You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February, 2008.
Preached February 20, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
I am a both/and kind of guy. Do you want cookies or pie? That is an either/or question. My preference is both cookies and pie. That’s part of my problem.
America is both/and when it comes to spirituality. There is a blending and melting pot effect among religious world views. For example, there are Christian Yoga groups. Nothing wrong with having a group formed around some affinity like biking or hiking. But Yoga is an eastern religious practice. It has been brought into our culture through New Ageism neo-paganism. Yet some Christians want to blend the two. They argue they are only embracing the stretching exercises and not the mysticism associated with it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. It is kind of like going through Muslim purification rituals, wearing robes and turbans, assuming the posture of Muslim prayer including bowing toward Mecca, and then saying “Oh, well I’m really praying to Jesus.”
In America, one of the celebrated values is relativism– the idea that we can all just get along and we can swirl beliefs and practices together, just so long as no one gets too serious about their faith publically.
We hear this all the time in the media. New Age, Paganism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are all viable options set next to Christianity. Then of course there are the purely secular religions of humanism and materialism. Humanism and materialism have done more to infiltrate and corrupt Christianity than anything else.
Religious pluralism and religious relativism are great temptations we face. The pressure to compromise is enormous.
Elijah is confronting Israelites who had compromised. They had not totally abandoned Yahweh (at least in their minds). But at the same time they had at least tolerated and at worst embraced Baal worship.
Dale Ralph Davis explains why the Israelites had fallen into spiritual compromise:
1. It carried the appeal of royal sanction. Jezebel was a devout Baal and Asherah worshiper. She hosted 850 heathen priests in the palace. It was en vogue and stylish.
2. There was an appeal to tradition and history. It was culturally relevant. They moved into Canaan, where Baal was worshiped before they arrived.
3. Baal worship offered an appeal of relevance, an ability to touch felt needs. Baal was believed to send forth lightning, fire, and rain. He gave grain, oil, and wine. He could revive the dead, heal the sick, and give you a child.
Note how similar 9th century Israel and 21st century America are.
1. Religious pluralism is the rage. Alternate religious philosophies are celebrated and embraced. The religions of humanism and materialism are the chief means of worship. (Isn’t the government after all sending you a rebate check to help stimulate the economy. Go and spend it. Worship at the altars of Walmart, Best Buy, Sears and Dillards).
2. Cultural diversity is the mantra of our society, especially in the field of education. Children are indoctrinate to numerous religious practices from a variety of cultures, all in the name of diversity. While it is good to learn and know about other cultures, in many places, it has moved beyond mere education and information to discipleship.
3. Pragmatism is the name of the game. What ever we need to do get ahead and gain advantage.
Elijah, standing on Mount Carmel nearly 3000 years ago, poses a question we need today: “How long will we waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him. If not, follow someone else.
We will worship someone or something. That much is certain. All people are religious people. We have an innate desire and compulsion to worship someone or something. Even atheists have a religion. They may not worship God, but they worship something, whether it is science, or reason, or humanity, or self.
We have room in our hearts to serve only one god. There is not space for two or more. Even in polytheistic religions, one god is worshiped as supreme. At the pinnacle of your heart, where there is room for only one and nothing else, what resides there? That is your chief god. That is your supreme god you serve.
We are called to commit to the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. It is Him or someone else. That is the choice. We can go on pretending we are serving him all the while we have competing allegiances. But God will suffer no rivals. And it is impossible to set another along side him.
Elijah’s call echos in our ears today. Who are you committed to? Who are you serving? Where do your loyalties lie? It may be easier if there are many who join with us in serving the Lord. But we must commit to serve the one true God even if no one else will.
Who are you serving? Commit to the Lord.
Preached February 13, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Introduction
The manager of a minor league baseball team who was so disgusted with his center fielder’s performance that he ordered him to the dugout and assumed the position himself. The first ball that came into center field took a bad hop and hit the manager in the mouth. The next one was a high fly ball, which he lost in the glare of the sun—until it bounced off his forehead.
The third was a hard line drive that he charged with outstretched arms; unfortunately, it flew between his hands and smacked his eye. Furious, he ran back to the dugout, grabbed the center fielder by the uniform, and shouted. ‘You idiot! You’ve got center field so messed up that even I can’t do a thing with it!’
Blame is a fun game to play isn’t it? It is much easier to point fingers at others than to take responsibility for our own actions and choices.
A man angrily jumped out of his car after a collision with another car. “Why don’t you people watch where you’re driving?” he shouted wildly. “You’re the fourth car I’ve hit today!”
Our spiritual lives seem like that sometimes. When heaven seems closed and God seems silent and distant and our souls are parched, we blame the preacher for not “feeding the flock.” Or the music ministry because the music isn’t worshipful enough. Or the Sunday School teacher or class. Sometimes we even blame God. When we drift far from God and everything is dry and barren, we point to everyone and everything else, except ourselves.
There are two reasons for spiritual dryness:
1) God is allowing us to experience a difficult season in our lives to cultivate our character. In this case, it only seems that God is absent and distant. He is strengthening our patience and endurance and after a season, we can look back and see how he has worked in our lives.
2) Another reason is that we have drifted away from God and he is allowing us to experience the consequences of our actions. While God may let us drift for a while, eventually God comes knocking down the door.
Israel has been experiencing drought– physical and spiritual– for three years. Elijah showed up and announced to Ahab that it would not rain. And then Elijah disappeared off the radar screen. People were looking for him, but he was not to be found. God’s prophets are in hiding and no one is proclaiming the word of God openly to the people. It is a dry time. No rain water and no living water coming down.
