy of our trust. We put our confidence in various things and people at times. We have confidence that our car will start in the morning (most of the time). Athletes put their confidence in their coaches and teammates if they want to succeed. We put our confidence in the mirror each morning to show us what we look like before going out into the world.

While we may place varying degrees of confidence in different things or people, there is only One in whom we can fully trust to care for us unconditionally and always be there. His name is Jesus Christ.

In these verses, David reveals that every follower of Jesus’ confidence should be in the Lord. Why?

‌He is our light

At different times, the Lord is described as light. This description points to His holiness and ability to provide guidance for this journey called life. When we find ourselves in darkness, what do we do? We usually find a light to reveal what is around us and what way we should go. For every follower of Jesus, He is their light.

‌He is our salvation

When we hear the word “salvation,” especially in church, many of us immediately go to the ultimate salvation from sin, death, and judgment. That is one aspect of this word. What is interesting about this word in verse 1 is that, in Hebrew, this term means “deliverance.” Many scholars believe David wrote this psalm at a time when he was facing a battle. More than likely, eternal salvation was not the immediate thought of this verse. This verse pointed to a more immediate deliverance — maybe from hardships or enemies he was facing.

Salvation means the same thing for us. It does speak to our ultimate deliverance from sin and judgment when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, but it also speaks about the deliverance we need in everyday situations. What is interesting is that through the cross of Jesus, He provides deliverance both for the present situations but also for eternity.

‌He is our stronghold

The word “stronghold” refers to a place of protection. David said the Lord is the stronghold of his life. Where do you run to when life gets hard? What is that safe place where you know you will find comfort and protection from anything that wishes to do you harm? For the follower of Jesus, that stronghold is the Lord.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.

​Proverbs 18:10 CSB

“The Lord is my light, to guide me; my salvation to deliver me; and the stronghold of my life, in whom I take refuge.”

John Stott

For us to follow Jesus properly, we have to come to know that He is worthy of our confidence in every part of our lives. Have you come to find the Lord to be your light, salvation, and stronghold?

‌Our Desire

David continues in Psalm 27 by sharing his deepest desire. We all have different desires in life. That’s not a bad thing. The question that we should all address is:

‌What is our deepest desire?

What is the one thing that we cannot truly live without? For David (and followers of Jesus), this deepest desire was to be near the Lord.

⁴ I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. ⁵ For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. ⁶ Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

​Psalm 27:4–6 CSB

If you could ask for only one thing from the Lord, what would it be? Wealth? Good Health? Someone to spend the rest of your life with? The perfect job?

The deepest desire for a follower of Jesus is to be in His presence. The reason for this is because you will come to find out that in His presence is found everything you need.

David wanted, above everything else, to be in the presence of the Lord. In the Lord’s presence, there is peace, love, joy, comfort, and more. David mentioned gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. When was the last time you were in awe because of the beauty of the Lord? Sadly, we can get so busy that we blow right past it and don’t take the time to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.

Note where David stated was a prime place to seek the Lord — His temple. This is talking about the house of worship where other followers of Jesus gather in unity of heart to worship Him. There is something special about the gathering together with other people in worship. Yes, you can meet with the Lord by yourself, but there are some things you will not experience outside the gathering of His people.

‌Our Prayer

When we come to verse 7, we can see a shift in this psalm. You can note David moving from talking about the Lord to talking to the Lord. Verses 7-12 serve as a prayer that David offers to the Lord.

⁷ Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. ⁸ My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation. ¹⁰ Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. ¹¹ Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path. ¹² Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

​Psalm 27:7–12 CSB

He also shows us how followers of Jesus are to relate to Him — as a parent. I’ve noticed four things David mentions in these verses that we seek from the Lord.

‌To be heard

In verse 7, David says, “Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.” There are fewer things more frustrating than not being heard. When someone doesn’t take the time to listen to us, it comes across as they do not care about us. There are times when we don’t necessarily need advice but just to be heard.

The wonderful thing about the Lord is He is never too busy to listen when we speak to Him.

‌Acceptance

In verses 9-10, David shows how the Lord accepts us in rather than abandoning us. We experience rejection from so many people in this world — parents, children, spouses, bosses, friends, and others.

David knows that while many others may reject him, the Lord has always been faithful to welcome him into His presence.

‌Guidance

In verse 11, David asks the Lord to show him the Lord’s way. We don’t always know what to do in certain situations. Have you ever stood at a fork in the road and not sure about which direction to take? That can be a very frustrating situation. David reminds us the Lord is One who is all-knowing and cares for us deeply. He knows the path that will bring us the most good. It may not always be the easiest path. When we come to those points where we need guidance, the Lord is there, ready and willing to guide us in the correct way.

‌Protection

In verse 12, David tells the reader about the adversaries surrounding him. There were those looking to do harm and see his downfall. Sadly, we face many adversaries in our lives as well. Like a good parent, the Lord desires to protect His children. He will stand and fight for them if necessary.

As with any relationship that we have in life, we come to understand more about how the Lord cares for us by hearing, accepting, guiding, and even protecting us by the time spent with Him. Experience is a great teacher. We want to know that we can trust the Lord fully, but that trust is often built over time.

‌Our Trust

David concludes this psalm with a declaration of trust.

¹³ I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.

​Psalm 27:13–14 CSB

David speaks about seeing the Lord’s goodness as if it’s already happened. He also mentions that it will be noticed in “the land of the living.” He is not talking about heaven here; He is talking about the present. The wonderful eternal life God gives to each person who puts their faith in Jesus starts at that moment of trust and goes through eternity.

Verse 14 might be one the greatest demonstrations of trust ever seen. David encourages those who would read and sing this psalm to “wait for the Lord.” The truth is many times we will not get everything that we are asking for all at once. The Lord knows what we need, but He also knows what we can handle in the moment. This is why Agur said in Proverbs…

⁸ Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. ⁹ Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.

​Proverbs 30:8–9 CSB

We can trust the Lord in all things, even in His timing. When we wait upon the Lord’s timing, we come to find out it is as perfect as He is.

‌Conclusion

What David gives to us in Psalm 27 is a song/prayer on how to know the Lord in a deeper way. This is the genuine communion one must have to truly follow Jesus. There will be times when we do not get it completely right — just ask David, who wrote Psalm 27, but that doesn’t mean that we just give it up. We come to know the Lord in deeper ways by spending time with Him and allowing Him to build trust in our hearts for Him.

What would you say your relationship with Jesus is like? Some of you might say it is really good, and you feel much like David in this psalm. I would encourage you to stay the course. Others of you might say that your relationship with the Lord is there but hanging by a thread. It hasn’t gotten much deeper than the surface. Some of these things we’ve talked about seem out of reach. I want you to know they are not out of reach, but just like any other relationship, it won’t “just happen.” You will have to open your heart to trust, but as you do, you will find that Jesus is everything He claimed.

There may even be some of you who would say there is no real relationship between you and Jesus. There’s good news for you today: you can start that relationship today by putting your faith in Jesus. You do that by coming to Jesus, realizing that your sin has separated you from Him, believing that He died on the cross to pay for your sins, and asking Him to come into your life to forgive you of your sin and make you a new person. We would love the opportunity to show you how this can happen during our time of response.

