Year: 2015

Free From Sin’s Control

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Romans 8:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

As we read through the Word, it is important to remember the chapter breaks were added later to make it easier to find specific passages. At times, they can create a break in thought not intended by the author. This often causes us to miss something vital in the text. The thoughts of Romans 8 are an obvious conclusion of what Paul declared in Chapter 7. He referred to himself as carnal, a word meaning worldly; and wretched, meaning deeply afflicted, or extremely bad. The reason for his dire view is that he found himself incapable of living a proper Christian life. The Word of God clearly expresses the kind of life which pleases God, and the particular behaviors, thoughts, desires and actions that are regarded as sinful. By his own admission, Paul knew what was right, but lacked the power to accomplish these things. He writes,

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Romans 7:19

Have you ever been sitting in a church service, hearing a particularly convicting message, knowing that you come short, desiring with all your heart to live up to it, yet walking out the door and failing again? Understand, you are not alone in this, even Paul faced the same struggles. While it is encouraging to know we are not alone in this battle, Paul did not write about his experience in order to make us feel better when we fail. Instead, he is writing his story to offer us help. He goes on to give the secret of his success; “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” While Chapter 7 describes the struggle Paul faced attempting to live for Christ, Chapter 8 gives the secret behind his victory.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

The life of victory over sin, results in a life filled with the fruit of the spirit, has impact upon others, and produces treasures stored up in Heaven; this is the life empowered by the Spirit of God. The Christian life was never meant to be lived in the energy of human strength. God requires that we learn to depend upon His Spirit for our strength. It is the one who sits daily before the throne of grace who will be filled with the Spirit of Christ. He will find himself with an increased ability to conquer personal sin and live well pleasing to the Lord. STOP trying to win the battle against the flesh with will power and human strategy. Instead, sit daily at the feet of Jesus, in the Word of God, and ask Him, nay, plead with Him, to fill you beyond capacity, with the Spirit of holiness that raised Christ from the dead.

Take a few minutes to ask God to baptize you with His Spirit. Ask Him to give you power to set down the sins you keep picking up, and to give you spiritual gifts that you might be useful for His Kingdom purposes. Then, read through the rest of Romans 8 to find insights into how to walk in the Spirit. Especially note what Paul says about the mind.

Pastor Jim

 

Incoming Call 

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Ezra 2:1
“Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.”

Ezra tells the story of the children of Israel returning to Jerusalem, at the end of seventy years of captivity in Babylon. We find that while hundreds of thousands were taken captive, less than fifty thousand returned. I am relatively certain that many should have returned that didn’t, but we are also given insight into the ones that were willing to leave all and take up the challenge of engaging in the work of God.

Ezra 1:5
“Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.”

Notice the phrase “all whose spirits God had moved.” There was a work of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of men and women, calling them into ministry. We often hear talk of the call of God, and we see it in action right here. The Spirit began to move and people were willing to leave their homes, friends, comforts, and land, to step out and be a part of the work of God in reaching the world. There are a few key truths regarding the call of God that are vividly illustrated in this passage.

First, we realize not everyone was called to the same task. This chapter refers to priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers and the general public, all being called to the work of the Lord. Their varying gifts and callings would work together to accomplish the rebuilding of the temple. Sometimes we feel as though we are not called to ministry because we do not have a certain skill set or gifting. Not all ministry involves standing behind a pulpit or playing an instrument. Many have effectively served Christ without any of those gifts. One of my favorite missionaries was David Livingston who, although he shared Christ with many, also was somewhat of a trailblazer who, through his life, opened the door for many others to make their way to Africa with the Gospel.

Second, we find that while some were stirred to GO, others were called to stay behind and support those who were sent.

Ezra 1:6 “And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.”

Even the king of Persia got involved and gave back all the articles that had been looted from the Temple when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. In the God’s economy, those who support the work are equal participants with those who do the work. As a church, we have been blessed over the years to be able do ministry on six of the seven continents. We have had individuals, teams, and pastors travel to over 20 different countries, to be involved in spreading gospel and making disciples. While a lot of different people have been able to make these trips, many more have been involved by supporting the work. What kind of eternal investments have you been making?

Perhaps God is stirring your heart to get involved in ministry. Maybe you are sensing that it is time to make some greater eternal investments. The first step is to get involved in your local church. Contact them and ask how you can help. It may be that the Lord is calling you into a new season in life. I can attest to the fact that there is nothing better in life than serving Christ.
Pastor Jim

 

Is That Possible? 

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Ezra 1:3
“Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.”

