It's Happened Before and It's Happening Again

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ESV) ⁹  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 

I just read an article published from psychologytoday.com entitled "Instruction Manual for Despots and Dictators: 7 STEPS to Increase Your Power" by Mark Van Vugt, Ph.D. I think we should  all read it. I think what has happened before is happening right under our noses while we think we have come up with something new.

We are giving up our freedoms as we are manipulated into believing that ceding these freedoms will give us greater security. 

Yesterday, I went to a local store to pick up an order placed by my wife. The store policy is that only the person who placed the order can pick it up. It made no difference that I have a government ID with the same address and a credit card in my name with the same number as the one used on the order and my last name is the same as my wife's. They want security. The only way to get absolute security is to go out of business. That means that someone, like the state, controls all commerce.

Freedom is very risky. Becoming free was very risky. Freedom was achieved at the extreme cost of lives. It seems strange that we would give it up to be safe when nothing about freedom is safe. 

Jesus came to set us free. It cost Him His life. If we were looking for a safe religion, this one just isn't the one. He set us free from the sin that determined our future. He set us free to follow Him. Truly following Him is not safe. He may ask you to give your life, too.

John 8:31-32 (ESV) ³¹  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Lies sound better but it is the truth that sets us free. Truth releases us from the power of the lie. Lies require more lies to protect the lies. Truth destroys the lies. Truth gives us the power of decision. We make our decisions according to the truth. Truth does not control us. It sets us free.

Yet, people are giving up the truth for the lie. The lie is believed because it is desired. The lie says this is the only heaven you will ever have. The lie convinces people that it is the truth. The lie places people into the slavery of the lie. Any decision that is made under the lie is a lie. The lie promises prosperity and delivers poverty. This is true when we speak of what truly matters. The soul is in poverty when all that matters is wealth in this world.

Why will a free people go back to being under slavery? (I am not speaking of the slavery placed upon people because they were captured and forced into slavery. I am speaking of the slavery that they usher in for themselves.) Maybe they forget what they already knew. They knew how people were oppressed under slavery but they forgot what got them under slavery.  Maybe they believe the lies. Maybe they want to be rescued from making decisions. They certainly don't acknowledge the truth.

Despotism, slavery, oppressive rule and the desire for absolute security are nothing new.  They have returned to popularity because only a few know what is is like to live under this rule. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. We want what we don't have. Once we  have it, we don't want it anymore.

No, there is nothing new going on here.

(Please don't read this superficially. Take into account the spiritual and the civil.)

When People Quit the Ministry

 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (ESV) ²³  Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶  on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

For years I believed the myth that 1700 pastors leave the ministry each month. It simply isn't true. The true number is 250. While I still grieve over the 250 that's remarkably better than than what I formerly believed. About 1% of pastors leave the ministry each month. Not all of them leave because the work is tough. Several leave because of their moral failures. Some leave because of medical reasons. Most pastors aren't quitters because they deeply understand their calling.

That being said, the future will probably be more difficult than the past. The US is following the pattern of many other countries. There are fewer believers and, thus, more opposition to the gospel. Those who think faith is a sham want it eliminated. There have been municipalities who have banned churches in certain areas because the property owned by churches does not produce tax revenue. Many people do not see the benefit of a church or a people of faith existing in their neighborhoods. Even some politicians are speaking against faith nowadays. That was something that was completely unheard of just a few years ago. 

It is likely that some of the messages given by preachers will be labeled "hate" speech in the next few years. I could tell some people didn't like that I said Jesus was the only means of salvation in a sermon this past week. It was never intended to be a criticism of others. It was to awaken the church to tell the gospel story. Yet, some would say that it was intended to condemn those who aren't in the Christian church. The church won't be the final judge. Condemnation already rests on those who refuse Christ.

I spoke with a fellow pastor yesterday who said he wished he could just hunker down and bide his time without engaging the people outside the church in the criticism and future persecution. He knew he couldn't but wasn't looking forward to these difficulties either. That is because he understands his calling.

Those who quit may be tired. They have fought hard only to find that they are getting less and less for their hard work. They have prayed and have seen no growth in their churches. They have watched others using marketing techniques and gimmicks steal members from their churches. They cry out to God "How long?!" but hear nothing. They want a break.

