I always thought this was a great song, but I even liked it more hearing it today! I must admit, that I really identify with it. Before I was saved I fancied myself pretty much as just a good ole boy! Here is a link so you can listen to the Dixie Melody Boys sing it: (I picked a different video from the last post, but it is the same song. I hope it will be a blessing!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqwF4WipeHs
Here are the words:
Just some good ole boys, never meanin' no harm,
You can take it from me, I used to be a good ole boy.
Good ole boys, they come a dime a dozen,
Doin' good, good as they care to be.
And everybody loves to be around them,
Because a good ole boy, he'd never harm a flea,
But the only life they know is their pleasure,
They live their lives for things that they enjoy,
And when they're asked about the love of Jesus,
They say don't worry about me, I've been a good ole boy.
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven,
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found,
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
The weekend comes and they're out on the road again,
Waylon and Willie, playing on the radio,
They worked all week and they didn't cheat one person,
'Cause a good ole boy is good, don't you know,
So good ole boys, I beg you heed this warning,
'Cause very soon we're going to see the Lord,
And when he asks just why you should go to heaven,
I pray you won't say, "I've been a good ole boy".
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
It turned out that God called on me today in church to preach the sermon I typed out here this morning. When He was giving me the message yesterday evening, I thought maybe I would be asked to preach today. But then I thought it may be just a sermon idea that God wanted me to share with the internet via this blog!
Our small country church down the road has 5 of us preachers as members, but it is rare that all 5 are there at the same time. Today there was a good crowd, even though it was raining, and all 4 of the other preachers were there! At the beginning of the service, I thought that the chances were pretty good that one of them would be called upon to bring the message. But when the time came, the pastor called on me! God knows what is needed!
The message went really well, but I didn't preach it exactly the way I wrote it down in the previous post. You got the general idea, though. I actually think the points came across much better delivering them in person rather than in writing!
I didn't use the song from the Dixie Melody Boys at all in the church service, either. That was just for you guys here on the blog! By the way, I didn't think of that song until God had already given me the entire message, so I did not just try to preach the song!
But I wanted to post it again here for those of you who didn't really want to sit through and read the entire sermon on the last post. I figure there is a good chance some of you didn't stay with the sermon and didn't even see the link to the song! Maybe now the song has gotten you interested and you will go back and read the sermon and the Bible verses that go with it!
God bless!
Showing posts with label devotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devotions. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
He's A Good Person ... Or Is He?
I feel like sharing the sermon that God has placed on my mind this morning. It's a simple topic, but one that most folks need to reconsider.
I have often heard comments like, "He's really a good person. He just needs God in His life." I'm sure I have even thrown those types of words out, and I realize the intended meaning when we say things like that. We mean that the person is hard working, mostly honest, provides for his family, and is glad to help out a friend in need if he is able. Things like that. And those are all important qualities to have. But I'm afraid that our society is made up of a whole lot of really "good" folks who are on their way to Hell!
You see, the idea that someone can be a "good" person is a lie straight from Satan, and is trapping many people! We in the church are even contributing by making such comments about our lost family and friends. By saying nice things about them being "good", we are actually pushing them towards the very gates of Hell!
The Bible is clear that no one is "good" instrinsically, even if they have some good, moral qualites about them.
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;" (Isaiah 53:6)
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
"Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness; but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)
And in many, many other places in God's Word. Let's consider some passages from Luke Chapter 18, verses 9-27. I suppose a good title for this would be:
Good People Going to Hell
I: "Good" People Are Not Justified
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
One thing I notice is that the Pharisee prayed "with himself" in verse 11, and not with God. He was obviously "proclaiming his own goodness" as the writer of Proverbs calls it. The publican recognized that he was in fact a sinner and asked God for mercy. Jesus said that the publican went to his house justified, but not the Pharisee. Being justified means to be declared righteous before God !
