sin

Introspective 

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2 Kings 9:6
“Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.'”

Many men have been called and anointed by God for service. Unfortunately, too many follow the example of Jehu. He spent the beginning of his calling ridding Israel of those who had turned the nation against the Lord. One by one, his sword was a vehicle of judgment against the wicked leaders who went before him. Joram the king of Israel, Jezebel the queen mother, and Ahaziah king of Judah, were all slain for their wickedness, and crimes against the nation. After showing great zeal for righteousness in others, Jehu failed to show the same zeal for his own commitment to the Lord. After successfully using the sword against others, he allowed sin to run rampant in his own life. We read of him,

2 Kings 10:29 “However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.”

One of the great dangers of Christian ministry is to become tolerant of your own sin, while focusing on helping to remove the sins of others. The devil is good at what he does, and what he does is deceive. He will spend great energies to get us to take the spotlight off ourselves, and only use it on others. The value of being in the Word of God daily, is that God will use it to probe into our lives and keep us on track.

Be careful to let God remove planks from your life, as He equips you to remove splinters from others (Matthew 7:3-4).

Pastor Jim

 

Quick Fix

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2 Kings 8:18
“And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Sometimes, the reason a person fails to walk with the Lord is quite simple. In the case of Jehoram, king of Judah, it was anything but complicated; he got involved with an ungodly woman, who turned his heart from the Lord.

What would we find if we took a few minutes to examine you? Would we be able to discover anything that is keeping you from walking with Jesus? Would we find that past hurt has created a bitterness of which you refuse to let go? Or perhaps a compromise has led to a sin thats grip is so tight, you feel incapable of ever breaking away? Maybe it is as simple as it was for Jehoram, and you are involved in a wrong relationship, or at least in doing relationships wrong? What ever the case, the way to get things right,is to do an honest self evaluation, and make the proper adjustments.

The other day I was driving, and suddenly the car began to shake so ferociously, I was barely able to steer, and unable to continue driving. When I pulled over, I found the cause of what was keeping me from moving forward, was a simple flat tire. It was hot, it took some work, and I got dirty. However, after a relatively short period of time, the problem was addressed, fixed, and I was moving forward to my desired destination. Whatever is keeping you from moving forward has to be addressed and repaired if you are going to find yourself pressing toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

What’s It Worth

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1 Kings 21:20
“I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord”

This is certainly not the only record of Ahab’s sin. He was a man who long ago had given up on any desire to live a life that honors the Lord. This passage does however illustrate, quite strongly, the question asked by Jesus, when He said, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24)

We all know we will never gain the whole world. A few have tried, but none have succeeded. Many, however, have traded eternity for some temporal pleasure or possession. Like Esau, who gave his birth right for a bowl of soup, many give up eternity for something that lasts only a moment. For Ahab, it was a field. He wanted a garden he could enjoy from his palace window. There was however, a problem; the land was owned by another man. Instead of letting it go, he plotted to take the field by force. For a plot of ground, he took a life. In doing so, he revealed how cheaply he valued his own life.

The Bible tells us redemption of the soul is costly; our actual value is infinite. Peter explains we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19), because no amount of silver or gold would do. Instead of sitting on the sale rack, selling yourself off to participate in a passing sinful experience, remember you are worth much more than that, and are a blood-bought child of the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

You Must Be This Tall

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Psalm 71:19
“Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?”

We have four boys who are separated by only five years. When they were little, we, like so many others families, spent a lot of our time visiting amusement parks. As the older ones grew, they were attracted to the bigger rides, and their younger brother wanted to do whatever they did. The problem was, many of the rides had a standard. If you were not a certain height, you could not ride. At times, this created quite a controversy. We tried everything to make him just a little taller, we spiked his hair, we bought shoes called “Heelies”, that had a wheel in the back, and provided a couple extra inches to his height. However, time and time again, when we reached the entrance, he was excluded. He simply did not measure up.

