And now, the rest of the story...

Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. NIV

This verse comes during a phase in earth's history when evil will rule. You might say "well, I think if evil isn't ruling its doing a great job of back seat driving!" and this is true. But there is coming a time when the worst things you can possibly imagine will be commonplace.

As God prepares to return to earth He prepares the earth for His return. This includes allowing the powers of darkness to be unleashed as never before. Those powers will be focused primarily on wiping out anyone who belongs to God on earth. I believe during this period, known as the Great Tribulation, that those of us who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior will be snatched off this rock and will be enjoying the marriage supper of the Lamb.

But there will also be many who come to Christ during this period, when environmental disaster, the forces of man, and the forces of darkness all seem to have become the norm. Being a Christian during this time will be awful. I think that's why John wrote the words above. He is sending a message to those Tribulation Saints that bad things are going to happen. They might be killed or taken captive by the Beast. But what he is saying is for them to hang on, for the Lord will be their ultimate rescuer.

Here is the end for those that give their hearts to Jesus at this time:

Revelation 20:4-6 Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. ESV

So if you know Him, rejoice that you are going to be with Him, and live a life that echos His character now so that many who do not know Him will also escape these times. If you don't yet know Jesus then get to know Him now. A little humbleness will allow you to escape terrible times later; times that make today's disasters look like nothing.

Pastor Tom

How to Overcome

Do you sometimes feel like the odds are stacked so high against you that you can't see the top of the stack? Do you experience attacks from the enemy or personal struggles that are too much for you? Take heart!

Revelation 12:10-11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony ESV

How do you overcome? It's not by being the "best that you can be" or by having some super secret weapon or by bucking up or depend on anything here in this world. You conquer by two things:

1. The blood of the Lamb. Jesus' blood cleanses you from sin; sin being anything that is outside the character of God. So anything Satan tries to throw your way in terms of accusations just bounces off. It's like double jeopardy (not the game show kind but the criminal kind). You can't be tried to the same crime twice. Jesus already paid the penalty for your crimes so there is no more trial or punishment.

2. The word of your testimony. The only way for Jesus' blood to take effect in your life is for you to make Him your Lord and Savior. If you can say "Jesus is my Lord" and mean it in your heart, then that is your testimony.

He paid the price, you took the deal. That's overcoming. You can now ignore the taunts of the enemy telling you you are no good and don't deserve God's love. We already know that - but He gave us His love anyway.

No matter what odds are stacked against you, you can rise above them because you are clean and loved and accepted by God who is much more powerful than any accusation brought against His children.

Pastor Tom

Feel Condemned?

Do you have a hard time recovering from sin? I'm talking to those of us who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you don't know him you will never be able to recover from sin - sin being anything that is outside the character of God.

But if you do know him, do you find yourself often feeling under the pile when you fail?

I just want to share some comforting words from the Apostle John: 1 John 3:19 "By this we shall know we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything."

What does God know? He knows that you will fail. But He also knows that your failures have been paid for the blood of His Son Jesus. He also knows that He is in the process of changing you from the inside out. That process does not happen immediately, and often our life in Him is a series of failures, followed by discipline, followed by Holy Spirit empowered change of character.

When we find ourselves not able to accept the fact that God has forgiven us we need to go back to this verse and let Him reassure us that we are no longer condemned - ever. Accept this as truth and move on towards letting God make you more like Him!

Pastor Tom

Cleverly Devised Fables

It's sad to say that many people believe the Bible was written by men and not by God. I remember a recent Discovery Channel special on the flood of Noah. One conclusion the producers came to is that rabbis made up the story of the flood in order to keep unruly people in tow by proclaiming the judgment of God on the unrighteous.

Some also do not believe that Jesus Christ was a real person, or if He was real He was just an historical figure, but not a messiah or anything like that.

In a court of law what is the most important type of evidence? It is an eye witness. "I saw him shoot that guy!" So too in choosing whether to believe the Bible and Jesus Christ as the Son of God we need eye witnesses. We have them.

1 Peter 1:16 "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

And: 1John 1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life ... that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you."

Both Peter and John saw Jesus, they witnessed His miracles, they heard His Words, they saw Him die, and also saw Him alive again and taken up into heaven. They didn't have to make anything up; God came down and gave it to them in person, then through His Holy Spirit gave them words to write down for us.

When someone puts doubt in your mind about the Bible or Jesus, just remember these verses and the men who later gave their lives to testify to its truth.

Pastor Tom

Why Stop Sinning?

Peter was a very practical person. His writings of 1st and 2nd Peter bear this out. They are filled with advice for workers and taxpayers and those who undergo the everyday stress of life.

Read through the first 3 chapters of Peter and you get the idea that Peter wants us to live a life that reflects the character of God in a world that reflects none of it, even if that means suffering unjustly.

Then in chapter 4 he takes an interesting direction. He says "Since, therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God."

I think we take our character way too lightly. We think that since we have been forgiven we can basically do anything we want. We don't realize that our flesh continually wars against us, trying to get us to give in to its desires. Reflecting God's character is a way for us to shine the light of God's forgiveness to a dying world. Can you do this on your own? Of course not. You need the power of God's Spirit in you to change you.

But what I really wanted to point out was a "why" that we should focus on a godly character. Look at verse 7:

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."

Isn't that interesting? It seems that the more we pay attention to living life in the Spirit and not the flesh, paying attention to our character, it affects what we pray and how we pray and even the effectiveness of our prayers.

Do you want to make a difference in this world for Jesus? Focus on your life, and Peter has some great ways of doing that, so that you will know how to pray and that your prayers will be just that more effective.

Pastor Tom

Getting Help

All of us at one time or another need help. Recently climbers on Mount Hood in Oregon became trapped and one of them called on a cell phone for help. Unfortunately for them the weather kept searchers, and rescue, away for days. You may be in some sort of need, not as serious as being trapped on a mountain in winter, but perhaps your need is your health, or a family member who is sick. How do you get help?

Maybe your need is financial. You've lost your job and the bills are piling up. Maybe your need is emotional as relationships have broken and you don't know how to fix them. Perhaps your need is more spiritual. You feel rotten about yourself and your life and you just want to end all the pain once and for all.

The word for you today is good, my friend. Help is closer than a cell phone call and I guarantee that this Helper cannot be foiled by high winds and snow. There is no condition He cannot heal, no bind He cannot undo and no relationship He cannot heal.

But there is something you must do. You must make the call. You must make the effort. You must reach out and you'll find that this help is closer than you might have imagined.

Hebrews 4:1 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Help is as close as your next breath, if with that breath you proclaim that you are falling on God's grace - receiving a gift of new life that you do not deserve. Normally when you drew near to a king's throne you could find yourself killed. Kings were not known for grace and mercy. But the King of Kings is.

Normally when you approach a monarch they are demanding something of you. But the head of all monarchs offers to help you instead. Don't stay away. Don't crawl into a snow cave in your life and shut out everything hoping that it'll all go away. No - come boldly before God's throne of mercy and grace to find help when you need it most.

Pastor Tom

Always Studying, Never Learning

Are you on a search for truth? Many people are these days. Spirituality is on the rise as people realize there is more to life than working our tails off to get more stuff. For some, the journey to find spiritual truth is like getting on a treadmill. You search all the world's religions, and even search through the Bible, trying to make sense of it all, but you can't. It seems that something stands in the way.

The Apostle Paul recognized this state when he described some people to a young pastor named Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

If you have studied the Bible, even for many years and with a doctorate, but still can't find the truth, the problem may not be in your head, but in your heart. You see, our rational, finite human minds cannot fully conceive of an infinite God. He appears irrational to us and so we reject what He says.

"It's just too simple!" we say.

I think the problem may lie in the fact that we want to be masters of our destiny. If we can't understand something then it cannot be true because we are really the center of our universe.

I suggest that your heart, your will really, needs to let go and let God do the work of bringing truth to your life. You can't get enough knowledge to know it all, or even to understand God fully. But you can let His Word bypass your head and go into your heart.

