According to Luke 6:40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. What is the Bible saying? Simply this, when you are matured you will be like the one who is training you...what is training your life today- TV, Music, Magazines, World Philosophy? I see so many of us, myself included being led astray sometimes by influence. Too many times TV or somebody, or some influence has trained my line of thought more than Scripture. Are your friends, or is your lifestyle reflecting what has been training you, I am sure it is whether we want to admit it or not. Take a look today at yourself and if you are saved say "does my life reflect what Jesus both began to do and teach." Does it show what dominates your life, if you were truthful with yourself first I am sure you could say Preacher, my life is exactly what it has been trained to do...do you party, or do you present the gospel, do you pray, or do you persecute? Not being raised everyday of my life in church or with the Bible as the sole authority of my life, I have made numerous mistakes because of what has trained my thought process. My challenge to myself is to really just stop and think before I act and or react. To look at the Scriptures for answers more than every thing else that comes up in the way. Can I challenge you to do the same? So many times we are inundated with the worlds philosophy, but I desire to be like the Bereans, they were more nobler, why? Because they searched the Scriptures DAILY to see whether those things were so. In the book of Proverbs the Bible says put a knife to your throat if your a man given to appetite, (what is your appetite, Spiritual or Carnal) now we can say, see there Preacher it means don't be gluttonous, well good point. I also remember this verse preceding it "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: " study it out Christian we need to be a peculiar people that are not taken just because somebody lays something out before us. We need to ensure that when we are presented with something that we consider it before we jump at it, if we were trained to do the Spiritual things then we'd be all right, but if you have been trained to be like the world then you will only find yourself jumping at the next greatest thing. I guess what the Lord has laid on my heart is the fact we are too soon moved and guided by our own lusts and desires rather than leaning unto Scripture before we move. Everything looks good as it is before us, but everything is not always good for us. We don't walk by faith as Abraham did, we most always walk by sight. Dear Christian friend we need to ensure the reason we do what we do is because it brings glory and honor to Jesus Christ, not only that but that it lines up with Scripture. We need to stop and pray for direction, do any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God! We would do well to keep ourselves continually led by the Spirit and the Scriptures, no matter the outcome. Not all decisions will be pleasant for all people, but if they are God honoring and in the will of God would it not be better to be with Him in His will rather than on our own? So many times we get our eye off of Jesus and onto circumstance, we start to second guess what God has laid in our heart and then resentment and heaviness move in, dear child of God just be obedient to the Lord. What is training you today? Are you more like Jesus, or has the world got more of you than Him? Where will it stop, when we miss the blessings of God and in the end all comes to nought because we have allowed something other than the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit to train us. If we are to be His disciples then we must make it a point to be in the right training. We must find our place daily in the Word of God, in prayer and in a good Bible believing church that preaches "All the Bible, All the time." Dig in today and make it a point to get the training you need to be a better witness for Christ, Sunday School is a great place to start, until next time...to God be the Glory!!!!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
He Received Sight Forthwith
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!
Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Now we can understand from reading scripture and comparing line upon line, and precept upon precept that Saul here did not just stand up and get baptized for salvation, no dearly beloved, he had a "come to Jesus meeting", he understood his sins, and as the Lord showed Himself to Saul, no doubt Saul became a "believer", then after the meeting with repentence and a new heart he was baptized and it was all by faith through grace..Eph 2:8-9. Thank God for that marvelous, wonderful grace. Here I sit and prepare for tomorrows Sunday School lesson and I see Grace at work in the life of Paul the Apostle. Traveling to Damascus with a mission..to destroy those that don't hold to the Law. How many times might we be as Saul, as he was blinded by simple error. He wholeheartedly felt that he was pleasing God in his pursuit. At least he was zealous enough not to just whine about it, he was putting it into action. How are we sometimes like Saul pursuing those of another religion and getting disgruntled and say that they deserve to be in hell? Dear Christian friend if it weren't for the prayers and steadfastness of some other saint in our lives and the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God we would never know saving Grace. What if they just said let em burn? Thank God there was that grace and the power of God unto salvation to intervene in Saul's life. I pray today that we would get off our high horses and humble ourselves and see the condition of so many around us that are lost and going to hell, can we instead pursue them with the Gospel and see the mighty hand of God work that we might glorify Him for all that is said and done? Today I had to think about a lost soul as I was traveling with our teenagers past a palm reader/psychic sign, do you know how easy it was to think about Old Testament law and say that we shouldn't suffer a witch to live, then the overwhelming guilt overshadowed my heart. You see that person needs to be Saved! They need to see Jesus, they are as Saul, blind and without true direction. Some would say preacher someone could've told them about Jesus, yeah, that's true, but did I is my question. So we see that there are many a lost soul caught up in cults and religion, may it be our endeavour to preach unto them Jesus. As you look at the great spreading of the gospel in Jerusalem then the sending into Samaria how glorious it is to see it growing and going to the uttermost! In past chapters we have Peters Preaching, Stephens Testimony, Phillip reaching the Samaritans, we now come upon the life and conversion of Saul. As Saul is riding in, we see the miraculous power of God, but even more encouraging we see the obedience of a single man, and the impact it made in the life of a new convert. Think about this, you may be the vessel made unto honor this day that God would so choose to use you in the saving of some wretched soul. When I mean the saving, I mean being available to God, knowing God's Word, and being able to show some blinded sinner the Romans Road to salvation! Wow what a thought that God used Ananias to lift the darkness from a blinded Pharisee's eyes! What even a greater thought that God would use you or me to see that same event being repeated some 2000 years later! Can we honestly answer God, Behold, I am here Lord? Is your receiver up, are you in tune with what God has called you to do in life that you might be ready and available? Do we have some other object in the way, is our eye single and focused, or do we have spiritual cataracts? Dear brethren there is no greater calling, no greater work than that which God has set you aside for. Has God laid a Saul on your heart, well if so dear brother then get busy, fear not as the Lord promised "I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the world." May God continue to bless and may your heart be stirred to serve Him more boldly...until Jesus comes.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Law of Multiplication
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine! Such a simple song, some would even say Preacher that is so childish, but I say I'm gonna let it shine no matter where I am. Paul the Apostle no doubt let his light shine wherever he went, starting at the synagogue (..to the Jew first) and then outward wherever he might have been. Then when he had found some that would listen and receive the good news of the Gospel of Christ how he would expend himself to love on them and train them to get them into the harvest . Paul received the message, Christ and Christ alone and ourselves for His sake, my what a mighty ministry as Paul was blessed to produce fruit. I am always encouraged to read how Paul so expressively made mention of those young ones in the faith, not only those, but other disciples, and saints that were dear to him as he was doing the Fathers will. I have been under deep conviction about the law of multiplication as of late. The more I read of the book of Acts, the more I have an earnest desire to see others taught, and trained to go out into the world and preach the gospel. I do not want to be like the young church in the beginning, I pray that God would make us as "those that turned the world upside down." Pastors please do not force the hand of God to make us move, may we be moved by the Holy Spirit of God, may our ministries bear fruit, may it bear fruit that would remain. I had a thought this afternoon and we all know there is nothing new under the sun, but let us focus on missions and the training of labourers for the fields in which God is preparing the hearts and minds of His dear children. If we preach as many do a message on productivity and multiplication, can we not apply it to the sense of missions, and the training of Preachers? Look at the above verse and then tag along with it in thought Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. If God has given you a ministry of leadership that you may have the impact of stirring up someone to serve God, then go at it fully, as I believe God has given unto us Pastors talents in which we should not bury, but invest! Let us get a little pressed, then shaken, so we can be running over with the zeal to see others saved, and entered into the work of the Lord. May we not hoard to ourselves the people God has put into our path. When God gives us some young person, couple, or otherwise adds to our ministry let us train them and invest into them that they may go out and do the same, then when we have invested and help them to strive to accomplish Gods will in their lives can we begin to see the good measure and the overflowing abundance that God is about to pour out! I am so encouraged by Pastors that have a strong balanced ministry, and