Paul writes a lot about justification, but let's look at just a few verses from Romans chapter 3:
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
I know those are some deep verses but they are so powerful! He says that the righteousness of God is manifested in Jesus Christ and we can all have that righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ when we believe! (v21 & 22) He goes on to explain that Jesus does this freely because of His amazing grace (v24), and that Jesus is "a propitiation" for God which means that His sacrifice satisfied and appeased God's wrath against sin. This is why we can claim His righteousness for the remission of sins! (v25) Jesus declares His righteousness because He is just and is the justifier of we who choose to believe in Him! (v26)
But "good" people are not justified unless they repent of their sins and accept Jesus!
also,
II: "Good" People Are Not Born Again
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
These verses speak of the innocence of a babe and that the kingdom of God belongs to such as them. We must receive the kingdom of God as a little child, without relying on all our "goodness" and past history. We must become as innocent as a child by being born again, spiritually!
Look at Jesus's words to Nicodemus in John chapter 3:
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I think these verse speak for themself pretty nicely. A spiritual re-birth is needed to enter the kingdom of God. This passage speaks of another Pharisee, but this time he has an open mind and is not proclaiming his own goodness like the first one we looked at. Nicodemus is not yet persuaded to accept Christ and be "Born Again" at this point, but later he will speak up for Christ among his peers in John 7:50, and will eventually help bury Jesus in John 19:39, indicating that he gradually came to faith and belief in Christ and was indeed "Born Again" sometime after this first encounter with the Master!
But being a "good" person does not mean that person has been "born again".
Let's continue along in Luke 18 with another rich person who is "good". We will see that:
III: "Good" People Are Not Going To Heaven
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
This rich ruler was a very "good" person. He obviously thought that his goodness counted for something, but he still wanted to make sure that he would in fact acquire eternal life.(v18) Jesus wanted him to realize that only God is truly "good", and that this rich ruler was not really "good", no matter what he thought of himself!(v19) The guy claimed that he had kept each of the 10 Commandments that Jesus mentioned (which is not possible, but that is another sermon) from his youth up, and I'm sure that society had branded him as a very "good" person.(v20-21) He failed the test of the first of the 10 Commandments, however, "Thou shalt have no other god's before me" as he had made his riches his true god. When Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give to the poor so that he could have treasure in Heaven, he went away sorrowful, without salvation, because he had great riches.(v22-23) Even though he was a "good" person he could not go to Heaven! Even if all his "good" deeds outnumbered all his "bad" deeds, he could still not go to Heaven without being obedient to Jesus and accepting His invitation of "and come, follow me." (v22)
So, good people can not go to Heaven based on their own "goodness" nor based on their riches.(v24-25)
They that heard this teaching asked, "Who, then can be saved?" and Jesus explained that it is impossible with men, but it is possible with God!(v26-27)
In Luke 19 we see another man. We don't know for sure if he thought of himself as "good", but chances are someone in his family would have said that he was actually a "good" person no matter what his life was like! We do know that he was rich, however, and we know that he learned "it is possible with God" first hand because Jesus states in verse 9, "This day is salvation come to this house". He is an object lesson in answer to the question of "Who then can be saved?" Zacchaeus did not get caught up in his riches like the good ruler did in the chapter before. He also could not trust in own "goodness". He repented of his sins and received Jesus joyfully!(v6) That is the type of person who can be saved! Here are the verses from Luke 19:
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus decided to do basically what Jesus had suggested to the other rich ruler in Luke 18. He gave half of his goods to the poor and wanted to make restitution to anyone whom he may have cheated!(v8) He did this after he received Jesus joyfully, and not as some work trying to earn his way into heaven. He did good things because he had repented and recieved salvation, not because he was "good" in and of himself.
As the Bible says in Ephesians Chapter 2:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
You see, we are saved by grace through faith in Christ when we are born again and allow Him to justify us. It is not because of any works that we may do out of our own "goodness". We then have a home in Heaven, but before we go there we are called to do good works because we are saved!
So "good" people are not justified, are not born again, and are not going to Heaven.
I could go on and on, as more verses keep coming to mind as I type, but I believe this is where the message should end.