But now, Elijah has resurfaced. God has brought him out of his exile and is now bringing him to confront Ahab. Meeting Obadiah, Elijah orders him to tell Ahab he is back. Ahab gets word and comes after Elijah.
1 Kings 18:16-20 (ESV)
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
[17] When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” [18] And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. [19] Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
[20] So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
Ahab’s first word to Elijah is one of contempt and animosity. He calls him a TROUBLER OF ISRAEL. The word troubler means to disturb or stir up.
It is used in the book of Joshua in a very famous passage. Perhaps Ahab had this episode in mind when he called Elijah a troubler.
God delivered Jericho into the hands of Joshua and the Israelites. But he gave them a stern warning.
Joshua 6:18 (ESV) But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.
In other words, it is going to be bad news if the Israelites do not obey God and instead keep things that should have been destroyed.
Joshua 7:1 (ESV) But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
This is bad news for Israel. They go into battle against Ai, and they lose. They lose badly. Joshua, frightened and confused, cries out to God. God answers him and tells him that there is sin in the camp. They search and discover Achan’s sin. Joshua confronts Achan.
Joshua 7:25 (ESV) And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.
So Ahab sees Elijah, and he calls him a “trouble-maker.” Elijah is blamed for no rain. He is accused of bringing harm on the people. It is insinuated that Elijah is not a patriot, is not a supporter of the crown, is not a friend to the people.
Ahab is doing something that is common among many people. When God begins to rebuke or judge people because of idolatrous and wicked choices, people get angry and start pointing to others. We blame others for our sins. We get angry at God when he righteously judges.
But Elijah turns it around immediately. “I have not troubled Israel– you have! This is your fault.” Drought was upon the people because of their sin. Spiritual drought as a form of judgment comes upon us when we:
1. Abandon the Word of God.
Neglecting the Word of God will dry our souls. We wither and begin to dry when we are not nourished when God speaks into our souls through his word.
2. Abandon the Worship of God.
When we turn from the Word of God, we will start being infused with another message. We start looking for spiritual nourishment from other places. In Ahab’s case, it was from Baal. He abandoned the worship of God to worship Baal.
3. Abandon our Witness for God.
Instead of leading Israel to God and setting the pace for worship, Ahab became an evangelist for Baal.
This is why trouble came. Ahab and Israel were suffering because they forgot the Second commandment.
Exodus 20:4-6 (ESV) You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. [5] You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
God will suffer no rivals. If we follow in Ahab’s footsteps and Abandon the Word of God, Worship of God, and our witness for God, we will soon experience chastisement. And if we do, there is no one to blame but ourselves. When people come and complain to me that God seems far away and they don’t seem to get much out of church, I want to check these three areas of their lives. You see, when we are in the Word, when we Worship, and when we Witness, there is no deadness. There is life and vitality.
Preached February 17, 2008
Introduction
God… hate? Doesn’t seem to go together. Yet God does hate some things.
V. 16
6, no 7– indicates this is not an exhaustive list (no mention of sexual sin, stealing, idol worship, etc.)
Hate, abomination– strong language. Hard to imagine a more definitive way to express God’s displeasure.
These things provoke loathing from God.
Seven items listed.
1st five are connected to body parts
last 2 are lifestyle practices
So, we are talking about how we live– a way of life God hates.
1. Haughty Eyes
a. A proud look that betrays an arrogant heart.
b. Lit– “High Eyes.” Refuses to bow in reverence or recognize someone else as superior.
c. Willful defiance and disrespect.
d. Looking at others with contempt
2. Lying Tongue
a. A person with no regard for the truth.
b. By lying, this person seeks to rearrange the facts to give him an advantage.
c. Trying to redefine the world to gain an advantage and not have to live by the normal rules of life.
d. Distorts reality for selfish gain.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
a. Violent person
b. Temper and anger problem
c. Profound lack of respect for human life.
d. Not just limited to murder, but a contempt for people in general.
4. Heart that devises wicked schemes
a. A con artist who is trying to take advantage of others.
b. Just wanting to get ahead, no matter the cost, or hurt to other people.
5. Feet that make haste to run to evil
a. Enthusiasm for doing wrong
b. Heart– inner man plotting
c. Feet– Outer man executing plans
6. False witness who breaths out lies
a. Different than verse 17– That was a distortion of the fact.
b. This is complete and total fabrication
c. This is the subversion of justice
d. Slander and malicious gossip
e. A wicked person lies as easily as he breathes.
7. One who sows discord among brothers
a. Do the other 6 things, no question your will have chaotic relationships
b. Trouble maker. This is a problem person.
Summary
We call the person doing these things: Self-centered
So what does God love?
Humility, honest, respect for life, pure thoughts, eagerness to do good, truthfulness, and peaceful harmony
IE– Loving others
How can we keep from becoming a Proverbs 6:16-19 kind of person?
1. It begins with the work of Christ– the new life we have in Him.
2. We focus on Him and grow in our relationship with him.
3. We systematically destroy the works of the flesh with the aid of the Holy Spirit. (ie– Struggle with lying, start working on it.)
4. Instead we cultivate Godly virtues, remembering that our character comes from Christ and his work in us.
Notice everything in Chapter 3 takes us back to Christ (v. 1-4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16).
5. We must especially let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.
SO… God works in us and we cooperate with God by strengthening the good and tearing out the bad.
Proverbs 3:19-35 • February 10, 2008
Introduction
This week, the Tennessean (Nashville newspaper) reported that the Georgia State Legislature has a resolution in the works to attempt to extend the Georgia boarder with Tennessee and annex part of Tennessee. The resolution, which has passed early hurdles but has not received final passage, claims that the boundary was erroneously surveyed in 1818 and that Georgia has never accepted it. The resolution calls for the creation of a “Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission” that would perform joint surveys and change the line to the “definite and true” boundary line: exactly following the 35th parallel.