However, when I look at all the things that Paul went through I wonder if I would have been so faithful. I know I don't want to be counted among those who quit because things got tough. But I can't help but question my own commitment if things got as tough as they did for Paul. What kept him going? I suppose the experience on the Damascus road was pretty convincing.

Do we all need a Damascus road experience to be so committed? To this I say, "Not exactly." We don't need to be blinded and spoken to in such a supernatural way. We do need to know that our calling to receive the Lord Jesus included a commitment of our lives. We do need to realize that our faith will be proven when we go through difficult times.

Those who quit either didn't make that commitment or they have forgotten their commitment. I believe we must keep this in mind in the days ahead. Let's not be counted among those who quit because times got tough.  

Who Are You Supporting?

2 Timothy 4:3 (ESV) ³  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 

For years I have been critical of the heretical preachers. They take scripture out of context, bend and abuse it to suit their desires and present their messages in such exciting ways that no one notices what they are doing. At least, that's what I thought they were doing.

There would be no heretical preachers if people would know and commit themselves to the truth of God's Word. There are people in my own church who unashamedly tell me that they listen to some of these heretics. When I point out their heresy, they simply say, "Well, I just like what they say." In other words, I don't care what God's Word says, I want to hear magic words that will give me success, make me rich, heal me and let me live above everyone else.

I remember pointing out in detail many of the heresies being preached one time when I was told that I did one of the most evil things that was done in church. It was evil because it disagreed with what they wanted to believe. (Sounds like what is happening in politics, too.) 

The influence of the world captures people without their knowing. Their minds become what the world is. The world seeks heaven on earth in the flesh. The pull of being like the world is tremendous. Being godly means not participating in many worldly things. It means being left out and given undue criticism. It is so much easier to go along.

Those who do not have a quiet time with God each day when they read His Word, pray and make a new commitment find themselves walking with the world. The world will conform even the most committed if they take no steps to break this conformity.

There is a problem with heretical preachers, but the greater problem is those who seek after these preachers. It is the responsibility of every committed believer to make sure that he or she has held true to God's Word. This is standing up at the root level of our faith.

I will still point out the heresies. I will also urge believers to break away from the world through the power of the Holy Spirit working in God's Word. If believers stop supporting the heretics, the heretics will find a different show to put on and a different people to prey on.

Old Words Often Repeated

 Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV) ¹

 The LORD is my shepherd; 

    I shall not want. 

²  He makes me lie down in green pastures. 

    He leads me beside still waters. 

³  He restores my soul. 

    He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

⁴  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

    I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

    your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

⁵  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

    you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

⁶  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 

    and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

These are very familiar words to many of us. We have read them so many times that they have become memorized. We have read them in perfunctory ways at funerals and as scripture readings in worship services. These are the times that these words mean very little because we are reading them because they are supposed to be read. They are the proper words that people often fail to hear.

There are other times we read these words with desperation. We need to know that the Lord cares, provides, restores, protects and rewards us. There are times we find ourselves in a dark room with no light. There has been no light for so long that we start believing that light itself is just a myth. So, we read these words and the light returns.

Many times we don't need empty words of assurances that people often give us. They say things will get better as if they know. But they don't know and we know they don't know. We nod our heads and agree because there is no real reason to refute what they have said. They say things out of their hopes and compassion.

The 23rd Psalm is an assurance from the Lord rather than empty hope from well-meaning friends. The Psalm is solid. It has stood the test of time. It has given true hope when we were desperate for hope.

So, read the old words again. And maybe again and again. And as you do let the words sink in. "The Lord is my Shepherd . . . ."

Sometimes It Looks Like God Has Lost Control

 Watch the news if you want to be convinced that God has lost control. Their motto is: We give them fear! This year we have seen that motto fleshed out better than ever. The news isn't reported. It is sensationalized to make the most stoic person scream. It makes the brave want to hide and the fearful accept any radical solution. It calls on people to make drastic decisions and sets up the next news feed so that those who want to protect their families and must watch to prepare for the next oncoming disaster.

Let's step back for a minute. Whether you are speaking of Isaiah 6 or Revelation 4 we find Someone on a throne. He is in control even if He is allowing people to act like Adam and Eve. He is not worried about the election. He has Covid-19 in His grasp. He loves all lives. He is bringing justice. He is fully aware and fully capable to act at any moment to change anything He desires.