2 Timothy 1:8-9 God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

For whatever reason, God has done all the work. Invite Him into your heart by changing your mind about your condition, admitting that you have fallen short, then grasping onto the free gift of new life that God gave through His Son Jesus.

Then God will begin to speak to both your heart and your mind!

Pastor Tom

Demons are teachers too

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. NIV

Did you know that demons can teach the word of God too? They can. They know the Bible better than you do. And they are in a campaign designed to draw people off from the truth of the Bible into doctrines that they make up.

And in some ways it is more subtle than you might think. We suppose that a demon-doctrine would be all about pleasure and sin and blaspheming God. But when a demon teaches falsehood it is cloaked in the truth.

Look at what Paul says about those doctrines:

1 Timothy 4:3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."
NIV

Doesn't Paul himself say that if God gives them the gift they should stay unmarried? (1 Corinthians 7:8) And doesn't the Bible forbid the eating of certain foods in the Old Testament? Yes to both questions.

What is so diabolical about demonic doctrine is that it is not 180 out of phase with the truth, but only a few degrees. If you steer a ship a few degrees off from your destination in the end you will be way off the mark. That's how it is with demonic teaching. It reflects a partial truth of God and in the process obscures the full truth - that is that all the Bible is focused on Jesus Christ. We marry him when we become part of His body, and it is in Him that foods are no longer forbidden because it is our hearts that are changed into His image. We then have the freedom to abstain from foods if it helps someone else find Jesus as well (1 Corinthians 8:13).

So how do we tell the difference? Ask yourself - how does this doctrine reflect on the person of Jesus and His gospel. That'll help you steer clear of demon teachers.

Pastor Tom

Is What Paul Wrote The Word of God?

I've talked to more than a few people who think that the Bible is simply a bunch of stuff men wrote down, or at best some of the Bible was actually God speaking to man but not all of it. Some even think that because of the hard things he had to say, that what Paul in particular wrote is not inspired.

I beg to differ on that point. Paul was an Apostle. He met the resurrected Lord Jesus in person, was called by Him for the task of being an Apostle and performed many miracles in support of that ministry.

Further, what Paul wrote down in the letters that make up much of the New Testament is in fact God speaking to men and women.

Consider this verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:13 "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 your believers."

Rest assured that the Holy Spirit did speak through Paul. If you have a hard time understanding what he said, dig deeper and pray more and seek good teaching on Pauline doctrine. You'll find that you may have misunderstood some things while others you need to hear, but just haven't opened up your heart enough for God to speak to you.

Pastor Tom

Put it Away

Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. :32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

I don't know about you, but this verse is pretty hard hitting. How often when we feel wronged do we let all of these exact feelings take control of our minds and actions? In a way there is a process here. We are offended and so we feel bitter, then judgmental, then we get angry and start saying things, wishing things, and perhaps even doing things with the aim to hurt that person who we think hurt us.

My challenge for myself and for all of us today is to instead of letting those emotions control us, let God's love control us. Did God feel wrathful to you who have accepted His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ? No. So instead of having a hardened heart towards that brother or sister, have a tender heart and forgive them.

You may not get satisfaction for the supposed wrong, but then again, did God for yours?

Pastor Tom

"Let he who is without sin ..."

Let me say something first before giving you today's scripture: sin is bad, sin is evil, sin is anything that does not reflect the character of God. I don't like sin because I like God and I want to be like Him. God made a way for me to be like Him by sending His Son to die in my place and give me His Spirit to transform me into His image.

That being said, I also realize I live in a fallen world that doesn't want me to be like God. I also have a flesh, or "old man," as the Bible calls it, that also doesn't want me to be like God and tempts me to do things that are sinful. We should also mention that we have a powerful enemy who also works night and day to get us to do things that aren't like God so we will be ineffective for Him.

I use that as a backdrop because the verse I am sharing today might be mistaken for a view that is soft on sin. I'm not.

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."

Unfortunately, the way many of us act in the church today that verse might read "if anyone is caught in any transgression shoot first and ask questions later!" We are so focused on sin's badness that we don't take into the consideration the weakness that leads up to it and, more importantly, God's ultimate plan to restore, not ruin, the sinner.

I can't tell you the number of people I know who stay away from church because they feel their failures will be counted against them and they will be shunned instead of supported. Now I'm not talking about the arrogant person who sins and is proud of it and wants everyone he or she meets to sin as well. I've run into those people too and I don't welcome them into the church (if they claim to be Christians). I'm talking about the person who knows they have sinned and needs to be built up and encouraged, not shot down and judged.

For the pre-Christian we need to focus on the free of God through Jesus to cleanse us and make us like God. For the Christian we need to focus on the continual mercy and grace of God and the transforming power that will see even their sins and weaknesses used in the process of maturing them.

Pastor Tom

Comic Relief

I love this little verse in 2 Corinthians 9: "for God loves a cheerful giver." That word "cheerful" comes from a word that means "hilarious." I love that. God loves a person who gives, not grudgingly, not sparingly, not tentatively, but with hilarity!

Is that how you feel when the offering plate comes around? Does it feel like a huge magnet is holding your money in your wallet and it takes everything you have to pry it loose? Giving is actually a sign of maturity in the believer. Though there is no law of tithing in the New Testament, there is a principal of tithing.

Jesus fulfilled the entire Law and then put that law into our hearts. So instead of an external rule to give, Jesus has made it a part of who we are to give to His work.

And to those who think deep in their hearts that if they give to God He will pour out material blessings on their life I would say to read on in 2 Corinthians 9. The focus of this part of the chapter is giving so that God will supply to you the ability to give more!

I conclude with verse 10: "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed" why? "for sowing and increase the harvest" of what? "of your righteousness."

See, God wants us to freely give ourselves and our possessions to Him so that He can freely give His character to us. I think that's a great bargain.

Pastor Tom

You Can Do Anything You Like

The Apostle Paul said "All things are lawful." And its true. For the person who has given their life to Jesus Christ and freed from the bondage of sin everything is okay.

"Okay," you ask, "what's the catch?" Paul goes on in that verse (1 Corinthians 10:23) to say "but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up."

The "catch" is two fold. You can do anything as long as it brings glory to God (look at verse 31). In other words if you do something that reflects God's character then go for it! If you find yourself doing things that God wouldn't do then you need to look carefully at that thing and decide if a redeemed person should really do it.

The other "catch" is this: will your actions bring others closer to God or push them further away? That was what was going on in Corinth. The people were taking their freedom and flaunting it in front of people who had sacrificed meat to demon idols. This caused them to doubt whether Jesus was really God and got confused about the whole salvation thing.

Listen to what Paul says in 8:9 "But take care that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

Paul, and we, have a right to do anything that brings glory to God. All foods are given by God to be enjoyed, Paul says, and if we eat something or if we don't it won't affect whether we bring God glory - except if by eating we cause someone else to stumble in their faith. This can be applied to a lot of things.

Paul says in 9:19 "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them."

Food for thought.

Pastor Tom

Preaching to the Outside - Purifying on the Inside

The Corinthian church was not a model church. Not by a long shot, in fact. The church was rife with problems including backbiting, envy, world-worship, idolatry - and the list goes on.

But if you had asked the Corinthians about problems they would have laughed at you. They thought they were something pretty special. So the Apostle Paul has to be pretty strong with them, including calling them on the carpet for rampant sexual immorality.

When he does this it is instructive for us as well. Listen to this:

1 Corinthians 5:9 "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler ..."

I find this interesting because sometimes we get things turned around like the Corinthians. We judge and condemn sin outside the church but often let people treat each other horribly within the church. Now neither Paul nor I suggest that sin outside the church is okay - sin leads to death. But for those outside the church we should preach the gospel - that Jesus died for our sins to bring us back to life. Focusing so much on the sin takes the focus away from the gospel.

By the way, we focus on the "big" sins like homosexuality but notice that "greedy" is on that list. Know anyone who is greedy? The point is that to those who do not belong to Christ we tell them about Jesus. To those who know Christ we tell them that the Holy Spirit wants to renovate their lives and make them into God's image and that it is now possible thanks to their giving their lives to Jesus. If they won't listen and continue in sin then we need to move things up a notch.

