WHAT YOU LOOKING AT

When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil. -Max Lerner

1 Thessalonians 5:22, Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Today, instead of comparing ourselves to each other, let us compare ourselves to God. You say how am I to do that? Read His Word. It is a mirror into our soul. It will reveal those deepest reflections that no one else can see. And the great thing about that is, God brings about conviction and allows confession, which leads to a cleansing of our hearts. All to the glory of God!

PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

           The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones. -Beecher

1 Corinthians 14:12, Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

            The church has a two-fold purpose; to evangelize the lost and to edify the believer. They go hand in hand. To exalt one above the other will cause the other to wane. A church that is not growing spiritually will not see the need to soul win. On the other hand, a church that only soul wins, never teaching its congregation to grow spiritually, will be struggling with sin.

            It is important for us to be in church this morning; both the believer and the unbeliever. So, GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH! Hey, you’ve still got time to make it to Sunday School!  

WALK WORTHY

           A daily walk with the Lord produces a lifetime of grace.

Ephesians 4:1-3, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

            Grace is not only for salvation. Grace is needed in our lives daily as we are in this world. We need grace for trials and tribulations. We need grace for victories won. We need to display grace when our flesh is determined to fight tooth and nail against it.

            As we walk worthy of the calling God has given us, we will display His grace in each day we live. Then, at the end of our life, we will hear God say, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”

            Will you be the display of grace today that God desires? Or will you be so filled with the flesh that no one will see Jesus in you? Walk worthy!

MAKE SOMEONE SMILE TODAY

           A Christian should be a lamp, and not a damp.  He should cheer and enlighten his brethren, and never act as a wet blanket to their zeal. -Spurgeon

Proverbs 17:22, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

            There is a lot of heartache in the world today. Sickness, unemployment, death, pain, unjust suffering, it gets to be overwhelming sometimes! Many days, we can echo David in Psalm 69:3, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

            This is why I attempt to make people smile throughout my day. To make someone smile gives me a joy in my own heart. Passing joy on to others should be one of our goals each day. When we do that, we are showing others the love of God that is in us.

            Will you go out today with the goal in mind of seeing someone smile because of something you said? The greatest smile is when we see someone come to know the Lord! In their rejoicing they share the love of God with the ones whom God has given them to reach!

PRAYING FOR POWER

           I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.  My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day. --Abraham Lincoln

Psalm 88:9, Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

            Calling to the Lord. Crying out to God. Whispering a prayer. I don’t care how you communicate with the Lord, just do it. It is the believer’s source of strength. The access we have to God surpasses any other resource that we have in our tool box Christian friend! There isn’t anywhere that it cannot be accessed. Elijah called out under the juniper tree. Paul prayed in prison. Jesus prayed on the Cross.

            We can call Him in our times of tribulations. We can call out to Him in times of sorrow. We can call out to Him for power, wisdom, health, strength, and even victory! But when is the last time you called out to the Lord to just thank Him for the blessings He gives?  

NO PLACE FOR FEAR

           If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire. --John Wesley

2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

            The Israelites didn’t originally enter the promise land when God told them to because they feared what the spies reported. That fear crippled them so much they did not obey God’s commands. As a result of their disobedience, they had to endure 40 years in the wilderness. They wondered around in the desert for forty years paying for that disobedience.

            Dear friend, fear cripples the local church from fulfilling its purpose. It cripples you and I from fulfilling what our God given purpose. Consider three acronyms for the word fear:

Forget Everything And Run

False Evidence Appearing Real

Face Everything And Rise

             What fear do you have that’s preventing you from obeying God? Are you prepared for the punishment for not being obedient? Is it really worth your delay? Or will you face your fear and rise above it? Will you have faith?

CHURCH UNITY IS PARAMOUNT

           Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. --Benjamin Franklin

The last thing Satan wants is a church that is unified:

            Unified in the Bible: Psalm 119:130, The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

            Unified in Doctrine: 2 Timothy 4:3-4, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

            Unified in the Work: John 9:4, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

            Unified in the Spirit: Ephesians 4:3, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

            Are you working with the local church? If not, you’re working against it. Get onboard with what the local church is doing so the Lord can work in and through your life!

PROMISES MADE- PROMISES KEPT

Our God ain’t slack! He takes care of of His business!

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Have you ever had someone let you down? Had someone make you a promise and then not come through? In this verse, we have one of the blessed promises from the Lord. He keeps His promises! He keeps His Word!

We are not on God’s time table. God is longsuffering or has a deep seated patience and no matter what people say He cares for us. Yet, day after day and year after year men try to belittle His Word by laughing at those who follow Him. They question, “Where is the second coming?” “If God is so good, then why do bad things happen to good people?” The list goes on and on of how this old world tries to get us to doubt the Word of God.