I even desire one day to Pastor as they do a strong missions minded, Christ-centered church that would reproduce Biblically founded mature Christians for the work of the ministry. I desire that God would bless and raise up many workers in which we can faithfully put into the ministry, whether in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or unto the uttermost.... What I am saying is the law of multiplication doesn't have to always be preached materialistically, it can be preached enthusiastically with Christ as the focal point and the harvest fields in mind. Oh how much God has given unto us, and how much responsibility we bear all because of Him. May our ministries produce some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundredfold all for the glory of Almighty God! I hope this thought encourages to action, that it might not be said of our ministries "us 4 and no more", but that Christ might have the preeminence and many be skilled in the art of fishing. May God bless as you and I earnestly contend for the faith...until Jesus comes may we be found working.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Keeping On
Gal 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.Gal 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. Gal 2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. Gal 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Gal 2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Praise God it is not by the Law that I am sanctified and justified, but by the precious blood of Christ. How many of us are guilty in Christendom of being "men-pleasers", how many of us go around trying to live a life unfulfilled because we are trying to fulfill some one else's expectations? The Lord Jesus Christ died once for all fulfilling the law that we might have Grace. Now don't take me wrong as Paul admonished the early church also.. should we live in sin that grace may abound...God forbid. We are to live as bondservents to the Lord Jesus and not to man or man's methods, how inexcusable is it to lay upon some believer some religious command or idea? As Paul exposed the error of judgement herein lies what should keep us going forward for Christ...Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Now again if it is against Scripture then of course we can go to the wayward one and try to restore and bring into light of Scripture what he or she may be doing, but as far as knowing the will of God, or the direction explicitly for that person.. who are we? Let that man so give account, for every man must give an answer for that which he does with the knowledge of the Word of God in his life. Let us "study to show ourselves approved unto God," not as mere pleasers of men trying to win their affection. We are to be consecrated to the One and Only True God of Heaven. Our whole being is to be brought unto subjection for His glory. Train of thought here....wisdom must be mixed with knowledge, for with knowledge alone we are prone to make a mess of things. Think about this, if a man has read and understood that Jesus Christ is indeed "the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me John 14:6; Then if he does not accept that piece of Scripture we can say how unwise for the knowledge is there, but the application and wisdom to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation has passed him by. This is where I am at in today's world.. for they have no knowledge of God. We as a nation have ended up like Israel of old..Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. God instructs us to live for Him, not for them, there is a separation from the world and the worlds patterns and ideas. If you have been saved then there is a higher calling on your life and that calling is to do the will of your Father in Heaven. Pray and earnestly seek unto God what that perfect will for your life is according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and direction by the Word of God, then you may pillow your head at night knowing that all has been done to please Him and not them! May the grace of God and peace of God be with you, until Jesus comes...keep on keeping on!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Listen and Hear
Listen and Hear
Intro: The word hear is used 550x in the Bible, if I were a truly educated man then I would have to say that it is more important to listen and hear than to be speaking. The reason I bring this message up is because of the importance of hearing. It is said that hearing separates the leaders from the others, how so you might say, well if leaders listen properly then situations can have results, problems can be avoided and people can be challenged, comforted and led!
If I were to take a poll, I think most people would say that others just don’t listen, and if they are then they aren’t hearing what is said, there is a difference you know. When the preacher preaches almost 90% of what is said is not listened to or heard, how do I know well look at the deplorable situations that most people are in nowadays. They are lost and going to hell, they are confused as to salvation, eternal security, they get themselves into situations that the preacher probably already preached on previously. Think about the passage we just heard, if Hananai had brought this message to me would I have listened and heard, or would I have been distracted and interrupted? Hananai had an important message, Nehemiah listened to what was said:
a. Jerusalem is also broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire
i. They were in reproach
ii. They were afflicted
iii. People were making fun of them (Gods Children!)
iv. There was no military for protection
This was a long sad story, but again instead of interrupting with a great plan of action, Nehemiah listened, he heard the anguish, he felt the burden. So today I want to give you some points of leadership and character that deserves a lot of attention – Listening and Hearing.
1. Prayer
It’s amazing how the Bible speaks so much of God listening and hearing us:
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles.
Psalm 77:1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave
ear unto me.
When our backs are against the wall, when we have reached that moment of
despondency and we have nowhere to turn and when we finally call upon God, we always
expect Him to hear us. Rightfully so because the Bible clearly indicates that God desires
us to call upon Him and depend upon Him Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Now comes the
important part of prayer, after all that speaking we should listen, and hear. Listen with
our heart to what God is saying, and the direction He is leading us. Listen so we might
glorify Him when we come out of our prayer closets.