Pastor Tom

What Is Your Mindset?

Romans 8:6 "To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

I wonder sometimes how much of our thoughts are taken up by the flesh. A recent study showed that Americans are bombarded by at least 3,000 advertising messages each day. Most of those messages encourage the flesh to eat more, look good, have the latest toys, get the girl (or guy) and never be satisfied with what you got yesterday.

Especially as the Christmas holiday approaches the messages to our flesh mount. At this time do you find yourself focusing on what you can get? Perhaps you are making lists of things you want; fantasizing over a new toy or gadget.

I find it ironic that we become so materialistic at Christmas when we are supposed to celebrate the greatest gift ever given, that of Jesus Christ coming into the world.

And what is the fruit of all that? Greed, jealousy (when someone else gets what we think we should have), covetousness, frustration, even anger. That's death stuff. If we would instead focus on the Spirit we would experience life and peace. What are the things of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self control, among other things.

My suggestion for this Christmas? Instead of the gifts, focus on giving out these qualities as gifts from yourself to others, especially to those you don't like. Want to have a happy holiday? Be a giver, not a getter.

Pastor Tom

Something Good from Something Bad

You may remember the story of Stephen in Acts 6 & 7. Stephen preached the good news of Jesus Christ to the Jews and they stoned him in return. That act led to a great persecution of the young church "...and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." (Acts 8:1)

Sounds pretty bad, and it was. These people had to flee for their lives. Later, Saul went after them and actually had some of them put to death. But I noticed something as I was reading through the section today that gave me hope:

Acts 11:19 "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists ... and a great number who believed turned to the Lord."

You know, sometimes I think God likes to shake us up to get us going. Here these people were running from evil but in fact they were going in exactly the direction God wanted them to go. Jesus told his disciples to preach the gospel in the whole world. To make that happen God had to scoot them out of the nest. Sometimes He does that to us too. Don't think that just because something bad has happened doesn't mean God isn't at work.

By the way, the word "Christian" was first coined at Antioch, thanks in part to those who ran from Jerusalem. And one more thing: there was at Antioch that same man they fled from: Saul, now called Paul. And at Antioch was where the Lord called Paul to go out and preach the gospel to the gentiles.

What good came from something so bad.

Pastor Tom

The True Purpose of the Holy Spirit

If I asked you what you thought the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit was, what would you say? To give gifts to believers, to grant power to the Christian, to speak in tongues? All are true - but are consequences of the Holy Spirit, not the purpose.

A careful literal reading of Acts 2:8 gives us insight:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses..."

The purpose of the Spirit coming in power upon the believer is very simple: to be a witness for Jesus Christ. It is to reach the unsaved with the knowledge of the gospel.

We see it acted out immediately. Yes, the disciples had tongues of fire resting on them and spoke in other tongues - but what did they speak? Acts 2:3 "And divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak on other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance ... we hear them telling in our own languages the mighty works of God."

Follow that with Peter when he began speaking - formerly an uneducated and somewhat clumsy fisherman to a powerful orator for the gospel. The result? :41 "So those who received his word ... were added that day about three thousand souls."

The Spirit comes to the believer to aid the believer in sharing the gospel. The gifts come to the Christian in order to help the Christian bring others into the kingdom. Period.

The Spirit is not for us. He didn't come for us to have a "Spirit Pool Party" where we all jump in the pool excited about showing off the gifts to each other ("Hey guys, watch this cannonball!"). He didn't come to show off in any way, nor to benefit the believer (though that happens).

We don't own the Spirit, He owns us, and His purpose is to use us and the power in us to bring others to Christ.

It's time we refocused.

Pastor Tom

Bed of Roses - Bed of Nails

I wanted to share one of my life verses today. It's in John 17. Right in the midst of warning His disciples about what was about to happen and the fact that they w0uld be scattered and Jesus would be arrested and killed He said this:

"In the world you will have tribulation, but be of cheer, for I have overcome the world."

I think too often we think that when we come to Christ He automatically fixes everything - like a supernatural virus scan and spam blocker, Jesus keeps all trouble from coming our way and fills our lives with happiness and money and health.

Then when we experience a job loss or sickness or bills we can't pay for have an accident or are homeless or some other calamity befalls us - we either blame God for not protecting us or oursevles for not having enough faith.

I think that whole notion is wrong. Jesus said you will have tribulation. It's a fact. Now God uses that tribulation in ways we won't know fully until heaven. But I am struck by the latter half of that verse. Jesus said "be of good cheer because I have overcome the world."

Jesus didn't say to leap for joy or that we'd always be on top of the world, but he did say we can have good cheer - why? Because Jesus has overcome. Jesus has overcome your loss. Jesus has won over your trouble. Jesus has claimed victory over the worst thing that can come into your life.

It doesn't mean you won't experience trouble, but it does mean you are not alone and that you have someone on your side who has already overcome it. Now what He allows to come your way is okay. He is in control.

Pastor Tom

Why did Jesus Cry?

You may have read the shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35 "Jesus wept."

I've often wondered why He cried. The situation was that a good friend of His, Lazarus, had died and was in a tomb. Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha were there as were a bunch of friends - all mourning the loss.

Jesus wasn't just tearing up or quietly crying. The word used there means to weep. So why did Jesus weep? Was it because Lazarus was dead? No, because He was about to raise him. Was it that He just saw the mourning and crying of those around Him and He couldn't help it? Not really.

I wonder if the reason Jesus wept was because of death in general. The scene in front of Lazarus' tomb was never supposed to happen. When man was created he was not supposed to die. Yet our own rebellion led to our death and to the scene of mourning in front of a grave many billions of times over.

So it makes me wonder if Jesus wasn't weeping because God never wanted us to die. He wants to live and He will do anything to bring us that life that can never be taken away.

It shows the heart of God-not a vindictive judgmental angry righteous judge, but a feeling person who sees our plight and is deeply moved to the point of weeping. How wonderful is He?

Pastor Tom

Being Drawn

Have you ever experienced an inner longing for Jesus Christ? Set aside all the stereotypes and all the bad things people say about him. In your heart of hearts; in that quiet time when it's just you-do you feel drawn to him? There's a reason for that:

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

God the Father wanted so much to be able to have a relationship with you and give you eternal life and joy and peace that he sent Jesus to you. Now he is wooing you to come to Jesus as the only way to have such a relationship with God. He is speaking softly into your heart telling you that what you lack he will supply.

I would encourage you to read the gospel of John chapters 6-10 to learn about this Jesus and just what he did. Jesus' voice may speak to you as well if you are listening.

John 10:27-30 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." NIV

Pastor Tom

Who to Believe - Man or God

I had an interesting conversation with someone who saw one of our studies in Revelation on Google video. The bottom line of the conversation was that this person feels that we should only believe only what God says and not man. He was concerned that the Bible was merely man's invention.

I know this doesn't answer this person's concerns but I ran into this interesting verse in, yes, the Bible:

John 3:34 "For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives his Spirit without measure."

That person was Jesus Christ who came to earth and spoke God's word to us. You might not want to believe what Peter or Paul or Moses wrote - but how about Jesus?

Oh, one more thing. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Now there's a person worth believing!

Pastor Tom

A Tale of Two Rich Men

In Luke 18 there is the account of Jesus and a rich young ruler. The guy had everything that we humans love: youth, position, and wealth. This man felt pretty confident in himself and his righteousness. But when Jesus told him that his riches were a problem and were actually an idol that kept him from God, the man went away sad.

Contrast that with Luke 19 and the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was also very rich and he was powerful. People loathed the tax collectors but also had to fear them as well. Zacchaeus was not just any tax collector, he was a chief tax collector. We know Zacchaeus was short - but he could have been handsome and short!

So in many ways these two guys are alike, but there is a huge difference: one got saved and the other didn't. Was it the riches or the position? No. I think it was the heart attitude. The rich young ruler was self justified. Zacchaeus was self aware. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The problem is not all of us realize it.