Jesus is still calling out to people, saying, “Follow Me!” The path to following Jesus involves a genuine communion with Him.

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The Promise Keeper

As we celebrate this season, we must remember what this season is about. Christmas is about the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is most definitely a time to celebrate. If Jesus had never come, we would truly have no hope, and there would be no peace available to anyone.

The Bible has four gospels at the beginning of the New Testament which tell about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Two of those gospels actually share about the birth of Jesus: Matthew and Luke.

When you look at Matthew’s gospel — which is at the beginning of the New Testament — you find something interesting. Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ through his earthly father, Joseph.

Why is this genealogy of Jesus important? That is one thing that I want to look at today. It is so much more than just a list of names. This genealogy is actually proof that God is one who always keeps His promises.

If you look at the genealogy in Matthew 1, you see that it goes from Jesus’ earthly father (Joseph) all the way back to Abraham. There are four important parts of this genealogy which are each separated by 14 generations:

• Joseph – Jesus’ earthly father
• The Babylonian Exile
• King David
• Abraham

It is almost like God had this all planned out from the beginning.

But why would this genealogy go back to Abraham? It is because Abraham would play an important role in God’s plan of redemption.

‌The Call of Abram

In Genesis 12:1-3, we see God calling a guy named Abram to leave everything he had ever known and follow this God who was calling him.

¹ The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:1–3 CSB

With this call, God promised that He would make Abram (who would later have his name changed to Abraham) great and would bless the entire world through him. That is a pretty big promise.

The Power of a Promise

Promises can be tricky things in our lives. I’m sure that we have all had someone make a promise to us. Some of those who have made promises to us have made good on them. Others have broken their promises, which leads to distrust and hurt that can last with us for some time.

In the movie, Hook, Robin Williams plays a grown-up Peter Pan who has forgotten who he was and becomes a workaholic. Peter had broken many promises to his son, Jack, in the movie. When Peter’s children are kidnapped by Captain Hook and taken to Neverland, Jack doesn’t have much of a problem at first with Captain Hook becoming his dad because his real dad had broken so many promises.

How do we know that God is One who will keep His promises when there are so many around us who fail to do so?

To answer that question, we must look back to the promise that God made to Abraham. In Genesis 12, God says that if Abraham will follow and trust God, then God will make his life a blessing to the entire world.

Through Abraham’s lifetime, God gave more information about how this promise would be fulfilled.

‌The Promised Son

In Genesis 18 and 21, God promises that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, will have a son. It would be this son, Isaac, that the promise would come through.

In this step of the process, we learn a little more about how the God of the Bible is the God of the impossible. In Genesis 21, Abraham is 100 years old, and Sarah is 90 years old. Talk about impossible!

‌The Promised Sacrifice

When we come to Genesis 22, we find a very strange passage. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to the Lord on a mountain God would show him. I thought it was through Isaac that the promised deliverer would come. The Messiah cannot come if Isaac is no longer living.

What we see from Abraham is a true measure of faith.

⁹ When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Genesis 22:9–10 CSB

This scene should make any person scratch their head. God is not one who is pleased with child sacrifice. Why would God be telling Abraham to do such a thing? Why in the world would Abraham go through with this?

We see a glimpse of Abraham’s faith in God in the New Testament letter of Hebrews.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son,¹⁸ the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. ¹⁹ He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

Hebrews 11:17–19 CSB

Abraham knew enough about God that this was out of the norm. Abraham knew that he would be walking off that mountain with Isaac alive. He wasn’t sure how it was going to happen, but Abraham knew it would happen.

This brings us to a point we need to pause and think about. Are we willing to take God at His word, or do we need to know all the details before we are obedient? Faith is seen when we trust in the Lord without all the answers. Abraham trusted in the Lord and we see God answering in a mighty way.

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” ¹² Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” ¹³ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

Genesis 22:11–14 CSB

The Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and provided the needed sacrifice for the moment. It just so happened that in that exact moment and place, there was a ram caught in the thicket.

It is through this part of the story that God gives us an additional piece of the puzzle. God will provide the needed sacrifice at the right time.

This shows us that the promised Messiah would be one that would be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. This moment on the mountaintop with Abraham was pointing ahead to Calvary where Jesus would lay down His life as a sacrifice for you and me.

²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21 CSB

Conclusion

The genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel is so much more than a list of names. It is a reminder that God keeps His word.

The promise made to Abraham to bless the entire world through him would come at the finished work of Jesus Christ. Abraham may not have seen it with his own eyes here on earth, but he trusted that the Lord would keep His word.

We celebrate this season because God kept His word then, and He continues to keep it today.

¹¹ For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, ¹² since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. ¹³ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:11–13 CSB

Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? He has promised that any person who does so will not be put to shame but experience the salvation the Lord offers. That promise is the greatest gift that one could receive this season.

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Contending for the Gospel

In December 1965, a song from the group, The Byrds reached number one on the charts. It was the song, “Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season). Most of this song was taken from the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes. It was one of the first times a song containing so much of the Bible did so well on the charts. 

The last part of Ecclesiastes 3:8 says, “A time for war and a time for peace.” The author, which many think was King Solomon, acknowledged that there was a time to fight even though most people do not like to do so.‌

As we continue looking at the letter of Galatians, Paul writes about something we should be ready to fight for at all times as Christ-followers.

⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—⁷ not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! ⁹ As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! 

¹⁰ For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:6–10 (CSB)

‌In the verses we are looking at today, we see Paul sharing with the churches in Galatia how he is baffled that they would be turning away from the true gospel. He uses speech in this section that points to the need to contend for the true gospel.

We can see other authors in the Bible do the same thing. Jude was one of these authors. He was the half-brother of Jesus. He wrote a small letter in our Bibles right before the Revelation. In verse 3 of his letter, he writes, Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all (Jude 3 CSB).

‌What is contending?

Contending is a word that comes from the arena of athletics. It means “to agonize or struggle.” You can see this in the world of athletics many times. We watch professional athletes on TV and are often amazed at their condition and abilities. They didn’t just appear on the scene like that. It is something they had to work at constantly and vigorously. Hours are spent in the weight room strengthening and conditioning their bodies. More hours are spent working on their craft and perfecting techniques and abilities. 

When Jude writes to followers of Jesus in his time, he tells them to “contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” He tells them they will have to struggle and be deliberate in keeping the true gospel before themselves and others because many false gospels are swirling around, seeking to guide people away from the truth. 

Is contending needed?

As we see in Galatians, there is a constant need for contending for the true gospel. False teachers had come in behind Paul and the team with him, adding to the true gospel the need for keeping the Mosaic Law to be right with God. 

In Galatians 1:6-7, Paul shares his amazement that the Galatians were so quickly turning away from the truth. They were beginning to abandon the true gospel for a fake. For this reason, Paul calls them to contend for the true gospel.

