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Liberty Worship Center

Author: Bert Mendelson

  • Perfected

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    Perfected

    Galatians 3:1-3 (NASB)

    1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
    2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
    3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

    The Gospel

    The Apostle Paul had brought the gospel message to these Christians in the Galatian region. Paul and many other new Christians had been persecuted horribly. Paul was even stoned, to the point where his attackers actually thought he was dead. Years later, some men had come into these churches and told them that Paul was wrong. These Gentiles (non-Jews) needed to still follow all of the Jewish regulations, and essentially convert to Judaism, if they wanted to truly follow God.
    Paul told them that they did not have to do this. They simply needed to follow Jesus, as he had taught them before.

    Adding To

    At the end of the book of Revelation, we have one of the clearest warnings about adding to or taking away from (changing) the words of God’s word, the Bible.

    Revelation 22:18-19 (NASB)

    18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
    19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

    This is what the false teachers were doing with the Galatian people, and some of the people were believing them. They were adding to the simple message of salvation in Jesus. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Old Testament Law. We no longer have to follow all of the ceremonial laws and regulations in the Old Testament. Of course, the moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments, still apply, as we see in many places in the New Testament.

    Additions Today

    Human nature hasn’t changed. For some reason, at times, we convince ourselves that we have to do more than what the Bible says. We have to “earn” our way into heaven by doing good works. The problem is that we can never be good enough.

    Isaiah 64:6 (NASB)

    6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
    And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
    And all of us wither like a leaf,
    And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

    What we think are good deeds are usually “filthy garments.” Why? It’s probably because of our motives. Instead of doing what God clearly says, we say that we can do something else to earn God’s approval, so that He has no choice but to welcome us into His presence. It might also be so that we can show (to ourselves or others) how much better we are than other people — religious pride.
    Salvation is easy, but it is also the hardest thing you will ever do.

    Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

    9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
    10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

    Taking Words Away

    Probably more common than adding words to what God says is taking words away. Our society says that there is nothing wrong with premarital sex. It also says that homosexuality is just as normal as heterosexuality. That is taking away from what God clearly says, though.

    Romans 1:25-28 (NASB)

    25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
    26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
    27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
    28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

    Some people would actually call this “hate speech”, but in reality, it is love speech. Real love is willing to tell someone else the truth, even if it costs them a friendship or jail time. Simply reading this passage, in a Christian church, in some countries would be considered a crime, at that person could go to jail. This is happening almost every day, and not just in communist countries; it’s happening in England, Canada, and many other Western countries.
    Many people will preach “tolerance”, but they themselves will only tolerate what they want to believe; in other words, a one-way tolerance.

    Truth

    Facts are not something that we have the right to vote on. A fact is either true or it’s false. If it’s false, it’s a lie. In a free country, people don’t have to be Christians. To call yourself a Christian, though, and not follow what the Bible says, is a lie.

    1 John 1:6-7 (NASB)

    6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
    7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

    Following Christ means that we actually follow Christ — what He said and did. We don’t have the right to change what God said, any more than we can say that 2 + 2 does not equal 4. Facts are facts, whether we choose to believe them or not.

    Daily Life

    It might not seem like it, but these are very basic things. If we are going to live godly lives, we need to follow God. Following God needs to be a daily way of life, not something that we do once a week or when we are around certain people. It’s also not about “big” sins. It can simply be not taking the time to listen to God, to find out what He wants us to do. There is an old parable about putting a frog in cold water, then gradually heating it up, and the frog doesn’t even notice it until it’s too late.

    1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB)

    33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

    Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

    20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

    Little Changes

    As we said, living a godly life is a daily thing, a way of life. When a person gives their life to Christ, they become a new creation. A butterfly can’t crawl around on the ground anymore. It now has to fly and live a new life. God has called us to live new lives, not being swayed by so-called “popular opinion.”
    When we start to say to ourselves that something is “not that bad”, we are in danger of compromising God’s holiness in our lives. We should always strive for His righteousness, not our own. The only way to do that is to walk by and live in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

    Galatians 3:1-3 (NASB)

    1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
    2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
    3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

    More…

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  • FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

    FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

    Missing Fun

    Some people think that they would have to give up so much to live a godly life. There are so many beautiful and enjoyable things in this world. That’s actually why God created them — to be enjoyed. In the same way that a young child might think that a hot stove looks interesting, and they get upset when their parent stops them from touching it, God knows and is looking out for our best interests.
    God created us and this life. When we, in our arrogance, decide to go our own way instead of God’s, we are actually saying that we know more than God. That’s more than just arrogant; it’s dumb!

    Life

    In Luke chapter 16, Jesus told a story of a rich man and a poor man who lived very different lives.

    Luke 16:19-21 (NASB)

    19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
    20 “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
    21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.”

    We can’t say for sure, but it seems this rich man was very greedy. He was living an extravagant life, but he wouldn’t even help a desperately poor man just outside the gate to his property. What was driving this man to be so callous to the basic needs of someone that he saw every day? He obviously cared about what other people thought of him — that’s why he dressed in very expensive clothes every day. Maybe he was so concerned about himself that he didn’t even think about the needs of others. It could be that he didn’t want any of his rich friends to see him stooping to the level of this poor man, Lazarus.
    For his part, Lazarus had very little money and poor health. It says that he was longing “to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table.” Lazarus was in a desperate situation. He could have waited until the rich man was asleep, then gone into his property and stolen enough to eat and live well, but he didn’t. He could have convinced himself that he was entitled to these things just as much as the rich man was, but he didn’t. Lazarus maintained his integrity and godliness, no matter how desperate things got.

    Death

    Eventually, both men die.

    Luke 16:22 (NASB)

    22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

    Look at the language that Jesus used. The poor man was “carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.” This was a common term that was used for the upper part of Hades, where the spirits of the righteous people would go. Abraham was there, along with many others.
    The lower part of Hades was a place of torment. It was reserved for dead people who had been unrighteous in their lives. It appears that is where the rich man went. Notice it does not say that the angels carried him away to somewhere great.
    Next, we see what Hades was like.

    Hades

    Look at what happened to the rich man.

    Luke 16:23 (NASB)

    23 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.”

    From what we can see in the Bible, it seems that Jesus brought all of the righteous people out of the upper part of Hades and took them to heaven with Him, after He was raised from the dead. At this time, though, there were still two parts of Hades, and we get a glimpse of what it was like.
    The lower part of Hades was a place of torment; the bosom of Abraham was not. The rich man was “in torment.”

    Luke 16:24 (NASB)

    24 “And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.