What is the drive for this move? Georgia desperately needs water. By moving the boarder by a little over a mile, the state would gain access to the Tennessee River and Nickajack Reservoir.
Tennesseans are mildly amused, and have offered to settle it with a football game or a wrestling match. One Tennessee state politician suggested floating an armada of University of Tennessee fans down the Tennessee River to defend the state’s honor. Others see it as a serious issue and should this move by Georgia gain momentum, things could turn ugly.
Whether it is states or individuals, there are certain boundaries that should not be crossed. If they are, if certain lines are ignored, serious problems could develop between people. Certain lines should not be crossed.
Proverbs is a book that not only addresses our relationship with God and provides guidance for navigating life, but it helps us learn to live with one another.
● God is the creator of everything. He is the manufacturer. He knows how life works. We need to listen to him. We need to plug into his wisdom.
● Having wisdom means we are connected to God. This in turn gives us:
○ Stability– we will not stumble.
○ Security– we will be safe.
● Make sure your relationship with God is what it is supposed to be so that you will not be negatively influenced by those around you.
6 Boundaries (Negatively Stated)
1. 3:25-26 – Do not abandon your walk with God.
a. No matter what else may happen, or what relationships you may or may not have, your relationship with God must be the top priority.
b. He is to be your source of confidence and strength.
c. Others are good, and it is nice to have someone with skin on. But ultimately, if we have not established our confidence in the Lord, we will have unhealthy relationships with other people
i. We invest too much in them.
ii. We expect too much from them.
2. 3:27 – Do not withhold good.
a. “Due” means owed. We owe a debt of goodness to those around us. We must pay it.
b. When you have the ability to do good, do it.
c. When we owe a debt, any debt, it must be paid. In the New Testament, we find the one debt we will never be able to fully pay is the debt of love to others.
3. 3:28 – Do not delay paying your debts.
a. Do not delay paying your debts, especially your debts of kindness, until some later time.
b. Tomorrow very rarely comes.
4. 3:29– Do not deal treacherously with others.
a. Attacking an unsuspecting neighbor.
b. Plan is same word as plow– carefully plotting your course.
c. ILL– Ahab & Jezebel’s theft of Naboth’s vineyard (2 Kings 21:1-29)
5. 3:30– Do not quarrel with your neighbor.
a. Don’t pick an unnecessary fight.
b. ILL– Frivolous lawsuits.
6. 3:31-32 – Do not envy the wicked.
a. Too tempting to fall in love with the lifestyles of the wicked and ungodly.
b. The violent man is one who exercises power over others– physically or verbally abusing others to get their way.
c. They are not to be envied because God detests them. Their way of life leads away from God.
APPLICATION – Let’s condense and restate these in a positive way…
1. Be Generous– Give what is good to those around us.
a. Romans 13:7-8 (ESV) Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. [8] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
b. Give quickly.
2. Be Peaceable– live peaceable with all people.
a. Romans 12:16-18 (ESV) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. [17] Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. [18] If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
3. Be Content– Contentment with what we are and have is the way to avoid the sin of envy.
4. Be generous toward others, be peaceable toward others, and be content.
Conclusion
Proverbs 3:33-35– Compare the wise and the foolish.
The way we treat others is an indication of how we are related to God. If we are mean spirited and wicked toward those around us, God will be displeased. They are under his curse, are scorned, and disgraced.
Those who love the Lord and love their neighbors are blessed, receive favor, and inherit honor.
Preached February 17, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
1 Thes. 2:1-16 (ESV)
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. [2] But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. [3] For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, [4] but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. [5] For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. [6] Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. [7] But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. [8] So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
[9] For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. [10] You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. [11] For you know how, like a father with his children, [12] we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
[13] And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. [14] For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, [15] who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind [16] by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last!
The boy was at a crossroads. His parents had taken him to church when he was younger. But over the last few years, church and Christianity was not a high priority. His parents’ marriage was crumbling and the home was becoming a war zone. Added pressures of a layoff for the father followed by reeducation to try to find a new job and long working hours for the mother left the children to see about themselves much of the time.
The boy was transitioning between middle school to high school, which meant changing schools. Many of his familiar friends were gone. High school brought many new challenges the boy was trying to navigate alone. Alcohol, drugs, sex, rebellion, and paganism were at his finger tips. He was at a crossroads many teenagers face.
What would become of him? Statistically, he was headed for trouble. The deck was stacked against him.
What would you do for that boy? All around us are teenagers and children and young adults and senior adults and median aged adults who are at a crossroads. On one hand, they can go down the path that leads them off of a precipice. Or, they can be led in a different direction. All they need is a guide.
Have you noticed how many guides there are in the world? How many people want to influence you away from God and Christ and truth and hope and faith and love? They try to seduce you to worship the false gods of sensuality and materialism and self. They promise no limits, no boundaries, only freedom to do exactly what you want to do. The result is marriages crumble, addictions slip a noose around necks, and people are desperate.
As a Christian, every single one of us is called to be a guide for others. Jesus used a different phrase. He called us to “make disciples.” A disciple maker is a guide. A person who comes along side and helps others walk with Christ.
Just like that boy who was at a crossroads, we all know people, young and old, who need encouragement in the right direction. Right now you have friend who is about to walk out on her marriage, hoping for something better. You have a friend who is making reckless choices and can’t see the harm that is going to come to him and others. You know teenagers and children who are wandering through life because they don’t know any better. You know someone who is searching spiritually.