As soon as Jesus came into his life he saw his shortcomings. If wealth was holding him back then he would get rid of wealth. If position kept him away from Jesus he would climb a tree in order to see him. Zacchaeus wanted to get close to Jesus no matter what it took. Are you?

Pastor Tom

Should We Always Go Along to Get Along?

Christians by and large are nice people. Jesus said for us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us. And didn't the angel announce "peace on earth goodwill towards men"?

So why on earth did he make this statement in Luke 12:

"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."

So what's going on? Jesus didn't come the first time to bring peace on earth, but peace between God and man. It marks a separation. No more is it just man against God. With Jesus there is a way back to God, but not all will choose that way. So now there are those who belong to Jesus and those who don't.

Jesus says later in chapter 13 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

Not everyone will be happy with your choice to follow Jesus and enter through that narrow door. In fact, some will be mad at you, angry, even hurtful and vicious. They may even try to kill you. So what should you do in that case? Love them, for sure. Pray for them - yes. But don't back down from your choice of a new relationship with God even if it means a broken relationship here on earth.

In cases like that Jesus acknowledges there will be division, and that's okay. It's not okay to back away from Jesus just because someone doesn't like your choice. Who knows - sometimes the person who is the most angry about it is actually wrestling with the choice themselves.

Pastor Tom

Pressed Down Shaken Together

Many of you are probably familiar with this verse:

Luke 6:38 "...give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

I know that many times the verse is used to suggest that if you give materially to God He will give materially to you. After re-reading Luke 6, I'm not too sure if that's correct.

Take another look at the chapter, especially the beatitudes. Jesus is talking about being poor in spirit, and poor in judgment towards others. He is talking about being rich in God, rich in love, rich in forgiveness, rich in lending without expecting in return.

We should be generous, and God will be generous with us. But does it mean "stuff?" I think it more likely means more of God; more of His character, more of His Holy Spirit. For more on that read Luke 11 carefully, especially where it talks about the good gifts the Father gives.

If you measure out forgiveness to those who hurt you, forgiveness will be measured back. If you measure out love to those who hate you, love will be measured back to you - in spades.

It's just another way of looking at it. But in terms of God's character I think it fits.

Pastor Tom

The Eye of a Needle

You may have heard the story in Mark 10 where Jesus encounters a rich young man who wants to be justified. Jesus discusses righteousness and the Law with him, but the real thing that keeps the man from coming to salvation are his riches, his possessions.

Jesus told him to give up on that thing that is holding on to him, like an idol. The man was unwilling and went away sorrowful. Then Jesus says "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God ... It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

It is true that material possessions can often possess us and make us think that we have no need of a savior for our soul because our physical needs are taken care of. Wealth is like alcohol: it anesthetizes us to reality; we are care free when we should care very much about our eternal state.

But I thought of something else. It's not just material wealth, but wealth of any kind that makes it harder than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

Jesus said "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There are many things that can make us feel we are rich: philosophy, pleasure, physical prowess, position or power, intellect. Any of these without Jesus can be like idols, making us think like the rich young ruler than we have everything we need and reject anyone who tells us to leave behind that most important thing.

Jesus always seems to go right to the heart of what we serve. Jesus will not have second place because there really is no other place. We can't serve two masters. Why not serve the only real master; the only one that can bring true riches?

Pastor Tom

Did Jesus Want to go to the Cross?

It was Jesus' job to go to the cross, right? So does it follow that He wanted to do it? No. Take a look at Matthew 26:38 "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death..." Then later: :39 "He fell on His face and prayed saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

I don't think Jesus wanted to go to the cross in the sense that it was just something to do. Remember, Jesus was perfect. He had never sinned and didn't have a sin nature. His standing before the Father was pure and perfect. Sin had never touched Him in fact He healed sinners.

But on the cross the full force of the Father's wrath would be poured out on Him. He would suffer all the wrath that should have come our way. You could never endure just your wrath. But imagine enduring the wrath of God for every sin committed by every human throughout history. No wonder Jesus was sorrowful. No wonder He asked the Father that if there was any other way to save man other than the cross to do it.

There was no other way. No, Jesus didn't want to go to the cross but He did. Why? Because He loved you so much. It was love that drove Him there. It was love that kept Him there. It was love for you that allowed Him to give everything so you could have everything. He thought about you on that cross. He wanted to be with you for all of eternity so badly that it was worth it.

That's why the author of Hebrews could write: "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." Isn't He wonderful?

Pastor Tom

Does the Law = Rules?

When I say the word "law" what immediately comes to mind? A book of rules that if you don't follow there are punishments? Probably. That's what I think too. I think that even about the Law contained in the Old Testament. You know, the 10 Commandments and all that.

But I want us to consider a little thing that Jesus said about the Law:

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice mercy and faithfulness."

Now, putting aside the rebuke against the religious leaders for a moment, I thought it interesting that this is how Jesus summed up the law in just three words: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. To me, this doesn't speak of a book of rules but of a life of character. Justice speaks of a pure character, mercy speaks of a loving character, and faithfulness speaks of a person in love with God and wholly devoted to them.

The Law is really nothing more than a partial revelation of God's character. The more we become like God the more we become like what the Law says. How does that happen? Surely not from our own efforts, but from opening up our lives to God Himself who gave His Son to suffer the punishments we deserved (mercy) so that He could place His Holy Spirit inside us to change us into His character (justice) and will hold on to us no matter what and will never stop loving us (faithfulness).

Instead of looking at the Law as a book of rules, think about it as a character sketch of God.

Pastor Tom

Who Do You Think Jesus Is?

Matthew 16:13 "Who do people say that the son of man is?"

It's a fair question for all of us to ask. What are the voices around you saying about Jesus Christ? I hear that he was a good man, a teacher, a guru, a healer, an example. The disciples heard various theories that Jesus was a famous prophet or celebrity.

I think as we make up our minds what we think about Jesus we need to take those opinions into account because they affect our own perception. But I think it is equally important for us to take a serious look at what we think about him.

In verse 15 Jesus says "but who do you say that I am?" Jesus wasn't interested so much in what others thought about him, but what individuals thought. And it wasn't because he was looking for complements or an ego boost. In fact, what you think about Jesus is the single most important opinion you will ever form.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life , and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. ESV

Jesus himself said something similar:

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life , and I will raise him up on the last day." ESV

So how do you make up your mind about who you think Jesus is? Don't go by public opinion or what others tell you. Explore it for yourself. Look into his word, the Bible, and make up your own mind.

For those who already belong to Jesus: who is he to you? A big brother, a Lord, a distant and stern father, an insurance policy, an acquaintance? Time to think about it.

Pastor Tom

Judging

Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged..."

Maybe I'm just dense or something, but whenever I read this I always thought it meant "Judge not, that God will not judge you."

When I thought about it, though, two things came to mind. First: God judged Jesus so that He didn't have to judge us. In fact, God does not judge us though we deserved it. Second: I realized that Jesus may have been talking more about how we interact with each other.

By "judge not" I do not mean that we simply turn a blind eye to any and every thing that anyone does that is contrary to the character of God. "Judge" in this case means to condemn. That's not our job.

But if we go around passing condemnation on others - first it's not right. We should be praying for them, not judging them. Until they die there is still a chance they will repent and turn to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

But I was just thinking that if our attitude towards people is condemning, won't their attitude towards us be the same? Sure, we need to encourage each other to let the Holy Spirit transform us into God's image. But Scripture tells us to gently lift someone out of sin. Isn't that how we want to be treated when we fail?

So just don't be too quick on the judgment trigger finger. You may find yourself on the receiving end from others. Instead be like Jesus who was condemned unjustly and responded by praying for the Father to forgive them, and then laying down His life for the very ones who judged Him.

Pastor Tom

Jesus Under Human Care

I was reading the first five chapters of Matthew today and was struck by something. I noticed that God left it up to humans to care for the very fragile existence of His Son Jesus. While in the womb he left it up to Joseph to decide to marry Mary. It was Joseph who took Jesus to Egypt after He was born to escape Herod's plot, and then Joseph moved his family to Nazareth to avoid Herod's son.