What a thought it would be if we had it in our mind that God just wasn’t listening, how sad would we walk away from that time alone with Him in our time of need. The same thing goes outside of prayer in our dealings with others, if we spend time in prayer listening, then we ought to be
developing that skill to use on others. Nehemiah prayed for 4 months before he made a decision, I am sure that in the past Nehemiah was a man of prayer, that is why he was able to listen when Hanani came to him, the Bible says that God “heareth the cry of the afflicted” (Job34:28), when you spend time with people you tend to mimic some of their traits, Nehemiah was just mimicking the character trait of listening.
2. Example
As Jesus Christ is our great example then we ought to learn by Him. Jesus listened intently when it came to the woman at the well. He didn’t just blurt out about her current situation in life, he didn’t run her down the road of being a harlot, instead He listened for every opportunity in conversation to show her what she needed most – eternal life through Him. We also can be an example for others to follow, by being a good listener, and hearing what is said, by this we can show others compassion, friendship, and concern. We can learn to talk when it’s time to talk, and listen when its time to listen so that we might be the wiser for it:
Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
By our example of listening, then others will learn to hear and they will be wiser also.
3. Practice
We learn to listen by practice, we all have to practice listening. Sometimes in my day to day conversations I find myself asking myself, “am I really listening and hearing what is said?”
Science has proven that we can speak about 100 words a minute, we can hear about 400. The warning comes in when we see the next stat, we can think about 10x faster than we hear! That means we can think about 4,000 words a minute. The sad part about all this is in the following scenario:
If I am talking to someone and I am just hearing what is going on then there are over 4,000 things cluttering my mind, I’m not listening. I have to constantly practice listening by clearing my mind and focusing on the situation at hand – it takes practice.
4. Character
We show that we have developed our listening skills by having character. Think about this as its already been stated this morning numerous times- when “listening” our mouths are shut, and our ears, and hearts are open. Don’t listen to some of the conversation then just jump in trying to save the day with a reaction. Don’t react, just listen. Listening shows character by telling the other person that “My opinion is not the important thing at the moment” just let them know that you are there for them. Now if it is a situation that requires response then responds accordingly, but defiantly listen first to what is being said.
When in those great debates show character by showing respect to let them finish, then follow up with I’ve heard you now it’s my turn. Nehemiah listened to the whole story before he ever spoke.
5. Repetition
The fifth way we can learn to listen is by repletion, that is repeating what we have heard back to the person. It shows the person that you were taking in what you heard and it is being digested, it also allows for corrections in the conversation just in case you mis-heard what was trying to be said. The old preacher once said God designed each of us uniquely, however he gave all of us the same ability to listen, that is he gave all of us 2 ears and one mouth, so open them up, and close the other you’ll be better off for it.
So we see listening means to pay attention, to close our mouths and hear God and others. It is also the act of applying Gods Word into our lives! We also will hear what Godly people are saying to sharpen us and know when there is error. It is the person who listens who exhibits good character and godliness.
We also see that Wander, Disregard, Disrespect, and Contempt are the opposites of godliness and good character. When we are reluctant to listen and hear, then we are refusing to learn and grow. When we do not listen we transition into distrust from others and God and begin to grow in pride and rebellion.
Great leaders listen, Do U?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Word Of God
Hello world, what a great time I had last night at church, since I was with our other volunteer leaders in our church's Mid Week Bible Club where God blessed our first meeting unfortunatly because of that I missed our preachers preaching, so I now am sitting here and listening to our preachers message from last night, I am so encouraged to keep on the firing line and defend the stance of the Local Church, not some denominational name, not some hierarchy developed by diluted men who want power of this world, but....that Christ died for the church and its His and nobody elses! I also wanted to share with you a message the Lord had on my heart for the teenagers last night as I preached. It is so sad that I heard this week that amongst pre-teens and teenagers over 70% of them cannot even name the first book of the Bible, over 50% cannot even name 1 of the Ten Commandments? And to think that in America we have parents asking the question....what is going on with our children! First and foremost we must get back into the Bible! We must make it the focal point of our lives! Here are some thoughts as I preached them.