    The rich man was looking for any type of comfort, no matter how small. He was suffering horrible, painful torture. At that time, people in both parts of Hades could see each other, so he asked Abraham to send Lazarus with just a drop or two of water on his finger, so that he could put it on his burning tongue.

    Punishment

    To some people, the punishment of the rich man might seem extreme. Father Abraham puts this into perspective, though.

    Luke 16:25 (NASB)

    25 “But Abraham said, Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

    We could also say that how Lazarus was treated by the rich man during their lives was not fair. Lazarus deserved much better treatment.
    I don’t think that anyone truly understands real holiness and just how horrible and disgusting sin is in the eyes of God. If we did, we would all live much better lives.

    No Choice

    It turns out that no matter what Abraham or Lazarus wanted to do, they were not able to help the rich man. His fate was sealed, and there would be no more comfort.

    Luke 16:26 (NASB)

    26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.

    Choices

    In this life, we have choices. We can choose to live godly lives or greedy lives. We need to realize, though, what we do now will affect where and how we live for all eternity.
    When it comes to FOMO, my greatest fear would be missing out on spending eternity with Jesus. How about you? Are you willing to set aside what might seem like fun now, so that you can enjoy the rest of this life, as well as the next life, in the presence of God?

    Proverbs 22:2 (NASB)

    2 The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.

    Proverbs 28:6 (NASB)

    6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked though he be rich.

    How to be Saved

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  • New Life Choices

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    New Life Choices

    Results

    If I’m holding a glass, then I drop it on a hard floor, it will break. It doesn’t matter if I want it to break, it’s going to happen. After it breaks, I might really wish it wasn’t broken, but it will still be in pieces on the floor. That’s the way that life is.
    We are the result of our choices. If we make good choices, we will have better consequences than if we make bad choices.
    Genetics can play a role (I was never going to be tall enough to play in the NBA). It also matters who we grow up with and where. At the end of the day, though, we all are responsible for our lives.
    Many people have had horrible childhoods, yet they became very happy, successful adults. Others have had everything good handed to them growing up, but they became miserable, ungodly adults.
    We all have good and bad things happen to us. How we choose to address them defines who and what we will become.

    Greatest Commandment

    One day, an expert in the Jewish law asked Jesus a question

    Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)

    36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
    37 And He said to him, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
    38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
    39 “The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
    40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

    There are literally hundreds of commandments in the Old Testament. Jesus told this man that it can all be boiled down to these two commandments, though. God has always been showing us His love, and looking for us to love Him back. If we love someone, we will only do what we believe is good for them.
    We can even see this in the Ten Commandments. The first four speak to our relationship with God, the others outline our relationship with each other. Through it all, it’s all about love.

    Ten Commandments

    Exodus 20 (NASB)

    #1: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (v.3)
    #2: “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (v.4)
    #3: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,” (v.7)
    #4: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (v.8)

    Notice that these are commandments, not suggestions. God expects us to keep them. If we don’t, there will be negative consequences, just like the negative consequences from dropping the glass. Some people think that God wants to keep us from being happy. It’s actually just the opposite. These commandments are here to show us how to have a truly joyful life (and eternal life).

    No Other Gods

    The word “idolatry” actually means placing our main affection or desire on anyone or anything over God Himself. He wants, and deserves, to be far more important than anything or anyone else. He created us for this purpose — to love Him!

    Making Idols

    In most of the Western world today, people are not bowing down and worshiping statues necessarily. I believe the most common idol that people have made and worship is so-called “science.” They will typically claim that they believe in “science”, not God. By its definition, that is making and worshiping an idol. By doing this, people are showing their own arrogance and pride. True science, however, is based on facts, not assumptions. When someone makes the statement that they won’t even consider the existence of God, but they will believe in the Big Bang Theory and evolutionary theory instead, they actually violate a major point of true science. They are refusing to accept all possible answers to a question, even though their own theories cannot be proven.

    Taking God’s Name in Vain

    If someone applies for a credit card or a loan using someone else’s name, it’s a crime. They used the other person’s good name and credit under false pretenses. That’s similar to what happens when someone takes God’s name in vain. It’s when someone “curses” using God’s name, but they are not actually calling out to Him. It reduces the majesty and glory of God in that person’s eyes, when He should be exalted and praised forever for His lovingkindness and goodness to all of us.

    Remember the Sabbath Day

    In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and Sadducees had added numerous things to God’s law, including the Sabbath day. They actually claimed that Jesus (the Son of God) was a sinner, because he healed people on the Sabbath. This is what Jesus said.

    Mark 2:27-28 (NASB)

    27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
    28 “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

    God established the Sabbath day when He rested from creating the universe in six days. He has unlimited power and energy, so He did not need to rest; He rested to give us an example.

    Relationship with Other People

    The next six commandments in Exodus 20 deal with our relationships with each other. If we truly love each other, these are things that we will be doing — not because we are forced to, but because we want to. Love leads us to do loving things.

    Exodus 20 (NASB)

    #5: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” (v.12)
    #6: “You shall not murder.” (v.13)
    #7: “You shall not commit adultery.” (v.14)
    #8: “You shall not steal.” (v.15)
    #9: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (v.16)
    #10: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (v.17)

    Honor Your Father and Your Mother

    Paul points out in Ephesians 6:2 that this is the first commandment with a promise.

    Exodus 20:12 (NASB)

    12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

    Most people would like to live long, prosperous lives. This is one major way to accomplish that. As we grow up, we want to think for ourselves and not be forced to do what someone else tells us to. Our parents have lived longer than we have, so they have probably been through what we are going through right now. They also probably love us with a love that is like no other.
    Some people feel that their parents don’t deserve their love, because of their actions or words over the years. Unfortunately, in some cases, that might be true. On the other hand, this might just be an opportunity to show forgiveness.
    At the same time, notice the promise that God gives: “that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” This is a promise for the son or daughter who is honoring their father and mother.
    Just as forgiving someone benefits the person who is doing the forgiving, honoring your parents benefits the one doing the honoring.

    Murder

    Exodus 20:13 (NASB)

    13 “You shall not murder.”

    As we see in other scriptures, this does not include execution after a person has been convicted of a capital crime (such as murder). It also does not include defending yourself or others, such as in a time of war.
    Murder is the taking of a human life, with the explicit exceptions just mentioned. It is especially heinous, because it is destroying someone who was created in the image of God. This includes suicide. God has created each of us in His image. Life is hard, but God can give you the strength to overcome, if you trust and follow Him.
    Science has confirmed to us that an unborn child is a human who only needs a safe place to be fed, nurtured, and grow. This is the same as a newborn child. Viewing life in this way (which is also confirmed in scripture — see Jer.1:5 and Gal.1:15), we can see that abortion is actually murder.