Why I think this is interesting is because of what God did not do. God could have just forced Joseph's mind to accept Mary. No, instead Joseph was left to ponder what to do. At first, in fact, he made the wrong decision to divorce her.

God could have killed Herod before he had a chance to carry out his plot against the children of Bethlehem. God could have wiped out the soldiers who came to murder Jesus. God could have simply surrounded the holy family with angels so that they would be bullet proof while Jesus was little and fragile. But He didn't.

What did God do? He sent His word, in the form of angels, dreams, and stars. His Word informed people who had a choice. They listened to what God's Word told them and obeyed Him. That very fragile life was cared for and sustained by people listening to God.

Your life might seem very fragile to you. You might have enemies all around you who want to hurt you physically or emotionally. My advise today: listen to God's Word and trust that He will guide you through the toughest of hours.

I leave you with this quote from the Apostle Paul:

2 Timothy 4:18 "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom."

Pastor Tom

As If It Had Never Happened

I ran across this great little verse buried in the prophet Zechariah:

10:6 "...I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them."

God here is talking about bringing Judah back from captivity in Babylon, but it made me think about how God also brings us back from captivity to sin through Jesus Christ.

I think sometimes we look around after being washed in Jesus' blood and we think "I really don't belong in God's family. Maybe if I just keep my head down and don't make a lot of noise no one will notice and tell me to get out." We feel as if the sins we did taint us and even their memory is enough to make us feel unworthy to approach God.

But look at what God says - He makes it as if we had never been rejected. God remakes us through Jesus to be as if we had never sinned. As if all that happened in the Garden of Eden never took place. It's a refreshing and comforting thought to know that God looks at you in Christ as if you are perfect, because Jesus is perfect.

Pastor Tom

The Lord Gets Joy from You

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

If you belong to the family of God through His Son Jesus Christ then you are rejoiced over by the Lord. He is mighty and has saved you. He rejoices over you because He has become your rescuer. No more do you need feel anxious about your future because His love will sustain you and quiet you. God exults over you with loud singing.

Today if you feel heavy of heart or anxious, listen closely for the loud singing of the Lord over your life. If God is singing for joy, then maybe things won't be so bad after all.

Pastor Tom

Glory in the Midst of Darkness

So I'm reading the prophet Habakkuk. Most of it is about judgment and the purity of the Lord. 1:13 says "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong." Habbakkuk is complaining the Lord has taken a long time to bring about justice for the oppressed.

There are plenty of "woes" in this short book. But right in the midst is this wonderful verse:

2:14 "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

It's like this incredible promise in the midst of doom and gloom. That the purity of God, the glory of God, will be known by everyone.

I'm going to meditate on this verse today. How about you? Is your day filled with darkness? Know the purity and wonder of God today. Let the knowledge of Him fill your world.

Pastor Tom

What Does God Want Anyway?

"With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:6-8

This is really an amazing scripture. As humans we think that the bigger our gift, the bigger our sacrifice, the more God is pleased. We feel guilty for doing and saying things we know aren't right, and we think that if God sees we are really sorry and we do "pennance" then he will be pleased.

But look at what God says He wants from us: be right on the inside (do justice), be love on the outside (love kindness) and have a right attitude towards ourselves and God (walk humbly).

If we would but follow these short principals, through the blood of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, how much better our lives would be.

Pastor Tom

Knowing God Hurts

Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the Lor; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up."

This seems like such a strange verse. It almost paints God out to be a double personality--on the one hand healing and the other hurting. How could this be? Isn't God love? Would a God of love actually cause harm to someone?

Look at chapter 10 verse 10: "When I please, I will discipline them." Discipline hurts, no doubt about it. As parents we discipline our children, not to punish them, but to train them. We slap their hand away from a hot stove or yank them back from crossing a busy street. We say "no" to them when they want to follow the crowd to do evil. We withold privileges to teach them the consequences of their actions. God does the same.

Hebrews 12:6 "For the Lord disciplines those he loves."

Our kids sometimes say mean things to us when we discipline them, but they come around and eventually, hopefully, see the good we are trying to do in their lives. That's the way God is times infinity. He tears out the bad in order to instill the good; He hurts by allowing us to feel the consequences of our actions in order to instill His character in us.

So let's do what Hosea says later in chapter 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. ESV

Pastor Tom

Keys to the Successful Prayer

Daniel 9:18-19 For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God ESV

I really like Daniel's prayer for several reasons:

1. He hasn't gussied himself up for God so that the Father will look down and think "what a good boy, I've give you a treat." Daniel comes right out and says "I'm not asking this because I deserve it."

2. He asks because of God's mercy. God does desire to give to His children, but it isn't out of obiligation but because of mercy. It's not even out of our mercy, but His. Mercy is basically getting what you don't deserve.

3. Daniel asks God for four things associated with his prayer: "hear, forgive, pay attention, act." I like that. We come to God, who will not even hear our prayers unless we come through the Messiah, we ask for forgiveness because, frankly, we need it, then we ask God to focus on our situation and act. Make your prayers full of requests, not just statements or emotions (though those are good too). James says "You have not because you ask not."

4. Daniel asks God not for something that benefits him but benefits God. "For your own sake" he says. I like that. We should always want to give glory to God and if the thing we ask doesn't do that then maybe it's the wrong thing to ask for in the first place.

Pastor Tom

On Balance

There is a pervasive opinion in our world today that God grades on the curve. We think that when we get to heaven we can make a case to God that all the good I did, and the bad I didn't do should outweigh any sins I've committed.

Some might call it karma-my good karma cancels out my bad karma if I've done enough good in my life. I call it bad information.

Read Ezekiel 33, for instance. Here's a snippet: "12 The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as of the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins."

In other words, any sin cancels out all the good you've done. What is sin? It's anything that is outside the character of God. If you think that's an easy standard, just read Revelation 22:15 (lying, for instance-ever lied, even once?)

The good news is that no matter what bad you have done, if you repent and turn (change your mind) about those things, and seek God's cleansing through His Son Jesus Christ, then no amount of bad will keep you from God's presence. God in affect sees His righteous Son Jesus rather then you when He looks at you. It's a cool deal and one worth pursuing.

Pastor Tom

Does God take pleasure in sending people to hell?

Provocative title, I know. But I have actually heard people conclude that. Since God is all powerful and can do anything He wants, if He chooses to reject a soul and send it to hell then it must please Him. It must be something He wants to do, right?

I don't think so. First realize that God is pure and holy. He is so pure that anything that is not pure doesn't stand a chance in His presence. So not allowing something impure to come near to Him is actually mercy. Second realize that God is just. That's part of His pure character. He won't do anything wrong or unfair.

Now look at this little verse out of Ezekiel 18:32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn and live."

Far from wanting to reject people, God is not pleased when anyone dies. So what is God pleased with?

1 Timothy 2:3-4 "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

What is that truth? That Jesus, God's Son, gave His life-His purity-so that He could give it away to you, if you will repent, which means to change your mind about the evil in you, and grasp on to Him.

That puts a smile on God's face.

Pastor Tom

The Problem of the Familiar

I noticed this verse in Ezekiel:

3:5 "For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel ... Surely, If I sent you to such, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me."

Sometimes it seems that those closest to us are the hardest to reach for the gospel. I think it may be because there is so much of us that they see and hear instead of seeing and hearing God.

Often it is easier to travel thousands of miles to preach to people who don't speak our language than it is to share God's truth with our family and friends.

It was tough for Ezekiel too. I think perhaps our prayer should be "Lord, when I speak for you to those I know, don't let them think about me, but about Your truth."

Pastor Tom

New Every Morning

Do you ever look back at the end of the day and think "man, I blew it today. "I wish I hadn't..." or "I wish I would have..."? I do. Sometimes I feel the weight of my day on my shoulders as I try to go to sleep at night. I feel as if God must know my failings too. He must look down on me with disappointment; shaking His head and saying "if he'd only trusted Me on that."

When those times come remember the morning is coming.