And you can make a difference in their lives. As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ is the answer, that the Lord is our only hope. We have the Gospel– the Good News of how Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection can transform our lives and our world. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus is Lord and Savior.
So, as Christians, we are called to make a difference in the lives of people, to be disciple makers.
Whose life do you want to make a difference in for the kingdom of God?
How can we do it?
1. A disciple maker pleases God above all others. (vv. 4-5)
a. We must not begin with the disciple. We must not begin with ourselves. We must begin with God.
i. ILL– Army Boot Camp– not about what the recruit wants or likes. Aim is not to please them, but the Army.
b. As disciple makers, pleasing God is job #1.
i. V. 4– He called us.
ii. V. 4– He evaluates us.
iii. V. 5– He watches us.
John Stott: “No secret of Christian ministry is more important than its fundamental God-centeredness. The stewards of the gospel are primarily responsible neither to the church, [nor to people], but to God himself. On the one hand, this is a disconcerting fact because God scrutinizes our hearts and their secrets, and his standards are very high. On the other hand, it is marvelously liberating, since God is a more knowledgeable, impartial and merciful judge than any human being or ecclesiastical court or committee. To be accountable to him is to be delivered from the tyranny of human criticism.”
c. We play to an audience of 1– The Lord
d. For Paul, Silas and Timothy, being approved by God, trusted by God and searched by God banished any possibility of dishonesty from their hearts and stirred them to fearless, persistent Gospel proclamation.
e. Nothing provides a better check to self-seeking in Christian work than a constant awareness of God.
2. A disciple maker genuinely cares for disciples. (7-9, 11)
a. Many who operate under the banner “Christian” who are merely doing all they can to take advantage of people.
b. We, like Paul, must act like a tender mother and loving father.
i. Nursing mother– gentle, caring, giving without getting anything in return.
ii. Father– carefully guides and instructs his children
iii. Both motivated by sacrificial love for the well-being of the child.
iv. This is what discipleship ought to look like.
c. Giving or sharing our lives with those we are discipling. You can’t make a difference in the life of a person and keep them at arm’s distance.
d. Paul worked hard for the benefit of the Thessalonians. He was self-sacrificing for their benefit.
3. A disciple maker faithfully lives the Gospel. (6, 9-10)
a. The Gospel changes everything. It redirects our lives.
i. If we are going to be used by God to make a difference in the lives of other people, then our lives must be transformed.
ii. Paul modeled the Gospel with his entire life.
b. We must live out the message we share. We are to model the Gospel.
i. Discipleship is more caught than taught.
ii. ILL– easy to teach a lesson on prayer. Must more effective to see prayer in action
iii. Our disciples begin to emulate and reflect us.
c. Our lives must be consistent with the message we proclaim. This is crucial for parents who want their children to grow up to love God.
d. V. 10– Holy living witnessed by the Thessalonians. Can the people you are influencing give testimony to your holy lifestyle?
4. A disciple maker boldly declares the Gospel. (1-3, 4, 11, 13)
a. We have only one message. Not just empty, pointless words. Not false words. We give clear, persuasive teaching of the Gospel.
b. It is often opposed. Those who stand for the Gospel will be persecuted.
c. The Gospel is the message that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
5. A disciple maker calls for commitment to the Lord. (12, 14-16)
a. A disciple maker models, teaches, and then expects the disciple to live it.
b. Accountability to live God’s way sorely lacking today. We don’t expect much from one another. Possibly because we are not living the way we should.
c. We must live holy lives and call others to holiness as well. We must live for Christ, no matter the cost.
Conclusion
Are you a disciple maker? God wants you to be one.
Back to the boy– Several people came into his life at just the right time. They loved God and sought to please him above all others. They genuinely cared for the boy. They modeled the message they shared. They called the boy to commit to Christ, to live for him.
People like Danny and Penny, Chip and Justin, Mike and Bill. They discipled the boy who is preaching this message to you today. I am a product of discipleship. People made a difference in my life. You can make a difference in the lives of others.
Will you make a difference in a life today? Will you be a disciple maker?
Preached February 10, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
1 Thes. 1:9-10 (ESV)
For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, [10] and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The process of metamorphosis in nature is fascinating. An insect egg is laid and develops. In 4 days it hatches and becomes a caterpillar. For two weeks the caterpillar eats, and stores up energy. It enters the pupa stage and forms a chrysalis (hard outer casing). For 10 days it is in the chrysalis. While encased, the caterpillar is undergoing extraordinary transformation. At the end of 10 days, a monarch butterfly emerges and lives for another couple of months.
Monarchs, the state insect of Texas by the way, are a great illustration of what happens to us when we become Christians. We undergo a transformation or conversion when we become a child of God.
There was a point in our lives when we were lost, sinful, corrupt, spiritually dead, enemies of God. But God, in his mercy brought about transformation of our lives through the cross of Jesus Christ, the drawing of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of our sins.
John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
2 Cor. 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Acts 3:19 (NKJV) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
New birth, new creation, new life– all words and phrases to describe our transformation or conversion. Last week, I told you that God initiates and completes our salvation. This is called election. But God uses the process of conversion to save us. Unless you have been converted, you are not a child of God, your sins have not been forgiven, you do not have a home in heaven, and you are separated from the love and mercy of Christ. Just like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, conversion is a radical reorientation of one’s life.
While some things remain the same, there are fundamental differences. When we are converted, we are still the same person, but we have new character, new life, new hope, new direction, new focus, new relationship with God.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 describes the process of conversion, what conversion looks like in the lives of the Thessalonian believers and in our lives too. What does conversion entail?