I'm also reminded of a great old Southern Gospel song that goes along perfectly with this topic. It was by the Dixie Melody Boys as they were doing a spin off the the Dukes of Hazzard theme song, called Good Ole Boys. I found the song on You Tube and I really hope you will listen to it.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzDd9Agob_g&feature=related
And here are the words:
Just some good ole boys, never meanin' no harm,
You can take it from me, I used to be a good ole boy.
Good ole boys, they come a dime a dozen,
Doin' good, good as they care to be.
And everybody loves to be around them,
Because a good ole boy, he'd never harm a flea,
But the only life they know is their pleasure,
They live their lives for things that they enjoy,
And when they're asked about the love of Jesus,
They say don't worry about me, I've been a good ole boy.
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven,
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found,
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
The weekend comes and they're out on the road again,
Waylon and Willie, playing on the radio,
They worked all week and they didn't cheat one person,
'Cause a good ole boy is good, don't you know,
So good ole boys, I beg you heed this warning,
'Cause very soon we're going to see the Lord,
And when he asks just why you should go to heaven,
I pray you won't say, "I've been a good ole boy".
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
My prayer is that all who read this little sermon will one day be rejoicing with me with Jesus in His Kingdom!
God Bless!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
A Common Man
I've been listening to the radio this morning via the internet, and the station I'm listening to just played a song I really identify with. It's called "A Common Man" by Carroll Roberson.
Carroll was actually the evangelist in a revival meeting at Liberty Baptist Church in Berea, Kentucky way back on April 26, 1991 when I first accepted that God was calling me to preach the Gospel! He has recorded many, many wonderful songs over the years.
Here are the lyrics of the song that really blessed me this morning:
"I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ.
That makes me a millionaire.
Wherever I go, whatever I do,
I'm just as common, as a plain old shoe.
But in God's eternal plan,
He chose a common man
When Jesus came, to set us free,
He became a common man like me.
I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ.
That makes me a millionaire.
I don't fit in, with the modern days.
I like those good, old fashioned ways.
And you don't have to pretend,
When you've been born again,
You can be, just what you are,
When Jesus comes to live, in your heart.
I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ,
That makes me a millionaire."
I realize it is a pretty simple little song, but I guess that goes along with the message! Here is a link to a video of the song if anyone out there would like to listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlO3xdu3n5Q
I pray you each have a wonderful day today as you get to know our wonderful Savior in a greater way! God Bless!
Carroll was actually the evangelist in a revival meeting at Liberty Baptist Church in Berea, Kentucky way back on April 26, 1991 when I first accepted that God was calling me to preach the Gospel! He has recorded many, many wonderful songs over the years.
Here are the lyrics of the song that really blessed me this morning:
"I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ.
That makes me a millionaire.
Wherever I go, whatever I do,
I'm just as common, as a plain old shoe.
But in God's eternal plan,
He chose a common man
When Jesus came, to set us free,
He became a common man like me.
I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ.
That makes me a millionaire.
I don't fit in, with the modern days.
I like those good, old fashioned ways.
And you don't have to pretend,
When you've been born again,
You can be, just what you are,
When Jesus comes to live, in your heart.
I'm just a simple, common man,
an ordinary, common man.
I know the world don't really care.
But I've got eternal life,
Because I know Jesus Christ,
That makes me a millionaire."
I realize it is a pretty simple little song, but I guess that goes along with the message! Here is a link to a video of the song if anyone out there would like to listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlO3xdu3n5Q
I pray you each have a wonderful day today as you get to know our wonderful Savior in a greater way! God Bless!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Snow, Significance, Salvation
The snow is pretty this morning! We almost got 2 inches yesterday evening, but it was very wet and clung to everything it touched, making some beautiful scenes. I haven't taken any pictures, I guess because it isn't that rare of an occurrence any more!
When we began our Bible study at the community center at 6:30 yesterday evening, rain had begun and it was 40 degrees. By 8:00 everything outside was completely white! I really didn't think we were going to get any snow this go around because it had been so warm. I didn't even post the snowfall graphic that was out!