The Israelies had one of those nights of regret. After centuries of going after other gods, Yahweh had finally had enough and He sent them into exile. The reality of that setting in was just too much for them. You read much of the anguish in the book of Lamentations. Most of it is good stuff to get you royally depressed. But there's this little nugget that I just love in chapter 3:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

No matter how much you feel you have blown it and God has turned His back on you and given up - remember the morning is coming.

If you belong to God He NEVER gives up on you. The word "steadfast" is the idea of God's convenant love. He made a covenant with you if you have Jesus Christ as your Lord that will never end. His steadfast love brings with mercy - meaning you don't get what you deserve but get what you don't deserve, and that's a new start!

I'd encourage you to read Lamentations 3. There is a lot of hard stuff but a lot of wonderful stuff too. Search your soul and ask God's help, and whatever you find there:

Remember that the morning is coming.

Pastor Tom

Be Careful What You Ask For

In Jeremiah 42 the people came to the prophet and said "pray to the Lord your God for us ... that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing we should do...we will obey the voice of the Lord our God."

It seemed they had had a change of heart and really wanted to repent of their evil and turn again to the Lord. But a funny thing happened. Jeremiah did as they asked and 10 days later the word from God came. That word was to not go down to Egypt.

This wasn't exactly what the people wanted to hear since they had actually already set their hearts toward going there to escape the forces from Babylon. But when Jeremiah told them that the Lord had answered their prayer and that they were not to go they responded this way:

Jeremiah 43:2 "You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to live there.'"

So their response was to attack the messenger. Do you sometimes run into situations where you really ask the Lord for wisdom but have already made up your mind to do something you suspect is wrong? But when you consult God in prayer or seek Him in His Word and that word comes back against what you have in your heart to do - what is your response? Do you think "I guess I was wrong?" or do you say "God can't be speaking because He doesn't agree with me."

Pray and ask for wisdom from God, but be ready for it - knowing it may not be the answer you wished for, though it will be the right answer.

Pastor Tom

Returning From Discipline

The last couple of posts I've talked about discipline: the importance of not being stubborn when the Lord reveals that there is something in your life that He needs to touch and heal, then resting in that discipline to let Him do the work.

This time I want to share some verses in Jeremiah 31 that show what happens when the discipline has done its work.

4 "Again I will build you, and you shall be built O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines."

Israel was promised that God would bring them back to the land after 70 years of discipline in Babylon. Notice how they come back:

:9 "With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water; in a straight path in which they shall not stumble."

Repentance and discipline brings with it sorrow for walking away from God. I also brings with it cries for God's mercy because we realize how inadequate we are on our own. But returning from that discipline brings with it the refreshment of once again having a close relationship with God-all that crud has been dealth with and done away with.

It also brings a "straight path" which to me indicates that what was stumbling us has been removed, so now our walk with God is much more sure and stable and we less likely to fall into the same thing again.

Pastor Tom

Stubborn or Surrender Part 2

Last time I talked about surrendering to the Lord wanting to bring discipline in your life, rather than stubbornly refusing to admit that its needed.

Today I want to share a little tid bit more about discipline.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." NIV

God wanted Israel to settle into the discipline. We should too. We should pray for the place the Lord puts us in, even if that is a difficult place. Pray that we will do well in that discipline until the time the Lord takes us out of it.

For if we are patient while the Lord does surgery on us, as difficult as it is, we reap many benefits.

Just after that section in Jeremiah is a very famous verse:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. NIV

Notice that the plans, hope, future, and prosperity come through discipline.

Pastor Tom

Stubborn or Surrender

Jeremiah 21:8 "Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death."

When Jeremiah spoke these words, God was telling Israel to surrender to the Babylonians. The reason was that His people had gone into idolatry and had forsaken God, so now God was forsaking them. He was sending them to Babylon as discipline - a discipline that worked. Israel never again served foreign gods like they had prior.

It raises an interesting thought for Christians today. Sometimes we find ourselves serving foreign gods - gods of money or fame or pleasure or many other things that turn our focus away from serving the One True God. So sometimes God brings discipline into our lives. What is our reaction to that discipline? Do we buck up against it, fighting God tooth and nail to avoid repenting or dealing with the sin in our lives?

I think we can learn from Jeremiah's word. The way of surrender to God's discipline is the way of life. It is the way of letting God burn the crud out of you and bringing His life into you afresh. It hurts for a while, but it's worth it.

Pastor Tom

The Unknowable Heart

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

I think the prevailing wisdom among humans today is that the heart is good by and large. We do good when we can or it doesn't violate our self interest. And when we do bad then we should be punished.

The problem with that line of thinking is that we are deluded. Our hearts - and I'm thinking of the "who we are as a person" kind of heart - have fooled us greatly. Instead of good deep down, we are really evil.

I have an apple tree in my backyard. I must confess I didn't do anything for it other than prune this year. Some apples fell off, and others looked really good. I picked one of those great looking apples and took a big bite. Inside it was all eaten away and the worm that had gotten in was still there wiggling around.

For us our hearts are much the same. We surround outselves with a good looking shell of good works and warm feelings. But inside we have a worm - its called "sin." Sin is doing anything outside the character of God. If we look closely at ourselves we do not measure up to God's purity. One example: if you have ever lied then the worm of sin has infected you.

The worm of sin has made our hearts terminal. We have congestive heart failure in our spirits. The only way to save us is to turn to the One - the Great Physician - God Himself - Jesus Christ.

Our hearts are like a really good con man. You think you are good when you really are not. Don't blame God, it is our fault. Look to His Word to find out what we are really supposed to be like, then rely on Him to give you that life and rightness, starting with having a relationship with Him.

Oh - and read the section of Jeremiah just before the verse I shared at the top. It shows what a person is like who trusts in the Lord. No bad apples there!

Pastor Tom

A Bandaid on Cancer

Jeremiah 8:11-12 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace.
12 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. NIV

Our culture today fails to realize the serious of the illness of sin. It's not a minor thing, this rebellion against God that we inherited from Adam. It isn't something you can just put a Bandaid on think it will go away. The illness is too deep for that. We need chemotherapy spiritually and that only comes by the deep cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our culture says we should strive for peace on earth when when we are at war with God who is a far more potent foe than we can imagine. Why are we at war? Because our sins have separated us from God and He obliterates anything evil by His mere presence.

Finally our culture has fallen to the point that we are no longer capable of understanding what sin even is. We no longer blush when confronted with evil, we simply accept it and if not then we are "narrow minded."

There is an absolute good and an absolute evil. God is good and we as humans are evil. The only way out of the terminal condition of humanity is to repent, blush if you will, and turn to the Great Physician for our healing, which only comes through Christ.

Pastor Tom

What Will You Do in the End?

I was struck by this little verse in Jeremiah 5. The prophet has been sent by God to deliver some harsh words to Judah because they had fallen into the same idolatry as the northern tribes. God was about to make them serve foreigners in a land not their own just as they served foreign gods in their own land.

Then here comes this verse:

Jeremiah 5:30 "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their own direction"

So men are speaking from God words they make up and ruling for God by their authority, not God's. So here comes the next zinger:

"... my people love to have it so..."

I'm not castigating Israel at this time - because we all love to have it our way instead of God's. It's a sad thing about human nature but it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve decided to follow thier own wits instead of trusting what God said about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

So then the kicker: "...but what will you do when the end comes?"

Just as for Judah there was an end where God had them carted off to Babylon, so too there is an end for us: death. We love to carry on as if we are the kings of our universe and masters of our destiny. But what about when the end comes? Have you ever given serious thought to it?

What if Jesus was right when He said "no man comes to the Father but by Me."? After all, He is the only one who has died and come back to life - resurrected - a fact witnessed by over 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15).

Don't let the end come before you are ready for it.

Pastor Tom

Be Glad

Isaiah 61:3b "The oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit."

Maybe today you are mourning a loss. Perhaps a loved one is sick, or died. Perhaps you lost your job or a relationship is broken. You feel faint and heavy and laden down instead of lifted up.

You aren't a bad person because you mourn. In fact, we should mourn our sin and our fallen nature. Then we should turn to God. His promise of new life gives us what Isaiah calls a "garment of praise."