This does not mean we won't go through the difficult times that may lay ahead. Yet, He will be with us. He controls the limit to what can happen to us. There is no limit to what He will do for us. Remember, He has already proved that by giving His Son to the cross.

In a crisis, we draw close to God and He draws close to us. We are filled with His presence. The walk with Him becomes the most precious we possess. Our fears are calmed and our hearts are filled with joy even though we may be in dire need. He gives us comfort even as we walk in the valley of the shadow of death.

Our future has not changed with all of the fears that have been placed before us. He did not give us the fear in the first place. Our fear originates in believing that anyone but God is in control. We shall be with Him forever once we have walked our days on this earth. There, we shall not face these disasters we have today. There will be no tears when we are in His new kingdom.

God is bringing His future into our lives. It is not the futile future the people of the world are facing. It is His future for us which means that He seeks our welfare rather than evil. He seeks to give us a future and a hope.

In the end, it is the devil that gets the bad news. His time will come to an end.

Therefore, our strength should be in the Lord. Our future is found in Him. His presence is more precious than anything that is taken from us. We will walk confidently through all we face. We can praise Him though there are no cattle in the stalls. We can praise Him though our lives may come to an end. We can praise Him because just when the world says there is no hope, our hope shines through.

God is in control.

When All the Jews Believe

God has not closed the doors on the Jews. He has a means of saving them as a nation. His plan included saving the Gentiles. His plan is assured. The Deliverer will come out of Zion when the fullness of the Gentiles is reached. When will that be?

Held by God's Kindness

Many times we want to emphasize God's love at the exclusion of His judgement. We may think that He has put away His holiness and His justice to save us all. We are mistaken. God is the same all the time. He is just as holy as He is loving. In this message we learn: We all are held by God's kindness or we should expect God's severity.

What Are We Doing When We Observe the Lord’s Supper?

Sometimes we go through the Lord's Supper as if it is something we know we need to do but we don't know why. Isn't it time to answer that question?

Can Salvation Be Lost?

There are a few scriptures that lead people to believe that they can lose their salvation. There are a few people who have renounced their salvation. There are many who believe that's not possible. Which is it? Can we lose our salvation?

Does God Push Some Away?

Are there people that God has no use for? He doesn't love them and really, other than using them, He doesn't care what happens to them. That can be the interpretation of this scripture if it is taken out of context. Let' see what it really means?

If Not for the Jews

Gentiles owe a great debt to the Jews. They brought us Jesus. The chosen people produced the Savior. They were the first disciples and the Apostles that would bring it to the Gentiles around the world. If not for the Jews, we would be without hope.

When Life Comes from the Dead

Gentiles were not God's people. We weren't the chosen ones. When the Jews as a nation rejected Christ, we were grafted in. Our life came from the grace of God. Our life came to us so that God would make the Jews jealous and return to Him. Their life will be like life returning to the dead.

If My People

God has blessed America. But for how long? Do we deserve to be blessed if we refuse to follow Him? We have today to turn back toward Him. There are no other promises.

The Miracle of God's Grace

We receive grace when we are saved. We have received grace when someone influenced us to become Christians. We receive grace when God works in our lives afterward. It is a miracle that God holds onto to us in His grace. Look, and see the grace around you.

A Father's Responsibility

Fathers are given a monumental task in spiritually leading their families. Most fathers neglect that responsibility. They leave the spiritual growth to the mother. This message is what the father must do rather than rebuking him for what he has not done. Everyone can only do what is necessary right now. Now is the day to begin your responsibility fathers.

Re-order Your Time

If you were asked which of the following was most important, what would you say? Having a daily walk with God Using every moment of your time wisely Knowing God's will Being filled with the Spirit What did you say? What does the Bible say about this?

Re-order Your Church

The church exists to make disciples of Christ. The largest generation ever, the Millennials, should have that mandate passed on to them. Will the church do so? She must!

Re-order Your Home

We have been sheltering in place for some time. People have not all returned to church yet. They have been watching church services from their homes. Could God be using this to tell us that our ministry is not centered around a building we call church? Maybe church is where we live.

Re-order Your Life

Most people think they are doing the right thing when they say they are putting God first in their lives. I think they have missed the point. That's this message.