I have been trying lately to not allow the weather talk on the internet to consume so much of my time. Right now there is buzz about another potential big winter storm for early next week, but it is no fun to follow all of that pre-game excitement and then have the game itself be canceled! We have had snow this January, but basically it feels like much of the pre-snow chatter has been over-rated this month. I think that December surprised a lot of weather watchers with all the snow, and they have been over-emphasizing the snow possibilities this month so they won't be taken off-guard! I have found it is more fun to be taken a bit off guard, though.
Our weather-men have not really missed any snow forecasts yet, but they have changed things as they got more data, which gets on my nerves. For instance, the data for the snow last night was showing more snow for us a few days ago. Had I posted some of those "first call" graphics you would have seen our location on a line between 3-5" and 4-6". A later graphic showed 2-4" and the final data was showing 1-3" several hours before the snow got to us! I was beginning to think that all we would get would be rain!
I've been trying to analyze why I have been so excited about all the snow talk this year. (It's a good exercise to occasionally get into your own head and reflect.) I've come to the conclusion that is more than just the fact that schools are called off for snow days and I get to stay home. No, it is more of a longing of mine to be in the midst of history in the making! I like the idea of witnessing something that will be long remembered; something important; of being a part of history!
The winter of 95-96 was such a winter with 62 inches of snow for us and folks talk about January of 94 as the worst January ever. We experienced those winters here at Pure Water Hollow, and now I wish I had better records and memories of such historic times! If this winter is one of those history-makers I don't want to be on the sidelines and just watch it go by.
I guess it is part of the basic human longing to find some significance to our existence here on planet Earth! The desire for life to be more than the routine, boring, day-in-day-out grind that can feel so dismal and meaningless!
Living through a historic winter is significant, albeit rather shallow compared to the truths God has been reminding me of lately! The real news is something we touched on in our Bible study last night. We are significant because we are created in the image of the almighty God!
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26-27
My life ultimately draws meaning and significance not because I may become part of something great or historic, but because I have a living, eternal soul! My life was created by God and for God! My name will most likely never be famous or show up in a history book. But if it did, that would not make my life significant. My life is already significant because the Great I Am knows my name and it shows up in His book! Finding meaning to my life is easy when I remember that I am a child of the King and He has work for me to do! Our daily lives may become routine, but they never have to be boring if we remember Who we are living for!
My life may mean little in history, but praise God, I am important in His-story!
In addition to the natural beauty of snow, there is a spiritual emphasis that God places on the whiteness snow brings to our lives. Thanks to my Savior Jesus Christ, I have experienced this spiritual allusion to snow personally, and it is His will that all should experience it!
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."Isaiah1:18
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."Psalm 51:7
Nothing else is as beautiful as that!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
When we began our Bible study at the community center at 6:30 yesterday evening, rain had begun and it was 40 degrees. By 8:00 everything outside was completely white! I really didn't think we were going to get any snow this go around because it had been so warm. I didn't even post the snowfall graphic that was out!
I have been trying lately to not allow the weather talk on the internet to consume so much of my time. Right now there is buzz about another potential big winter storm for early next week, but it is no fun to follow all of that pre-game excitement and then have the game itself be canceled! We have had snow this January, but basically it feels like much of the pre-snow chatter has been over-rated this month. I think that December surprised a lot of weather watchers with all the snow, and they have been over-emphasizing the snow possibilities this month so they won't be taken off-guard! I have found it is more fun to be taken a bit off guard, though.
Our weather-men have not really missed any snow forecasts yet, but they have changed things as they got more data, which gets on my nerves. For instance, the data for the snow last night was showing more snow for us a few days ago. Had I posted some of those "first call" graphics you would have seen our location on a line between 3-5" and 4-6". A later graphic showed 2-4" and the final data was showing 1-3" several hours before the snow got to us! I was beginning to think that all we would get would be rain!
I've been trying to analyze why I have been so excited about all the snow talk this year. (It's a good exercise to occasionally get into your own head and reflect.) I've come to the conclusion that is more than just the fact that schools are called off for snow days and I get to stay home. No, it is more of a longing of mine to be in the midst of history in the making! I like the idea of witnessing something that will be long remembered; something important; of being a part of history!