1. Repentance: “turning to God from idols”
a. The Thessalonian church was filled with Gentiles.
i. Gentiles worshiped many false gods. Family gods, city gods, patron gods for their line of work, imperial gods of Rome, cult of Caesar.
ii. You could have as many gods as you wanted, just as long as you didn’t abandon any of them. To do so might bring the wrath of the gods down on the community.
b. But to become a Christian, you cannot worship other Gods. There is only one God, and he is a jealous God. He will not allow you to serve him and other gods. An idol is anything we establish in our lives that might compete with God’s preeminence. An idol is a God-substitute. This includes family, vocation, food, sex, entertainment, power, money, and pleasure.
i. Many so-called Christians today try to have the One True God on one hand and have their pet gods on the other. They come to worship on Sunday, but the rest of the week, they worship their idols.
ii. But Paul teaches us that we cannot really worship God if we hold onto our idols. We cannot be converted if we do not turn from idols.
c. Turning means repentance. Repentance is a changing of one’s heart and life. True repentance is a thorough change both of mind and lifestyle.
i. Repentance means turning from all sin to all good. True repentance includes sorrow for sin and a broken heart over our idolatry.
ii. Repentance is not a half step of merely adding Jesus Christ to your cabinet of worshiped objects. It is a radical step of abandoning the gods of this world, and the lifestyle of immorality and wickedness the worship of those idols bring.
d. Repentance is a willful act of turning from one path and proceeding in another direction. It is turning to God. This turning to God leads to:
2. Commitment: “serving the living and true God”
a. Take note of whom we serve. God is living and true. He is not imaginary. He is not created in our minds. He is alive. He is real. He is nothing like the idols we worship in our hearts.
b. We are to serve him. The word serve comes from the Greek word for “SLAVE.” It refers to total commitment to God.
c. We must give God our total commitment in worship.
i. Worship is devotion and love given to someone or something.
ii. Whom or what do you worship? Consider what you are most devoted to, what you are most committed to.
iii. Is it a job, a person, a hobby?
iv. God alone must receive our highest and greatest commitment in worship.
v. All of life is to be an expression of worship to God. We worship. It is not just Sunday Church stuff.
vi. When you work, work for the Glory of God. When you play, play in a way the honors God. When you go about the mundane of life, do it in a way that screams, “I love the Lord! I am committed to him! I offer all that I am to him as a sacrifice of praise.”
d. Serving God means living a just and good life. It means we will love our neighbors and show mercy to those who need it. It means we show love to the unlovely and compassion to those who deserve retribution. It means we help the helpless and comfort the afflicted. It also means we confront injustice and defend the weak. It means we celebrate what is right and pure and noble.
e. It means we serve our fellow man by taking them by the hand and leading them to the Savior.
f. This commitment to the Lord does not last for a little while and then expire. There is no retirement age when it comes to being committed to the Lord. (ILL– Brother Richardson sharing the Gospel with Jeremy at Colonial Village).
3. Perseverance: “waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ”
a. Notice how Christ is described:
i. He is God’s Son. He is deity.
ii. He comes from heaven. He is seated in the throne room of all creation and rules it.
iii. He is the Jesus- a real person who lived historically.
iv. He is the one who died on the cross and rose from the dead, defeating death and by doing so, the one who gives us eternal life.
v. He is the one who delivers us from wrath. God’s wrath is God’s righteous judgment against those who are evil and disobey the truth. It is not an irrational outburst of passion by God or a fit of temper. Rather if God is holy, pure and righteous, then his wrath represents a just reaction to the wickedness of those who rebel and sin against him.
(1) And Jesus delivers us from it. We deserve God’s wrath.
(2) But Jesus bore it on the cross for us and we can be forgiven.
b. We are to wait for the coming of this Jesus. One day Jesus is going to return. All the promises will be fulfilled.
c. Until then, we persevere. We don’t quit. We don’t turn away. We don’t give up. We keep on turning away from idols to serve the living and true God. And we don’t abandon Him.
d. Waiting means we are patient and we trust him. We have sustained expectation. The result of genuine conversion is perseverance to the end.
Conclusion–
If you remove one of these things– Repentance, Commitment, or Perseverance– you do not have genuine conversion. But remember, God initiates and completes it. Philip. 1:6 “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” Have you been converted?
Preached February 6, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Introduction
We all have limits.
Money we spend, activities we do, entertainment, work… Thing we will and will not do.
When it comes to obeying the Lord, do we have any limits? When we grow in our faith, we are going to be pushed and challenged. And at some point, we will reach a place where we have to make a decision– obey God fully or pull back and disobey him.
● After three years, God tells Elijah to go and appear before Ahab. We learn in 18:10, Ahab has been pursuing Elijah everywhere. And it is not for a friendly chat.
● Sometimes, God will call us to do extremely uncomfortable, dangerous things.
● Elijah has been so conditioned though in 1 Kings 17 with his experiences at Cherith and Zarephath to trust God when he tells him to do something.
● Obeying God take courage. Or to say it another way, obeying God means we have to trust God when he directs us.
● Every act of obedience carries some level of risk.
● Obadiah & Ahab
○ Ahab is selfish and cares nothing about the people. His great concern is making sure he doesn’t loose his livestock.
○ Obadiah is providing for 100 prophets of God. At great personal risk and sacrifice.
● Obadiah & Elijah
○ There is more than one way to serve the Lord.
- Elijah was bold, confrontational, intrusive.
- Obadiah was also bold, but he worked within the system to make a difference.
○ Elijah and Obadiah both served the Lord in their own way.
○ Obadiah feared the Lord. This dictated his actions.
- He saved 100 prophets, at great risk and cost to himself.
- Jezebel was trying to kill the prophets.