Just like the amusement park rides, heaven has a standard for entrance. That standard is not height, growth, accomplishment or good deeds; the standard is righteousness. But not just any righteousness; we must have the righteousness of Christ. In Matthew 5, Jesus explained that the Law of God is not merely an external thing, but can be broken with thought, as well as action.  He declared, we must be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). It is no wonder the Psalmist declares, “Your righteousness, O God, is very high.” The righteousness of Christ is actually so high it can never be reached by human achievement. Isaiah declared, “. . . we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). In other words, our very best moral and spiritual accomplishments will never be enough to meet the standard of entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Unfortunately, many of us, failing to realize that we will never attain perfection on our own, keep trying to “make themselves just a little taller.” Paul was like that. He considered himself to be a righteous man, and his accomplishments worthy of heaven, that is, until he met Christ. When that happened, he declared that his desire was,

“. . . not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”   Philippians 3:9

When we realize our own achievements will not gain us access to God, and instead, we come to Him through faith in Christ, we experience a great exchange. Our sins are placed on Him, and His righteousness is given to us. Paul put it like this,

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  2 Corinthians 5:21

Have you stopped imagining that you are good enough for heaven? Have you stopped spiking your hair and wearing “Heelies,” thinking you can trick God into letting you in? Have you come to God through faith in Christ and received His righteousness, in place of your sin? If not, now is the time. Pray with me. “Lord, I recognize I am a sinner, and You are the Savior. I ask you to forgive me of my sin, and fill me with Your righteousness.”

If you made that decision, you have become a child of God. Take a moment and let us know so we can encourage you to follow Christ. Contact us at church@ccvb.net

Pastor Jim

 

Enemies

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Psalm 69:1-2
“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.”

This Psalm is fulfilled in at least three ways. First, it expresses an actual time in the life of David. His enemies have mounted up against him with such great force that he feels like one who is drowning in a mighty flood. The enemies he faces are those who have sided with Saul, to seek his life; those who were against him because he had chosen to follow God, and finally, and perhaps his greatest enemy, is his own sin. In the midst of the battle for his own life, sin had mounted up like an army, seeking to destroy him. David’s victory over these enemies is found as He seeks the mercy of God. He writes, “Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.” Psalm 69:16

Second, this Psalm has fulfillment in the daily life of the child of God. At times, we find ourselves facing enemies far greater than ourselves. Trials can be like a mighty force that we cannot overcome; there are even times when people turn against us. Like Job, when we need someone the most, we often feel like we have been deserted. However, the greatest enemy, the one that wages the most intense battle against us, is personal sin. We all know those times when our easily besetting sins seem to mount an offensive so great that we wonder when we will be taken down. It is in those times, we must follow the example of David, and look up to Heaven’s throne of Grace and cry out, “Hear me, O LORD, for Your loving-kindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.”

Finally, this is another of the Messianic Psalms. It has it’s fulfillment at the Cross of Christ. Verse twenty-one draws our attention to the crucifixion; “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 69:21). Jesus was also surrounded by enemies. The enemies He faced were the religious leaders, Roman soldiers, a multitude of onlookers, and even some who had once followed Him. They were all now crying out for His execution. When Peter explained the events of the crucifixion in Acts 2, he made it clear that it was not the Romans, or even the Jewish leaders, who were responsible for the execution of Christ. He said to a group of people, many who had traveled from a distant land, and were not present at the death of Christ, “ . . .you have taken (Him) by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:23). Jesus went to the cross to satisfy the wrath of God. His death provided a way for the insurmountable forces of sin to be conquered, and eternal life to be provided. Our cry for mercy can be answered because of the atoning death of Christ. Even when our sins wage war against us, and it seems like a force too great to withstand, we can cry out to heaven for mercy, forgiveness and victory.

Take time to look to His mercy today.

Pastor Jim

 

Walking Through The Land 

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1 Kings 16:32
“Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.”