    Adultery

    Exodus 20:14 (NASB)

    14 “You shall not commit adultery.”

    God created Adam and Eve. He created them to be married to each other for their entire lives. Some people have said that we were never intended to be married for many years. I think that Adam and Eve, along with billions of others, disprove that idea.
    Remember how Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. If you love your spouse, you won’t commit adultery against them. If you truly love someone else’s spouse, you won’t commit adultery with them. Loving God also means that you will keep yourself pure, no matter what our society says is okay. This means waiting to have sex until you have made the lifelong commitment of marriage, then keeping yourself only for your spouse.
    This is how God created us to live, and this is how we can show true love, not what the world around us claims love is.

    Stealing

    Exodus 20:15 (NASB)

    15 “You shall not steal.”

    Love wants the best for the other person. Stealing is the opposite of that love. Stealing is done by someone who only cares for himself. It can be taking someone else’s car or watch. It can also be eating a grape at the grocery store without paying for it. How much something costs is not the point. The point is taking something that does not belong to you.

    Ephesians 4:28 (NASB)

    28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

    We should be giving to others, not taking from them; generosity not greed.

    Lying

    Exodus 20:16 (NASB)

    16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

    Just like with stealing, God doesn’t say, “It’s okay to lie as long as you think it’s not a big lie.” There is no such thing as “a little white lie.” What God is specifically saying here is saying something bad or negative about someone else that you know is not true. This could be a political “opponent”, a coworker, or a former friend. Lying might seem like the easiest or most effective tool at the time, but it’s almost always a bad decision. It’s definitely not the loving decision.

    Coveting

    Exodus 20:17 (NASB)

    17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

    Coveting simply means to desire greatly. I learned a long time ago that I will never be the best or worst at anything. I will never be the best looking or the richest or the most popular. There can only be one best of any particular thing, and chances are you won’t be the best, either. That means that you might be tempted to be jealous of what someone else has. This can lead to anger, lying, or many other things that are the opposite of love.
    Instead of jealousy, we should be happy for others when they are doing well. We should also be thankful to God for what we have. Being jealous of someone else means we are blaming God for not giving us what we think we deserve.
    Paul, once again, had the right attitude.

    Philippians 4:11-13 (NASB)

    11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
    12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
    13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

    Love

    Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)

    36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
    37 And He said to him, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
    38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
    39 “The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
    40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

    If we look at every situation in our lives as an opportunity to be thankful to God for what He has given us, as well as an opportunity to show His love to God and others, we will live the joyful, happy, content, and blessed life that He intends for each one of us.

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  • New Year New Direction

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    New Year New Direction

    New Year

    At the end of one year and the beginning of another, many people re-examine their lives. What am I doing? Where am I heading? Do I need to change direction?
    Few people wind up doing what they wanted to do when they were children, which is probably a good thing. (How many firemen and ballerinas do we really need?) Usually, our lives take many twists and turns. If we’re not careful, we can wake up one day and ask ourselves, “How did I get here?”
    It seems Moses had that happen to him more than once.

    Evil King

    The nation of Israel had been living in the land of Egypt for over 300 years. At first, they were welcomed there as guests, because of Joseph, one of Jacob’s sone. Over the years, the Egyptian people enslaved the Israelites and started to fear them. Since God was blessing the Israelites with many children, giving them a large population, the Egyptian king and his people were afraid that one day, they might rise up and take over their country. Just before Moses was born, the king even made a decree that all Jewish male children had to be thrown into the Nile River (to kill them).

    Supernatural Protection

    God miraculously spared Moses, though. His mother carefully placed him in a waterproof basket, then placed him by the side of the Nile River.

    Exodus 2:5-6 (NASB)

    5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.
    6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews children.”

    The king of Egypt was also called Pharaoh. His daughter saw Moses and had pity on him, so she decided to raise Moses on her own. God even provided a way for Moses’s own mother to nurse him and raise him in the early part of his life. She then brought Moses to Pharaoh’s daughter, where he was trained and raised in the royal household.

    Royal Education

    Acts 7:22 (NASB)

    22 “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

    At this time, Egypt had possibly the most advanced scientific and military knowledge anywhere. Moses probably saw himself growing up to become a powerful person there. Whether through his mother or someone else, Moses was told that he was chosen to save the Jewish people from their slavery.

    Action

    Acts 7:23-25 (NASB)

    23 “But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.
    24 “And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.
    25 “And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

    Moses was now a grown man. It appears that he was strong, courageous, and very intelligent. He probably looked at his circumstances and reasoned to himself that now was the time that God was going to use him to deliver his people. In his own mind, Moses probably figured that he had the right talent and training, so of course God would use him, and this was the perfect time. He was physically at his strongest, and if he waited much longer, he might not be physically able to accomplish what he could now.
    All of this was what Moses could understand on his own, not what God could accomplish. Things were about to change dramatically for him.

    Retreat

    After Moses killed the Egyptian, the king tried to kill him. Moses fled and went to another country, where he stayed in obscurity. He instantly went from being in the palace of the greatest country in the world to raising another man’s sheep in a poor land. He did that for the next 40 years. During this time, he probably lost all confidence in himself and his abilities, as we can see when God called him.

    Retreat

    Moses went from this:

    Acts 7:22 (NASB)

    22 “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

    to this:

    Exodus 3:11 (NASB)

    11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

    All the confidence and self-assurance that Moses had 40 years earlier had slowly drifted. He saw his calling that was once so clear gradually fade away. He now had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to live and die in obscurity, away from his family, never fulfilling God’s plan for him.

    Settling

    Moses had probably decided to make the best of where life had taken him. He married one of the daughters of the man whose sheep he was pastoring, and they had two sons. He had settled into this life and lifestyle.
    Now, God was about to shake things up again.

    Preparation

    God needed a man who would be able to lead over 3 million Israelites out of slavery to the most powerful nation on earth. Forty years earlier, Moses thought that God had uniquely prepared him and positioned him to make this happen. What Moses did not understand was that the last 40 years of obscurity and humbling were what he really needed. He needed to depend completely on God, having no confidence in his own talents and training. God needed an empty vessel, and that’s what Moses had become.

    Standing Before the King

    Moses was now 80 years old. He probably was planning for his death, making sure that his wife and young sons would be provided for. Instead, God tells him that He has a very special plan for him, one that would change the world.