● Like Elijah, we need some believers who will confront the culture and work from the outside in.
● Like Obadiah, we need some believers who will engage the culture and work from the inside out.
● All believers are to fear God and choose to obey him in and out of the culture.
● Obadiah sees Elijah in the distance. Elijah has a mission for him. Tell Ahab he has returned.
● Obadiah is nervous. He knows this may not go well for him.
● Obadiah had been faithful to God, stuck out his neck, and wrecked Jezebel’s plot to kill off the prophets. Surely he had done enough.
○ Do we limit our obedience to God? Do we think “I’ve put my dues in? I’ve done enough? Surely someone else can do this part!”
● Simon Robinson comments: “Surely he had done enough for the cause. Wasn’t there someone else who could replace him as the risk-taker now? When he hid the prophets, he had a sense of being in control; he could hide them, feed them and cover his tracks. However, if he were to tell the king that Elijah wanted to meet him, he would have no control over the possible outcome.”
● Elijah assures him that he will in fact be right where he tells him he will be.
● Obedience is never the easy choice.
● Obadiah goes and tells Ahab.
● This sets up one of the most incredible moments in the entire OT.
Application
Proverbs 29:25 (ESV) The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
There are three levels of obedience I see in this passage. Each level brings some measure of risk and some level of commitment required.
Level 1: Personal Conviction
Obadiah feared the Lord.
Level 2: Private Action
Obadiah aided the prophets.
Level 3: Public Declaration
Obadiah announced Elijah to King Ahab.
How far will you go when it comes to obeying the Lord? Are you drawing boundaries or limitations on your obedience?
Following the Lord may cost you and may be dangerous. Obadiah came to a cross-roads and had to make a choice. He chose to serve the Lord. It was tough and frightening, but ultimately he chose wisely.
Obadiah and Elijah both served God faithfully, in different ways. You don’t have to be a radical prophet living in the wilderness to serve God. You don’t have to quit you job. You don’t have to disengage from society and live in the wilderness. But you do have to be willing to do anything God asks of you.
Will you fear man, and fall short of obeying God?
Or will you fear God?
Proverbs 14:26-27 (ESV) In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. [27] The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Preached February 3, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Everyone has opinions on what “church” should look like and be like. There are several categories where people have strong opinions:
Architecture– imposing Cathedrals to traditional colonial meeting houses to doing the best you can in the jungle with a simple lean-to made with sticks and leaves to very simple frame building
Interior– very ornate and formal to informal and casual, some even with no walls
Pulpits– some are massive works of art and others simple and rugged.
Music style– classical, southern gospel, traditional, contemporary
Order of service– liturgical high church, to low church informal, to no liturgy at all
Style– traditional style, contemporary, formal, informal
But ultimately, none of those things have anything to do with church.
Churches are like cars. When you buy a car, you have many choices when it comes to features and accessories. From the paint color to power windows and locks to electric seats to leather or cloth interior, many options for people. The paint doesn’t fundamentally change the car. It is just a preference. The fundamental thing is that it has an engine, and a frame, and wheels and runs.
Unfortunately Christians today are fighting over the color of the car and could care less about the car itself. In other words, we fight over preferences but neglect the substance of church.
Definitions:
Church– a congregation of Christ’s baptized disciples, united in belief of what He has said, and covenanting to do what he has commanded. So we are talking about people committed to Christ and to one another.
Gospel Church– or a New Testament Church, as opposed to “so-called” or false churches, is committed to Jesus Christ in spirit & truth. Many cults and false religions that claim the name church but really are not because they do not submit and worship Christ.
5 Essential Marks of a Gospel Church – 1 Thess. 1:1-8
1. A Gospel Church is founded by God’s loving choice. (v 4)
a. This is where it all begins. Salvation and church and the Christian life and our hope doesn’t begin or even end with us. It begins and ends with God.
b. Election is a word we understand in our day to day lives. ILL– Electing a president. But it is horribly misunderstood when it comes to God. So let me try to explain it.
c. Election means God initiates and completes our salvation.
d. ILL– in adoption, a person goes to an orphanage or to an agency and selects a child to adopt. That child is chosen and brought into a new family.
e. God’s election of us is based on love and mercy in action.
f. Many questions that Scripture doesn’t shed a lot of light on for us like what about those not elect and can we resist God’s election. I don’t know about those areas. But one thing I do know, is if it were not for God’s gracious act, no one would be saved and none of us would be here.
g. John 6:44 (NKJV) No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
h. John 15:16 (NKJV) You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
i. Ephes. 1:3-6 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, [5] having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, [6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
j. A Gospel Church is populated by people God has lovingly drawn to himself and redeemed.
2. A Gospel Church is committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. (vv. 1, 3)
a. The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives and our church. Without Jesus, nothing matters.
b. To quote the grand hymn: “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
c. In v. 3, we see that Jesus is the focus of our faith. A Gospel church will be Christocentric or Christ Centered and Christ Focused. It is all about Jesus!
3. A Gospel Church is empowered by the Holy Spirit. (vv. 5,6)
a. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the church in a new way. He empowered the church to fulfill all that Christ commanded and purposed for us.
b. In verse 5, we find the Holy Spirit enables us to receive the Gospel.
i. The Holy Spirit illumines the Gospel or makes the Gospel understandable.
ii. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1 that the Gospel is foolishness to those who do not believe.
iii. John 16:8-11 (NKJV) And when He (Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] of sin, because they do not believe in Me; [10] of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; [11] of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
iv. John 16:13 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
v. 1 Cor. 2:12-13 (NKJV) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. [13] These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
c. The Holy Spirit enables us to rejoice in the Gospel (v. 6)
i. The gospel came to the Thessalonians in affliction. Yet they rejoiced.
ii. Though the Holy Spirit we are able to find joy in Christ no matter what happens.