There are times when the promises of God seem unlikely, and other times when they seem impossible. The scene in which Ezra is set is one of those, “it looks impossible”, kind of times. Judah had been defeated, the city of Jerusalem destroyed, and the people scattered throughout Babylonia. To complicate matters, the Babylonians were defeated by the combined forces of the Medes and Persians, led by King Cyrus. Set against these conditions, was a remote and seemingly impossible promise. Years earlier, Jeremiah the prophet, predicted a king named Cyrus would rise to power, and give a decree, allowing the Jews to return to their land and rebuild their city. I am sure, for the average Jew this promise seemed remote at best. I love that we read “in the first year of Cyrus.” God wasted no time in bringing His promise to fruition.

I wonder what you are facing. Perhaps it is something that causes you to question everything you think you know about God. Allow me to encourage you to look into the Word at His great and precious promises. I think you will discover truths that will stand up against whatever you are facing. Those truths will give you comfort, strength and hope, as you come to discover that no matter what the obstacle, the Word of God cannot fail.

Writing to the Romans Paul “. . .  let God be true and every man a liar. . .”  (Romans 3:4). Paul had learned that no matter what, God always keeps His promises.

Pastor Jim

 

Life In Christ 

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Romans 7:4 “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”

Much of what the Bible says is revolutionary. There are statements, not just shocking to us, but to every generation that ever lived. Jesus spoke to his disciples saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24

Perhaps the strongest drive within the human body is the drive for survival. Yet we hear Jesus say, if we try to save our lives we will lose them. Life, according to Jesus, is found in death. On another occasion He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” ( John 12:24) The death Jesus is speaking of is the death that takes place when we come to Christ. Elsewhere, Paul speaks of us being crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). The old life, lived for self and sinful pleasure, is laid down when we come to Christ and we begin to live with a new-found desire to please God. I spent 18 years of my life without Christ, during that time I never once considered if my behavior was pleasing to the Lord. Since the time of meeting Christ, pleasing Him has been my first priority. My old life died the day I met Christ. The benefits of that death are what Paul is speaking of here. He declares,

Romans 7:6 “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Three amazing things happen when we die to the self life and live to please the Lord. First, we are released from the power sin holds over us. We were held captive by it because we saw sin as a means to a happy and full life. When we came to Christ, we realized the destructive nature of sin. When this happened, we began to be repulsed by the very things we once lived for. Solomon wrote, ” . . . the fear of the Lord is to hate evil . . .” (Proverbs 8:13), meaning, when we seek to please God, we will begin to despise sin. Second, death to the self-life will result in bearing fruit to God. The height of life is described by Paul as the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is born when we leave behind the desire to put ourselves first, and we seek to live for the glory of God. Finally, Paul speaks of our serving in the Spirit. The one who leaves the ‘me first,’ sinful life behind, replacing it with seeking to live well pleasing to Jesus, will find a an enabling from the Lord to serve Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Compassion 

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2 Chronicles 36:15
“And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.”

Compassion is a necessary ingredient in order to bring about change. It is more than an emotion, it is a sense of pity that stirs one to action. The compassion of God flows from His love for humanity. He looks at our condition because of sin, and His heart breaks. Rather than simply feeling bad for us, His compassion stirs Him to action. In the days of Jeremiah, we read, God’s action was to send men to declare the truths of His Word.

Even the best of believers, tend to drift from the Lord. Rather than leaving us to this course, God moves to bring us back to Himself. He will no doubt use circumstances to grab our attention, but His compassion also stirs Him to send others to remind us of the ways of God. It is sad how often a person involved in prohibitive actions, will respond with an accusation of being “judged,” instead of being thankful for the compassion of God, Who loves them so much He rises early  to send a messenger.

Those in Jeremiah’s day reacted to these warning with anger, hate, and persecution. We need to be careful to react with repentance and change.

Pastor Jim

 

Grabbing A Dog By It’s Ears 

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2 Chronicles 35:21
“But he sent messengers to him, saying, ‘What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.,'”

Josiah had a tremendous ministry with wide spreading impact. His personal commitment to the Lord resulted in a national revival that even drew people from other nations to commit themselves to YHWH. While we could discuss in detail the long lasting affects of his ministry, I was struck by what cut it short. We read that he began to meddle in things that were not the Lord’s call on his life. He started fighting the wrong battle, and it cost him his life. A few verses come to mind when I think of the premature death of Josiah.

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Paul used the phrase “good fight” or “good warfare” on three occasions. Once, he explained that his life was coming to an end and that he had spent it fighting the good fight. Twice he exhorted Timothy to do the same. It was important to Paul, and should be important to us, that we stay focussed and maintain the proper focus in ministry. It is easy to get sidetracked into battles that just don’t matter. Solomon put it like this,

Proverbs 26:17  “He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.”