Today my simple encouragement to you is to have a change of clothes. In the midst of your mourning, rejoice in the Lord by telling Him how wonderful He is, by lifting up songs of praise so that they cover you like a garment. You can do that because God also says that He will cause all things to work together for the good for those that love him and are called according to His purposes.

Pastor Tom

9/11 How Secure Can You Really Be?

It's been five years. We've spent billions, inconvenienced hundreds of thousands, and sent thousands of others to their deaths. Yet school kids present with President Bush when he found out about the 9/11 attacks say they don't feel safer five years later. Do you?

Some say we have avoided attacks and are safer. Some say it is a losing battle and that terrorists will continue to probe until they find a weakness they can exploit. It is only a matter of time, they say, before terror comes once again to our shores.

I'm not saying we stop trying or that we stop the war. I think that this anniversary of 9/11 and our feeling of continual insecurity should remind us of another war and a feeling of safety we have that we shouldn't. First, Jesus Christ told us not to fear terrorists and their ilk:

Luke 12:4-7 "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do."

No, don't fear physical death. Instead we have a much greater peril facing us: spiritual death.

"5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

Why do we feel anxious about a terror attack when the evil resident within all of us threatens to destroy us forever? Why would God do such a thing you ask? It's not God's fault. He is pure and anything that tries to exist in His presence that is not pure will be destroyed. Yet someone so powerful is also powerfully loving.

"6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." ESV

Jesus made the way for eternal security with God. He did it by facing the ultimate terrorist head on and coming out victorious over him, and his servant: death.

We may feel a little trepidation stepping on an airplane this September 11th, but we should not fear the ultimate trip we take when we die, if we have secured a seat in the plane going to God's kingdom - a ticket purchased for us by the death of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Tom

Jesus Was Unimpressive

Quick - think about a visual picture of what Jesus looked like when He walked the earth. You probably pictured a man in his early thirties with flowing brown locks, a long, gently-featured face and a winning smile with flashing blue eyes.

Even if you can't picture what Jesus looked like you probably have the idea that He was kind of a super human - the best and pinnacle of human nature in all characteristics. I'm not really sure that's true actually.

Isaiah gives us a look forward to what Jesus was like in an amazing chapter 53.

"He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."

If you had seen Jesus in a crowd you would not have noticed Him (unless He did a miracle of course). If you were choosing teams you wouldn't have even wanted Him on yours. In fact, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus they were so surprised when He revealed Himself that they fell backwards.

Isaiah goes on: "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces."

Don't get me wrong - Jesus is God and in His glory He is the most incredible being ever. But rather than thinking of Jesus on earth as looking like a movie star, think of Him as the Joe Everyone. Not only that but He was one to be pitied.

"Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities."

Everyone can approach Jesus. He has chosen to place Himself in the lowest place and to take upon Himself all that is evil and should be despised in you so that you can have eternal peace and joy.

Isaiah 51:6 ...but my salvation will be forever and my righteousness will never be dismayed."

Pastor Tom

Gods That Cannot Save

Isaiah 45:20 Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. NIV

People may not literally bow down to idols of wood and stone like in ancient days (though more and more in the U.S. are literally doing that with shrines built in their own homes), but we do have gods none the less. Our gods are currency and power, fame and good looks, business prowess and intellect.

Think about what the most important thing in your life is. Think about how you would feel if that were ripped away. Most of us probably think our families and loved ones are the most important, but our actions speak louder than our hearts deception. How much time do you spend at the office trying to squeeze the last dollar; how much time do you spend cultivating relationships that will more you up or bring you position; how much effort do you put into learning more, without learning real truth?

Sad to say that our ignorance is killing us. We keep praying (hoping, wishing, focusing on) things that can bring us nothing lasting. When you die, the Bible says you brought nothing into the world and can take nothing out. God's Word tells us that we cannot exist in God's presence if there is anything, even the smallest amount, of wickedness in us.

The only way to find a real savior is to turn to God Himself. God provided a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. It's really through ignorance that we keep looking for salvation everywhere else. Don't be ignorant any more.

Pastor Tom

Mistaken Identity

There's a great story in Isaiah, chapters 36-39 about the Assyrians coming against Jerusalem. A guy named Rabshakeh, from the Assyrian army, says to the people:

"But if you say to me, 'We trust in the Lord our God,' is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed...?" (Isaiah 36:7)

King Hezekiah had removed high places devoted to worshipping idols. But the Assyrians apparently didn't know the difference between Yahweh and an idol, and so they assumed that the people would be afraid that they had angered God by removing his altars of worship.

That, of course, was not true, but it brings up a good point. Those who do not know the Lord will often be confused about what is worship of God and what is not, and they will not understand what God is doing in your life.

For the Israelies, removing the high places brought them back into fellowship with Yahweh. For you, God may pull down an idol in your life; a sin, a habit pattern, a little "g" god that has stood in the way of a close relationship. The world looks at that and thinks you are crazy to give that up - especially if it is something that appears religious, but is really not.

It's easy for Christians to fall into legalism - creating arbitrary rules for things that have a spiritual appearance but are simply ways to use our strength to please God; things like a dress code that has more to do with style than modesty, and restricting activities based on opinion rather than on the character of God.

So don't be surprised when the world can't figure out why you are trusting God and taking down idol temples at the same time. Just do what Hezekiah did - throw yourself on God's mercy.

Pastor Tom

Steve Erwin is Dead

Let me say first that I didn't know Steve personally, though his wife grew up near here. I also don't know Steve's spiritual condition. You may have heard that the world famous naturalist was killed by a sting ray off of the Great Barrier Reef. Nothing in this message is meant to say anything one way or another about Steve.

But just as Jesus used the story of workers killed in a construction accident to talk about sin and our relationship to God, I want to use the story of Steve's death to illustrate that same principal.

In a lot of ways, we are like Steve, swimming along with the sting rays, thinking that we are okay, but we are actually in grave danger. Sin is like that. Sin and the sin nature appears to us as very benign. When we do something that is wrong we are not struck by lightning from heaven, nor do we feel the heat of the fires of hell lap at our feet. So we think that sin really isn't fatal after all.

But at a moments notice sin will kill us, like the poisonous barb of a string ray, it can pierce our heart and instantly kill us. The Bible says the "wages of sin is death." Sin is fatal 100% of the time. I have gone swimming as Steve did with sting rays. They seem very friendly and curious. They ride up on you looking for food and use their vacuum cleaning mouths to suck food off of your hands. To be honest it was a little creepy, but a lot of people love it.

The one thing they tell you is not to box the ray in, or it will sting you. We don't realize that the longer we live in sin, the more chances there are that it will bring about death and corruption in our lives. Paul said that if you "sow to the flesh you will reap from the flesh corruption."

There is only one cure for sin and only one way to escape the inevitable sting - and that is through Jesus Christ, who led a perfect and sinless life (sin is doing anything out of the character of God), then gave that life to you so you could have new life. All you need to do is rely on that death and resurrection, and make Him your Savior and Lord.

Then this verse is your verse:

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting ?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ESV

The law gives us the knowledge that we are swimming with dangerous creatures. Heed the warning and give your life to Jesus today. Then that barb will be of no effect and you can swim truly free.

Pastor Tom

Putting Reigns on the Mind

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
ESV

How many times does your mind take you into worry and anxiety? Do you have times when you simply can't turn your mind off as it races to the next day or that difficult meeting or a broken relationship and to the "if only I'd..."

Here is a word of encouragement for you. There is peace, shalom in Hebrew, waiting for those who will "stay" their minds on the Lord. The Hebrew word means "to prop" or "to lean upon or take hold."

The next time you feel anxious and your thoughts control you, take those thoughts and turn them towards the Lord; think about how wonderful He is, how gracious, how powerful, how loving, how pure, how much He is in charge. Perhaps read a Psalm or the story of the Exodus or of how He rescued Paul from shipwreck, or the resurrection.

