Do you want to die?

You will, everyone does…

If you die in sin, you will die forever, but the word of God says…

1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

This means that you can die early… to sin that is…

You can be healed of that age old infirmity called death… by living for righteousness…

You can’t do it because your a good person…
You can’t do it, because you are strong willed…

You can do it, because Jesus bore your sins on that tree… (the cross at Calvary)…

You see if you die to sin, and glorify Gods power… that power at the cross… you will be healed and then you will be able to truly live… that is to live for righteousness…

If you think you can do it on your own… I dare you to try… you will fail…

But if you trust what Jesus did, and the power found in Him… you will be healed…

Think about it…

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for you…?

It is a great mystery… but here’s a little hint from the scripture….

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So what do you think of that?

Psalm 43:2-4

You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

Proverbs 9:13-18

The woman Folly is loud;
she is undisciplined and without knowledge.

She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way.

“Let all who are simple come in here!”
she says to those who lack judgment.

“Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”

But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave.

Did you notice that the woman, “Folly” of proverbs is on the highest point of the city?

She is in a prime marketing spot. She wants to be heard, she isn’t hiding…

You know, most people think of temptation as the bandit in the dark alley whispering, “Psst, hey kid come here”…

That is not the portrait Proverbs paints of folly and temptation…

She sits at the highest point of the city, calling out lies… and those who lack judgment (are naive or who are careless, or ignorant), fall prey to her. She is the doorway to death, and those who lack judgment don’t know it. They think she has something to offer, so they enter her gates…

Jesus said something similar. He said “Wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and many are on it…, but narrow is the path that leads to life, and few there be that find it…”…

If you think folly, and temptation are hidden… your incorrect…

It stands on the highest point of the city, and tells you to compromise all day long, waiting for you to walk through its gates…

Keep your paths straight, and your eyes fixed on Jesus… don’t give her the time of day… in her gates are death and destruction…

Don’t be ignorant or naive… her voice is heard everywhere, except by those who do not lack judgment…

Be ever watchful…

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”- 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7

Love has been difficult for people to define throughout the generations.

This passage of scripture does a perfect job of it.

I think of how so many different groups of people define love as an emotional feeling, a sexual desire, or a mindset.

I heard one person say, (and I agree), “Love is a verb, not an adjective”…

I think a long neglected aspect of love, is rejoicing with the truth, and despising evil …

I know men who will “love” their neighbor, but never tell them the truth … in fact they dread telling them the truth … does that sound like rejoicing with truth …?

I think love involves truth … 

How are you showing love to others?

A test and a teaching from Jesus!

Mark 6:35-37

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

There were nearly five thousand people following Jesus and learning from His teachings. The disciples wanted Jesus to send them away so that they might go into town and get food before dark.

Jesus doesn’t send them away, but instead tells the disciples to feed them.

Have you ever been asked to do something from Jesus that seemed impossible? Was your response like these men?

This was a teaching moment from Jesus. John’s account of this same incident says something the other accounts do not… listen to this…

John 6:5-6

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Did you catch that? Jesus already knew what He was going to do… but he told the disciples to feed them to “test” them…

You see Jesus was trying to find out how much faith these men had in him. Did they know for sure they were walking with the “Lord of Lords”, and “King of Kings”, whom by his very words the universe leapt into existence?

They did not yet believe…

But after this incident, and Jesus teaching them, they certainly grew in their faith in this one who with thanksgiving to his father, was able to feed five thousand men with a couple of loaves of bread and a few fish…

So how have you been tested by the Lord to strengthen your faith?

Luke 5:4-11

(Jesus) when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

I absolutely love these scriptures.

Have you ever worked hard, doing the same old, same old and have felt like your getting no where?

Simon Peter did. He had worked hard all night, and caught nothing. He had been fishing his whole life, and this was a terrible night of empty nets in the same old routine.

Suddenly, a man Simon doesn’t know at all walks up and says, “cast them again!”

Simon doesn’t know this guy from another, but reacts by saying… “we haven’t caught anything, but because you say so, I will…”

Wow…

That’s when Simon learns who he is dealing with, because he catches so many fish his nets are breaking…

Isn’t this the same old, same old routine that he was doing last night?

When Jesus comes he makes things new. It isn’t the way we fish. It isn’t the type of nets we are using, or the spots were fishing at. The secret is because Jesus said so…

Simon knew instantly, this man was different. Simon also knew instantly that he was in the presence of the supernatural, and that he (Simon) was an unworthy sinner….

That’s a changed life… so much so, Simon left his life of fishing, and followed this “supernatural one…”

So what is the same old same old in your life, that needs to be made new. Is Jesus asking you to do the same old same old, even though it hasn’t worked for you? Will you do it just because he said so?

2 Timothy 4:2-4

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Uh oh…

This is a warning.. and a very relevant one at that…

When I read things like this it encourages me, and saddens me, and brings to light a lot of things common in our culture.

I know so many self proclaimed christians who do not read their bibles, or like biblical preaching, or even hearing another talk about it whether in public, private, or anywhere for that matter.

I know so many pastors and bible teachers who seldom preach the word… but instead preach on practical issues and social stimulus, that always has a “feel good” message. I have traveled all over the country, and many parts of the world. It is the same pretty much everywhere.

Why is this?

Simple truth is, people won’t put up with that sound doctrine stuff… (Does that sound familiar?)…

That bible stuff is negative, it is too absolute, too narrow, and outdated… we want something new… give us leaders to innovate, and entertain us… (Does that sound familiar?)

These verses are scary true…. especially in our culture today.

This was written 2000 years ago… how did he know?

John 4:24“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

These are strange days here on planet Earth…

There have been many movements since the time of Jesus that have proclaimed to be “spiritual”, or “spirit-filled” movements…

Not many of them lasted…

Every movement that has gone back to truth though has lasted, and changed cultures…

Why?

I think Jesus said it, when He said we must worship in Spirit and in Truth.

It isn’t either spiritual or truthful thing… its a both thing…

Jesus wasn’t making a suggestion either, because must implies must… that is an authoritative command…

Any worship, that isn’t both spiritual, and truthful… isn’t worship of God…

God is spirit… so it has to be spiritual…
But He also authors truth… so it has to be truthful as well…

You can know the truth, and be spiritual, and don’t let anyone tell you your arrogant because you say you can know the truth, or say that you can’t know it…

They are dead wrong… you can know the truth, and you can stand on it…

Jesus certainly intended for us to know the truth, and through it worship God in both Spirit, and in Truth…

One without the other, well that isn’t worship at all… not of God anyway. That is called idolatry…

Luke 5:15-17

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

You know most Christians gather together for prayer. Most often gather for prayer in public places.

Jesus was weird. He actually retreated for prayer. He went away from public places and crowds of people to get alone with His Father. He sought solitude to be with God rather than gatherings.

Most of us pray so that something will happen.

Jesus prayed because things were happening, and He needed time with His Father.

Jesus wanted intimacy with His Father more than anything. Jesus didn’t even have to say it, we can see it in His life.

So what is your prayer life like?