Sermons From My Heart

Owen looked up from his fishing tackle box and saw his friend Caleb coming up the driveway. They were going fishing that afternoon.

“Hi, Caleb,” Owen said. “Just checking to make sure all the lures and hooks are in order. I already checked my rod and dug up a bunch of worms. Mom fixed lunch for us, so let’s go!”

Owen’s thoroughness in preparing paid off. He almost always came home with a string of fish, and that day was no exception. But when Owen entered the house, his mom noticed he was unusually quiet. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Well, when Caleb and I were eating the lunch you sent with us, he asked me why I always bow my head and close my eyes for a few seconds before I eat,” replied Owen. “I told him I was praying, and he asked why.”

“And what did you tell him?” asked Mom.

“I told him I was thanking God for our food. Then Caleb asked me about God and church and all sorts of things, and I didn’t know what to say! I never thought about how to explain why we go to church or how I know God loves me. I just know, that’s all!” Owen was obviously feeling frustrated.

“I see.” Mom was thoughtful. “Do you know what it means to be a fisher of people?” she asked.

“Sure,” Owen answered. “It means bringing others to Jesus. We talked about that in Sunday school.”

“Before you go fishing for fish, you always check your rod and tackle and, in general, prepare carefully,” said Mom. “We need to prepare to fish for people too.”

“How do I do that?” Owen asked.

“Well, let’s talk about the things Caleb asked you,” said Mom. “Thinking through them will help you figure out how to explain God’s love for us and why Jesus died on the cross for our sins.”

“Okay,” said Owen. “Should we look up Bible verses about it too?”

“Yes, we should. Becoming familiar with God’s Word is part of preparing to be a fisher of people. So let’s prepare, and then when the chance comes, you’ll be ready with an answer for Caleb–or for anyone else who asks.”

How should Christians act when they are falsely accused, unfairly persecuted, or are asked questions about God or their faith? First Peter 3:13-22 outlines six ways to act:

1. Consider ourselves blessed.
2. Be unafraid
3. Worship Christ as Lord
4. Be ready to give an answer for our hope.
5. Maintain a good conscience
6. Continue in good conduct

Peter wrote to warn Christians in every generation and in every culture that we are going to be ridiculed for our beliefs about Christ, the Son of God, and we are going to be ridiculed for our behaviours. Inevitably people will laugh at us behind our backs (if not to our faces), quietly ridiculing us because we hold Jesus Christ as our Lord and follow His ways. We are never to be combative in sharing the Truth. We are to be bold and unwavering in speaking the Truth, but we should do so in meekness and respect.

Why do we put our faith in God and His Word? We probably have good reasons for believing in God. Some of us came to faith intellectually, others through family tradition, and some through life-changing experiences with the Holy Spirit. Regardless of the reason, the same thing could happen to someone else if they got to know Christ.

Christians have an incredible contribution to make to the society in which they live by breaking the cycle of people returning evil for evil. As we begin to do good, most people will return that good by doing good. Peter insists that the believer must understand what he or she believes and why one is a Christian, and then be able to articulate one’s beliefs humbly, thoughtfully, reasonably, and biblically. A peaceable life, matched with a powerful message, can bring conviction and repentance. The person who loves, befriends, genuinely cares, does life with another, and shares with others about the hope of Jesus is a fragrant aroma to a world in need.

When I was in the Scouting Movement in the 1970s, I learned that the Scouts motto was “Be prepared.” Peter offers a similar motto to his readers. Our personal testimony is one of the most powerful and compelling tools God has given us in reaching nonbelievers with the Gospel. Here are five suggestions to prepare our testimony:

1. We want to be listened to, so be interesting. No one, no matter how gracious, enjoys being bored.
2. We want to be understood, so be logical. We should think of our salvation in three phases and build our testimony accordingly.
   1. Before we were born again-the loneliness, lack of peace, absence of love, unrest, and fears
   1. The decision that changes your life
   1. The change, the difference Christ has made since we have received Christ.
3. We want the moment of our new birth to be clear, so be specific
4. We want our testimony to be used, so be practical. Be human and honest as we talk.
5. We want our testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine. A smile breaks down more barriers than cold, hard facts. Be friendly and sincere,

We will sometimes suffer for doing good just as Jesus did. He told us that it would be so. In John 15:20, Christ said “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Christians cannot confidently be ready to give a defense unless they have immersed themselves in God’s Word. They should know their faith and practice well enough to be able to point others to Jesus with their answers.

There is the kind of suffering which comes into the life of the Christian simply because we have done evil by missing the mark or disobeying God. Peter warns against this kind of suffering when he writes in 1 Peter 4:15, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.” This kind of suffering is simply the logical consequence of sin. It is a good example of the way cause and effect works in our lives. If God’s people live according to His Word, they will not suffer as evildoers but for their good conduct. People may slander a Christian, but revilers should never be proven right in their accusations.

Peter encourages us to share the blessings of God with others. The “good life” is never to be kept for ourselves; it is to be shared with others. Peter suggests three steps we should follow in sharing the good life:

1. Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. The Christian faith makes no sense nor does Christian lifestyle ever work until and unless we “set apart” our lives to allow Jesus Christ to be Lord. To be holy is to be different. It is to be like the Lord who is the personification of holiness.
2. Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. In writing to a suffering church and its hurting people, Peter speaks about the life of hope. Outwardly, those people had little reason to rejoice or to have hope. But because of Christ living in them, they were displaying hope in their lives even when outward circumstances seemed very hopeless. No wonder people would ask them, “Why are you so filled with hope?” By spending time with Him in prayer and in Scripture daily, we are strengthening our own faith and confidence in our relationship with Him and are able to communicate more effectively the hope that we have in Jesus.
3. Share it with meekness and fear and a good conscience. As we share the good life with others, we must do so with the spirit of Christ-with gentleness, respect and a clear conscience. Peter recognizes that it is vitally important for a Chrisitan to have a clear conscience if he or she is to be used by God effectively in sharing the good life with others. The Christian does not have the option of living a “double life or a “secret life.” Responding to others in gentleness and respect and a clear conscience has some wonderful benefits for everyone who is involved.

Suffering for doing good seems to be much more of a challenge in most of our lives than suffering for doing evil. By our very human nature we seem to be surprised by it, and we tend to resist it in every possible way. Peter tells us not to be surprised by it, and in these verses he reveals that we should not resist it but instead we should enjoy the benefits of suffering for doing good. It is better to suffer for doing good, “if it is the will of God.” God is not the source of evil or suffering, but He allows suffering to come into our lives even as He allowed it to come into the life of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, and into the life of His servant Job. Peter summarizes the gospel message in four phases. Christ suffered, was put to death, and was raised from the dead for us, that He might bring us to God.

One minister wrote that his simple explanation of why he was a Christian is this: “The best way to live is to love as Christ loves. There is no better way to live your life here on earth than to love as Jesus Christ taught us to love. That’s just the way it is. And we discover that the love of Christ is not only for this life but for eternal life. From the Bible, we know the ‘steadfast love of God lives forever.” In other words, when I die, I don’t simply die but continue in the love of God forever. Yes, that is what Christ means for me. Love for this life. Eternal love for the next life.”

We have two choices when we feel pressured to be quiet about our faith. We can worry, or we can worship. That means we either panic or pray, We either focus on the problem and the pressure or we focus on God. We do not have to be afraid of or troubled by people who oppose us. Instead, we are to honour Jesus as our Lord, as our first-above-all. From that position of strength, with our feet firmly planted in the truth, we are to tell people exactly why we have an incredible hope in Him.