The imagery is quite vivid. Grabbing a dog by the ears is a really bad idea and will result in an unnecessary hospital visit, which will probably include a shot with a very long needle.

It is possible to lose sight of what we have been called to and get caught up in a host of lesser things. I have seen ministries that were once vibrant in winning people to Christ, making disciples, sending out saints, become sterile. Their focus became building the church, getting too political or becoming overly concerned with what other leaders are doing.

We learned from Martha that it is possible to get sidetracked by just about anything, even duties. The important thing is that we remain focused on what God has called us to do. I remember a quote from Charles Spurgeon that went something like this,

“If God has called you to preach don’t stumble along the way to become a king.”

Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus, and our time spent on what he has called us to.

Pastor Jim

Striving Against Sin

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Romans 6:1
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Paul boldly declares, because of the manifold grace of God, it is unreasonable for a Christian to continue living in sin. He explains why we should put our old lives behind us, and also gives practical steps on how that is to be accomplished. Notice, he explains what happened to us when we received Jesus Christ. Declaring, we were buried with Him through baptism into death.

We have seen, over and over, as we journey through the Bible, the result of receiving Christ is life. We become the partakers of eternal life as we follow Christ; we begin to experience abundant life. Here, Paul speaks of another truth. In addition to being made alive, he explains that coming to Christ also involves dying. The life lived for self, in pursuit of sin, and driven by fleshly desires, is crucified when we receive Christ. Paul declares, since we died to sin, it is unreasonable for us to live in sin. After laying down the doctrinal aspect of this truth, Paul gives some practical insights in how to lay sin aside, and live a righteous life.

He writes, “Reckon yourself dead Indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:11).  The word reckon is a thinking word, meaning to consider. Since you are dead to sin, consider yourself dead to sin. Treat sin the way a dead man treats food. It is no long driving him. Dieting is difficult, it seems the moment we decide not to eat something, it is the moment we find ourselves surrounded by it. Our senses step into hyper mode, and we can smell sweets from a mile away. The battle rages within us, like a soldier fighting off an enemy invasion. We battle against the sights, smells, and memories of the delicacies we are trying to avoid. But truth be told, the moment we die, that battle will be over. Dead men don’t diet, they don’t need to, because the cravings of the flesh are gone. In the same way, if we consider that we are dead to sin, it is something of the past life, then we have taken the first step toward overcoming it’s hold on our lives.

Next Paul writes, “don’t let sin reign in your life.” Reign means to rule. Sin has a way of getting a hold of us and forcing us to do its bidding. When we first begin to toy with sin, we think we are the master, and it serves our desire. But it does not take long before the roles are reversed, and we realize we are under the control of sin. Paul is warning of that danger, but also instructing us on how to overcome sin’s hold on us.

He goes on to say, “do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13).” Our members are our body parts. Before coming to Christ, we used them to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. We used our minds to think of clever ways to sin and avoid getting in trouble for it. We used our eyes to look at sin, our ears to listen to it, our feet to lead us into it, and our hands to accomplish it. Now that we have come to Christ, we should use our members as instruments for righteousness. How have you been using yours? In what way have you used your mind, eyes, ears, feet and hands for the Kingdom of God?

Practically speaking, there is only so much time in the day. If we are giving ourselves over to the service of the Lord, we are going to have less time to give to sinful folly. In addition, we will find, the grip sin’s hold on us begins to weaken, and we, like Paul, will be able to speak of many of our struggles as victories.

Pastor Jim

 

Set That Aside 

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2 Chronicles 34:31
“Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.”

Josiah’s story is a common one. While few have ever been king of a country, everyone who has responded to the Lord has walked a similar path as he did. First, Josiah made a decision to follow the Lord. This decision soon led him to a discovery of the Word of God, which in turn led him to make dramatic changes in his personal life, and his sphere of influence. We read that after he made a stand for the Lord, he called others to stand with him and,

“Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.”  2 Chronicles 34:33

A true commitment to Christ will always result in a change of lifestyle.

This was true of Asa,
2 Chronicles 14:2-3 “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.”

It was true of Jehoshaphat,
2 Chronicles 17:6 “And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.”

And it must be true of us. When Jesus called people to follow Him, it was necessary for them to leave their past lives behind. He made abundantly clear that following Him meant denying self, taking up our cross, and going in a new direction in life. During his short ministry, he encountered many who took Him up on this offer and left all to follow. Tragically however, He also encountered many who refused to follow, because they refused to give up certain lifestyles, beliefs, or practices. Most of us are familiar with the Rich, Young Ruler, who, although he recognized who Jesus was, refused to give up what was necessary, in order to follow Him.