    Exodus 7:15-18 (NASB)

    15 “Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent.
    16 “You shall say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.”
    17 Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.
    18 “The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”‘”

    God used Moses to inflict 10 different plagues on the Egyptians. Through this, God was glorified to all of the nations in the known world, especially Egypt.

    Your Direction

    Are you where you thought you would be when you were younger? What are your plans for the future? Are you ready and willing for God to change your plans into His plans?
    Where are you heading? When you die (which will happen to us all), where will you be? If you can’t say for sure that you will be in heaven with Jesus, please stop right now and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be the Lord (ruler) of your life. Ultimately, that is the most important direction and destination for all eternity.

    How to be Saved

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  • Why Was Jesus Born?

    nativity

    Why Was Jesus Born?

    Why did we need help?

    In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. Life was great for them in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they needed, including daily fellowship with God.
    Then, one day, they did the one thing that God told them not to do — they ate from the one tree that was forbidden. God had warned them that this would lead to their deaths, and it did. Physical death is when the soul and spirit are separated from the body. Spiritual death is when we are separated from God — spiritually.
    By disobeying God, Adam and Eve caused a separation between themselves and God — a spiritual death. They also felt shame for the first time, because they were naked. They formed some coverings for themselves out of fig leaves, but that did not work very well. God provided for them, with the first recorded animal sacrifice. He made clothing for Adam and Eve out of animal skins.

    Animal Sacrifices

    God had told Adam and Eve that they would die because of their sin. In Old Testament times, God accepted animal sacrifices, covering over the penalty that people deserved. He gave the people detailed instructions for offering the sacrifices. Although the sacrifices were good, they were not enough.

    Hebrews 9:9b-10 (NASB)

    Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
    10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

    We needed a better sacrifice, one that would fully cleanse us from our sin.

    Jesus’ Sacrifice

    Hebrews 9:11-12 (NASB)

    11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
    12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

    Why did Jesus have to make this sacrifice? Because He was the only person to ever live Who never sinned, making Him the perfect, blameless sacrifice. He is the only person Who did not deserve to pay for His sins, because He didn’t have any. All the rest of us do.

    Only a Woman

    Let’s look at what God told the serpent (Satan) after Adam and Eve sinned.

    Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

    15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

    God said that the seed (child) of the woman would be an enemy with Satan. He would not be a seed of a man, though. Of course, this is impossible; it made no sense. How could this ever happen? Still, God prophesied it again many years later.

    Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)

    14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

    The word, “Immanuel” means “God with us.” (Matt.1:23) How could this be possible?

    A Virgin

    Luke 1:30-33 (NASB)

    30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
    31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
    32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
    33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

    Mary was a young Jewish woman who was engaged to a man named Joseph, but she had never had sex with anyone (Matt.1:18). Naturally, Mary was confused and asked the angel how this could be.

    Luke 1:34-35 (NASB)

    34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
    35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

    There are many places in the Bible where God references the fact that He considers all godly people to be His bride, and He is the groom. Actually, we are all supposed to be His bride/church, but many choose not to be a part. With this, God was marrying Himself to all of humanity.
    We were lost, but God had a plan. Why did He live as one of us, though?

    One of Us

    Referring to Jesus, scripture says this.

    Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)

    15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
    16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

    Jesus showed us how to live. He also showed us that it was possible to live a sinless life, but only with God’s help. We were never intended to live this life on our own. God has always wanted to be there, helping us and walking with us every day.

    Teaching

    Mark 2:13 (NASB)

    13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

    We see many scriptures telling us how Jesus would teach the people every day. He also chose 12 disciples who followed Him and lived with Him for over three years. They could see Him, His lifestyle, and His teaching up close. They knew exactly Who He was. In fact, they believed Jesus so much that they all gave up everything to follow Him.
    After Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, then ascended into heaven, they all knew they had to tell everyone they could about Him. They were all persecuted, and all of them except one was martyred (killed) because of their faith in Jesus. They knew Who He was, and that’s how they lived their lives.

    Death

    Hebrews 9:15 (NASB)

    15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

    Jesus redeemed us (took our place) by dying on the cross. He took our sins on Himself, nailed them to the cross, and paid the penalty that we deserved. He didn’t stop there, though.

    Resurrection

    Romans 6:4, 10-11 (NASB)

    4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
    10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
    11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

    Jesus died, but then He rose from the dead. With this act, He destroyed the power of death, not just for Himself, but also for all of us. He made it possible for us to now consider ourselves “to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” By any human measure, all of this is impossible. With God, all things are possible (Matt.19:26).

    Today

    Today, Jesus is seated once again at the right hand of His Father in heaven. That doesn’t mean that He has left us, though.

    Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

    19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
    20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

    Jesus, as a man, could not be with all of us all the time, so He sent His Holy Spirit.

    John 14:16, 18-19 (NASB)

    16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
    18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
    19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.

    New Birth

    Just as we celebrate the birth of Jesus at this time of year, we can celebrate our own birth. Jesus gave us everything He had. It’s time for us to give Him everything we have and be born again ourselves.

    John 3:16 (NASB)

    16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

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  • Our Only Hope is Jesus

    Wise men on camels traveling to the star

    Our Only Hope is Jesus

    Trouble

    Sometimes, it seems our world has nothing but trouble. Politicians on one side say that the other side has the worst people to ever live. The other side says the same thing. Enemy nations use social media to stoke the flames of hate, knowing that this is how they can make us weak.
    At home, it seems like there’s never enough money to do what we would like to do. There are problems with parents/children/spouse/others. There are never enough hours in the day. Nothing goes right at work, home, family, friends, church, neighbors, etc.
    Have you ever thought, “Everything would be great if people just did what I wanted.” Then you realize that’s probably what everyone else wants, and that’s why we have problems!

    Sin

    Driving down the street, people speeding to get somewhere quickly. Some people will cut you off. Others will drive like they own the road, and no one else matters. Maybe you have even been that person some days.
    It’s hard to be nice when it seems that no one wants to be nice to you. You begin to wonder if there is any hope for this world (or yourself). Jesus is our hope!

    1 Peter 1:3-5 (NASB)

    3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
    4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
    5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

    Hope

    We have hope, not because of what we have done or who we are. We have hope because of what Jesus has done and Who He is! God Himself came to earth to give us hope. In spite of all the hardships He endured in this life, He always had hope. That was only possible because He knew Who He was, and He knew His Father’s plan. This life was not the end for Him. He knew that He came from eternity and He was returning back to eternity, with His Father.