(An audio version of this message can be found at 1 Peter 3 verses 13-22 Be Prepared)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1789)
2. Cedar, P.A.. & Ogilvie, LJ.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/Jude (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 1984; pp. 162-170)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. The Rev. Edward Markquart, “Easter Ridiculed.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com
6. Emma Danzey, “The Reason for Hope.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devotionals
7. Bobby Schuller, “Keep Doing What is Good.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org
8. Berni Dymet, “The Golden Rule of Communication.” Retrieved from nerni@christianityworks.com
9. Aaron D’Anthony Brown, “Sharing the Gospel.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/cr9osswalk-devo/
10. Rick Warren, “You Can Worry r You Can Worship.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
11. Pastor Allen Jackson, “With Gentleness & Respect.” Retrieved from email@allenjackson.com
12. Charles R. Swindoll, “Your Testimony, Part Two.” Retrieved from info@insightforliving.ca
13. Pastor David McGee, “Be Ready to Share.” Retrieved from theword@aboutthebridge.com
14. Doug Bratt, “1 Peter 3:13-22 Commentary.” Retrieved from https://cepreaching.org/authors/doug-bratt/
15. “A Good Fisherman.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org

Have you ever made a pilgrimage or taken a trip and felt like an outsider? The word “pilgrim” can mean anyone who is living away from home-temporary residents, exiles, strangers, foreigners. Christians are citizens of heaven, not of earth. They are outsiders, and it is to outsiders that 1 Peter is written, including 1 Peter 1:3-9.

These outsiders have been given the sense of belonging, the inheritance, and the honour that society refuses to give them. They have been reborn into God’s family. They may be seen by society as worthless, but God sees the tested value of their faith as more precious than gold. Christ’s resurrection has given outsiders such as us new life in the present and the promise of salvation and an eternal home.

In the meantime, they live in hope. This hope is not the mere wishful thinking that we express when we say things like “I hope things go well for you.” Their hope is a firm confidence grounded in God’s character and God’s saving actions. By raising Jesus from the dead and giving them new life, God has shown them and us who He is and what He can do.

The word “elect” simply means “chosen.” God the Father chose His children for salvation and foreordained that they would be set apart as His people. Christians are chosen for salvation by God the Father, not because of who they are, what they have done, or what they might do, but because of His endless grace and compassion. This is the doctrine of election. Election does not mean that God is a mean overlord who chooses some and rejects others, nor does it cancel our human responsibility, making us mere puppets. God’s choosing demonstrates His grace, but in election we must still choose to trust in Christ. We respond to God’s choosing by choosing to live holy lives.

An old story about election shows God’s heart. A man was walking through a doorway, and above the entrance was a sign that read: “Whosoever will may come.” As he walked through the doorway and looked back, another sign above the entrance on that side read: “I chose you before the foundations of the earth were created.”

The world puts its hope in things that can die, be destroyed, decay, or deteriorate. They make a strong claim on our affections. It’s easy to see them as part of God’s blessings, but they have very little to do with our eternal lives. They can fade before our eyes. Peter reminds Christians that their future is secure because their relationship with God is secure. These realities should enable God’s people to face boldly the challenges of each day.

Worldly hope is merely wishful thinking and ends at the grave. Christian hope is based on the living, resurrected Christ. Because Jesus overcame death, He promises His followers that they too shall overcome the grave. This assurance is so firm that Christians can risk their lives on it.

Having hope in Christ does not mean that believers will not experience trials and hardships. Trials do not last and gladness is central. For unbelievers, gladness is superficial and sorrow is central. When we believe in Jesus for salvation and are born again, we are born into a new nature. We begin to think and act differently. While our bodies may be here on earth, our thoughts are on heaven, where we will live one day. Our bodies are called “tents” because they are temporary dwelling places.

Affliction is a reality in our lives at one time or another. It takes on many forms. Peter reminds us that our afflictions and trials last only a little while. In God’s sense of time, and in the framework of His plan for our lives, a long time for us is still a little while. He is with us in our suffering. He can sympathize with us.

Peter tells us that until our faith is proved genuine, we will never be able to give praise, glory, and honour to God, because until such testing He will not be revealed in our lives. Trials are designed to bring us to a level of trust and experience with God that we would never know otherwise. God’s people can expect to receive praise, honour, and glory as a result of their suffering.

Peter lists three specific trials that God lets come into our lives:

1. The grief of trials. God gave us the capacity to grieve. It is right for us to grieve when pain, death and suffering come into our lives. God has promised to comfort us and encourage us. The period of grieving is a time for the healing of our inner self. God identifies with our trials, temptations, and suffering.
2. The purpose of trials. God uses every trial for our good if we commit ourselves to Him. We suffer trials so that our faith may be proved genuine. A second benefit of trials is that we may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
3. The joy of trials. The joy of the Lord does not come from our earthly life. It can only be experienced as we walk in the Spirit and receive joy as one of the fruits of the Spirit that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts and lives.

God uses our afflictions to do a work in us. If our situation is not changing, it may be that God is using it to change us. We must use the situation to get stronger, to develop our character, to build our spiritual muscles. We grow in the difficult times when the genuineness of our faith is tested by fire.

When we are at the end of our strength, more strength can be found by thinking about Christ- His sufferings on our behalf, His resurrection, and his glorious reign at the right hand of God. Every day we must expect God to take us beyond where our natural strength has gone before by allowing us to draw on Christ’s strength. If we draw back from our trials and compose our heats to seek Him, if we call upon Hiim and wait for His reply, if we sing to Him, our hearts will be lifted and renewed.

There are two main purposes for 1 Peter. First, it is a call to all Christians to hold fast to their faith.  Second, it is a description of how Christians can be strong in their faith in a hostile cultural environment. Although Peter’s readers had not seen Christ in the flesh, they had the sure promise of salvation and an eternity with Him. This ultimate ending was cause for joy despite their suffering.

The church is the new Adam. It can draw on a wealth of tradition reaching as far back as Abraham. Just as he wandered in faith and hope toward an inheritance which had been promised to him by God, just as the Hebrews wandered in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and just as the exiles held hope in Babylon as they waited for the day when they could return to Israel, so to must we as faithful people keep our faith in God before us. The first step toward the New Jerusalem began with Christ’s death and resurrection. Through our faith in His sacrifice we will reach our appointed destination.

There are several “fringe benefits” of this eternal life:

1. A living hope. Because God raised Christ from the dead, our faith and hope are in God. Peter believes so deeply that we should live the life of hope that he tells us to be ready to give an answer to the person who asks us the reason for that hope.
2. A heavenly inheritance. It will never die. It is indestructible. It will remain unpolluted and fresh. It will never spoil or decay.
3. A powerful shield. Until the day when we claim our heavenly inheritance, God will shield us with His power.

If we are of heaven, how should we live in this world? The answer is that we live for God. We invest our time, energy, finances, and anything else on earth into eternal things. God wants us to enjoy the blessings of this life, but we must never hold on to them as if they are all we have. When we see heaven, we can give our lives away without fear because we know that no matter what, heaven waits for us on the other side. When we put our faith in Christ, His resurrection gives us a gift beyond measure; a reprieve, a new life to live from now, and for the rest of eternity.

(An audio version of this message can be found here: 1 Peter 1 verses 3-9 Our Hope in the Midst of Trials)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Sutyd Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing: 2103; p. 1785)
2. Judith Jones, “Commentary on 1 Peter 1:3-9.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
3. Daniel G. Deffenbaugh, “Commentary on 1 Peter 1:3-9.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
4. Richad Jensen, “Commentary on 1 Peter 1:3-9.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. Pastor David McGee, “Pastor David’s Daily Devotional: Monday, March 11, 2024.” Retrieved from theword@aboutthebridge.com
6. Alistair Begg, “Comfort for a Troubled Mind.” Retrieved from newsletters@truthforlife.org
7. T.M. Moore, “Strength of Soul.” Retrieved from noreply@ailbe.org
8. Pastor John MacArthur, “God’s Motive for Your Inheritance.” Retrieved from internetministrry@gty.org
9. Joel Osteen, “Grow Through It.” Retrieved from www.joelosteen.com
10. Os Hillman, “Faith Experiences.” Retrieved from os@mail.todaygodisfirst.com
11. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
12. Cedar. P.A., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/Jude (Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984; pp.112-119)
13. Berni Dymet, “Hope Hits Back.” Retrieved from berni@christianityworks.com

The modern-day marathon is based on the story of a Greek messenger named Pheidippides. According to legend, in 490 BC he ran approximately twenty-five miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory over the invading Persians. Each of his steps was run for the sheer joy of delivering good news to his fellow Greeks.