The Word Spoken
Bro. Paul Pschirer
Intro: The Word of God, the blessed old book, the Bible spoken and revealed unto man to show us our total depravity. Without the Word of God preserved from generation to generation and handed down where would we be? Some people today look at the Bible and say so what it’s just a book, others say it may contain some good advice, but to those that are lost it’s the path of light unto their darkened souls. It’s the way to redemption through Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father! To the Christian it is much more! Let us look tonight the importance of His Word for a lost and dying world, and as a provision for a pursuit of Christ likeness! Two main things need to be understood tonight
1. The Bible is the only book that is Gods Word to us, and it is better than all other books combined.
2. There are many evidences that might lead us to believe the Bible is Gods Word, but it is only by the Holy Spirits direct work in us that we can be assured without a doubt that the Bible is Gods Word.
When God desired to create a universe He spoke it into existence through His Word, it was by
the POWER of His spoken Word
· Gen 1:1-31 - and God said…..8x in these verses alone
· Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear.
1. God Word Reveals It’s Purpose:
A. To Work In Our Lives
· Every single saved soul is begotten of the Father through His Word
Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
· 1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
B. To Weed through Our Lives
When we take God at His Word and desire it more than the things of
this world then it lowers the plough and begins to dig deep thereby
· It Cleanses the conscience- Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you.
· It corrects the wrong - 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
· It consecrates the life - Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth.
C. To Warn In Our Lives
When we have been convicted, converted, and consecrated Gods Word works
to warn us of the things to come.
· 2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth
the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
· 2Ti 3:12 - 15 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou
hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
· God also gives us a warning from His Word about the way we treat His Word
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Rev 22:19 And if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book.
How then are we as Christians to respond to this?
1Pe 1:22 -23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2. Satan's Battle Against the Word
When Satan knew that martyrdom and persecution wouldn’t stop the spread of Christianity he tried another tactic, the watering down of the Word of God. Using Carnal Men that developed New Translations, New Programs, and New Gimmicks that deceive the very elect into believing falsely.
· Satan has tried to CORRUPT the Word
Hath God not said….Satan got one over on Eve because
she didn’t heed the Word.
· Satan has tried to CUT the Word
In modern translations there are numerous omitted
verses….NIV, NLT, RSV, all these have either removed verses
about the blood of Christ, or watered down words to change the
Deity of Christ and other theological implications.
· Satan has tried to CONCEAL the Word
In times past and even today there are denominations that allow
so called priests and bishops to hide the truth from the
congregation by supplying them with their version instead of the
true Word of God, the KJB! We saw in the "Dark Ages" that it
wasn't dark because of the ignorant masses, but because the true
Word of God was kept concealed from them by priests and
bishops that said their words were on the same level as if God
himself was speaking, so therefore they didn't need a Bible, they
"just needed to depend on the priests" How foolish as the Bible
clearly states there is one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus. No need to confess to some man your sins
thereby giving him the right to dangle those over your head,
besides, it is not in his power to absolve you of your sins. Only the
Lord Jesus Christ can forgive you of your sins....we have access to
the Throne of Grace ourselves by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ. There is also no private interpretation of the Scriptures!
It is His Word, revealed to His people, that they might know HIM!
· God promised that if by faith we accept His Word then we have a
guarantee that….Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
· God through His Word encourages us to hide His Word in our heart
that we might not sin against God. Psalm 119:11
· Paul the Apostle encourages preachers to...Preach the Word that
way Satan can’t try to get his words over on somebody.We should
stand and preach as loudly we can so that we will choke out the
words of this world.
3. Because God Spoke His Word It will Bring About:
· No Fear - But Praise
Psa 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what
flesh can do unto me.
· Healing and Deliverance
Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of
their distresses. Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them
from their destructions.
· Cleansing
Psa 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word.
· Strength
Psa 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy
word.
· Mercy
Psa 119:58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according
to thy word.
· Salvation
Psa 119:41 VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation,
according to thy word.