    Perspective

    Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

    1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
    2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
    3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

    The writer here is giving us a few ways to help keep our perspective on track. First, he tells us that we have a great “cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” He is probably referring to the “heroes of the faith”, such as Abraham and Moses, that he mentioned in the previous chapter. They were all people who overcame “impossible” obstacles because they trusted in God.
    Then, he tells us to get rid of everything that is slowing us down, like sin, “which so easily entangles us.” You can’t expect to win a race if you are trying to carry heavy weights on you everywhere you go. Let go of the sin and whatever is keeping you down, away from Jesus.
    When you are running a race, it’s good to keep looking at the finish line. That’s where you want to be. You want to do whatever it takes to get there. Jesus is our finish line — “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Yes, we still have to live in this life, in this world. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, our goal, then we will have the right perspective to live in this life.

    Hostility

    Hebrews 12:2-3 (NASB)

    2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
    3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

    As we fix our eyes on Jesus, we need to remember what He did for us. Even though He despised the shame of the mocking, beating, and crucifixion, He “endured.” This means that when He wanted to run away, He stayed; He endured. When He was being arrested, Peter was going to fight for Him. Jesus said that He could have called for thousands of angels to protect Him, but He didn’t; He endured.

    Matthew 26:52-53 (NASB)

    52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
    53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

    Sinners

    Hebrews 12:3 (NASB)

    3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

    There are times when we are going through trials, and we wonder about other people. We think, “I know that person, and they are horrible. Why do they never seem to have any problems?” Jesus didn’t go there. He was (and is) the Son of God — God Himself. He never sinned, in His entire life, yet here were horrible, sinful people judging Him and mocking Him. If anyone had a right to be angry, Jesus did. If anyone had a right to take revenge, He did. But He didn’t.
    Instead of taking vengeance for what these “sinners” were doing to Him, He died for them.

    Romans 5:8 (NASB)

    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    No, Jesus didn’t deserve what happened to Him, but He endured it anyway — for us. We might not deserve the trials we go through (or maybe we do), but we need to endure anyway. We endure because we know Who our Savior is. We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, because He is our hope.

    John 14:6 (NASB)

    6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

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  • Your Plan vs God’s Plan

    two human palms

    Your Plan vs God’s Plan

    Our Plans

    Most of us have plans. As a child, we might have dreams of being a doctor, fireman, football player, or president. In high school, we start getting more “realistic” about how we want to make a living. Once we are in a career, we plan on getting a promotion. At some point, we might meet our spouse and start planning for a house and children. We get older, and start thinking about retirement.
    As you think back on your own life, how many of your plans turned out the way you thought they would? I have known some people who dated in high school, and they got married and lived happily the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, that is the exception. Most of the time, things don’t turn out as we had planned when we were young.

    Jacob

    In the book of Genesis, we meet Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. He was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 sons he fathered). He loved the Lord, and was a godly man, but he was far from perfect. In fact, he deceived his own father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn child, instead of his slightly older twin brother, Esau. Jacob and Esau’s mother, Rebekah, sent Jacob back to her hometown, a long way off. He went to find a wife. Once he got there, he met Rachel, and fell in love with her. He agreed with her father to work for him for seven years, so that he could marry Rachel. This was his plan, but it didn’t work out that way.
    On his wedding night, Rachel’s father secretly deceived Jacob. He had his other daughter, Leah, waiting for Jacob. Jacob did not realize the deception until the next morning. The father then said that Jacob had to agree to work for another seven years to have the right to marry Rachel.

    Deception

    On his wedding night, Rachel’s father secretly deceived Jacob. He had his other daughter, Leah, waiting for Jacob. Jacob did not realize the deception until the next morning. The father then said that Jacob had to agree to work for another seven years to have the right to marry Rachel. Although this was an incredibly wrong thing to do — for Jacob, Leah, and Rachel — God used the situation to provide many children for Jacob.
    Jacob made plans. The father seemingly “ruined” those plans. God redeemed the situation and used it for good.
    This is a pattern we see many times in the Bible, and even in our own lives. Our job is to make sure that we keep a godly attitude and trust God with everything.

    Joseph

    As we said earlier, Jacob was not a perfect man. One of the problems with having more than one wife is preferring one over another, which brings out jealousy. Jacob did prefer Rachel. After many years of not being able to have children, she gave birth to a son named Joseph. Joseph quickly became his favorite son, probably because he was born to his favorite wife, and he “was the son of his old age” (Gen.37:3). (Remember, favoritism is bad.)
    It seems that Joseph was not just Jacob’s favorite, but God had a special plan for his life. Joseph was probably happy being the favorite son, but God had much more in store for him. He had his father’s favor, but because of this, his brothers hated him. Things were about to get worse, though.

    Genesis 37:5-8 (NASB)

    5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
    6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had;
    7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
    8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

    Joseph was just trying to understand his dream, and his brothers hated him for it. They thought that he was being arrogant and prideful, even though it doesn’t seem like that was the case. Many times, we can see a glimpse of God’s plans and not understand. We can even misinterpret what God is doing.

    Another Dream

    Genesis 37:9-11 (NASB)

    9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
    10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”
    11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

    Now, even his parents were upset with him. Joseph was just trying to understand what was happening in his young life, and it seemed that no one around him could help. They all accused him of pride and arrogance.

    From Bad to Worse

    Life must have been hard for Joseph, but it was about to get worse. Jacob would have Joseph go out to the fields and check on his brothers, to make sure that they were tending to the sheep. This also upset his (all older) brothers.
    One day, Joseph was going out to check on his brothers and the flocks. They saw him coming, and let their anger get the better of them.

    Genesis 37:18-20 (NASB)

    18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
    19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer!
    20 “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild beast devoured him. Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”

    Imagine your own brothers being angry enough to actually plan to kill you. Thankfully, Reuben, the oldest brother, wanted to save Joseph’s life.

    Genesis 37:21-22 (NASB)

    21 But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.”
    22 Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him” — that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.

    Reuben had a plan, but, once again, that’s not what happened.

    Sold Into Slavery

    Genesis 37:25-27 (NASB)

    25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.
    26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?
    27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

    The brothers had thrown Joseph into a hole in the ground, then they casually have lunch. They saw a caravan of Ishmaelites (their cousins through their their great-grandfather Abraham) on their way to Egypt. They sold Joseph to them as a slave, then lied to their father, Jacob, and told him Joseph was dead.

    Potiphar’s House

    When they got to Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of the bodyguard of Pharaoh (the Egyptian king). Even though Joseph was a slave, God was still with him. Even Potiphar saw that everything that Joseph did prospered. Potiphar soon put Joseph in charge of his whole household and everything he owned.
    Once again, it seemed like things were getting a little better for Joseph, but that was about to change. Potiphar’s wife saw Joseph and wanted to sleep with him. As a godly man, Joseph kept refusing her. One day, Potiphar’s wife got angry and accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Of course, Potiphar believed his wife, and he had Joseph thrown in the royal jail.