The winter of 95-96 was such a winter with 62 inches of snow for us and folks talk about January of 94 as the worst January ever. We experienced those winters here at Pure Water Hollow, and now I wish I had better records and memories of such historic times! If this winter is one of those history-makers I don't want to be on the sidelines and just watch it go by.
I guess it is part of the basic human longing to find some significance to our existence here on planet Earth! The desire for life to be more than the routine, boring, day-in-day-out grind that can feel so dismal and meaningless!
Living through a historic winter is significant, albeit rather shallow compared to the truths God has been reminding me of lately! The real news is something we touched on in our Bible study last night. We are significant because we are created in the image of the almighty God!
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26-27
My life ultimately draws meaning and significance not because I may become part of something great or historic, but because I have a living, eternal soul! My life was created by God and for God! My name will most likely never be famous or show up in a history book. But if it did, that would not make my life significant. My life is already significant because the Great I Am knows my name and it shows up in His book! Finding meaning to my life is easy when I remember that I am a child of the King and He has work for me to do! Our daily lives may become routine, but they never have to be boring if we remember Who we are living for!
My life may mean little in history, but praise God, I am important in His-story!
In addition to the natural beauty of snow, there is a spiritual emphasis that God places on the whiteness snow brings to our lives. Thanks to my Savior Jesus Christ, I have experienced this spiritual allusion to snow personally, and it is His will that all should experience it!
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."Isaiah1:18
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."Psalm 51:7
Nothing else is as beautiful as that!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Which 23rd Will You Choose?
We all have choices to make everyday. Some are insignificant, but others will impact our lives for all eternity! Here are two contrasting philosophies that I wish everyone would consider:
The 23rd Psalm
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
OR:
The 23rd Channel
The TV is my shepherd, I shall not win.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa: it leadeth me away from the scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul: it leadeth me into the paths of sex and violence for the sponsor's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibility, there will be no interruption: for the TV is with me; its cable and its remote control, they comfort me.
It prepareth a commercial before me in the presence of my worldliness: it anointeth my head with humanism and consumerism; my coveting runneth over.
Surely ignorance and laziness shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house watching TV for ever.
As for me and my house, we will choose the Lord!
The reason this post is on my mind now, is that yesterday I re-took a drastic step for the betterment of my family. The TV is gone once more!
A little background is in order. Ever since I became a Christian in 1987 I knew that God wanted me to limit the TV use in my family. To that end, I have never subscribed to a cable or satellite TV service. I have allowed the family to view videos that we had chosen and approved of, and we did have Sky Angel, which was a Christian TV/Radio satellite service, from December 1998 until they discontinued in April 2008. Even with Sky Angel, we utilized the radio stations more than the TV, although we did catch some very good Christian movies on it.
During our entire time at Pure Water Hollow dating back to 1993, our family purposely did not have a permanent TV set located in our living room, until late last year when I moved an old floor model into the living room. Before that, I kept a portable TV in the closet and brought it out with the VCR every now and then for a family movie night.
For the past year, I decided that it would be nice to have a bigger set to watch our chosen shows on and also for Timothy to enjoy educational pre-school videos. I purchased some classic TV shows on DVD and we have really enjoyed viewing these good old programs. Some of our favorites have been series from the 50s like the Richard Greene Robin Hood series, the George Reeves Superman series, Ronald Howard's Sherlock Holmes series and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot starring William Russel. We also really enjoyed the Fess Parker Daniel Boone series and the early years of the Andy Griffith Show from the 60s. They are all clean shows with good morals and family values, and with entire seasons packaged together they were had at a great price! We also gradually broke out our huge collection of old movies and children shows on VHS.
It was all good for a good amount of time. But that time quickly grew, and grew, and grew, until the shows were still good, but the amount of time they were stealing from us each day was becoming very bad! It had become difficult to find time or energy for our family devotions until they disappeared completely. It was not all the fault of the TV, but I know it contributed. Ultimately, I am to blame, as the leader of my home, if we fail to have meaningful spiritual moments together as a family!