Paul made it clear that laying aside past behaviors continues to be a requirement for following Christ. He wrote, Romans 6:1 ” What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Romans 6:12-14 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

One of the evidences of true conversion, is that we are willing to lay down our old life to follow Christ. Are you clinging to anything that Christ is calling you to lay aside? The solution to finding freedom begins with confession. If we confess our sin He will both forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9)

Pastor Jim

 

Turn Around 

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2 Chronicles 33:12
“Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,”

Hands down, Manasseh was the worse king to ever reign in Judah. In a few short years, he undid all the reforms his father had effected, and seduced the people into sins they had never dreamed of committing. The spiritual climate in the nation was at an all time low, and the morality of the people followed suit. It is not surprising to read the Assyrians defeated Judah, and carried the king off captive to Babylon. What is surprising to read is, during his affliction, he not only cried out to God for help, but he truly committed his life to the Lord. This turn around forever changed life and eternity for Manasseh. Through his downfall, he came to realize the Lord was God, and he began to make great reforms within his life and the nation. Altars, which had previously led him into sin, were removed. Repairs were made to the Temple of God; making worship and sacrifice easier and more appealing.

I wonder, have you failed in the past? Is the road you have travelled, marked with times of failure, and days where you have walked away from the Lord? If so, be encouraged by the story of Manasseh. No matter how badly you have fallen, you can turn around and be restored. The problem is, while most come to realize their failure, too many never make the turn. It is common to hear of someone who faces affliction, because of the path they have chosen to walk. Sadly, it is uncommon to hear of people making real and lasting decisions to turn from their sinful ways, and be committed to following the Lord. It is not that God cannot clean up, transform and change a life, it is that we are unwilling to let go of certain behaviors.

Don’t be like the rich, young Ruler, who, unwilling to change his ways, missed out on all the Lord had for him (Luke 18:18-23). Instead, be like Manasseh, make a complete turn around, giving all to the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Benefits 

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Romans 5:1
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

images.jpegA few years back, a good friend of mine was applying for a new job. When he returned from his interview he was very excited. Naturally, I asked him how it went. He replied, “It is such a good job! Because of the company’s connections, I will get deals on hotels, flights, cruises, and be able to travel for a fraction of normal rates.” After describing, in much greater detail, many of the peripheral benefits of his new job, I did not have the heart to ask him what he would be doing everyday; or to remind him he would only have one week of vacation to enjoy all these benefits. Sometimes, a reminder of the benefits is all we need to keep us pressing on through the difficult times.

The Roman believers, to whom Paul is writing, are facing their share of difficult times. He speaks of the tribulations they are facing. There are many words that can be used to describe difficulties, but it is hard to think of one with deeper meaning than ‘tribulations’. In order to encourage them in the struggles they are encountering, Paul reminds them of the benefits of following Christ. Allow me to draw your attention to four of them.

First, we are reminded that through faith in Christ, we have peace with God. No longer are we living as the enemies of God, warring against Him, and living opposed to His Word; now we are the friends of God. As a result, all the resources of God are available to give us victory in the battles of life. In Romans 8:31 we are told, “If God is for us who can be against us.”

Second, we have access to God. The cross is the doorway to the throne of God. His throne is described as a place of grace and mercy where, from the giving nature of God, everything the child of God needs is poured out. If we need mercy, peace, encouragement, forgiveness, comfort, healing, power, provision, or any other thing, we will find it there.

Third, we have hope in God. This hope is expressed in two ways. One, we have the hope of glory, the hope of heaven, the hope of one day standing in the presence of God; having shed these earthly tents, that are wearing down, and being dawned in glorious bodies designed for eternity. As we stand in glory, we will be face to face with Jesus. No more will we be looking at God as “through a glass dimly”, but we will see Him as He really is. Oh, for that day! When all questions are answered and all sin removed, when we stand glorified in glory! Two, this hope also has benefits today. Because of Christ, the difficulties we face are not just obstacles or struggles, they are means for God to produce His character within us. Only God can take a trial and use it positively in our lives, to make us more like Christ.

Finally, Paul declares, “much more then… we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:9) The greatest of all benefits is the fact that, as a result of receiving Christ, we will not face eternal judgment, but instead, receive eternal life. Sometimes, in the midst of the struggles of life, and the temptation to turn from Christ, we need to be reminded that Christ alone can save us from the wrath of God, and the judgment we all deserve. Take some time to look at your life through the prism of the benefits of following Christ.

Pastor Jim