This was a serious issue. Though the false teachers would come in and say Jesus was God’s Son who died on the cross and rose from the dead, and they needed to receive Him as Savior and Lord, they also added extra steps that Jesus never intended. The Galatians, whether they realized it or not, were switching teams by obeying the teachings of these false teachers.

What would you think if Patrick Mahomes started walking around with Raiders’ gear all the time? What about if Nick Saban wore Auburn gear to practice and press conferences? 

While this was a serious issue, Paul shares that it is not a hopeless situation. There are times when we get off-track, even in our faith. Paul takes this time to show them that hope is found by contending for the true gospel.

Why should we contend for the gospel?

This is a question that some have in their minds. Is going through the struggle for the gospel necessary? Isn’t God sovereign? Yes, God is sovereign, but He also calls us to join Him in making sure the message of the true gospel is correctly put on display and not twisted to be something it is not. 

I can think of three things that are at stake.

1. Christ’s glory

When anything comes in seeking to add or take away from the true gospel, it is an attack on the glory of Christ and trying to steal it away from Christ. False gospels will always move glory from God and place it elsewhere — many times on us. 

Jesus Christ deserves all the glory. It was He who created all that we see. It was He who stepped out of heaven and became a man. It was He who died on the cross for the sins of the world. It was He who conquered the grave. It is He who comes to us with the gift of eternal life. Jesus is the only One who has done these things or could. He deserves all glory. 

⁹ For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— ¹¹ and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9–11 (CSB)

2. People’s souls

When someone messes with the gospel, they are messing with the only hope that any person has for forgiveness and restoration with God. 

¹² There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 (CSB)

‌When people mess with the gospel, it produces a message that can do nothing for anyone. When that hope is removed, people remain lost and separated from God. 

3. The health of the Church

When false teachings come in and distort the gospel, it begins in one person and spreads to others. When a church gets off-track from the true gospel, it begins the process of death and ceases to be a New Testament church. It becomes a country club for religious people where no real power is present. 

We can see just by these three reasons that there is a necessity for us, as Christ-followers, to contend for the true gospel. It may cost us at times. It might be uncomfortable at times, but Christ didn’t call us to comfort; He called us to obedience. 

How do we contend properly?

1. Know and experience the gospel ourselves

If we are going to contend for the true gospel, we must know what the true gospel is. Bankers can spot a counterfeit bill pretty easily, I’m told. Why? Not just because they’ve been trained to look for certain things but because they spend so much time with the real thing. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is :

• God created us and everything around us. 
• We have sinned against a holy God.
• God sent Jesus to be our atoning sacrifice.
• God invites us to receive the gift of eternal life that Jesus made available to us.
• We respond by trusting in Jesus Christ and allowing Him to lead our lives.

Now, you can say that you know what the gospel is. Have you experienced it for yourself? Have you responded to Jesus by turning from sin to following Him by faith? I would encourage you to do that. In a moment, we will have a time when you can talk with someone about what that looks like.

2. Call out false gospels

In Galatians 1:8-9, Paul shares that if anyone brings a ‘gospel’ other than what I just shared with you, they should be cursed. That’s not talking about profanity. That’s talking about having God’s judgment fall on the person. He is calling out what is false. 

It doesn’t matter if the person is respected among others or eloquent in their speech. If what they say does not line up 100% with the true gospel, it isn’t from God. It needs to be called out for what it is. 

As we call out false gospels, we need to do so with the love of Christ. We should never attack a person personally but love them enough to tell them the truth. We should not give arrogance any room in our communication either. We have no right to be a jerk about confronting false gospels to other people.

⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Colossians 4:6 (CSB)

A second way to call out false gospels is by sharing the true gospel every opportunity we get. If we remain silent, we do no one any favors.

President John F. Kennedy spoke to some Canadian Parliament members in 1961. He said, ‌“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Too much ground has been given to the enemy by Christ-followers sitting by and being silent. We don’t want to rock the boat. If the boat isn’t rocked, it’s going down. 

3. Seek to please One

As we get closer to the return of Christ, the Bible tells us there will be a growing coldness toward the true gospel. We see it growing in our nation. It is not popular to stand for the truth of the gospel. We weren’t saved to be popular, though. 

²⁵ The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.

Proverbs 29:25 (CSB)

Paul states in verse 10 that he had no desire to strive to please people. He knew he would not be standing before any man or woman to give an account of his life. He said that if we try to please people, we are not being servants of Christ. When we seek to please everyone, we please no one.

Conclusion

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news ever brought to mankind. It is the message that, even though we have sinned against a holy God, He has graciously made one way back to a right relationship with Him. That one way is through faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. 

Sadly, there are many attacks on this gospel by the enemy. As followers of Christ, we have been called to stand for the truth and even contend for the gospel. It is the hope for the world. Will we sit by and watch things play out, or will we join God in making sure the true gospel is displayed so anyone who will can experience the abundant life found only in Jesus Christ? 

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Time is Short

Sadly, there is a constant stream of reports about tragedies that are taking place around the world. It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new story about some tragedy that has taken place somewhere.

Recently, Brad (one of the pastors at our church) shared a little about the destruction that has been left in the wake of earthquakes in Central Asia over the past couple of months.

On April 14^th, an EF4 tornado ripped through north Mississippi leaving a wake of destruction in its path. This tornado had peak winds of 170 mph and stayed on the ground for close to 60 miles. At least 26 people lost their lives and hundreds more have been displaced.

I remember receiving texts from some of our church members checking on us as we were heading to Mississippi to see family. We were not down there when this storm came through, but we saw the path of destruction that was left by this storm.

As devastating as what we saw was, a beautiful picture was coming out of the ugliness: the body of Christ reaching out to help in many ways. We went to services the Sunday we were there at a church we were part of some 11 years ago, and heard about the prayers and plans to help in different ways.

When tragedies like these strike, it is common to hear questions in the aftermath. Questions like: Why did this happen? Is God punishing us? Where was God in the midst of this?

While these are good questions, there are other questions that might be even more important that get lost in the rubble. These questions are more of the “big picture questions” that look past the present circumstances.

In Luke 13, we see an instance of this played out in the life and ministry of Jesus. I want to go back to the beginning of Luke 13 to see how Jesus dealt with the questions that arise during a tragedy.

¹ At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² And he responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well. ⁴ Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.”

​Luke 13:1–5 CSB

We see a group of people coming to Jesus reporting about a tragedy that had taken place. Pilate had apparently killed a group of Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. This was a horrific scene. We may think about times when we’ve heard of shootings or other tragedies that have taken place in houses of worship. There is just something extra wrong with that.

Jesus first addresses a common teaching that was among the people – one that even remains today: those who suffer like this do so as a result of sin in their lives. We see this going back all the way to the story of Job. These types of things do not happen to “innocent people.”

Jesus also brings up a tragedy that took place where 18 people were killed by a tower falling in Siloam (v4). He asks, “Do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?” The way Jesus words this question is with an understanding the answer is no.

What Jesus is trying to get them to see is the answer is not “Why did they die?” but “Why am I still alive?”

‌Bad things happen because we live in a broken world

The Bible is clear that when sin entered the Garden of Eden, it affected everything. Sin separates people from a holy God. Sin has also messed up the order of creation. Where things were intended to work perfectly together, it does not anymore.