    Undeserved

    Genesis 39:19-20 (NASB)

    19 Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned.
    20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

    Joseph could have taken the easy way out; he could have slept with Potiphar’s wife. Instead, he did the godly thing and maintained his integrity. Sometimes, we can do the right thing and still be accused of doing the wrong thing. This seems to be the pattern so far in Joseph’s life.

    Faithfulness

    Even though Joseph has hard things happening to him, he maintains his integrity, and he never loses his faith in, and faithfulness to, God. Because of this, God honors his faith, and is with him, even in the hard times.

    Genesis 39:21-23 (NASB)

    21 But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
    22 The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it.
    23 The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.

    Cupbearer and Baker

    In those days, Pharaoh (the king) could have people put in prison just because they offended him.

    Genesis 39:21-23 (NASB)

    1 Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
    2 Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
    3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned.

    Dreams

    Genesis 40:5-8 (NASB)

    5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.
    6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected.
    7 He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”
    8 Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

    Joseph had a strong relationship with God, and he trusted that God would help him. After they told Joseph their dreams, he interpreted them. One was good news; the other one was bad news. Both interpretations came true. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when he was released, since he had been imprisoned unjustly. Once again, Joseph was disappointed.

    Two More Years

    Genesis 40:23-41:1a (NASB)

    23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
    1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream,

    Joseph had seen his chance of possibly getting out of this jail. He had done a great thing for the cupbearer, who was with the king every day. It probably seemed to him that no matter what he did, he never was able to have a “normal” life. Bad things seemed to follow him.

    Pharaoh’s Dreams

    After those two more years, Pharaoh had two more dreams. No one in his kingdom could interpret them, though. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told the king about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. The king had Joseph brought to him. Joseph interpreted the dreams. Both of them had the same interpretation. There was going to be seven years of abundant crops, followed by seven years of famine.

    Promotion

    Genesis 41:38-40 (NASB)

    38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?”
    39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.
    40 “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”

    This was an impossible thing that just occurred. Joseph had gone from being in jail to being the most powerful man, next to the king, in the most powerful country in the world at the time. What makes this even more incredible is the fact that Joseph was a foreigner; he was not even an Egyptian.
    He was still apart from his family, though.

    Famine

    When the famine came, Egypt was prepared. Joseph had commanded that they would store large portions of the abundant grain that was harvested in the good years. When the years of famine came, even Jacob and all of Joseph’s family experienced the famine. They came to Joseph, and he was able to provide for all of them.

    Fulfilled Dreams

    Joseph was now about 40 years old. The dreams that he had as a young boy finally came true. He was faithful to God, and God never left him. Joseph went through some very hard times, but God prospered him even in the hard times. Now, Joseph saw the ultimate reason he had to suffer all that he did.

    Genesis 45:7-8 (NASB)

    7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.
    8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

    God’s Purpose

    Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers. They had wanted to kill him. They actually sold him into slavery and lied to his father. He could have commanded that they be killed, and he could have his “revenge.” Some people would even say that would be the just thing to do. Joseph, as a godly man, knew the heart of God, and he saw God’s plan — even through all of the hard times.

    Your Life

    It might seem like you are living the life of Job or Joseph or one of the other “heroes” of the Bible. What makes them different — heroes — is their faithfulness to God. They never gave up.
    Whatever you are going through today, remember that God will always be there with you, as long as you remain faithful to Him. He loves you, and will always redeem your life; sometimes in this life, sometimes only in the next.

    Ephesians 6:11-14a (NASB)

    11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
    12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
    13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
    14 Stand firm therefore

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  • The Beauty of Sacrifice

    two human palms

    The Beauty of Sacrifice

    Christmas

    This is the time of year that we celebrate the birth of Jesus — the precious gift that was given to us. We traditionally celebrate by giving and receiving gifts. Too often, we miss the real meaning behind the whole thing. It becomes all about some material gift that we want or someone else wants. God wants us to understand that the real beauty is not in receiving. It’s not even in giving, if the giving is some material thing. The real beauty is when we give ourselves completely to serving God and others, in holiness.

    Sacrifice

    In Genesis chapter 3, we see that God sacrificed animals so He could make clothes for Adam and Eve after they sinned. In chapter 4, Cain and Abel bring sacrifices to God. Throughout the Old Testament, people brought offerings and sacrifices of animals and crops. They recognized that God’s justice required punishment for their sins. They also knew that God would accept sacrifices in their place.

    Soothing Aroma

    Exodus 29:18 (NASB)

    18 “You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

    We see this same phrase many times in the Old Testament — a “soothing aroma.” It is telling us that God is soothed, quieted, satisfied by the “aroma” of the burning sacrifices. It wasn’t the physical smell of the sacrifice; rather, it was the heart of the person who was offering the sacrifice. With this act, they were acknowledging their sin (that they had done wrong), as well as the fact that they deserved punishment for their sin. They also knew that this physical act, combined with their faith and repentant heart, would bring them back into a right relationship with their heavenly Father.

    Living Sacrifice

    Romans 12:1 (NASB)

    1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

    Today, we are told to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. Jesus paid the ultimate price. He gave His life so that we could live. God is still looking for our faith/trust in Him and a humble heart, longing to be in the presence of God.

    The Gift

    John 3:16 (NASB)

    16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

    We have probably heard this scripture so many times that it’s easy to skip over the real depth of its meaning. Because of God’s love for everyone in this world — past, present, and future — God gave His most precious gift, His “only begotten Son.” Why was this necessary? It was so that we should “not perish.” That means that we are perishing (dying) without His gift of sacrifice. Instead, He gave us His life, so we could have “eternal life” with Him (forever).
    Jesus satisfied the judgment that our sin required. It also made possible a closer relationship between us and God.

    God’s Love

    John 3:16 (NASB)

    16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

    Let’s not skip over the love part. It was God’s love that drove Him to give His most precious gift. It wasn’t loneliness, desperation, or anything that might cause some people to do difficult things. It was simply because of His love for us. He knew that we would fail (He knows all things), but He created us anyway. He knew that He would have to send Jesus to die for our sins, but He created us anyway. It’s just like parents who long to have children. They know that it will cost them money (a lot of money). They also know that there will be hard times, and their lives will be much more complicated. Because of the love that they already have for their children, which will only increase, they decide to make the sacrifices anyway. That is a small taste of God’s love for us.