The last two portions of this verse reveal specifically what the topic of this verse is; God is longsuffering. He is not willing that any should go to hell but in our own self-willed heart we choose to go there if we do not repent and trust Him as Saviour. He wants all to come to Him with a humble convicted heart receiving the free gift of salvation. He wants all to be saved.

Do you have someone that you have been praying for a very long time? Don’t give up! The Lord is willing and very capable of saving that person you have been praying for. Is it a lost spouse; son or daughter; or your best friend? Continue to hold onto the promises of God. Pray for them to accept the free gift of salvation and remember— God ain’t slack! He’s made some promises in His Word and He intends to keep every last one of them!

COMMITMENT TO GOD GIVEN AUTHORITY

           The failure of obedience in the church is evident in the society in which we live.

Hebrews 13:17, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

            I remember my first few days in boot camp. I was scared to death! I vaguely remember my first call home. I told my Mom, “I don’t know what I got myself into.” She reassured me that everything was going to be all right even though I could hear her holding back her own tears. Dad said, “Just do what they tell you to do and everything will be just fine.”

            Child of God, you may not understand why God does what He does. You may not understand why God has you where He has you. You may not even like those individuals God has given authority over your life. No matter how you feel, obey and submit to their authority. Your obedience to the pastor of that church you have been attending will not only help that pastor but it will help your walk with the Lord as well.

            God has given us authority in our lives to help us grow in His grace. In Ephesians 4:11, Paul tells the Ephesians that God gave the church some special men to lead and guide them in His Word. It says, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”

            Have you submitted to the authority of a local church? If not, why not? If you have, not only will you see growth in your life but in your children’s life as well. It’s as simple as “Doing what the Word tells you to and everything will be just fine.” Have you submitted to that God given authority in your life?

COMMITMENT ON OUR BEHALF

            We show the love of God in our lives by committing to His local body of believers. They are also known as the local church.

John 13:35, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

            One of the best ways to put your faith on display is to join a local body of believers. The commitment on your behalf shows everyone that you are serious about your walk with the Lord. The pastor knows you are serious and it helps him to minister to the people who God has given him to shepherd. Those that are lost will see the commitment you have made and it will encourage them to seek the Lord.

            Have you been visiting a local church? Have took that step of commitment? If not, what are you waiting on? It’s a step of faith that the Lord will lead you in if you follow Him!

GOD MADE IT!

Not only has God made everything, He keeps it from falling apart too!

Colossians 1:16-17, For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

            Could you imagine if there was no gravity? Could you imagine if the wind were to stop blowing- permanently? Could you imagine if your heart just stopped beating? You see friend, none of those things I just mentioned are in your control. But that’s not all; there are hundreds, maybe thousands or millions of other things that is beyond human control! Will we may be able to defy gravity, manipulate the wind, or even create an artificial but God is the ultimate creator because He creates out of nothing and He controls it all with the power in His hand!   

Doesn’t that just bless your heart friend? God knows what make your problems tick and He has the cure for them! No matter what your problem is—God has the answer to it.

JESUS REPRESENTS THOSE WHO ASK

Christ, when the sinner is brought to the bar, appears there himself. There stands the man whose hands are pierced; he stands numbered with transgressors. Let the trial proceed. What is the accusation? He stands to answer it. He points to his side, his hands, his feet, and challenges justice to bring anything against the sinners whom he represents. –Spurgeon

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Romans 3:25

Does Christ represent you? If you’re a Child of God He does. He is making intercession for you when the accuser brings something up against you. Will He represent you the day you stand before God and give an account of your life? If you’re a Child of God He will. He will represent you because you asked Him to be your Saviour while amongst the living. Are you sure Christ is representing you? Are you sure you don’t want Christ, the Son of God, representing you on that day?

JESUS CAN DO MORE

           Low expectations of our Saviour means little faith.

Ephesians 3:20-21, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

            We have lost the proper view of our Saviour. Once we held Him as the One who could do anything. Now, I believe we have lost the proper view of who He is and what He is capable of. Friend, Jesus is the One who held the sick, blind, lame, and dumb. He is the One who raise the dead. He is the One who has fixed marriages, dried up drunkards, and set those in the sins of addiction free!

            Whatever your limits are on the Saviour… He can do more! Have faith that He is bigger, stronger, and mightier than any of your problems! Just let Him work in and through your life and you will begin to see just how BIG, STRONG, AND MIGHTY He truly is!