If a traveler from a distant land were to arrive in Israel during the reign of Ahab, there would be little to convince him that these were a people chosen by God. If he entered from the north, the first thing to catch his eye would have been a massive altar built on a high hill in the area of Dan. This altar was erected to give worship to a massive golden cow the people revered as their god. If he came from the south, he would see a similar site erected in Bethel. If he made his way into the heart of the nation, to the newly built city of Samaria, he would find the focal point of the city was an altar built to Baal, the god of fertility. If our traveler were to continue through the towns and villages of Israel, he would see a wide variety of altars and high places built to almost every imaginable god under the son. Essentially, Israel had deteriorated from a nation whose purpose was to glorify YHWH, and be a beacon of light to the world, to a nation just like their neighbors. They had all the same problems, and addressed them with all the same solutions, as those who had never met the Lord.

I wonder what our fictitious friend would find if he were to enter our homes? If he opened the video cabinet, the refrigerator, or scanned through the search history on our computers or mobile devices, would he find different results than our neighbors who have never met Christ? If he observed the way we treat our spouse, or the time we give to personal devotions, would he conclude we were a people who desire to please God and obey His Word? If he were to measure the amount of time we spend instructing our children in the Word, and encouraging the behaviors that please the Lord, would he have hope that the next generation will follow Christ more closely than the current one?

Israel failed because they never got off the path on which Jeroboam put them. The longer they walked that road, the farther they got from the Lord. Perhaps it is time to stop going down the road you are traveling and make some changes in the way you apply Christ to your daily living. While this may seem like an insurmountable challenge, it is really as simple as turning to the Lord for help.

Pastor Jim

 

It’s Time 

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1 Kings 15:12-13
“And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron.”

We recently had a friend visiting who we had not seen in a number of years. One of his first comments was how much our children had grown. When he last saw them, they were pre-teens, now they are young men. He was shocked at how they had changed, in what seemed to be such a brief period of time. For us, the changes do not seem quite as drastic, because we are watching what happens from day to day. It is only when we bring up a photo or video that we see how much things have really changed.

This same thing was true of the moral condition of Israel and Judah. Gradually, over the reigns of Solomon and Rehoboam, the nation drifted from the precepts of God’s Word, and became more and more like the surrounding nations. Morality slipped, and what was once considered obscene, was now commonplace. While these changes may have come gradually, they needed to be addressed quickly and decisively. As Asa came to the throne, he began to immediately address the sins of the nation. We read that idolatry, perversion and obscenity were removed from the landscape of the nation.

It is high time that we, the church of Jesus Christ, pray fervently that those who rise to power would have the courage to stand against the rising tide of immorality. We are living in the times that Isaiah described, where people are calling evil good and good evil. We need to see God raise up men and women who will stand for what is holy, godly and right. That being said, I suggest, of equal and perhaps even greater importance, is that each of us would take the Word of God seriously in our personal lives. Instead of always looking outward at what is wrong with the world today, we would take a look inward, and allow the Word of God to operate on our personal lives.

A move of God, that stirs revival, is always the greatest deterrent to the flood of immorality that spreads across a nation. Revivals have always begun when individuals are moved by the Spirit and the Word of God, to commit themselves completely to Christ. The question that remains is, “Will you be an Asa. Will you be willing to commit yourself and your home to live devoted to Christ?” It is high time we remove the perversion and obscenity from our own lives.

Pastor Jim

 

Pray For Me 

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1 Kings 13:6
“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.”

Jeroboam had been called and anointed as king of Israel. He was given the same opportunities and promises that David was given. His problem was, instead of drawing near to the Lord, he followed the gods of the surrounding nations, and turned Israel away from the Lord. God, in His unparalleled mercy, sent an unnamed prophet to win Jeroboam back to the ways of the Lord. The man of God declared a powerful message of rebuke to the king; and with a stunning show of the power of God, the altar split in two. Jeroboam’s heart had become so hardened, his response was to demand this young man be imprisoned. As the king’s hand stretched forth condemning the prophet, his hand suddenly withered. With a withered hand, and a broken altar, the king pleaded with the prophet to pray for him. Sadly, his prayer was not one of repentance, he simply wanted things restored to the way they were.