Some five hundred years later, two women also ran to deliver good news. When Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb where Jesus had been placed after His crucifixion, they found it empty. An angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. The women were told to go quickly and tell His disciples.

The women experienced fear and great joy. Joy and fear often mix in the working of the gospel. Fallen humans-even when redeemed-cannot help feeling great fear in the presence of the holy God and His angelic servants. Fear simply rises in us when we are confronted with a threatening moment. The fear is physical. It takes the form of an adrenaline burst. It makes the heart race. It gives us the energy to flee for survival. Over time, the stresses of fear take their toll in many illnesses that wear down both physical strength and mental well-being.

Several times Jesus told His followers to “fear not.” On our own, this is impossible. Fear is inborn, so daily life in Christ requires replacing old fears with new ones. The Bible teaches us to fear God, which means caring more about what God thinks than what people think. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Unhealthy fear will not disappear magically. With a daily focus on God’s agenda, human fears take their rightful place. Being like Christ means living as children of our great God.

The Pharisees and chief priests asked Pilate to have the tomb guarded. Jesus’ enemies remembered that Jesus said that after three days He would rise again. They wanted the tomb secured in case the body was stolen. The tomb was made secure, the stone sealed, and a guard set. They made sure it was impossible for anyone to come and steal Jesus’ body away.

What was impossible for man was not impossible for God. Men in their unbelief tried to fight against the power of God. When the earthquake happened and an angel rolled away the stone, the guards became as dead men-afraid.

Matthew contrasts what the women were asked to do by the angel and what the soldiers who were guarding the tomb were asked to do. Both saw the same thing. Both were commanded to speak about the event. They were to report more than what was originally seen. For the women, the events at the empty tomb happened because Jesus was raised from the dead. For the guards, the events at the empty tomb happened because they fell asleep and the disciples stole the body. 

A great irony in all of this is that the guards were posted and the tomb sealed with the large stone so that there would not be a deception about a resurrection following the burial. The chief priests devised the deception.

Pilate would potentially want to punish the guards, only because he had authorized the securing of the tomb. The chief priests and elders bribed the soldiers to lie and blame Jesus’ disciples, indicating that the men at the tomb told the truth in the first place: Jesus’ body was no longer there, and no foul play was involved.

The story that the disciples stole the body defies logic. If the soldiers were asleep, how did they know it was the disciples who took the body? If the soldiers were asleep, how could the large stone guarding the entrance be rolled away without awakening the soldiers? The soldiers guarding the tomb were Romans. They were professional soldiers who were charged to guard the tomb with their lives. The punishment for falling asleep while on duty was death. For the unbelieving soldiers the earthquake was a foreshadowing of the natural disasters that signal the judgment of God and the coming of His Son to deal with evil.

The angel calmed the women’s fears and made sure they got the message right. The angel knew the importance of repeating instructions, and today we have to repeat the most important message Mary Magdalene and the other Mary received. Jesus is definitely alive.

(An audio version of this message can be found here: Matthew 28 verses 8-15 Don’t be Afraid, Christ is Risen)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1336)
2. Kirsten Homnberg, “Running to Tell.” Retrieved from  donotreply@email.rbc.org
3. Melinda Quivik, “Commentary on Matthew 28:1-10.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
4. Dave Wyrtzen, “A Cure For Quakes.” Retrieved from truthnote@gmail.com
5. Raul Ries, “The Power of the Resurrection.” Retrieved from www.SomebodyLovesYou.com
6. Dave Wyrtzen, “Tell Me Again!” Retrieved from truthnote@gmail.com
7. Don Johnson, “Healthy Fear.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/homeword/healthy-fear-homeword-october-6.html?

Have you noticed that almost everywhere you go online you need a password? You need one to log in to your bank’s web site. You need one to log on to sites such as Amazon or Facebook. If you forget your password, it can take some effort to create another one.

The people in ancient Rome were looking for the password that would give them access to God. Some thought that careful obedience to the Law of Moses was the key. Others thought that doing good deeds was the key. Others thought that deep philosophical knowledge would please God.

Paul claimed in Romans 5:1-11 that there is only one password that we need to remember: Jesus Christ. In Christ everyone has access to God’s grace, and the entire picture is reversed. Instead of us trying to reach God, God is trying to reach us through His grace. Bible scholars consider Romans 5:5-8 a central point of God’s love for humankind. It expands on John 3:16.

The Book of Romans begins with the desperate condition of lost humanity and ends triumphantly with the benefits of being reconciled to God. Just as it begins with and ends with the words, “through our Lord Jesus Christ”, so, too, is Christ first and last in the life of the believer.

In our lives we make such mistakes that we can’t buy our way out. We can’t wiggle our way out of them as we often try to do. We hurt others by our sins. We cannot pay God back for all of our sins. We can only stand before Him and ask for forgiveness and mercy. God pays the penalty for our sins. He takes the punishment. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins with His blood.

God promises His children that they will one day be clothed with Christ’s glory. The word “rejoice” means “to boast, in the sense of jubilation, exultant rejoicing-to shout about it!” It is quite natural to glory, or exult, in what is positive, but not in suffering and tribulations. In the Greek, the word “perseverance” means “to abide under or stay under pressure.” Suffering teaches believers to stay under pressure, like squeezing olives in a press to extract oil. This pressure results from the conflict of two truths: faith and its enduring benefits versus a fallen world under Satan’s influence.

Learning to stay calm under pressure produces character. Paul speaks of sterling character, character without impurities. One writer calls it “tried integrity”-the maturity of a veteran who lacks nothing, as opposed to the immaturity of a raw recruit.

The word “peace” does not mean a lack of negative experience or a euphoric feeling. But it closely approximates the word “shalom”, which describes a blessed and prosperous community, not an inner, psychological, or emotional peace. Peace refers not so much to an inward peace, but a relationship characterized by God’s peace toward the sinner.  Paul has that inner wholeness in mind. Peace must be in the hearts of the people for there to be an outward, objective peace in the church in Rome.

When we are justified, God takes our sins and places them on Christ. He takes Christ’s righteousness and places it on us. Our sins are imputed to Christ, and His sinlessness is imputed to us. That doesn’t mean we are incapable of sinning. It means when God looks at us, He sees us wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus. We have become a new creation. God believes in us.

When people are justified, they have access by faith into this grace of God in which we stand. For each of its three uses in the New Testament, the word “access” refers to the believer’s access to God through Christ. Because we have access to God through Christ, we enter the presence of a king. We have the right to enter the inner chambers and speak directly with the king. The phrase “much more” means “from the heavier to the lighter.” God has done the harder thing in dying for people when they were enemies. Will He not do the easier thing in living for them now that they are His friends?

The doctrine of solidarity says all humanity is under the leadership of two men: Adam and Christ. Connection with Adam leads to death. Connection with Christ leads to life. Paul deals with sin as expressed in human life, and not with sin as the principle behind expressions of sin. The root of the problem is original sin, or universal depravity.

Satan was the original violator of the righteousness of God, but sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin. Sin continues to exercise its influence in our modern world, and suffering remains so acute that Paul states that it can’t separate us from God’s love. The life of the justified is mixed with peace, hope, suffering, and love.

Paul saw that through his suffering he grew closer to Jesus and God. Paul leads us through suffering to endurance, to character, and eventually to hope. Following Jesus brings us new life and reconciliation to God, but it does not mean that bad things will never happen to us. God allows hardships into our lives so that we will grow up spiritually.

There is a folk tale about a boy and a butterfly. The boy is given a butterfly cocoon but told not to open it. As the cocoon slowly twisted and shuddered in his hand, the boy could not resist using scissors to split it open so the butterfly inside could escape. Freed from the struggle the butterfly fell to the ground and died without ever flying. The boy prevented the butterfly from using the muscles needed to grow strong and fly.

When you were in school, did your teachers ever give you surprise quizzes? God does that too. He tests us to see if we have learned the material. Experience is life’s hardest teacher. It gives us the test first and then teaches us the lesson. We are so quick to tell others how to live. We are so quick to tell others to have faith and to pray about things. When trials and hardships come into our lives, we panic. God sometimes allows us to go through tests to make sure we really know what we say we know.