Why do we see massive earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, area floods, and droughts even on a more frequent scale than ever before? It is the curse of sin on this world.

Just because a tragedy takes place in a particular area does not automatically mean the people of that area were worse sinners. Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners.

While the news of this tragedy had brought about certain questions, Jesus wanted to draw each of them to the deeper truth: there is a judgment that awaits any who do not repent.

‌The gospel is a message of mercy

We like the word mercy. It is a precious word. The best definition of mercy I’ve come across is “not getting what one deserves.” Mercy is a good word, isn’t it?

There is something about tragedy that wakes us up to reality. Maybe that is why Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.”

The message of the gospel is one of mercy. While each of us has sinned and deserves God’s wrath, He has chosen to offer His mercy to anyone who will trust in what Jesus has done for them.

The beauty of the gospel is that while God should condemn us, He has chosen to forgive and save any who will turn to Him by faith and repentance. This is the message Jesus was sharing with those people then and us today.

‌Mercy is offered for a time

⁶ And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷ He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’ ⁸ “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

​Luke 13:6–9 CSB

To further illustrate His point, Jesus shares a parable about a man ready to cut down an unfruitful tree. Jesus shares that repentance is the fruit produced by a life that as trusted in Christ.

In this parable, Jesus shares three important truths:

‌True belief results in fruit evident to all

Jesus said many times during His time on earth that you will know a tree by its fruit. We like to put labels on ourselves for many things. We live in a world today that says you can identify as whatever you would like. The truth is you can only be what you are created to be.

Just because a person carries a Bible around, attends church on a weekly basis, and calls themselves a Christian doesn’t make them a Christian any more than me reading a manual and boarding a plane makes me a pilot. The proof is in the fruit.

⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

​Romans 10:9 CSB

“Jesus is Lord” is a declaration that you no longer call the shots in your life, but Jesus does. What Jesus says, you do. That can be seen by others who take Jesus’ words from the Bible and hold them up to your life.

Believing in your heart is an internal decision that only you know if it happened. But if it has happened, then there will be a change in the rest of your life that is evident to others.

Through this parable about an unfruitful tree, Jesus says that imposters will be exposed for who they truly are.

‌We don’t know our time

A second truth of this parable is that we don’t know how much time there is to make a decision. Jesus could see the hearts of these people as they asked about tragedies that had occured. Some of them would take His words and ponder them for a time. Jesus did not want to leave them with the assumption that there was plenty of time.

Jesus wants us to understand that the point of hearing the gospel is the point of decision. It is not something that we can afford to put on the shelf and come back to at a more convenient time.

² For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!

​2 Corinthians 6:2 CSB

‌As long as you live, there is an opportunity to respond

While we do not know the number of our days, we can know that, with each day the Lord gives us, we have a chance to respond.

There have been many who have heard the beautiful news of mercy that comes from the gospel but thought, “I don’t know if it can work for me.”

Jesus’ parable about the unfruitful tree shows us that He gives plenty of opportunities to respond. You may be hearing this message again. Know this, God is giving you an opportunity to respond. You may have a loved one or friend that you care about greatly who needs to hear this message of the gospel. Understand that as long as the Lord gives them breath, He is giving them an opportunity to respond. That means though, that we need to be sharing it.

‌Conclusion

We have good news, people. Jesus Christ has come and taken on the punishment that we deserve. In the midst of the tragedies of life, Jesus offers hope and mercy to any who will trust in Him and follow Him. Will we respond appropriately? Will we be the ones who share this life-giving message with others?

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Youth Evangelism Conference

This past weekend, middle school and high school students from our church joined together with others from across our state for a Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) in a nearby city. It was exciting to hear about what took place as over 460 people from 45 different churches gathered together for worship, encouragement, and training. This was the first year that two of my own sons would be a part of this.

As I thought about this weekend, I was taken back to the days when the Lord had me in student ministry. Those were some exciting times. You were always on your toes as changes came quickly. Trying to help teens grasp their faith and be used by the Lord for His glory… good times.

I can remember taking groups to Youth Evangelism Conferences as well. It was a good time to gather students together and have them hear the gospel clearly outside of the usual avenues that one usually had. I do remember feeling that there was always something missing to the YEC’s that we were involved with. The preaching was typically good. The musical worship was good. Yet there was still something that seemed to be missing from the whole deal.

I must commend the student ministry leadership at the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). I think they have found the missing piece I have been looking for all those years.

While the students and leaders that attended YEC in Jefferson City this year had the opportunity to hear some good preaching and musical worship, it didn’t stop there. They had breakout sessions and training where students learned more about sharing their faith with those they encounter on a daily basis. One of the things that had me most excited was that on Monday, those who had experienced all this goodness at YEC were given the opportunity to break into groups and put it into action. They would go out in the neighborhoods of the area they were in and do what they had been talking about.

Where is the time and place to train and
deploy the upcoming missionaries?

While I always seemed to have a good time taking students and other leaders to YEC in the past, the missing piece was that we never had the opportunity to put what we heard to work immediately. Those conferences were more like “Youth Evangelistic Crusades,” where the gospel was shared very clearly, and you brought as many people who did not follow Jesus to hear what was said from the stage. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a time and place for that, but where is the time and place to train and deploy the upcoming missionaries? I know that our student ministries within local churches should be doing that, but where is it written that we cannot do that on a bigger scale?

This past weekend, the MBC showed it could be done. I’m already hearing about conversations of students involved this weekend, pondering ways they can put into practice what they were doing at this event. PRAISE THE LORD!!! I am thankful for our Pastor of Student Ministries (Ben Clay) and the other adults who supported and walked alongside these students this past weekend. I am excited to see what spark just might have been lit within our students.

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We trust the LORD for Salvation

The calendar has turned with the focus on the Christmas season. I think that we can all agree that it’s okay to have the Christmas decorations out now, right? This season is actually a culmination of two seasons: Advent and Christmas. Both of these are filled with joyful expectation. During Advent, we look forward to the birth of the Savior. On Christmas, we celebrate the fact that He did come and marvel at all the ways He exceeds our expectations.

Since we are in the Advent season, we are beginning a new series called Joyful Expectation. In this series, we will look at some of the expectations that Christ’s coming has brought to us, and how they lead us to what we all would like: joy.

We will begin this series by looking at Psalm 25. The salvation that the LORD has given to us is the greatest gift that we could ever receive. We receive this wonderful gift by trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. This salvation can come to us in no other way.

When we talk about trust, I understand that can be a touchy topic. Trust is not something that we just freely give to just anyone or anything. In order for us to trust in someone or something, there has to be some proof that it will do what it says. We will see from Psalm 25 that the LORD is a sure and confident place where we can put our trust.

‌The Placement of Our Trust

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed

​Psalm 25:1–3 NASB

David wrote this psalm to be sung by God’s people as a reminder of His trustworthiness. He begins this psalm by showing us the proper place to put our trust: in the plan of the LORD.