· Faith
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit
of promise,
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Today's Generation
Isaiah Chapter 30
In a day and age when rebellion and downright ignorance abounds we can learn a lot from the children of Israel from this chapter. It burdens my heart that Preachers all over the country have to deal with so many problems because of a shallow form of Christianity, and lack of faithfulness to God. Here the children of Israel have become so apostate and backslidden that in verse 10 they even try to get the Preachers and Prophets to tell them lies, and to get them to speak about things that would tickle their ears. Teens lets look at these passages and learn from them so that we might add to our faith and live a life pleasing unto God rather than to men! V1 - That take counsel, but not of me.What an accusation to fall under, here the children of Israel are willing to listen to anything and everything except for the Lord God and the way that He has outlined for them to live. I see teens and young adults all day long falling all over themselves because the take counsel from everything under the sun except from the perfect Word of God. They resist the Preacher, they resist their parents, any type of authority.
The second accusation is that they might add sin to sin, that is they have sinned first by not listening to God, and because they have rebelled and listened to other things they fall by the wayside in doing those things compounding the problem and adding sin to sin.
V2 - Egypt, that great picture of sin and the world. Here they would rather run to the "worlds" philosophies, system of government, and ideas, rather than stopping and praying and seeking the Lord. However being the faithful and just God that He is, has an answer for them.
V3 - Because you seek out the world rather than God it will bring you to shame, not only shame but if you continue to seek out other ways than the Word of God it will only bring confusion to your life.
V8 - Because God's Word liveth for ever and ever we see that all these years ago as an example for us today Isaiah was commanded to write this down as a testimony for the future generations to learn from. Teens if you'll just pick up your Bibles and read them you could learn a thing or two from these verses on how to live wholly for the Lord.
V9 - Oh wicked people, who would not rather hear the Word of God, they instead lean unto their ways and even go so far as to...
V10 - Petition the Prophets and the Preachers to ...speak unto them smooth things. How true it is today when we have an abundance of shallow weak Christians that would rather continue in doing things the worlds way. We have paid off the "Speakers" on television and fallen to their weak speaking rather than listen to true preaching about Hell hot and Heaven sweet! Look at those that have builded their kingdoms of multitudes that only listen to how to "become a better you, or your best life now". We have "speakers" instead of Preachers, those that tickle ears and make merchandise of Gods Word! When the going gets rough they pick up some weak book instead of The Book - a King James Bible and read what God has for them. We have created Christian "experience" addicts! Not Bible believing, Bible Preaching, Bible Living saved and redeemed by the precious Blood of the Lamb, God serving people!
V15 - Praise God for His mercy and grace though! As we see here the Bible says that if we turn from our wickedness and trust in an all mighty God and all that He has for us then we shall be saved from the problems of this world, and the confidence we have in Him will be our strength!
V16 - True to the nature of the human mind their answer was NO! How can we be so foolish not to see that in everything without God it is only "fun" or "profitable" for a season. Here the children were still ready to flee into Egypt wide open to their perverseness and destruction, oh but the love of God abounds yet still.
V18 - And therefore will the Lord wait....longsuffering, gracious, and merciful is He, even though we don't deserve it. Here it says He will wait, that He might be gracious unto you, and have mercy upon you, and blessed are all they that wait upon Him. When will you stop running into the world and return unto the Lord? When will you give up your wicked ways and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, today could be your day, the Lord is waiting that He might redeem you that His word might be exalted in all the land.
V21 - If you truly desire to serve God, and live a life acceptable unto Him then you too can hear the still small voice of God saying ....This is the way, walk ye in it.
Four things in closing:
1. There is a Way, One Way That Leads To Hell or Heaven
2. There Is Grace and Mercy In The Way V18
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
3. There Is Adversity In The Way V20
Praise God that He will show us the way according to His Word, and according to His Preachers. That you may have someone that you can lean towards to get help in a time of trouble. Teens, the Preacher is not the enemy, but the servant of God willing to help!
4. There Is Direction In The Way V21
Isa 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
If you'll keep your hearts and minds clear of the things of this world, then you can hear the Lord speaking unto you and guiding you down the straight and narrow, rather than turning aside to the broad way of destruction!
How about it Teens, isn't it time we knew more about Jesus rather than the video games, the who's who and what's what on television? It burdens my heart that we can spend more time talking about our favorite video game, or movie star but we'll clam up in a heartbeat when there is mention of Jesus. Teens our command is pointed and straight forward, we are to be a light unto a world of darkness, we are to be going into all the world spreading the gospel, not the latest rumor mill, or video game strategies!