Problems drive us to rely more and more on God and so produce perseverance. Perseverance strengthens our character and strengthens our hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises. We survive weakness by growing in our hope, appreciating weaknesses for the real occurrences that they are. Our troubles can lead us to hope, which is founded on God’s love poured into us by His presence in and among us.

People like Nelson Mandela who have had to suffer for a worthy cause do not give up easily if at all. Progress in our world would not have come if suffering were to be a hindrance to future movement. Think of all the movements that have taken place in our society-things that have challenged discrimination in the form of ageism, racism, apartheid in South Africa, gender, religion, disability, marital status and sexual orientation. Each triumph allows for progress to be identified, each setback creates enough energy to keep going, and champions are created.

(An audio version of this message can be found at Have you noticed that almost everywhere you go online you need a password? You need one to log in to your bank’s web site. You need one to log on to sites such as Amazon or Facebook. If you forget your password, it can take some effort to create another one.

The people in ancient Rome were looking for the password that would give them access to God. Some thought that careful obedience to the Law of Moses was the key. Others thought that doing good deeds was the key. Others thought that deep philosophical knowledge would please God.

Paul claimed in Romans 5:1-11 that there is only one password that we need to remember: Jesus Christ. In Christ everyone has access to God’s grace, and the entire picture is reversed. Instead of us trying to reach God, God is trying to reach us through His grace. Bible scholars consider Romans 5:5-8 a central point of God’s love for humankind. It expands on John 3:16.

The Book of Romans begins with the desperate condition of lost humanity and ends triumphantly with the benefits of being reconciled to God. Just as it begins with and ends with the words, “through our Lord Jesus Christ”, so, too, is Christ first and last in the life of the believer.

In our lives we make such mistakes that we can’t buy our way out. We can’t wiggle our way out of them as we often try to do. We hurt others by our sins. We cannot pay God back for all of our sins. We can only stand before Him and ask for forgiveness and mercy. God pays the penalty for our sins. He takes the punishment. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins with His blood.

God promises His children that they will one day be clothed with Christ’s glory. The word “rejoice” means “to boast, in the sense of jubilation, exultant rejoicing-to shout about it!” It is quite natural to glory, or exult, in what is positive, but not in suffering and tribulations. In the Greek, the word “perseverance” means “to abide under or stay under pressure.” Suffering teaches believers to stay under pressure, like squeezing olives in a press to extract oil. This pressure results from the conflict of two truths: faith and its enduring benefits versus a fallen world under Satan’s influence.

Learning to stay calm under pressure produces character. Paul speaks of sterling character, character without impurities. One writer calls it “tried integrity”-the maturity of a veteran who lacks nothing, as opposed to the immaturity of a raw recruit.

The word “peace” does not mean a lack of negative experience or a euphoric feeling. But it closely approximates the word “shalom”, which describes a blessed and prosperous community, not an inner, psychological, or emotional peace. Peace refers not so much to an inward peace, but a relationship characterized by God’s peace toward the sinner.  Paul has that inner wholeness in mind. Peace must be in the hearts of the people for there to be an outward, objective peace in the church in Rome.

When we are justified, God takes our sins and places them on Christ. He takes Christ’s righteousness and places it on us. Our sins are imputed to Christ, and His sinlessness is imputed to us. That doesn’t mean we are incapable of sinning. It means when God looks at us, He sees us wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus. We have become a new creation. God believes in us.

When people are justified, they have access by faith into this grace of God in which we stand. For each of its three uses in the New Testament, the word “access” refers to the believer’s access to God through Christ. Because we have access to God through Christ, we enter the presence of a king. We have the right to enter the inner chambers and speak directly with the king. The phrase “much more” means “from the heavier to the lighter.” God has done the harder thing in dying for people when they were enemies. Will He not do the easier thing in living for them now that they are His friends?

The doctrine of solidarity says all humanity is under the leadership of two men: Adam and Christ. Connection with Adam leads to death. Connection with Christ leads to life. Paul deals with sin as expressed in human life, and not with sin as the principle behind expressions of sin. The root of the problem is original sin, or universal depravity.

Satan was the original violator of the righteousness of God, but sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin. Sin continues to exercise its influence in our modern world, and suffering remains so acute that Paul states that it can’t separate us from God’s love. The life of the justified is mixed with peace, hope, suffering, and love.

Paul saw that through his suffering he grew closer to Jesus and God. Paul leads us through suffering to endurance, to character, and eventually to hope. Following Jesus brings us new life and reconciliation to God, but it does not mean that bad things will never happen to us. God allows hardships into our lives so that we will grow up spiritually.

There is a folk tale about a boy and a butterfly. The boy is given a butterfly cocoon but told not to open it. As the cocoon slowly twisted and shuddered in his hand, the boy could not resist using scissors to split it open so the butterfly inside could escape. Freed from the struggle the butterfly fell to the ground and died without ever flying. The boy prevented the butterfly from using the muscles needed to grow strong and fly.

When you were in school, did your teachers ever give you surprise quizzes? God does that too. He tests us to see if we have learned the material. Experience is life’s hardest teacher. It gives us the test first and then teaches us the lesson. We are so quick to tell others how to live. We are so quick to tell others to have faith and to pray about things. When trials and hardships come into our lives, we panic. God sometimes allows us to go through tests to make sure we really know what we say we know.

Problems drive us to rely more and more on God and so produce perseverance. Perseverance strengthens our character and strengthens our hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises. We survive weakness by growing in our hope, appreciating weaknesses for the real occurrences that they are. Our troubles can lead us to hope, which is founded on God’s love poured into us by His presence in and among us.

People like Nelson Mandela who have had to suffer for a worthy cause do not give up easily if at all. Progress in our world would not have come if suffering were to be a hindrance to future movement. Think of all the movements that have taken place in our society-things that have challenged discrimination in the form of ageism, racism, apartheid in South Africa, gender, religion, disability, marital status and sexual orientation. Each triumph allows for progress to be identified, each setback creates enough energy to keep going, and champions are created.

(An audio version of this message can be found at Romans 5 verses 1-11 The Password That Unlocks Eternal Life)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1549-1550)
2. David Bartlett, “Commentary on Romans 5:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
3. Mary Hinkle Shore, “Commentary on Romans 5:1-5.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
4. Lucy Lind Hogan, “Commentary on Romans 5:1-11.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. Sarah Henrich, “Commentary on Romans 5 verses 1-11.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. The Rev. Charles L. Fischer III, “Suffering to Hope.” Retrieved from www.day1.org
7. The Rev. Dr. William E. Flippin, Jr., “Blessed Assurances.” Retrieved from www.day1.org
8. The Rev. Edward Markquart, “The Penalty is Too Great for me to Pay.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle,com
9. Greg Laurie, “The Quality of Endurance.” Retrieved from greglaurie@harvestdirect.org
10. Dr. David Jeremiah, “The Double Transaction.” Retrieved from TurningPoint@davidjeremiah.org
11. Dr. Ed Young, “Persevere.” Retrieved form ministry@winningwalk.org
12. Patricia Raybon, “Strength From Struggle.” Retrieved from no-reply@ourdailybread.ca

The world has its standards. It knows what is strong and what is weak, what is effective and what is not effective. The world has defined intelligence and wisdom and can identify them when it sees them. The world has also defined stupidity and foolishness and can spot those things pretty readily too. Paul argues that God is going to take us back to school and its curriculum is unworldly, other-worldly, foolish in the eyes of the world, weak, and ineffective.

Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 to illustrate the message of the cross. The cross is a simple word-simple enough that everyone can understand its essence, yet powerful enough to radically transform a life. It is also a separating word, for whenever the cross is preached, it causes division; those who reject are perishing, those who receive it are being saved.

When the world around us does not prize the church and its message as much as it does the newest Super Bowl commercial, we can hold our heads high: we’re on the side of God’s foolishness! We will win! It’s easy to find hope and promise in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. It’s much more difficult to let its message shape our lives.

The wise and the scribe collectively describe the intelligentsia of ancient culture. God has deliberately chosen to reveal His own self and unleash divine power whose goal is human salvation. God’s plan and action throughout history demonstrate how foolish the wisdom of this world is. Only the truth of God endures through every situation and culture.