The plan of the LORD is that He would send a Savior who would live the life that we were to live so that He could die that we were to die because of our sins. The LORD tells about this plan way back in Genesis 3:15 when He tells the Serpent that the seed of the woman would crush his head.

Christmas was always part of the LORD’s plan. Christmas is not about decorations and presents. It is about the promised Savior coming to make a way for us to be brought back to God.

Where are we placing our trust?

In verse 1, David says “I lift up my soul.” This is an important picture here. It is a sign of complete submission and trust in another. In the Jewish world, many times people would pray with their arms lifted to heaven much like a child reaches up for a parent.

What or who are we lifting our arms to? When times get rough, who or what do we reach out to for comfort and help? David says in verse 3 that “none of those who wait for the LORD will be ashamed.” He is able to say this because He knows the LORD is able and will have the final say.

‌The Growth of Our Trust

Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

​Psalm 25:4–7 NASB

In the next section of this psalm, David shows us that as we place our trust in the LORD and His plan, our trust will grow as He shows Himself faithful. One of the greatest ways that our trust in the LORD grows is through studying and understanding His word.

It is through the word that we come to know more about the LORD and His ways. This leads us to being able to trust Him more. His word is truth.

The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

​Psalm 119:160 NASB

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

​John 17:17 NASB

It is through the word of God that we are taught about what our needs truly are. The word reveals to us the sin that lies within our hearts and the inability we have to make it right on our own. It is the word that shows us we need a Savior.

In verses 6-7, David reminds us that through His word, we learn more about some of the great gifts the LORD has blessed us with: compassion, love, and mercy.

I know that life has a way of getting busy and full many times. We all have to be good managers of our time, or someone/something else will determine it for us. If we want to know more about who the LORD is and if we can trust Him, allow Him to reveal Himself more to us through His word.

‌The Result of Our Trust

Trust is an investment that we all make. When we put our trust in someone or something, we expect them to produce results. What are the results of us truly trusting in the LORD and His plan? David writes about this is in verses 8-11.

Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

​Psalm 25:8–11 NASB

‌He puts us on a new path

The first result that we see when we trust in the LORD and His plan is that He puts us on a new path. Verse 8 says that the LORD will instruct sinners in the way.

No one likes to be lost. We all like to know that we are going in the right direction and will arrive at the intended destination. Because of our sin, we are on a path that leads to the LORD’s judgment and wrath. When we trust in the LORD and His plan, He puts us on a new path that leads away from His wrath and into His presence for eternity.

This new path is a path of His lovingkindness and truth (v 10). We can be sure that in following Jesus, He will walk with us every step of the way and guide us by the Holy Spirit to where we need to be.

This new path is also a path of forgiveness. David cries out in verse 11 to “pardon my iniquity.” Iniquity is another word for sin. When we choose to trust in the LORD, we find that there is forgiveness waiting for us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

​1 John 1:9 NASB

Our sin can be a weight that weighs us down and chokes the life out of us. It doesn’t have to be. Jesus came and gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. He took on the penalty that was meant for us so that we do not have to take it.

Are we being weighed down
unnecessarily by sin
that Jesus paid for?

One final point about this new path is that it leads us to the presence of our Creator. Don’t get me wrong, the forgiveness offered along this path is wonderful and needed. The guidance of love and truth is so comforting. But those aren’t the destination. The destination behind the LORD’s plan is to bring us to Himself so that we might enjoy Him forever. There is only one path that leads to that destination. It is a narrow path, and it only goes through faith/trust in Jesus alone.

‌Conclusion

As we begin this Advent season of celebrating the LORD’s first coming, may we be encouraged to trust the LORD and His plan for salvation. It is a plan of salvation for eternity but also for the day-to-day. He has proven that He is reliable. He has never failed one person who has trusted in Him, and He never will – to do so would go completely against His nature.

This Advent season, let us trust in the LORD as we celebrate His goodness toward us.

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We Are Sealed and Secured

In him you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 CSB

We live in a day where people are greatly concerned about security. How many times do you see a commercial for an alarm company or something to protect your information on the computer from intruders? It seems like there is not a commercial break in a TV show without one.

We want to do all that we can to protect the people and things that we care about most. Where does the desire to protect what we cherish come from? It comes from a deep love for the person or item. In that sense, we see that is a God-given trait to us. God also seeks to protect what He cherishes.

As we look at what the apostle, Paul, writes in this letter to first-century Christians in Ephesus, we see that he takes the time to remind them of this great gift that is given to every person who trusts and follows Christ. In these verses, we see Paul – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – sharing a doctrine that we call eternal security. 

Eternal Security

The doctrine of eternal security is one that states that a person who has trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation can never lose that salvation. This is an important doctrine of our faith as it reminds us that our salvation is not based on what we do or don’t do. It is based solely on God’s amazing grace. We can never do anything of ourselves to earn salvation. In the same way, we can never do anything to lose that salvation either.

Some have referred to this doctrine as “once saved, always saved.” While in theory that would be correct, it has led to some misunderstandings and misuses of this precious doctrine. Some have thought that as long as they said a prayer, they could go on living any way they want to. They see their “salvation” as fire insurance and a license to sin saying, “I said a prayer at one point so I will be okay.” That is a completely wrong view of this doctrine. 

A better way to look at this is what has been called “the perseverance of the saints.” That is to say that if a person has truly experienced salvation through Jesus, then it will be evident to all that they are a new person. This doesn’t mean that that person is perfect at the moment they trust in Christ, but there is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in them to make them look more like Jesus. 

Let’s take a look at how Paul describes this beautiful and encouraging doctrine for us in Ephesians 1:13-14.

We are saved

In verse 13, Paul shares how a person experiences salvation. If someone were to ever ask you, “How can I become a Christian?”, then you can point them to this verse as a means of showing them how it happens. 

The first step is that we hear the word of truth. Paul doesn’t leave this vague, but he goes into great detail as to what this “word of truth” is. He says in verse 13 that it is the gospel of your salvation. The gospel is the good news that though we have been separated from God by our sins, He sent His only Son (Jesus) in gracious love to be the atoning sacrifice for anyone who will believe. 

Hearing about this gospel is not all that there is though. Paul shares in verse 13 the other important step = you have to believe in it. This belief is not merely intellectual assent to the gospel. When the Bible talks about believing, it is talking about hinging your entire life upon something. I can say that I believe that a chair will hold me up, but Biblical belief takes place when I place my body in the chair. 

So, we see that a person experiences salvation when they hear the gospel and believe in it or lean on it completely. But how is a person to come to that kind of belief if they never hear about the gospel? 

How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? An how can they hear without a preacher.

Romans 10:14 CSB

I’ve said it before, the term preacher in this verse isn’t talking about a vocation. It is talking about one who shares. While not every Christ-follower is called to be a pastor, we all are called to ones that share the gospel with those who need to hear it. The truth is that some people will not listen to a pastor as much as they would you. 

We are sealed

In verse 13, Paul says that when a person is saved, then they are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. This idea of sealed is very important. The word here literally means “to use a seal to close or make secure.” It is the same exact word that is used in the gospel of Matthew when he shared about how Jesus’ tomb was sealed with a great stone and the seal of the Roman government after He died upon the cross. 