You may well find yourself "trusting" in Him, which means to have confidence. If you belong to Jesus then God is in control of every aspect of your life. There is nothing that can happen to you outside of His will. Even bad things are turned to good; tragedy to rejoicing. Yes, there are trials ahead and relationships that are broken and times when you won't know where to turn.

The point isn't to figure all that out for yourself, but to train your mind to remain steadfast on the Lord and confident in His power to do what's best for you even if that means going through pain because in the end He is doing a great thing in you - making you like Him. Now that's something to think about.

Pastor Tom

Thinking Right

Isaiah 11:3-4
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; ESV

It's hard to imagine actually delighting in the fear of the Lord. Fearing the fear of the Lord, now that's more like it. Accepting it, even embracing it, but actually delighting? But that's just what this verse in Isaiah says-and it is a prophecy about the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The fear of the Lord is many things, but when I read this verse it prompted me to think about taking God into account. We like to think that our thoughts and reasoning skills are up to almost any task. Given enough time and information and we'll figure out most things.

I think the verses that follow show us that we cannot really hope to do that apart from God. Even the most perfect human that ever lived: Jesus Christ, had to rely on the fear of the Lord to do what was right. It wasn't that He might have made a mistake, but it shows that He was completely human and like we have to, He had to trust in the Spirit to make all decisions.

It's easy for us to listen and watch and decide things. How often do we take the time to ask God and then look into His Word as a guide to how we should think?

Pastor Tom

Black-White White-Black

Isaiah 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight! ESV

It's really sad, but that's what I see going on in our world today. We live in a post modern society, and while there is nothing wrong with that per se, one of the hallmarks of post modernist thinking is that there are no longer any standards of truth. The truth is actually made up of what each individual brings and the truth can change depending on who is around.

That is an open door for the deceptive human heart, which the Bible calls "desperately wicked." One of the ways the human heart has responded to this lack of real standards of truth is to do a switcheroo. Suddenly now if you stand up for a ultimate truth apart from the opinions of the collective you are wrong. Suddenly those values taught as right are now wrong and if you believe them you are labeled as an outcast. And it will only get worse.

I think we are wandering down a path of destruction. No wonder Isaiah said "woe." We need to stick to the ultimate truth revealed to us from God's Word, the Bible. There is such a thing as right and wrong and it is spelled out clearly there. There is such a thing as heaven and hell and there is such a thing as salvation and damnation. And there is a real Savior who loved us so much as to provide that way of salvation free of charge to us all. His name is Jesus.

Let me finish by quoting a famous passage not from the Bible. "A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." And sin by any other name still stinks.

Pastor Tom

The Book of Depression - The Book of Joy

A lot of people say that when they are depressed they read Job. Job is a pretty depressing book, I'll admit. But if you really want to get bummed, read Ecclesiastes. This little book was written by Solomon. You probably know a key verse:

Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless." NIV

It's all about how Solomon tried wisdom and pleasure, hard work, riches, philosophy, foolishness - he tried it all and more and found that it is all meaningless.

But there is a theme that also runs through the book that is very encouraging. There is the idea that the end of a thing is better than the beginning, that death is better than birth - why? Because we don't know what lies ahead, but we do know what we have done. Is it glorifying to God or to ourselves?

And he says this: Ecclesiastes 2:24 "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God." NIV

Instead of striving to always have a handle on everything, be in control, chart your course so carefully that nothing can stop you - instead, focus on the task at hand and find joy or satisfaction in what God has given you to do today. In the end you may find He brought meaning to that which you thought was meaningless.

Pastor Tom

Holding Your Tongue

Today I wanted to talk about two little verses from Proverbs - both having to do with when we speak and when we don't.

Proverbs 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. NIV

It is often our natural tendency when an argument starts to find any means possible to win. That includes saying things about the other person in order to cut them down and build you up. It may not even be conscious, but we do it. In court we call it attacking credibility. On the street its just plain old gossip. How many arguments might be solved if we didn't resort to gossip.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
NIV

When you get angry your emotions tend to take over and it is oh so easy to just let go, let it out, blast the other person because they deserve it after all. But it is wisdom to put a governor on that anger, just like some cars have governors that keep them from going too fast.

Paul the Apostle says "in your anger do not sin." (Ephesians 4:26).

Just remember: in any argument there are rarely any innocent parties.

Pastor Tom

Weighing the Heart

Proverbs 21:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart."

Its not enough to simply think about something, decide that it seems like something you should do, and then do it. We really need someone to delve deeper into the "why" of what we are thinking of doing. Is it with the right motive, will it have the right effect, is it God's will?

Thank the Lord that it is He that weighs our hearts. His Word delves deeply into us to show us the thoughts and motivations of our hearts. We cannot really tell on our own because our hearts are deceptively wicked.

I would encourage you as you decide on courses of action to ask God to look into your heart, weigh your motives, and give you advice on whether what you propose is really for you or for Him.

"Search me Oh God and know my heart, try me oh Lord and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

Pastor Tom

Plot Peace

Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. ESV

I have a challenge for you (and for myself as well). As you go about your daily activities think about ways to encourage peace between yourself and others. Is what I'm about to say going to heal a relationship or cause division. Are my actions going to primarily serve myself at the expense of someone else, or am I benefiting another-giving them peace?

It would be wonderful if our whole world operated this way. One day it will-when Jesus Christ returns to rule. But for now wouldn't it be nice if we looked for ways, actually plotted it out, to give peace to other people; to help asuage fears, break down walls, heal hurts, and avoid pitfalls.

It may be more in your power than you know-if you just do a little planning. Who knows, it could be fun!

Pastor Tom

How to Get Smart

How would you counsel someone if they wanted to get smarter? You might tell them to go back to school. You might say to visit the library. You might tell them to take an online class. Or you might even tell them to get out in the world and learn by experience-through the school of hard knocks.

We have thousands of universities with PhD level professors who think the way to get smart is to study science and literature and philosophy. We have gurus of finance who will (for a fee - call now, operators are standing by) tell you the smartest way to invest your money. Even your friends and buds are quick to tell you how to become more intelligent.

Now - I'm not knocking education, or experience, or friendship. But I think that sometimes in this world we have it backwards when it comes to how to get smart.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. ESV

Fear can be a healthy thing. It can keep you from getting a speeding ticket (for most of us anyway), it can keep you from putting your hand on a hot stove or of going into that cave with the snoring sounds coming out of it.

The kind of fear here in the Hebrew has two components: 1. Be afraid, be very afraid and 2. Be in awe. God is not someone to be triffled with or taken for granted. You will die if you come into His presence on your own. He is also something to be in awe of - imagine a being that holds the entire universe together, knows every thought of every person who has ever lived and manages the entire thing so it works together perfectly in ways we can't even imagine.

So step one in how to get smart is to fear God. Step two is to seek His knowledge diligently.

Proverbs 2:4-5 If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. ESV

If we start with knowing who we are in relationship to God, and that real wisdom only comes from Him, then we are in better shape to learn the things that will really benefit us - those things that draw us close to Him. Words to get smart by.

Pastor Tom

Do You Trust the Word?

Twice in the last two chapters of the Book of the Revelation, the angel speaking to the Apostle John calls the words he is speaking as "trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:5, 22:6)

It got me to wondering. Do you trust that the Word of God - the Bible - is trustworthy and true? A lot of people doubt that the Bible even is God's Word. They think it was made up men. Some think that parts of it are true and others are not. They look to certain books and think they shouldn't be in the Bible because what they say doesn't agree with their theological or philosophical position.

Without going into a huge dissertation about how we got the Bible, suffice it say that for the early church it was very obvious which books were included. Although there committees that ratified the books of the New Testament - they were only agreeing with what everyone alreaady knew.

Basically, God gave prophets and apostles His words which they wrote down. All the books agree with each other doctrinally and if you read any of the other books that people wanted to include in the Bible its obvious why they are not inspired.

The problem when we doubt the Bible is that we don't know which parts to believe and trust and which not to trust. That calls into question our understanding of God, and even of salvation.

So I would encourage you to study up on how we got our Bible and believe that the words God gave us in there are indeed "trustworthy and true."

Pastor Tom