Unfortunately, Jeroboam is not alone in this. Too often, when calamity comes our way, as a result of wandering off the path of God, we seek only to have things returned to normal. The king should have taken this as a time to repent of ungodly activities, and get to the business of following the Lord. It is both wrong and dangerous, if we are only seeking to have the Lord take our difficulties from us, and not seeking to live a life that is well pleasing to Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Misguided Affections 

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1 Kings 11:40
“Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.”

It is almost eerie to compare the similarities between Solomon and Saul, and Jeroboam and David. As a result of personal sin, Solomon, like Saul, had the kingdom taken from him. While Jeroboam, like David, was chosen by God, to rise to the challenge and lead a new nation. Sadly, both men failed miserably. The root cause of Solomon’s sin is explained earlier.

1 Kings 11:1-2. “But King Solomon loved many foreign women… from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.’ Solomon clung to these in love.”

Solomon was responsible for introducing idolatry into the nation. He built temples, shrines,  and high places for Ashtoreth, Milcom, Chemosh and Molech. These were the gods of the nations surrounding Israel. Along with the worship of these gods, came all kinds of lewd and licentious behaviors. The seeds dividing the nation were planted by Solomon, and quickly picked up by the people of Israel. In one generation, the once powerful nation of Israel, would be devastated by civil war that would lead to invasion, and ultimately collapse.

We read, although Solomon knew his behavior was unbiblical, he “clung to these women in love.” Love has been used throughout history to justify the sinful behaviors of men. A Christian will disobey the will of God, begin to date an unbeliever, and justify it as love. An unmarried couple will cross the line physically, move in together, using their love for one another as an excuse. A married man will leave his family because he is “in love” with his secretary, or a high school sweetheart.

Love is an important part of life, but misguided love will lead us away from the Lord, and into a world of hurt. The same God who instructed us that love is the chief grace, also warned us not to love the world, nor the things that are in the world. It is crucial that we examine our lives and be sure we are not using love as an excuse to sin.

Pastor Jim

 

Consequences

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2 Samuel 24:10
“And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’”

King David committed a sin by taking a census of the people, rather than trusting in the arm of God as Israel’s defense. His sin was forgiven, but the consequences were grave.

This passage is a vivid illustration of temptation, failure, repentance and results. In the parallel passage in Chronicles we read,

1 Chronicles 21:1
” Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

The initial cause of David’s sin was giving into temptation. Instead of rejecting unbiblical thinking, he chose to entertain his thoughts, and before long found himself giving in. It is not uncommon for us to be bombarded with ungodly thoughts. We harbor bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness toward those we perceive have wronged us, and this often leads to justifying ungodly attitudes and actions. Many relationships have been destroyed because we entertained ungodly thoughts, which we should have used the shield of faith to destroy.

David’s thoughts soon led him to action and he took a census of Israel, rather than trusting the Lord. Almost immediately, he was bombarded with guilt and shame. Guilt can be positive or negative, depending upon how we react ito it. Often, guilt will lead to unhealthy actions like isolation, depression or substance abuse. Instead, David allowed his guilt to drive him to the one place it could be appeased; David sought the Lord. His prayer was simply confession. He did not attempt to justify his actions, but admitted his guilt. Years after this, the apostle John wrote

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Because of the sufficiency of the cross, we can cry out to God, and all sin will be forgiven and intimacy with the Lord restored. That truth will never change, but there is a parallel truth that this passage illustrates. Although his sin was forgiven, there were still consequences for his actions. While living through these consequences, David learned to rely upon the mercy of God.

Perhaps you have failed in a big way and are living in the realm of the consequences. Your actions may have cost you a lot. Will you allow me to encourage you to trust in the mercy of God, and cling to Him, as He seeks to minister to you and those who you have wronged. You might not see immediate results, but a life of repentance will put you back on the road that ultimately leads to blessings. For David, it was this season in his life where he took the first step toward building the Temple, which in the long run, would serve as a place where many were drawn to God.

Pastor Jim