The people of the first century knew about the power of a seal. History tells us that throughout the ages there have been times when something was sealed and only to be opened by the one to whom it was sent. If the seal was broken by anyone else, that person would be punished – even so much as with death. 

God sets a seal upon every person who comes to faith in Christ that marks them as His own. This seal is to show that we are set aside and belong to Him. No one other than God Himself has the authority to ultimately deal with us. We are His. 

We also see that this seal is not done with a stone or even with wax and a ring. No, this seal is the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. At the very moment that a person turns from his or her sin to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them. We see this all throughout the New Testament.

He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

John 14:17 CSB

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CSB

We are secured

It is because of this work of God in our lives and the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us that we find the third point of what Paul shares about this identity marker: we are secured. We can be sure that if we have heard and trusted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are a new creation never to return to what we once were. 

Will there be times that we don’t do what we should? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that we lose what we’ve been given. Just as a child cannot change the DNA that he or she receives from biological parents, so our spiritual DNA cannot be changed when we are born again. God doesn’t disown us when we mess up. Instead, He disciplines us as a loving parent would do to help us.

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?

Hebrews 12:7 CSB

Paul continues to speak about this security that we have in Christ in verse 14. He says that the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until it is redeemed. This term down payment can also be translated as guarantee. If you have ever had to put a down payment on something, you know what this means. It means that I’m setting this aside as my own. I will return to claim it and settle the cost. 

The wonderful thing about our eternal salvation is that Jesus paid the full price at the cross. This down payment of the Holy Spirit living inside of us is the guarantee that God will do what He said in our lives and will keep us with Him. 

He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

2 Corinthians 1:22 CSB

By placing this guarantee on us, there is also the guarantee that nothing can separate us from Him.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 CSB

Conclusion

Those who have heard the gospel of Jesus and believed in it, are saved, sealed, and secured for all eternity. That is a reason to celebrate. That is a reason to live this new life that we have received in Christ as a thanksgiving offering to the One who has given it to us. This is not a license to live any way that we desire. This is so much more than fire insurance. This is the power of God on display. 

Can you say that you are sealed and secured? Has there been a time when you heard the good news of the gospel and believed in it? If so, then by the authority of God’s word, you are sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit that is living within you right now. This is part of your DNA right now. You don’t have to live in fear or wonder if God will still have you. You are His child. 

If you cannot say that you have truly believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then you do have a reason for concern. There is no security system that can help you other than letting the gospel take root in your heart and by faith, trusting in and following Christ. You can do that today by calling out to Him in prayer. Confess your sins and your willingness to turn from them to follow Jesus. If you do that, He will give you that eternal security that we are all looking for. 

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Book Review: "God's Pursuit of Man"

Title: God’s Pursuit of Man
Author: A.W. Tozer
Publisher: Moody Publishers

As I was growing up, I was not a fan of reading. I found it boring and a waste of time. Seldom would I find something that held my attention. Most of the time, I would find myself nodding off in the middle of any reading that I chose to do… or was required to do by school.

I am grateful for my Bible professor in college who had a nifty little saying: “You must read to succeed!” This professor’s daily quizzes which ALWAYS started off with the question of, “Honestly and truthfully, I read the entire assignment for today.” It was during those four years of college that I developed a love for reading. Since that time, I have found myself with a continuous stack of books to go through.

Every so often, there will come a book through the stack that makes me pause and soak it in completely. I would like to share one of those books at this time. It comes from one of my favorite authors, A. W. Tozer. I don’t remember when I first got introduced to Tozer’s writings, but from the first book, I’ve been a sucker for anything that he has written.

I recently got my hands on a copy of his work, God’s Pursuit of Man. After taking the time to work through this small book (141 pages), I am ready to let others know about it. This work is a prequel to what is probably Tozer’s most famous work, The Pursuit of God. I thought so much of The Pursuit of God and was anxious to see what Tozer had to say before that wonderful work.

In God’s Pursuit of Man, Tozer tackles the issue of what salvation is all about. I think that this is a very important topic at this time. There seems to be thought that salvation is just a decision that a person makes at one point in time and that is it. Tozer is careful to layout in this work how salvation is a complete work of God in the life of a person that comes to Him by faith. It involves a complete change of the entirety of a person.

While Tozer tackles many theological points that deal with salvation in God’s Pursuit of Man, he does so in a way that most anyone can grasp the “golden nuggets” that he is giving through his writing. This is one of the elements that I appreciate so much about Tozer’s writing. This comes out wonderfully in God’s Pursuit of Man.

Recommendation

When it comes to wanting to know about the Christian faith in a straightforward manner, few do it better than A. W. Tozer. I would strongly suggest that a person get a copy of God’s Pursuit of Man and dive in. You will find a great treasure of the teaching of God’s word on the subject of what salvation truly is.

*** A copy of God’s Pursuit of Man was given to me by Moody Publishers in return for an honest review. ***

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The Greatest Miracle

I find myself preparing to preach this upcoming Sunday from the text of Acts 10. We are going through a series that covers the New Testament book of Acts that we are calling Unhindered. I always enjoy going through Acts and seeing how the gospel of Jesus Christ went out unhindered.

Acts 10 contains the story of how Simon Peter shares the gospel with a Roman centurion who comes to faith in Christ. It is so good. As I have been studying and preparing a sermon from this text, I came across something that has just held on to me.

This thing that has gripped me was something I read in a commentary on Acts from Warren Wiersbe. In his Be Dynamic commentary, Wiersbe talks about Peter’s miracle ministry in Acts 9:32-10:48. In these verses, Wiersbe shares how this miracle ministry went from great to greater to the greatest.

The Great

In Acts 9:32-35, we can see God using Peter to bring healing to a man named Aeneas. Aeneas had been crippled up and paralyzed for about eight years before Peter met him. Peter shares the love of Jesus with this man and even commands a paralytic to stand to his feet – something he hasn’t done in almost a decade. Amazingly, strength comes back to Aeneas’ legs, and he is able to walk again. No doubt that this is a very great thing.

The Greater

As Luke moves on in Acts 9, we see Peter going to Joppa and being used in an even greater way. Peter was called on by some of the disciples in Joppa called out to Peter to come to them because one of their own, Tabitha, had died from an illness. In Acts 9:36-43, God uses Peter to bring this young woman back to life from the grave. If seeing a paralyzed man walk again was great, then seeing someone come back from the dead is truly greater!

The Greatest

As you get to Acts 10, it is hard to even imagine that one might rise above what has already been seen… but it happens. Acts 10 holds the story of a Roman centurion named Cornelius who is seeking after God. This is a good man who does many good things. In spite of this, Cornelius realizes that he is still lacking something essential.

The Lord tells Cornelius to bring in Peter and listen to what Peter has to say. Peter comes into Cornelius’ house and shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with those gathered in this centurion’s house. As Peter shares the gospel with the gathered group, they respond by trusting in Christ and receiving salvation (Acts 10:44-48).