Apart from divine revelation, man can never through his own wisdom come to knowledge of God. Salvation requires belief in the crucified One, not worldly understanding or signs. The mind of Christ is the true discerner of truth.

The two groups of the day (Gentiles and Jews) looked for two different proofs of truth. The Jews desired a miraculous sign; the Greeks sought proof through reason and logic. Paul did not care to cater to their worldly desires for verification: for Paul, Christ crucified was all the proof needed.

To the Jews, a crucified Saviour made no sense, because they were looking for a victorious king. To the Greeks, such a Saviour made no sense because crucifixion was a symbol of weakness and defeat. Yet the message of the crucified one is exactly what provides those who are called with the power and wisdom of God. In Christ, those people rejected were the very things they longed for. The wise, the mighty, and the noble are in the minority of those whom God chooses to serve Him. God will use some influential figures, but only on rare occasions.

Paul uses the language of wisdom and subjects it to the cross, which has become the benchmark for understanding and grasping reality. The “foolishness of the cross” redefines the ordering of the world. Through the human-devised world’s “wisdom”, God revealed in Christ can’t be known.

God uses five things to accomplish His work: foolish things, weak things, base things, despised things and things which are not of this world. The word “weak” can be translated as “sickly, feeble, impotent.” The base things are ignorable. The word “despised” here means “contemptible,” like the way Goliath looked upon David and his God.

Salvation is not earned through one’s own strength but given by the grace of God. God wants two things from His servants: that they not glory in themselves, and that they give glory to Him. God makes the nobodies of this world into somebodies in His kingdom.

God through Jesus is offering us true wisdom. This wisdom can be handled by the weak, the poor, the unconnected, and the invisible ones. In fact, the very wisdom of God came to us as weak and poor and unconnected, an unlikely one not only to teach us wisdom but to embody it too.

God’s wisdom is willing to be mocked, shamed, and understood as foolishness. God’s wisdom is willing to take the blows of violent power and the slurs of arrogant worldly wisdom in order to make it clear that the things of violence and arrogance won’t last. What will last is the foolish proclamation that power can serve and wisdom can be found in the desert, the cave, the cell, and the heart.

(An audio version of this message can be found here: 1 Corinthians 1 verses 18-31 The Message of the Cross)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1575)
2. Kyle Fever, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
3. Scott Hoezee, “1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Commentary.” Retrieved from https://cepreaching.org/authors/scott-hoezee/
4. Richard Carlson, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. The Rt. Rev. Brian L. Cole, “Foolish Wisdom.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

Those of you who are fans of any of the Star Trek TV series or Star Trek movies are probably familiar with the Vulcan mind meld. It is a technique used by Vulcan characters to read the thoughts of another person by physically connecting with them. The Vulcan character will often start the mind meld by saying, “My mind to your mind….my thoughts to your thoughts.” God says the same thing when we let the Holy Spirit into our hearts. We have access to the mind of God, and His will becomes our will.

The priority in Paul’s ministry was to know Christ and Him crucified, plus or minus nothing-a strategy that is still valid today. The great missionary to the Native Americans, David Brainerd, wrote in his diary at the end of his ministry, “I never got away from Jesus and Him crucified. I found that when my people were gripped by this great evangelical doctrine…I had no need to give them instructions about morality…One followed as the sure and inevitable fruit of the other.”

Paul wrote about the new way of seeing things. The new way to look at the world could only be understood after Jesus came. Paul explained that the wisdom he taught was not worldly wisdom, but a wisdom revealed through the apostles and prophets. Paul admits that he came to the Corinthians in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. This is a healthy attitude in preparation for ministry. Only the power of God can fill the Christian’s heart and life with what is needed for effectiveness.

The power Paul had in ministry was not found in his words but in his Spirit-filled life. The word “demonstration” means “the most rigorous proof.” The Holy Spirit produces supernatural results in gospel preaching, in witnessing, and in the Christian life that prove the validity and authenticity of the message.

The natural self cannot discern the things of God through its own resources; spiritual things are a hidden wisdom according to Job 11:7. In the language of the New Testament, the word “mystery” means a truth that can be known only as God reveals it. No one can reason his or her way to Jesus. Evangelism and apologetics are valuable, but the work of the Spirit is what regenerates the heart and ushers unbelievers into the kingdom.

The cross is the proof that God’s wisdom is not understood. That the most prominent people in Jesus’ day crucified the Lord of glory blatantly illustrates the foolishness and ignorance of humanity. They took the Wisdom of God and nailed Him to a tree. If human wisdom exists in the wisdom of the rulers of this age who put Jesus to death, how is a human ever going to be capable of knowing the wisdom of God? Paul insists that it is only by receiving the Spirit that one can know the things of God. Because God has given the Spirit, those who receive the Spirit can know the mysterious wisdom of God.

The true wisdom of God comes from His Word. We must be determined in studying the Word of God and in discovering the truth it contains. Every time we mine the Word of God we will discover treasure-and the more we mine, the more treasure we’ll gain.

Paul places God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom in sharp contrast. The special wisdom to which Paul claims access is God’s wisdom It leads God’s people to glory and is knowable only by the Spirit. This is in stark contrast to the world’s wisdom and the world leaders’ wisdom That is the product of people doomed for destruction and lacks the insight to apprehend the saving wisdom of God. The further our society drifts from the love of God, the more perverted our so-called wisdom becomes.

God wants us to know what He has freely given to us. One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and purposes to us. They may be hidden for a long time, but if we seek Him with our whole heart, we can know what He has given us.

God’s Spirit reveals, inspires, and illuminates Scripture, teaching those who read it. The Spirit indwelt community of faith also helps to illuminate what was revealed through divine inspiration. Paul told the Corinthians that when he was with them, everything he knew-from the meaning of the Jewish Scriptures to the wisdom of their best thinkers to the status of various individuals in the community-he saw through the lens of Jesus Christ crucified. That is how he saw them then, and how he now sees them with their conflicts and questions about leaders, worship, spiritual gifts, table fellowship, the resurrection, and all the rest.

The quotation from Isaiah 64:4 that is written in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 does not refer to what Christians will experience in heaven but to what the Spirit has already revealed to those who love God. Through the inspired Scriptures, the Spirit introduces God’s children to something beyond their ability to see, hear, or imagine-the glories of God!

Paul uses humans as an analogy-no one can truly know another person’s thoughts; only the individual knows his or her own thoughts. Similarly, because the Holy Spirit is fully God, the Spirit understands the thoughts and wisdom of God. Therefore, the Spirit is able to teach believers the truth of God. An unbeliever can study the Scriptures and learn certain facts about the Almighty, but only through the illumination of the Spirit does true understanding come.

The natural man is a person who does not have the Spirit of God living within him or her and thus does not benefit from hearing the Word of God. The word receive means “to welcome, to embrace, to make something one’s own.” The natural self cannot take in the things that are revealed by the Spirit.

The one who is spiritual is indwelt and empowered by the Holly Spirit and can thus discern and comprehend spiritual things. The unspiritual (those who live in the flesh, or their sin nature) cannot judge believers regarding spiritual things, but believers can certainly sharpen their brothers and sisters in Christ.

The quotation from Isaiah 40:13 that is in 1 Corinthians 2:16 explains how believers can be discerning and yet avoid assuming God’s place as a judge. They possess that which the world can never acquire on its own-illumination of truth from the Holy Spirit, which gives them the mind of Christ!

In one of his newspaper columns, the late evangelist Billy Graham was once asked by a reader how the reader could reach his or her friend with God’s love. The reader mentioned that the friend was in prison and was bitter at the world and at God. Billy Graham wrote the following as part of his reply:

“Sin affects the mind. The Bible is proof of this. A person may be intellectually brilliant, but spiritually ignorant…An intellectual mind can be turned into a first-class mind when Christ penetrates the very heart of a person. We must never give up praying for others.”

The Spirit of God lives within us and speaks to our hearts. He reminds us that our battle is a spiritual one. He lets us know that God has not forgotten us. He brings a deep peace. The Spirit reminds us that even in the midst of a storm, the same God who loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins is in control. He delivers spiritual discernment.