    Jesus’ Reward

    Philippians 2:8-11 (NASB)

    8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
    9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
    10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
    11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    Because of His humility and obedience, God the Father exalted Him. It might seem that this is how Jesus earned His position in heaven. In reality, though, He already created and owned everything.

    John 1:1-3 (NASB)

    1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    2 He was in the beginning with God.
    3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

    “The Word” in this passage is Jesus. He was with God, and He was God. He created everything, along with His Father. His Father created nothing without Him. He already had all possible glory, power, and authority; He did not need to “earn” it. He endured all of the suffering for our sakes.

    Shame

    Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)

    2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Yes, God can and does feel emotions. Jesus felt the shame of being falsely accused in public, then beaten, mocked, and spit upon. He then had to carry His own cross, until He was took weak to continue. Then, they stripped Him of His clothes and nailed Him to a cross by a public road, for all to see. He was crucified and treated like a common criminal, being hung between two thieves.
    Jesus endured shame, but He did it out of His overwhelming love for us.

    Our Part

    Hebrews 12:1 (NASB)

    1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
    2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Jesus, of course, is our greatest witness and example. The Bible gives us many more. It’s true that living a godly life can be difficult, but it is worth every resistance to temptation, every hour of time spent in prayer and fellowship with God, every helping hand given to others, every loving word and act to those who mock or persecute us. Just like a runner in a race needs to keep focused on the prize at the end of the race, we need to do the same.

    Joy

    Jesus “endured the cross” because of the joy that was waiting for Him — being fully reunited with His Father, and knowing that He had purchased our salvation. At the same time, He spent His time here on earth loving people and touching lives. He also spent a lot of time praying and communicating with His Father. He did these things both as an example to us, and because He wanted to. Once again, we see His love overflowing to all those around Him. Now, it’s our turn.

    Encouragement

    Ephesians 5:18-21 (NASB)

    18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
    19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
    20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
    21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

    Many people will use alcohol as a way to have a “good time.” Paul tells us in Ephesians not to do that. It is a bad idea, and it doesn’t really provide us with what we need. We should be singing and speaking praises to God, along with encouraging each other. In verse 21, he reminds us to “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” In this way, offering to God our sacrifice of praise (Romans 12:1), and submitting ourselves to each other, we will find we can live surrounded by love, even if it seems at times like we’re the only ones loving.

    We find the beauty of sacrifice when we live and love the way that Jesus did.

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  • Examples

    teacher

    Examples

    1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB)

    11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

    Good and Bad

    God has given us many examples, both good and bad, of people in the Bible. Some did incredible things, because of their faith and trust in God. Others, did not do so well, because they did not put their faith in God. In this scripture, Paul is telling us that this is one of the major purposes of the Bible.

    Sports

    When I was a boy, someone showed me how to throw a football. I’m sure my first attempt, like most people, was pretty pathetic. After trying again, failing, being corrected and encouraged by others, I eventually learned how to throw a decent spiral pass. It’s the same with soccer, baseball, or even walking. At first, we were not good. Over time, with practice, we got better.

    Examples

    Something that has always helped me more than anything is watching someone else do what I want to do. To be a good baseball player, you watch good baseball players. To be a good gymnast, you watch good gymnasts. If you want to be a godly person, you watch godly people around you. You can also read about many in the Bible.
    I have also found that it’s easier to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them myself. These are all things we see in God’s word, the Bible. We see both good and bad examples. We also see people’s real personalities — how God can use us with all of our unique abilities and idiosyncracies.

    Peter

    Peter had been a fisherman, in business with his father and brother, Andrew. He was first introduced to Jesus by Andrew. Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. He heard John saying that Jesus was the Son of God, so he followed Jesus and spoke with Him, then brought his brother.

    1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB)

    40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother.
    41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
    42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

    Left His Business

    Later, we see Peter and Andrew at work, fishing.

    Mark 1:16-18 (NASB)

    16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
    17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
    18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

    Jesus told Peter and Andrew that He had a higher calling for them. He was calling them to become “fishers of men.” In other words, Jesus was calling them to first follow Him, then lead others to Jesus.

    Strong Faith

    One night, after ministering to crowds of people, Jesus told His disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and prayed through the night. In the early hours of the next morning, a little before sunrise, the disciples were still trying to get across the Sea of Galilee, because they had strong winds and waves working against them. Jesus came by the disciples, walking on the water. They were all terrified, thinking it might be a ghost. Jesus said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27). Peter was always a man of action.

    Matthew 14:28-32 (NASB)

    28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
    29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
    30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
    31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
    32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

    We can see a few things about Peter from this encounter.

    • He had a strong faith in Jesus — strong enough to believe that he could come to Jesus in the water.
    • He was the kind of person who would act before thinking.
    • Fear was not the first thing on his mind, but it was still there.

    Peter was doing well as long as he had his eyes on Jesus. When he looked at the wind and waves around him, that’s when he started to sink. This is a great example for us. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, instead of what things look like around us, we just might find ourselves doing the impossible.

    Not Perfect

    We see that even though Peter trusted Jesus enough to get out of a boat in the middle of a storm, he wasn’t perfect. After Jesus was arrested, Peter stood outside where Jesus was being tried. Some people started accusing him of being one of Jesus’ disciples. Afraid that he might also be arrested, Peter denied it.

    Mark 14:71-72 (NASB)

    71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”
    72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.

    Forgiveness

    Yes, Peter, who had walked with, lived with, and ministered with Jesus for over three years, denied that He knew Jesus. He immediately knew he made a mistake. Jesus forgave him and renewed his calling.
    After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, Peter and some other disciples went fishing. Jesus appeared on the beach and called to them. He performed a miracle and let them catch 153 large fish, all at one time, without breaking their nets. Jesus then cooked some of the fish that they had just caught and gave it to them.

    John 21:17-19 (NASB)

    17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
    18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
    19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”

    From what we see in the Bible and church history, Peter never again denied Jesus. In fact, some historical accounts (not in the Bible) tell us that when some evil people had decided that they were going to crucify Peter, he actually asked that they crucify him upside down. He told them that he was not worthy to be crucified the same way that his Lord was. Jesus predicted this in verse 19 above.

    John the Baptist

    John the Baptist had what most of us would consider a hard life. He was born to elderly parents, who probably died when he was young. Because his father was a Jewish priest, he should have been a priest. Instead, when it was time for him to enter the priesthood (at age 30), God called him to be a prophet in the wilderness.

    Mark 1:4-7 (NASB)

    4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
    5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
    6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
    7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.”