4. A Gospel Church is characterized by Christian Virtue. (v 3)
a. Faith, love, and hope are the three cardinal virtues of every believer, and the virtues of every Gospel church.
b. These virtues are active.
i. Faith is Expressing trust in what God has done.
ii. Hard working love (working to the point of weariness).
iii. Enduring hope in Christ that does not erode with time.
5. A Gospel church bears witness to the Gospel. (v. 8 )
a. A Gospel church has been transformed by the Good News, the greatest news and a gospel church is compelled to spread it abroad.
b. At home– we share with our neighbors and family
c. And abroad– through the whole world.
Conclusion – This is what a Gospel church is and what it looks like. And remember, a church is composed of people. So, when we look at these essential characteristics of a church, we have to analyze our personal lives in view of them.
1. Are we a people established by God’s loving choice? In other words, has God worked in our lives to save us and adopt us?
2. Are we committed to the Lord Jesus Christ above all others?
3. Are we living in the power of the Holy Spirit day by day to be and do all God want us to be and do?
4. Are our lives marked by active faith, love and hope?
5. Are we bearing witness to the world around us of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which alone is their only hope?
We must embody the Gospel (relationship with Triune God & our lifestyle) & pass it on (message).
Preached January 30, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
When a human being is born, we call that person an infant. An infant is one who is by definition immature, or not fully grown. We reserve that term for adults or “grown-ups.”
Spiritually, we must mature and grow as well. God uses a process to help us grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. This process follows a predictable, regular pattern. This is generally how God works. It is his Modus Operandi or M.O. in our lives.
Five steps in the M.O. or process:
1) Command– God reveals his will to his people and commands us to be or do something.
2) Promise– A promise is connected to the command.
● Promise can be positive or negative (ie– blessings or cursings)
● Promise can be stated or implied
● Promise can be temporal or eternal, physical or spiritual
3) Faith– The response of the person God reveals his command and promise to is one of faith. Biblical faith has two aspects to it:
● Belief
● Obedience– it is not genuine faith until there is obedience.
● Comparing Paul and James together we see this clearly.
Paul in Romans 4 tells us that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. James tells us in James 2 that faith without works is dead, and Abraham was counted righteous by what he did.
4) Fulfillment – When we respond in obedience, God blesses us and fulfills his promise to us.
5) Repeat– the process is then repeated over and over again because this is the process of maturity, and we all must continue to mature spiritually.
We see this M.O. at work in three scenes in 1 Kings 17.
Scene 1: The Brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:1-7)
● v 1– Confronted Ahab and Jezebel
● vv 2-3 – Sent by God to Cherith
○ Command
○ Sometimes, God doesn’t want us to be in the lime-light. Sometimes he calls us to back-corners, and back-waters just to sit still and be quiet for a little while.
● v 4 – God promises to take care of Elijah.
○ Remember a drought is on, which will bring a famine.
○ God promises supernatural resources to care for Elijah.
○ God’s direction includes God’s provision.
○ Even when God gives us an order that doesn’t make sense, we can trust him.
● v 5– Elijah goes.
○ He has to believe God will do what he said he would do. Follow it up with action.
○ God’s promises often hinge on our obedience.
○ What if Elijah did not go? No provisions. Even though it was strange to go to the wilderness, that is what God said to do.
○ We must not forget our part.
● v 6 – God keeps his word and the promise is fulfilled.
○ We must trust God one day at a time.
● v 7 – Eventually, the brook runs dry. God then gives a new command. The process is about to repeat itself.
○ God sends ever increasing challenges to our faith to make it grow so we can mature.
Scene 2: To Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16)
● vv 8-9a – God now commands Elijah to go to “enemy” territory.
○ Zarephath is 8 miles south of Sidon and 13 miles north of Tyre, in the domain of Jezebeel’s father Ethbaal.
○ Gentile land, heathen land, idol-polluted land.
○ God is going to teach two important lessons though:
- Baal failed this woman. Baal was the god of the storm and fertility. Yet she is about to starve to death. Yahweh will take care of her though.
- God is judging Israel. Luke 4 tells us there were plenty of widows in Israel, yet God chooses to give mercy to a heathen widow in Zarephath. Don’t presume on God’s grace (Israel) and don’t limit God’s grace.
● v 9b – God promises the widow will take care of Elijah.
● vv 10-14 – Elijah acts on faith and obeys, but this time it is more difficult. The widow protests.
○ Faith is now challenged. Not easy.
○ Elijah doesn’t back down. Faith must often be persistent.
● vv 15-16 – God takes care of Elijah and the widow. God fulfills his promise.
○ When we obey, others often experience blessings too!
Scene 3: With the Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24)
● The widow’s son dies and she is left grieving.
○ She is confused. She was doing what God wanted her to do, and now this happens.
○ But God is helping to grow her in her faith.
● v 19– Command– Elijah tells her to bring the boy
● Promise– the implication is that Elijah will take care of it.
○ They believe God can and will do something about this.
● Faith– the woman brings the boy to Elijah
○ Both Elijah and the woman exercise faith, asking God to act on their behalf.
● Fulfillment– God raises the son.
○ The woman declares her faith (converted)
● And though the text doesn’t tell us, we know God will continue to work in the life of the woman.
● In Chapter 18, the command comes once again to Elijah to go back to Ahab. The process repeats itself
Conclusion
Command >> Promise >> Faith >> Fulfillment >> Repeat
This is how God works in our lives. The key for us is to exercise faith in God and obey him whenever he commands us.