So many people in this world are struggling in life. They lack hope. So many of them are heading to an eternity from God-when all along, His incredible, glorious, wonderous love for each one of us is ready to embrace. When we put our trust in Jesus, He unleashes His power to help us live in victory over our bad habits-to set us free from our sin. God’s wisdom might not be as appealing as what the world shows us, but love, honour, humility, forgiveness, and goodness are where the real wisdom is, and we know it works.

(An audio version of this post can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/1-corinthians-2-verses-1-12-13-16-god-s-wisdom-versus-the-world-s-wisdom–69865001)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1575-1576)
2. Mary Hinkle Shore, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 (13-16).” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
3. J.R. Daniel Kirk, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 (13-16).” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org
4. Os Hillman, “Understanding What God Has Given.” Retrieved from os@marketplaceleaders.org
5. Berni Dymet, “Forget About Everything, Except.” Retrieved from berni@christianityworks.com
6. Berni Dymet, “The Power is the Proof.” Retrieved from berni@christianityworks.com
7. Charles R. Swindoll, “Where the Real Power Resides.” Retrieved from info@insightforliving.ca
8. Berni Dymet, “Wisdom Before the World Began.” Retrieved from berni@christianityworks.com
9. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Treasure Hunting.” Retrieved from noreply@ltw.org
10. Ron Moore, “Standing Firm in Unshakable Faith: Calming the Storm.” Retrieved from http://www.ronmoore.org
11.  Billy Graham, “How Do I Reach My Friend With God’s Love?” Retrieved from https://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham/

There is an old saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Genesis 11:1-9 is a good example of this. The Tower of Babel stemmed from the builders’ sense of their own power. They were thinking too big: a tower to the sky. The tower was built on sameness, on conformity, on a denial of difference.

Shinar, in the region now known as Iraq, was the location of the ancient kingdom of Babylon. The mighty leader Nimrod was the one who decided to draw all people together to form a powerful society and secure their unified might by constructing a massive tower-a symbol of human pride. When people are united, nothing is impossible.

After the flood, Noah and his sons were fruitful and multiplied, populating the whole earth. The people had one thing in common: they all spoke the same language. In time, many of them moved into the same region and decided to build a city together. The city would have a tall tower, one so spectacular that they would be well-known for creating such an awesome sight. This has been a recurring issue for humans; we build monuments to ourselves and our achievements.

The people were afraid. They knew God wanted them to spread out and populate the earth, but they didn’t trust God. They thought it would be better to stay in one place. It’s hard to get lost when you have a giant tower that reaches up to the heavens! The tower would probably intimidate other tribes around them.

We do a lot of stupid or evil things because we are afraid. We don’t trust God. We behave selfishly. We hoard money and food instead of sharing. We worry about our own future, so we make decisions that hurt others. We huddle together with people like ourselves, instead of opening our lives up to others. We, like the people who built the Tower of Babel, often make plans without involving the Lord. We call attention to ourselves instead of calling attention to God. We suffer whenever we think that we have a better plan than God does.

God was concerned as He looked on what they were doing. He knew the people had a unity of such power that they would be able to do anything. The human race has powerful potential through the use of imagination. Problems arise when the source of ideas is not based on the thoughts of God. The people were heading in a direction of self-serving, self-loving ambition that would only lead them farther away from God. God intervened and confused their speech. He scattered the people abroad, with only those who understood each other staying together and multiplying. Man suffers whenever he thinks that he has a better plan than the Lord does.

In verses 3-4, the tower builders used the word “us” repeatedly, but they never mentioned  God. Their attitude resoundingly echoed Satan’s unholy ambition as expressed in the words of the Babylonian king: “I will ascend into heaven…I will exalt my throne above the stairs of God…I will be the Most High.” The people were driven by rebellious pride, self-sufficiency, and fear. God opposes pride when it occurs. If we want to advance God’s kingdom, we must humble ourselves before God and exalt Him instead of making a name for ourselves.

Of course God could see the Tower of Babel from the moment of its inception, but for the writer to mention that God came down to see the city humorously emphasizes how far above their tower the Lord was. The people could never reach the heavens or attain God’s greatness no matter how high they might build.

 The text seems to present a jealous and spiteful God who is against human achievement, a God who worries that humans will become too powerful and self-assured. The builders probably felt angry when they watched their creation fall to the ground. They probably felt that God hated them.

The truth is that God loved them and wanted them to spread out into the world-something the people did not do. They also had the same language, which made the task of building the tower easier. It’s easier to know people who speak your own language and come from your own tribe. Why separate people by tribe and language if the end goal is knowledge? The knowledge we obtain from reaching across boundaries is knowledge rooted in humility.

Nimrod’s attempt to move all people to Shinar directly opposed God’s plan to multiply and fill the earth, so God scattered the people. From this point on, humans diversified into distinct linguistic, ethnic, and societal groupings-all in need of the message of God’s grace. It is only from the Scriptures that we learn the true origin of the different nations and languages of the world. By one miracle of tongues people were dispersed and gradually fell from true religion. By another, national barriers were broken down-that all people might be brought back to the family of God.

(An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/genesis-11-verses-1-9-pride-goes-before-a-fall–69548710)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 17-18)
2. Amy Frykholm, “Babel and Bewilderment: Pentecost Sunday.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net
3. Matt Lucas, “Building What Lasts.” Retrieved from noreply@ourdailybread.ca
4. Vikki Burke, “Explore With Your Imagination.” Retrieved from dbm-dennisburkeministries.org@shared1.ccsend.com
5. Dr. Kari Vo, “Fear.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
6. A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments. Retrieved from Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

In the 1970s there was a comedian named Flip Wilson. He performed characters such as Brother Leroy and Geraldine Jones. One of his most famous lines was “The Devil made me do it!” In Genesis 3:1-24 we heard a story where the devil really did make someone do it!

Many people try to discredit the Scriptures. They claim that the Bible is ancient, so it doesn’t apply to today’s world. How can words written thousands of years ago have any bearing on life in our modern world? These people claim that the Scriptures are not inspired by God but are merely stories invented by the early church. The miracles of Jesus, even His resurrection, are described as myths. These false ideas should not surprise us. Satan, who hates God’s Word, tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wants us to doubt God’s Word.

Why do we have such difficulty obeying God? One reason is our distance from God. Have you ever heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind?” That is one reason we have a difficult time obeying God. It’s not that we don’t believe in the reality, but we have difficulty understanding the importance of God in our daily lives. If we don’t see Him, we don’t think about Him.

The main reason we don’t obey God is that we really don’t trust Him. We know He is more knowledgeable than we are, but we’re not sure we can trust His motives. We see this in the passage we heard from Genesis. In essence, the serpent told Eve, “You know God said not to eat from that tree? It’s because He knows that if you do, you are going to be like Him, and He can’t stand the competition.” Thousands of years later, those words still linger in our minds. We think that God wants to limit our happiness.

The serpent was crafty, so in his first meeting with humans he focused the attention on the restriction, not on all the other delicious fruit. He chose not to talk to Adam, the one who received the divine command, but to the wife. The serpent directly attacked God by what he implied about the nature of the restrictions. Satan distorted and twisted what God told Eve and caused her to doubt God’s love. He does the same thing with us today. He comes to us with half truths and innuendos and tries to plant questions in our mind concerning God.

When Satan said that “your eyes will be opened,” he spoke a partial truth. This is a common tactic of his when tempting humans. He appealed to Eve’s desires, just as he did with Christ in the wilderness, and as he does with all Christians. When Adam ate of the fruit, sin and death became earth’s realities.

By manifesting himself in another form as a means to deceive someone into doubting and disobeying God, Satan established himself as a force to be reckoned with. In learning about God, Adam and Eve discovered that God would not excuse sin. They also found out that He would not discard the sinner. God’s grace gives us a chance to be changed by His love. It gives us a moment in which we meet God and His awesome grace, and we surrender. We stop running from God and start running to Him.

When Adam and Eve were seduced and ensnared by the devil to do the very thing God told them not to do, the whole world was affected. Everything changed that day through one decision made apart from God’s will. Eve did what so many people do even now; she revised and then rejected what God said. This sin always produces the same result-separation from God and ultimately, death-unless sin is atoned for.