    This was a hard life, but he had to come to prepare the way before Jesus could start his ministry. After a ministry of only about 6 months, he was arrested, simply for preaching righteousness and telling the king that he was living in sin, because he had married his brother’s wife. His wife plotted how to get rid of John the Baptist, using her own daughter.

    Matthew 14:8-11 (NASB)

    8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
    9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.
    10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
    11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

    A Waste?

    We might think that this was a waste of a precious, promising life. In God’s view, though, John was a faithful servant. This is what Jesus said about him.

    Luke 7:28 (NASB)

    28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

    John the Apostle

    John the Apostle was not impetuous like Peter, but he loved and served Jesus just as much. He was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, along with Peter and James (his brother). While Jesus was dying on the cross, he looked at John there with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since He could no longer do it, He entrusted John the Apostle with taking care of His own mother.

    John 19:26 (NASB)

    26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

    Mary and Joseph

    Mary, the mother of Jesus also (obviously) had a critical ministry. She was entrusted with giving birth to the Son of God. Then, both she and her new husband, Joseph, were given the critical role of raising Jesus in a godly home, keeping Him safe as He grew, until He was prepared for His ministry, at the age of 30.

    Different People

    All of these people had different backgrounds, different personalities, different talents, and different shortcomings. They were all able to be used by God, though.
    Just because you look different or act differently does not mean that God can’t use you. He is calling everyone to come close, receive forgiveness, and reach out to everyone around you. You are unique, and God wants to and will use your unique abilities and weaknesses. All you have to do is let Him.

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  • Sin is Crouching

    a lion yawns in a field of tall grass

    Sin is Crouching

    Genesis 4:6-7 (NASB)

    6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
    7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

    Cain

    Many of us know this story. Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel, presented offerings to God. God accepted Abel’s offering, but He did not accept Cain’s offering. It’s not clear why, but it could be because of Cain’s attitude. We see in the scripture above how God is warning Cain. Cain could see the right and wrong. God told him specifically. Now, he had a choice to make.

    Justification

    How many times have we found ourselves in a similar situation? We know what we should do, but we don’t. We know what we should avoid, but we don’t. Afterwards, we could try to justify ourselves.

    • It was too much temptation.
    • It was the other person’s fault.
    • I’m only human.
    • Everyone does it.
    • God’s still working on me.
    • No one’s perfect.
    • I can ask God to forgive me later.

    Choice

    The bottom line is that we have choices. God gave us a free will. That is both a blessing and a responsibility. He expects (and demands) that we choose wisely. The point is that we have a choice. No one forces us to sin; it’s our choice.

    James 1:14-15 (NASB)

    14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
    15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

    Every day, we probably make hundreds of choices — some good, some bad. We all have good thoughts and bad thoughts. Sin is always there, waiting. Our own lust, greed, and selfishness can easily take over. It’s our job to resist temptation and overcome the sin.

    Satan

    1 Peter 5:8-9 (NASB)

    8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
    9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

    As if we didn’t have a hard enough time overcoming our own lust, we also have the devil trying to bring us down to his level. He knows that his destiny is sealed. He will never be spending eternity in the presence of God, and he wants to destroy as many of us as he can, as well.

    roaring lion

    The devil can seem intimidating, because he actually is powerful. Unfortunately for him, Jesus is stronger (unlimited power). If we depend on our relationship with Jesus, we don’t have to fear the devil.

    Greater

    Bullies can intimidate others, and get their own way for a while. If someone stronger comes along, they quickly find out they are no longer in charge.

    1 John 4:4 (NASB)

    4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

    The devil is the one who is “in the world.” If we have given Jesus control of our lives and received His forgiveness of our sins, we have the Holy Spirit (God) living in us. That’s why “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” We don’t have to sin; we can resist and overcome. God has called us to be strong.

    Not Cowards

    Revelation 21:7-8 (NASB)

    7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
    8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

    It takes courage to overcome sin. It’s easy to give in and do whatever we want. To live a godly life can be hard.

    True strength is measured in godliness, not muscle.

    Slow to Anger

    Proverbs 16:32 (NASB)

    32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

    It’s easy to think that because someone is strong physically, or rich, or even very smart, that’s what makes them a strong person; it’s not. Someone who is able to resist fighting back or reacting to someone else in anger has tremendous strength, because they have learned how to control their own human nature.

    James 3:2 (NASB)

    2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

    Pride

    Romans 12:3 (NASB)

    3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

    We are told many times in scripture about the dangers of pride. I have often thought about how pride seems to be a part of every bad decision we make. If we would only do what Paul tells us here in Romans, we would be far better off. If someone challenges us or belittles us, we have a tendency to let our “flesh” (our sinful part) rise up and fight back. If we never let what someone else says bother us, we never give them control over our mood and behavior. We also can live a more godly life. Remember what Jesus said as people were crucifying Him.

    Luke 23:34 (NASB)

    34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

    Distance

    A number of years ago, I watched a movie where the teacher was telling the student that the best way to block a punch or kick from your opponent is to not be there. That works in the spiritual world, also. If we stay away from temptation, we can’t be “hit” by it.

    1 Timothy 6:10-11 (NASB)

    10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
    11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

    2 Timothy 22 (NASB)

    22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

    Paul is telling his disciple, who was also a pastor, to flee, run away, from the temptations of money and youthful lusts. Instead, he should “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.” If we are chasing after (pursuing) godliness, we won’t be tempted to fall into sin.

    Transformation

    Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)

    1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
    2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

    We don’t need to just be a little better in our daily lives; we need a total transformation. In other words, we need a metamorphosis along the lines of a tadpole becoming a frog or a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The only way that this can happen is for our minds to be renewed by God. We need to think and live differently, because God is now living inside of us.

    Discipline

    1 Corinthians 9:27 (NASB)

    27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

    Even though God will give us the strength, we still have to do this ourselves. We have to make the decision that we will resist the temptation to sin, whatever it is, even if we feel that we are “justified” in doing it.
    The apostle Paul lived a truly godly life, wholly dedicated to the service of God and His body, the church. He was making the point, though, that he had to deal with the same temptations and weaknesses that we all do. He wanted to make sure that he ran far away from sin.

    Cain

    If only Cain had listened to God, he (and his descendants) could have lived far different lives. God doesn’t want us to just “blend in” with the world around us. He wants us to be different. We are called to be lights in a dark world.
    Yes, sin is crouching right at our door every day, but so is God. He is right there to comfort us and give us strength to overcome all of life’s trials, tribulations, and challenges.
    It’s true that sin is waiting at the door, but so is Jesus.

    Revelation 3:20-21 (NASB)

    20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
    21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

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