It may not pop out like a bright neon sign, but this miracle that takes place here is the greatest of all mentioned. This miracle is the greatest because it shows God not simply bringing physical ability back… not simply bringing breath back into stopped lungs… it shows the rescuing of sinners from the clutches of Hell’s grasp.

Do we recognize that when we see a sinner turn to faith in Christ that the greatest of miracles has happened in our midst?

I firmly believe that miracles still happen today. In fact, if you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, then the miracle of new birth and a new life can happen in your life today. Confess your sins and call out to Jesus for this new life. He will give it to you.

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Encouragement from an Older Preacher

I have been accused of being a Bible collector at times. I have about 6 or 7 different English translations in print and many more via Logos and the Bible app. What can I say, I like God’s word and want to see it from different angles.

One of my favorite print Bible at this time is my CSB Pastor’s Bible. I really like the translation, the single column layout, but one of the best tools are the articles found at the end of the Bible. These are articles from various people to help encourage pastors in their duties.

One of those articles is from Charles Spurgeon. The article was titled “Glorifying God in Your Ministry.” This article spoke to my heart greatly today. Here’s some of what it said:

Whether souls are converted or not, if Jesus Christ be faithfully preached, the minister has not labored in vain because he is a sweet aroma to God as well in them that perish as in them that are saved…

It is ours to sow even in stony places, where no fruit rewards our toil, but still we are bound to look for a harvest and mourn if it does not appear in due time…

In too many cases awe-inspiring truths are avoided under the false belief that they are not practical, while the very fact that they are revealed proves that the Lord thinks them to be of value…

The ambassadors of peace should not cease to weep bitterly until sinners weep for their sins.

Whoa…I

There is a task that we have been given: share the gospel. It is just that simple. It is not always easy, but it is that simple. We are not that it will always be fruitful. There may be seasons (even prolonged ones) of drought.

The main question is: are we being faithful to the task?

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The Promise of a Savior

There is nothing like the Christmas season. It comes rushing in like a hurricane and overtakes everything. Music. Movies. Even grocery stores. When Christmas comes in, you cannot miss it.

While you cannot miss the presence of the season, it is not that hard to miss what has been known as the “Reason for the Season.” It is not about white chocolate Oreos (even though they are oh so good and should be available all year long). It’s not about Christmas trees, ornaments, lawn decorations, or lights (although I like all of these). It is about the greatest gift in the world. It is the celebration of the birth if the Messiah: Jesus Christ.

Every year, I try to take the congregation that I lead through a series to remind us of the “Reason for the Season.” This year, I am preaching through a series that looks at the promises of Christmas. Over the weeks leading up to Christmas, I will be sharing here a written version of those messages. I welcome feedback and discussion, but mostly hope that they help you focus on Jesus this Christmas season.

The Promise of a Savior

Some of us get irritated when stores begin getting ready for Christmas. It seems like it is earlier and earlier. There are differing opinions as to when getting ready is too soon. When we look at the Bible, one could easily make an argument that God is in favor of an early preparation of Christmas. How can I say that? We see the first promise of Christmas mentioned in the Garden of Eden.

A Promise Broken (Genesis 3:1-7)

When Genesis 3 opens, we are introduced to a new character in the Bible: the serpent. This was a creature that was created as good by God but had been indwelt by Satan himself and used for his ungodly purposes. We see that this serpent has a conversation with Eve and causes her to break her promise to God.

Prior to this conversation that we see, Adam had been told by God to enjoy all of the creation that God had made except one tree – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17). After God created Eve, it was Adam’s responsibility to share this with her.

We see that as Eve has this conversation with the serpent, she gives in to the temptation and breaks her promise to God. This is what the Bible calls sin – the breaking of God’s laws… disobeying what God has said.

We may be tempted to point a finger at Adam and Eve and say, “How could you do that? You had everything in all of creation, and you went after the one thing that you were told not to!” But how quickly do we see ourselves following Adam and Eve’s ways? How many times do we crave the very things that we are told that we are not to have?

We see that the very first promise that man made to God was broken. The result of this broken promise was judgment. We see that in the rest of the chapter. God shows up and deals with sin.

A Promise Made

As God came and brought judgment upon creation because of the sin that was present, we see an interesting sight. When we hear the word ‘judgment’, we tend to think of negative things. It does not normally compute with our minds that something good might actually come out of a judgment where we are completely in the wrong. God blows everyone’s mind in Genesis 3:14-15.

As God pronounces a curse upon the serpent, He makes a promise in verse 15. This is the first proclamation of the Gospel in creation. God says that He will rise up One that will bruise (or crush) the head of the serpent while he will bruise this One’s heel. It is interesting that the same word is given in action of the One and the serpent. They will deliver equally damaging blows, but the difference is that the One will have the ability to come back from it because He is not a creation. In Genesis 3:15, we have God making a promise to provide a Deliverer from the sin that has brought about the judgments of God on us.

A Promise Kept

If we fast-forward to Matthew 1:20-21, we will see that God keeps His promise. In this verse, we see an angel of the Lord coming to Joseph and telling him not to hesitate in taking Mary to be his bride. The child that she is carrying is the promise that God had made in the Garden of Eden. This “seed” would be the One who would save people from their sins.

God is not in the business of breaking promises. If God has made a promise, you can take it to the bank that He will make good on it. The promise might not come in the timing that we would want, but it will always come right on time.

We can celebrate this Christmas season in knowing that God is a promise-keeping God. He sent His Son, Jesus, into this world to redeem us from the sin that we were guilty of. God did not weigh the scales and say, “I didn’t realize there was going to be THIS much sin.” God did not look at the types of sin and say, “I’m not sure about taking care of THAT sin.”

God showed His great love to us by saying to all who have sin – many or few, big or small – “I love you… this gift of salvation is for you.”

This Christmas season, my prayer for you is that you might experience the fullness of the gift that God gave to the world that first Christmas morning. If you have never received this gift of forgiveness and a new life through Christ, then you can today by surrendering your will and life to Christ.

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The Importance of Premarital Counseling

Weddings are one of my favorite things about ministry. I have had many ministers tell me that they would rather do a funeral than a wedding. I still do not get that because I would much rather do a wedding than a funeral myself.

Weddings – for the most part – are joyous occasions. Not only are they special events in a couple’s life, but they are sacred events. God Himself created the institution of marriage. We read about it in the very first book of the Bible.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:21-24‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Because marriage is a creation of God, it has a purpose and proper way that it should be done. It is for this reason that I require any couple that I officiate their wedding to go through Christian-based premarital counseling.

I hate to hear the news of another couple that have come to a decision to call it quits and divorce. Many times it is over issues that could have been prevented by preparing on the forefront of the marriage. I know that just because a couple goes through Christian-based premarital counseling it does not guarantee that everything will work out. I do know though that the likelihood that the relationship meets a disappointing end is much higher without it.

A Recent Session

I recently met with a young couple who is looking to get married and they asked me to do their wedding. I informed them that in order for me to officiate the ceremony, they would have to agree to do premarital counseling. They agreed and we set up a time to meet together. In our first session, I spoke with the young couple about what is marriage and the proper foundation for a marriage.