Was Eve’s desire to be like God wrong? No. Many Christians today want to be more like God. We pray prayers like “Let me follow You. Let me be conformed into Your image. Make me more like You. Please increase and let me decrease.” Those are biblical prayers from hearts that truly seek the Lord. So why was the punishment so severe for Eve’s desire? Eve was wrong in thinking that being disobedient would achieve her desire. Eve was deceived that she could become “wise” like God by doing it her way, instead of remaining in line with His ways. Eve exchanged the peace of God for a piece of fruit and severed her relationship with God. As a result, that day she died spiritually, which led to an ultimate physical death. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden as another consequence.

Adam tried to place the blame for his sin onto Eve and even onto God himself. Eve, in turn, tried to blame the serpent. Human nature is to point to someone else when caught in sin, but God is never fooled; He sees and knows everything. We can’t blame our sin on some overpowering supernatural dragon that forced the forbidden fruit into our mouth and down our throat, but when the serpent stepped aside, why didn’t Adam step in and simply say no? Why didn’t he intervene and stop his wife when she reached out to pick the forbidden fruit?

Two curses followed man’s sin: the curse on the serpent and the curse on the ground. These curses will not be resolved until the events described in Revelation 20-22 occur. Notice that man and woman are not cursed. God blessed them in Geneses 1:28; once God blesses, He cannot curse.

Some scholars call Gensis 3:15 the first gospel because the words “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel,” contain the seed of the earliest statement of the good news of salvation. The coming of the woman’s seed was fulfilled in Jesus’ birth. On the cross, Jesus’ body was bruised and broken; at the second coming of Christ, Satan’s head will be bruised.

With the curse on humanity came the tragic realities: sorrow, pain, relationship discord, sweat, and death. This movement toward breakdown anticipated science’s Second Law of Thermodynamics. It also counters evolution, which claims that systems improve over time.

Adam paid for his disobedience to God with a lifetime of toil and regret, remembering the way it used to be before his separation from God. The one force that unites Adam and his seed is disobedience, but the strength that unites Christ and His seed is obedience.

Adam bore the weight of the curse of the ground because he was the head-not only of his wife but of all humankind. With Adam’s sin, humanity’s paradise became a hostile wilderness: the roses grew thorns and the tigers became meat eaters. The entire world groans for Eden to be re-created. When Christ returns to rule and reign on this earth during the Millenium, life will resume as it was before the curse. The full resolution will be in the eternal state.

When humans do wrong, their impulse is to hide (if they are still sensitive to sin). Sin disrupts a person’s relationship with other and with God. Still, God seeks a relationship. With sin comes self-consciousness and shame. God made Adam and Eve tunics of skin from animals; thus blood was shed as a result of their sin. This even foreshadows the necessity of blood sacrifices-first of animals and then of Christ-to bridge humanity’s sin-separation from God. What God does to fully clothe the couple demonstrates the inadequacy of the fig-leaf coverings that Adam and Eve made themselves. Human attempts at self-sufficiency will always fall short.

As we draw closer to God, He draws nearer to us and is faithful to speak in a way that brings peace, confirmation, and changes to our surrounding circumstances. We have to ask ourselves whom we are listening to. There are so many voices speaking and our minds seem to have a voice of their own. Which voice do we follow?

Many people in our lives give us conflicting messages. Each of us has the responsibility to know what God is telling us, to listen to Him, and to act on those commands. We have to make God’s Word our guide and not deviate from His truths regardless of how appealing other additional information may sound. One un-dealt-with lie can destroy our destiny. That is why we must always fill ourselves with the truth of God’s Word. The devil is a liar, so don’t give him any ground. We need to get in the Word and learn what God says about us.

Whenever a troublesome thought presents itself, we should ask ourselves, “Who told you this?” If something is from God, then we should listen to it, but if it’s from the devil, we should reject it immediately. God asked Adam a similar question right after his sin. “Who told you that you were naked?” This question made Adam face up to his sin, and when we sin, that same question makes us face up to our sin and the consequences.

(An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/genesis-3-verses-1-24-the-devil-made-me-do-it–69548677)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 9-10)
2. Dr. Robert Jeffress, “Our Distrust of God.” Retrieved from drrobertjeffress@ptv.org
3. “I Do It.” Retrieved from seeds@ellel.org
4. Christine Caine, “Truth Over Lies.” Retrieved from no-reply@christinecaine.com
5. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “God’s Grace will Find Us.” Retrieved from noreply@ltw.org
6. “The Hunger for No Restrictions.” Retrieved from truthenote@truth-encounter.ccsend.com
7. “Don’t Just Stand There.” Retrieved from truthenote@truth-encounter.ccsend.com
8. Jack Graham, “All In: The Family.” Retrieved from jgraham@powerpoint.org
9. Vikke Burke, “Positioned for the Miraculous.” Retrieved from dbn-dennisburkeministries.org@shared1.ccsend.com
10. Dr. Carol Geisler, “O God of Light.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
11. “Return to the Question.” Retrieved from seeds@ellel.org

Many people don’t like this time of year. It gets dark so early. It’s hard for us to keep our spirits high when we are used to a lot more sunshine. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder.

All of us suffer from some form of this condition at times in our lives. We have personal disappointments or tragedies that take the wind out of our sails and leave us stuck in the mud. These experiences rob us of our joy, especially at Christmastime. They leave us wondering if we’re walking around in darkness.

Even in our darkness, we have hope that the sun will come up soon and it will be light again. We light up the Christmas tree and we light up our houses. Light gives us hope in the midst of a dark world. Isaiah gives us that kind of hope. He spoke of the returning Messiah, one who would come to lighten our burdens, to right the wrongs, to restore all things to the way they were meant to be. This Messiah would be for everyone-Jews and Gentiles.

It has been said that the main duty of Old Testament prophets was to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, and Isaiah 11:1-10 is an example of the latter. Isaiah speaks of the Messiah coming from the stem of Jesse; that is, He will be of the house and lineage of David, the son of Jesse. The word stem refers to a “root stock” or “stump.” The image of a stump indicates hope, for out of the stump will come a shoot or branch, the Messiah. That shoot will be fragile yet tenacious and stubborn. It will grow like a plant out of dry ground. It will push back the stone from the rock-hard tomb.

Isaiah is recalling God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:16 that his descendant would rule over his kingdom. The coming King will be endowed with the Spirit of the Lord, who provides the wisdom, ability, and allegiance to God that are necessary to accomplish a challenging task.

The coming King will not just transform the social order. The earth will be extraordinarily wicked when He comes to judge and reign. He will come to strike a blow that will decide His claim to the kingdom. Nature will be restored to paradise. This peace in the animal kingdom will mirror the relief from oppressive injustice within human society. You can put people down and put obstacles in their way, but they will break through all barriers.

Wouldn’t we like to have a greater sense of peace? All of us have that God-given longing that there would be a greater sense of peace within ourselves, within our families, within our nation, and between nations. Isaiah felt the same way, and he knew how to get peace. He told the Israelites how to live at peace with each other, but they didn’t have eyes to see it, ears to hear it, or minds to understand it. The result was 700 years of fighting with each other until the Prince of Peace came to earth and walked in the paths of peace.

There is a recipe for peace:

1. We need to be filled with the Spirit of the Prince of Peace. We need to have the very Spirt of God, alive, full, and vibrant.
2. Any time the Spirit of the Prince of Peace lives inside of us, it results in righteousness-right relationships between two people or nations, treating others with gentleness, kindness, and forgiveness.
3. Anytime the Spirit of the Prince of Peace lives inside of us, it results in justice. We can’t have peace without justice, fairness, or equity. It makes us want to work for justice for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, and those who don’t have clean drinking water or gainful employment.

The little child who leads the former eaters and the former eaten, the nursing child who is playing around the hole of a poisonous snake, that weaned child who is sticking his hand into the home of the most deadly serpent, is the one we hope for at Christmas. A child who can live and thrive among the most dangerous creatures can become a man who can live his life solely in justice and righteousness, dedicated to those who live their lives on the margins of society, who find themselves on the outside of the potential goodness of life.