Preached January 27, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Last summer, Sarah and I went to Marion, Arkansas to visit our friends Mike and Debbie Prince. Mike gave me instructions of the phone. At first, I thought “No problem.” Then he kept going. And going. And going with the directions. Pretty soon, I had no idea where I was going, but that’s OK. Surely if I pretend like I know where I am going, I’ll get there eventually. I mean, Arkansas isn’t that big of a state is it?
After driving 3 times as long as Mike told me it would take to get to his house, Sarah insisted that I call. So I called. Did I write the instructions down? No. Instead we drive around for another 20 minutes.
Sarah, irritated with me finally calls herself and writes the instructions down. In my defense, we drove through some lovely country side and actually the housing division where the Princes live, just not the right street.
Navigating life can be an adventure to say the least. When mariners set out to explore the vast oceans, they depended on the stars for navigation. But with the development of the compass, they were able to navigate even when the sky was overcast or when it was too foggy to see the stars.
The Bible provides a compass for us to help us get our bearings and find the direction we need to take in life.
The father calls on his son to hold on to his teaching for two reasons: 1) They give long life and 2) They give prosperity or success in life.
The wise person will listen for these reasons. A wise person will never stop learning and listening to the wise. Woodrow Wilson: “I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.”
The father then gives his son a Golden Compass in verses 5-12. I heard Charles Stanley refer to 5-12 as a compass more than 15 years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since.
We often want to know God’s will for our lives. We want to know what God wants us to do and his purpose for us. We want to know his “perfect, divine” will for each and every thing we do.
God has two aspects to his will– The secret aspect that we cannot know and the revealed aspect that we can know. God has revealed his will in Scripture. When we are sensitive to what God has revealed to us, we will remain in the center of his will.
If you follow the four principles in 5-12, you will find yourself exactly where God wants you to be. You do these four things, then when it comes time to make a decision, you won’t have to look for a flashing neon sign in the heavens, or wait for an angel appearing from heaven. You will know what you ought to do.
Like the four points of a compass, here are the four principles:
1. Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)
a. If you try to figure life out on your own, you will get helplessly lost.
b. It is the way of guidance. We don’t always have all the answers, and we certainly don’t know everything. But God does. Trusting in him means getting direction from him.
c. It is the way of humility. To say we don’t know what to do or where to go take humility on our part. We don’t understand, but He understands everything.
d. It is the way of submission. We can’t control circumstances, but God is always in control.
e. “Lean” means to put all your faith and confidence in something. Think of a cane or a walker that helps a person stay on his or her feet. When we lean on our own wisdom, understanding and insight, we will fall. When we lean on God we lean on a solid rock and will never fall.
f. REASON: The result of trusting in the Lord is that he makes our paths straight. In other words, he gives us direction and makes the path passable.
g. Self-dependance is foolishness, rebellion, and ruin. But trusting the Lord leads to wisdom, blessing, and peace.
2. Fear the Lord (Proverbs 3:7-8)
a. We have a humble view of ourselves. We are not wise in our own eyes. We don’t pretend like we have it all figured out.
i. Abigail is learning to be independent. “Let me do it!” But if she can’t, she gets very angry, yet sill refuses to let us help.
ii. Fools say, “Just let me think! I can figure this out on my own if you will give me the time.” The wise have a right view of themselves.
iii. God honors and helps the one who admits he does not have the wisdom he needs and who seeks it from the Lord.
b. The opposite of having an exalted view of ourselves is having an exalted view of God. So instead, We have a reverent view of God.
c. When we see ourselves in a humble light, and exalt God the way he should be exalted, we will develop a hatred of evil.
Charles Bridges said: “Where God is honored, sin is hated, loathed and resisted.”
d. When we fear the Lord and turn away from sin and evil, we are well on our way to doing what God wants us to do.
e. REASON: The promise here is that we will have health. It is well documented that there is a correlation between physical health and mental health. The Bible talks about Spiritual health having a bearing on physical health as well.
i. See Psalm 32:1-5 “…when I kept silent, my bones wasted away…”
ii. 3 John 2 (ESV) Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
iii. This is pretty common sense. You avoid sinful actions and habits, you will generally be healthier. How healthy can it be to be a drug dealer? Or to be an embezzler?
3. Honor the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10)
a. In Proverbs, money and material possessions are seen as a double edged sword.
i. On one hand, it is a blessing to have money and possessions.
ii. On the other hand, they can be a great curse.
b. The key is to honor God with all we have so that our possessions do not possess us.
c. When we honor God with our possessions, we give him the first fruits. “We honor God when he gets the first check written after the deposit is made. We honor God when we calculate our giving off the gross rather than the net.”
d. Giving is an act of faith.
i. When we give, we begin to see that it all belongs to God.
ii. We live as stewards. It’s not ours. It is God’s. We’ve simply been charged to care for it.
iii. We start putting his kingdom first.
e. RESULT: The Lord blesses us even more.
4. Listen to the Lord (Proverbs 3:11-12)
a. Discipline is not no fun, but it is a loving action, not a sign of divine displeasure. The Lord disciplines his children! If you are not his child, he won’t discipline you. The goal of discipline is to get us to live God’s way.
b. How not to react to the Lord’s discipline:
i. Under-react– Viewing the Lord’s discipline as no big deal and not worth worrying about.
ii. Over-reacting– Getting angry and resenting the Lord.
c. How to react– by learning the lesson he is trying to teach us.
d. RESULT: We realize God loves us when he disciplines us. He is our Father.
Conclusion
When we hold all four of these principles in balance, we will find the center of God’s will for our lives. If you do these things, you will not go wrong in life.