It was in this session, while we were talking about the foundation for a healthy marriage, I came to realize that this couple did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I shared with them how it would be impossible for them to do their marriage according to God’s plan without them personally having a relationship with Him first. It was at that moment that I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with this young couple and seeing both of them make a commitment of themselves first to Jesus Christ. Now they can start their marriage off with a firm foundation of the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

If I were to have just looked over the deal of premarital counseling with this young couple, I would have missed many opportunities here. First, I would have missed the opportunity to see two people be born again right before my eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, I would have done this couple a great disservice by not making sure that their upcoming marriage was started on the right foot.

If you are a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I would strongly encourage you to see premarital counseling as a great opportunity to minister to people. It can be easy to look at this task as another “hoop to jump through.” It is anything but just a “hoop to jump through.” We are called by God to lead people closer to Him and to help them on their journey.

If you are young couple on the verge of one of the biggest decisions of your life (getting married), I would strongly encourage you to seek out Christian-based premarital counseling. There are so many things that lie ahead of you and your soon-to-be spouse. You would be wise to seek out counsel and get a good start on a great marriage.

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Book Review: "Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart"

Recently, I received a copy of Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear.  I had heard about this book from different people.  I was very anxious to read this book.  I will admit that the title of this book had me intrigued.

In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J.D. Greear puts forth a work that attempts to tackle the issue of assurance of one’s salvation.  Greear shares from his own journey with Christ and dealing with doubts about his own salvation.

The biggest strength of this book is Greear’s use of the Bible.  When it comes to finding out the truth on a matter and giving someone a guarantee of something, there is no better source than the Bible.  Greear does an excellent job of showing how the Bible gives a person complete assurance of salvation.

This is one topic that I believe is troubling many people in the church.  There are many people who believe that they are in good standing with God because they said a “prayer.”  There is also a lot of good Christians who are sitting on the sidelines wrestling with doubts who could be on the front lines helping bring the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.  Greear helps clear the air in this small book on how a person is “saved” and can know for sure that they are in the family of God.  I would suggest that every Christian and even those who are investigating the claims of Jesus Christ read this book.  It will give some pointed answers to some very important questions.

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When A Son Becomes A Brother

This is not some kind of riddle. It is just a thought that has been on my mind for the past couple of weeks. The thought began when our oldest son, Drew, came to his mother and I and said that he was ready to become a follower of Jesus.

This moment is one that my bride and I have been anxiously awaiting for some time now. We began praying soon after each one of our sons was born that they would become genuine followers of Jesus. A couple of weeks back, our oldest son crossed that threshold.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful privilege of baptizing our oldest son. Each baptism I am a part of is special, but this one definitely placed at the top of the list. I promised myself that I would not cry, but the moment was just too much. As my son looked up at me and answered affirmatively that he has chosen to follow Jesus, I couldn't hold it in.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, "a time to weep and a time to laugh."

Yesterday was a day that I will hold as one of the greatest days in this parent's life. It was a day where my son was recognized as my brother in Christ!

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One Great Day

As a parent, there are some days that you look forward to with great expectation. There is the seeing the child for the first time. There is hearing them say your name for the first time. As they take those first steps, you are there with the camera (or smartphone) going.

As a parent who is a Christian, there are a whole other set of things that we look forward to seeing in our children. At the top of the list has to be when your child places their faith into Jesus for themselves. This is a point that you pray for from their first day.

This past week was a great week for our family. Our oldest son, Drew, came to us and said that he was ready to trust Jesus. He had been asking questions for a while. This past week, he nailed that decision down. Yesterday, he shared with our church family the great news.

I took a couple of things away from this experience:

1. Be praying for your children. This may seem like one of those "needless to say" statements, but the truth is that the best thing that we can do for our children and grandchildren is to pray for them. Pray for their salvation. Pray for their future spouse. Pray for them to be used for God's glory.

2. Remember that salvation is a personal decision. One of the hardest things with my oldest son was allowing him the room, freedom, and time to make the ultimate decision to follow Jesus. I wanted so bad to see him saved from the moment he was born. I realized quickly that it wasn't my decision. Give your children that room to make a decision on their own.

3. Rejoice when one is saved. It doesn't have to be a family member coming to Christ for us to get all excited. We should rejoice anytime that one comes to Christ. If it is our children, celebrate all the more. Watching my son accept Christ reminded me just how amazing that moment is in a person's life.

Are you awaiting the day when your child or loved one comes to Christ? Keep praying for them. Keep an open door to them for questions. Let Jesus show them the difference He can make in their life.

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Empowered by the Holy Spirit Part 1

The Holy Spirit.

Those three words can raise many thoughts in people's minds.  For some, it can be down right scary.  Maybe they heard the old school teachings of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  Ghosts have a way of instilling fear in people.  That is not what should be with the Holy Spirit.  For others, the term brings great joy as they think about the One who has come alongside them and carried them through tough times.  This is a more accurate image.  Sadly, there are those that have a huge question mark in their minds when they hear about the Holy Spirit.  They have not heard much, if anything, about Him.

The Holy Spirit has been cast off into the corner by some denominations of the Christian faith.  It may be that there is nothing in this physical realm to which we can relate Him to.  It is easier to understand the role of the Father because we have one.  The Son is not hard to grasp because many of us are sons or have them.  The Holy Spirit is different.  There is nothing in all of creation like Him, but to not know Him is a great tragedy.

When we look to the Bible, we see that the Holy Spirit is vital to us.  Over the next couple of days, I want to take a look at some of the different ways in which the Holy Spirit brings power to our lives.  The first area of power that will be discussed is the power of salvation.

Salvation takes place when a person is completely saved from their sins.  Romans 3:23 plainly tells us that every human being since the Garden of Eden has been tainted with sin.  This sin separates us from have a relationship with the living God of the universe.  Nothing that we do on our own can ever make that right (Isaiah 64:6).  This is where the Holy Spirit comes in.

This salvation (forgiveness of sins and a new life capable of having a relationship with God) is made available only by the power and work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus talked with a man named Nicodemus in John 3 about what it takes for a person to be right with God.  In verse 5, Jesus says that a person must be born of water and the Spirit to see the Kingdom of God.  This is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  How does this work happen?

First, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of our sin.  John 16:13 says, "When He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment."  The Holy Spirit first shows us what is present in our lives and keeping us from God - our sin.  When we begin to see the sin in our lives for what is really is and what it is doing to us, that is the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit calls us to Jesus.  In John 6:44, Jesus tells us that "no man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day."  The Holy Spirit not only points out the sin in our lives, but He also points us to the only way of forgiveness and true life - Jesus.  No person just wakes up one day on their own and says, "I am going to be a follower of Jesus now."  That decision comes as the Holy Spirit pulls our hearts to our Creator.

If this was the only thing that the Holy Spirit ever did, it would be enough to praise Him.  Because the Holy Spirit has the power to break through any person's sin barrier and show them the way of life, we should get to know Him more... we should love Him more... we should follow His leading.

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