We can’t give up on the reality of Isaiah’s dream. The promise of God is more powerful than the destructiveness of humanity. It is this conviction, this certainty of God’s desire for the cosmos that lures us onward into joining the journey toward that reality. This is the reason for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Christianity. God has plans for us, and we are asked to join in. The new king is coming, and he will usher in a new cosmos. May we hope for it, work for it, and pray for it.

Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10 in Romans 15:12 to show that salvation is for Gentiles as well as Jews. The Messiah’s rule will be over all nations. Christianity will pervade every recess of the earth. God’s spirit will alight upon the world.

Jesus’s earthly ministry is not finished. He could not leave the world as it is, with evil running rampant and the poor still in the dust. Isaiah allows us to celebrate Jesus’ ministry in the past and in the present, but he also urges us to pray and intercede on behalf of our world, where we long for creation’s promised destiny-a place where peace, justice, and grace have the final word.

I want to close this message with a prayer I found when I was doing my research. It expresses the hope we have during this season of Advent when we prepare our hearts, minds and souls to remember not only Christ’s birth in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, but His return in the future. Let us pray:

Lord, you know all too well that to be human-to be able to feel joy and delight-is also to be able to feel pain and sadness. So come to us all this Advent, O God, bringing glad tidings and good cheer, comfort and hope, for we celebrate that marvelous mystery we call incarnation—when you became one of us, born a baby, who grew up and lived and breathed, seated and cried, ate and drank, lived and died.

Through him, bring us hope, bring us joy, bring us healing and wholeness, bring us a sure refuge in the darkness as we await for something new to be born in us, something small and bright, a tiny flame that will carry us into the future. In the name of that light which came to save us, even Jesus the Christ, Amen

An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/isaiah-11-verses-1-10-the-light-of-christ-brings-hope-to-the-world–68899819

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 893-894)
2. Jamieson Fawcett Brown Commentary. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Michael J. Chan, “Commentary on Isaiah 11:1-10.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
4. Barbara Lundblad, “Commentary on Isaiah 11:1-10.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. The Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm, “Light in the Darkness.” Retrieved from www.thewakingdreamer.com
6. John C. Holbert, “Wolves and Lambs and Leopards, Oh My! Reflections on Isaiah 11:1-10 (Advent 2).” Retrieved from https://www.patheos,com/progressive-christian/2-13/12/wolves-lambs-leopards-john-holbert-12-03-2013?p=1
7. Ron Hansen, “The Peaceable Kingdom.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net
8. John C. Holbert, “The Hope of Peace: Advent Reflections on Isaiah 11:1-9.” Retrieved from https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2010/11/hope-of-peace?p=1
9. The Rev. Dr. Stephen R. Montgomery, “Not Much but Enough for Me.” Retrieved from www.day1.org
10. The Rev. Edward Markquart, “Visions for Peace: No Short Cuts” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com

Have you ever noticed that life is made up of decisions? Decisions reveal the inner nature of a person. People make decisions based on conditioning that is determined by their goals and priorities.. We are responsible for our own decisions, but we are also accountable to God.

Jesus presents three very significant contrasts in Matthew 7:13-21. They are:

1. The broad way  and the narrow way.
2. Bad fruit and good fruit.
3. Doing and failing to do the will of God.

The first contrast-the narrow way and the broad way-is a contrast between the abundant life which Jesus offers and the way of selfishness, which has no restraints. Jesus consistently teaches how hard it is to follow Him. The two gates in verses 13-14 represent every person’s choice: Following Jesus or following any other path. Only the more difficult, less-chosen gate to follow Christ leads to life.

The gate is narrow because it is demanding. It requires faith, discipline, and integrity. The broad road, in contrast, has no demands of loyalty, integrity, discipline, or character. The wide gate leads to hell, but the narrow gate leads to heaven and God’s blessing. It is narrow and harder to travel, but it leads to life. A narrow gate requires a much slower and more careful pace.

Whenever the true and narrow way is taught, there are always false teachers who disguise themselves as genuine shepherds. This was particularly evident by the time Matthew wrote his Gospel. The people were confronted with (among other things) the legalists who taught that in order to be a Christian you had to be circumcised. Jesus warned His followers that they should be discerning and not accept everything that is presented under the guise of being the gospel, especially in the church. As one minister once said, “More harm has been done to the church by termites on the inside than by woodpeckers on the outside!”

The second contrast is between bad fruit and good fruit. Jesus said that it is impossible for an evil tree to bear good fruit. The early church came up with a list of guidelines to discern the claims of prophets, especially those who went from one town or village to another:

1. He was to remain one day or perhaps two if necessary. If he stayed for three days, he was a false prophet.
2. He was to ask for nothing but his food. If he asked for money, he was a false prophet.
3. Prophets were to be known by their character.
4. If a prophet wanted to settle in a particular town or village he was to secure a trade and work so he could eat.

Teaching is false when it claims salvation without discipleship. Teaching is false when it offers grace as something separate from God’s gracious presence. Teaching is false when its emphasis on faith does not include any mention of ethical living. Teaching is also false when it emphasizes ethics as a saving way of life rather than as the expression of the transforming work of the Spirit in us.

Just as in Old Testament times when false prophets were common, we are not safe from the devil’s schemes. He is a wolf disguised as a sheep. What appears harmless is simply there to entice us and draw us in. It can feel good and right, but then the snare of sin traps us, and we suddenly realize we are in danger.

Believers glorify God and identify themselves with Him by producing spiritual fruit, which includes faith, good works and steadfast character. When there is no spiritual fruit, there is no spiritual life or faith. The kingdom is both words and deeds. A disciple is one who links words and deeds, for deeds demonstrate the word and the word interprets the deed.

Jesus’s words in this passage are not idealism. They are the guidelines for our lives. We live only by and in His grace. We can’t believe this message without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. His call to obey Him is evident. Jesus makes clear that deeds verify words. Willingness and eagerness are the signs of someone who has come to faith in Jesus. They obey, not because they want to earn God’s favour, but because they feel delighted to have received it already.

Someday every person will stand before God in judgment, and the reality of every person’s relationship with Jesus Christ will be revealed. Without a personal relationship with Christ, religious words and religious ways-such as attending church, filing positions of church leadership, and performing good works-have no value.

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In other words, when the world looks at you do they see just another average Joe, or do they know you serve a greater King?

A peaceful life leads nonbelievers to respect believers. People are watching the way we act more than they are listening to what we say. For example, Saint Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to accompany him to town to preach. The novice was honoured at the opportunity. They set out for the city, then walked up and down the main street, then several side streets. They chatted with peddlers and greeted the people. After some time they returned to the abbey by another route.

The younger man reminded Francis of his original intent. “You have forgotten, Father, that we went to town to preach.” Francis replied, “My son, we have preached. We have been seen by many. Our behaviour was closely watched. Our attitudes were closely measured. Our words have been overheard. It was by thus that we preached our morning sermon.”

Many prayers are filled with requests that Jesus help things go well in our own, personal little kingdoms here on earth. Of people like this, Jesus said: “Not everyone who calls out to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” What does this mean? It means living according to His laws. It draws us more into His likeness.

Being a Chrisitan is not an easy life. The fruit of the Spirit only grows sweet and nourishing over the course of time, and the richest harvest of blessings only comes through the pain of process. In fact, delayed gratification is a requirement of experiencing the fullness of our Christian birthright. We must not trade a joy-filled and peace-infused existence on the narrow road for a few shallow and temporarily satisfying pleasures that only leave us feeling empty.

(An audio version of this post can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/matthew-7-verses-13-21-decisions-descisions-decisions–67895871)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1293)
2. Augsburger, M.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p. 18)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New Kings James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1305-1307)
6. Bobby Schuller, “The Right Path.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org.
7. Kelly McFadden, “Beware of the Dog.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/homeword/
8. Jack Graham, “Are You Producing the Right Kind of Fruit?” Retrieved from jgraham@powerpoint.org
9. Charles R. Swindoll, “Destination Unknown.” Retrieved from info@insightforliving.ca
10. Bobby Schuller, “Forgo Instant Gratification.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org