God Waits Patiently

Not everyone will walk with God in heaven. Some want to blame Him for their own refusal to trust Him. They think He has made the decision to leave them out of the grand eternal party. He hasn't. He is holy and just. He cannot change this fact. He provided a means of salvation that leaves His holiness and justice intact. Now, He waits. He waits patiently.

A Good Mother

We are told to honor our mothers. In more ways than one, we couldn't be here without them.

Does God Have a Purpose for this Crisis? Part 2

You may have done everything right but you are still in a crisis. Does God have a purpose in this or are these things meaningless? We'll explore more in this message.

Does God Have a Purpose for this Crisis?

The crisis we are in right now is stressful for most of the population. Many people who are committed believers may have the opportunity to rethink where they are with the Lord right now. They can't attend church. Maybe their attendance at church was the problem. Maybe it hid the true relationship they have with the Lord. So, what do they need to do? Is this crisis a calling? That's part of the message. Next week the sermon ends.

Those with Ears to Hear

The Gospel is more than a club we have joined. It requires that we base our lives on it. Those who resist the Holy Spirit may understand the Gospel but they can't hear the call the Gospel gives. Ears must be opened. The Gospel must be obeyed.

Love Holds On

Love holds onto Jesus. Jesus holds onto you. The resurrection proves that.

Who Is This?

The Sunday before Jesus' crucifixion is called Palm Sunday. Jesus rode into Jerusalem while people placed palm branches before Him and praised His name. He turned over the tables of the money changers when He got to the Temple. He healed the blind and the lame. He angered the chief priests and scribes. Each of the people who encountered Jesus had a different view of Him. But who is Jesus when you add all the responses? And who do you say that He is?

How Shall They Hear?

Many things must happen before a person becomes a true believer. Some almost make it. They are just as lost as the one who never started. The ones who almost make it may think that are Christians. The scripture will disagree with them. This message tells what we must do and what others must do to produce a true believer.

Calling on the Name of the Lord (Part 2)

Many things can happen when we call on the name of the Lord. Often, they do not. Why is that? Why can't I call on the name of the Lord and see things happen every time?

God in the Midst of a Storm

We are in the midst of a storm right now. The Coronavirus is running rampant. Political and health officials are scrambling to get ahead of it. The economy is tanking. Schools are closed. Many businesses cannot weather this storm. They will be closed permanently. A hoard of toilet paper appears to be the solution of the populace. Are godly people immune to this storm? Did we do something wrong to get this storm. Let's look at an actual storm and see what God's word would have us do.

Calling on the Name of the Lord (Part 1)

Shame is at the very heart of those who call upon the name of the Lord. They know they are sinners and don't want to be put to shame on Judgement Day. People aren't ashamed of anything they have done anymore. They make excuses and approve their own sins while loudly condemning others. Why is that?

Is a Public Profession of Christ as Savior Necessary?

We have been set free from the Law because Jesus is our righteousness. We now live under the law of love. We love Jesus and we love others. Our love for Jesus and others is evident or we do not possess salvation.. The Holy Spirit who abides in every Christian will urge the believer to act. Love demands that we identify with the ones we love. Therefore, love stands up and declares itself. We cannot be ashamed of the ones we love.

The Joy of a Calm Heart

Worry follows some people all the time. Many people are only worried when they face daunting problems. Still others, never worry at all. Since everyone faces the good and the bad times, which category do you fall into? Would you rather be oblivious to your problems or know those problems without worry? This is a message for just about everyone and should be passed on to anyone you know is worried.

The Joy of God's Strength

Most never know the joy of God's strength. They are late to ask for it if that ask for it at all. They are unwilling to do anything for the Lord because they know that they can't do what He has asked of them. That is, they can't do so in their own strength and they don't know that they can count on Him. But this is the strength of the Lord. Joy erupts when believers finally believe they can do all things through Him who strengthens them.

The Joy of Others

God has placed people in our lives who are a blessing. They encourage, challenge and give us opportunities to be His representatives to each other. So, we take joy in each other.

When It Comes to Salvation

Do you have someone you desperately want to see saved? If so, this message may help.

Sinners in the Hands of an Almighty God

If God always gets the results He expects, if God knows that rejecting His will results in a hardened heart and if God hardens hearts by giving people the opportunity to comply, how can He condemn people for rejecting His will when He gave them the opportunity to do so? And, by the way, why does God allow the birth of those who will reject Him and spend an eternity in hell? Yeah, that's this message