CHURCH MATTERS

           The living Church, though never neat, keeps God's world from complete disaster. -Macleod

Hebrews 10:23-25, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

            Some folks believe that just because they are saved, they don’t need the local church. This is far from the truth. We need the local church for personal growth. We need the local church for accountability. We need the local church for responsibility. We need the local church for missions. We need the local church for our own assurance.  

            Sure, you can catch a message online but there is nothing like being in person with fellow believers worshipping and praise the Lord for His goodness to us. Church matters because God commands us to worship together! By the way, do you reckon one of those online preachers will preach your funeral for yah?  

WORDS MATTER

           Our speech is as important as our actions and many times our speech is more important.

Proverbs 10:19, In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

            You know the Bible verse which says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Who we hang around, what we watch on TV or listen to on the radio, and what Apps we choose to play; will have a direct impact on the way we handle situations in our lives! We cannot be ruled by our emotions because our emotions will either bring us rewards or they will be our ruin! Your words matter in this life! Don’t let your emotions rule your tongue!

            Child of God, if we are ruled by our emotions, we are not living by faith and it will lead to a ruined life!

CORRECTION IS GOOD

           A man with no correction; has a pretty good chance of ending up in the Department of Corrections.

Job 5:17, Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

            God has so instituted the family that each person has their important role. While Mom does do much of the correcting, Dad has long been held as the disciplinarian in the home. According to the Word of God, Dad has been placed as the head of the home and such should be that disciplinarian.  

            I remember— little Jay gets home from school with his report card. Mom said, “A “F” in English Jay, You wait until Dad gets home.” he’s going to tan you hide! I wished I had a quarter for every time I heard that! You know what? That correction was good in my life. It probably kept me out of jail! I believe, it is one of the things we are missing in today’s society. Correction, accountability, and responsibility are just a few things we need to return to in our world today!

            One day we will stand before a thrice Holy God and give an account what we have done with this life. What have we done with His Word? What have we done with the Truth? What have we done with the Gospel? Heed to this correction in your life today because it is good!

WHO CARES WHAT THE WORLD THINKS?

           It is better to incur the world's hatred by testifying against its wickedness than gain its goodwill by going down the stream with it. -Henry

Matthew 5:10, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

            When you take a stand for the Lord; you will always have critics. They will come out from every rock you can imagine. The thing about it is, when you take your stand, they normally crawl right back under that rock. They do this because they can’t stand the Light of the Truth of the Gospel.

            Child of God, continue standing for the Lord. Let His Light shine! Who really cares what this old world thinks about us? As long as the Lord is pleased, nothing else should matter!

SO GOES THE HOME, SO GOES THE CHURCH, SO GOES THE NATION

           When the world seems large and complex, we need to remember that great world ideals all begin in some home neighborhood. -Adenauer

Psalm 16:6, The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

            The home is the foundation to society. That is why Satan attacks the home. The homosexual, transgender, gender dysphoria society that has been created by our godless and anti-god culture will be the downfall of this great republic.

            What we do in our home is essential for our churches, our neighborhoods, and yes, even our nation. So, as we start this new week, let us all start this week off by getting into God’s Word, staying in God’s Word, and sharing God’s Word to this lost, dying, and hurting world. Start this off praying for your family, for your community, and for our country. For you and your home is what will make a difference in the world we live in.

JESUS COMMANDS SOMETHINGS

            Jesus does not make suggestions; He has given us commands to follow.

1 Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

            Many people live their lives as if the commands in the Bible are just suggestions. Boy are they going to have a rude awakening if they get to Heaven. If a person takes God command of “Repent Ye” as a suggestion, they aren’t going to Heaven! If they take the command of “Go ye” as a suggestion, others wont be going to Heaven. If they take the command of “be ye” as a suggestion, they will miss out on God’s best for their life.

            Hey friend, Jesus commands somethings in the Bible! It would do us all good to follow those commands becoming the Christian He desires for us to be!

JESUS IS THE CURE FOR A HELL BOUND SOUL

           It is shocking to reflect that a change in the weather has more effect on some men's lives than the dread alternative of heaven or hell. -Spurgeon

Revelation 1:18, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

            It snowed last night at my house. I am sure many people went to the grocery store yesterday buying milk, bread, eggs, and probably some snack foods for the kids. Sad thing is, if they were to die today, they would spend the rest of eternity in Hell. They prepared for snow but not for where they will go when they die.

            Friend, Jesus came to save lost mankind from an eternity in hell. If you’re not saved, you’re on your way to Hell. Jesus is the cure for your Hell bound soul. The cure is to confess your sins and trust Jesus as your Saviour.

            Would you like to know more about Him? Drop me a message and I’ll be glad to talk with you about the cure for a Hell bound soul!