I decided that December 1st would be a perfect time to throw out the "23rd Channel" and focus on the "23rd Psalm"! So yesterday I put away all of the DVDs and VHSs and Matthew and I packed that big floor model TV out of the living room and up to the school house storage. In the place of the TV I put a nice collection of uplifting children's books, mostly for us to read aloud to Timothy and for him to look at by himself in lieu of a TV screen.
We will be completely TV free for the entire month of December as we focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus during our family time! In the past, we have utilized Christmas videos in our family, and that is nice sometimes. This year, however, we are going to be radically different! We have many good, Christ honoring TV specials on VHS, but they are not necessary for us to enjoy the holiday season. We will read and sing and listen to dramas together as a family, and we will talk more. We may find time to play a game or two. Perhaps there will be more time for cookies? I don't know exactly what our Christmas month celebration will be like this year, but I am looking forward to what God will show us during this time!
After December I have no plans to move a permanent TV back into the living room. Sometime in the future, I probably will get another portable TV that I will bring out periodically for a family TV time, but it will go away when that particular show is over!
We have been having our family devotion time more consistently since before Thanksgiving, and I'm definitely going to continue it throughout the Christmas season, and beyond. I won't be legalistic about it, but we should be able to have devotions more evenings than not! At least the TV will no longer be competing for that precious time!
I have a wonderful family! As for me and my house, it is a clear choice of which 23rd we desire! I am thankful that Lisa and the children are supportive of this choice as well. (Timothy is not too sure, yet.)
I suspect that most families try to merge both 23rds together into their experience. I can't help but think how difficult it is to serve two masters! Actually, Jesus was a bit more direct: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." I know He was teaching about wealth, but I think I can apply it to our modern TV. It could also apply to the internet...
Well, how about you? Are you choosing the 23rd Psalm or the 23rd Channel? Or do you think you are successfully straddling the fence between the two? It's something to think about this Christmas season..... and always.
The 23rd Psalm
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
OR:
The 23rd Channel
The TV is my shepherd, I shall not win.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa: it leadeth me away from the scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul: it leadeth me into the paths of sex and violence for the sponsor's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibility, there will be no interruption: for the TV is with me; its cable and its remote control, they comfort me.
It prepareth a commercial before me in the presence of my worldliness: it anointeth my head with humanism and consumerism; my coveting runneth over.
Surely ignorance and laziness shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house watching TV for ever.
As for me and my house, we will choose the Lord!
The reason this post is on my mind now, is that yesterday I re-took a drastic step for the betterment of my family. The TV is gone once more!
A little background is in order. Ever since I became a Christian in 1987 I knew that God wanted me to limit the TV use in my family. To that end, I have never subscribed to a cable or satellite TV service. I have allowed the family to view videos that we had chosen and approved of, and we did have Sky Angel, which was a Christian TV/Radio satellite service, from December 1998 until they discontinued in April 2008. Even with Sky Angel, we utilized the radio stations more than the TV, although we did catch some very good Christian movies on it.
During our entire time at Pure Water Hollow dating back to 1993, our family purposely did not have a permanent TV set located in our living room, until late last year when I moved an old floor model into the living room. Before that, I kept a portable TV in the closet and brought it out with the VCR every now and then for a family movie night.
For the past year, I decided that it would be nice to have a bigger set to watch our chosen shows on and also for Timothy to enjoy educational pre-school videos. I purchased some classic TV shows on DVD and we have really enjoyed viewing these good old programs. Some of our favorites have been series from the 50s like the Richard Greene Robin Hood series, the George Reeves Superman series, Ronald Howard's Sherlock Holmes series and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot starring William Russel. We also really enjoyed the Fess Parker Daniel Boone series and the early years of the Andy Griffith Show from the 60s. They are all clean shows with good morals and family values, and with entire seasons packaged together they were had at a great price! We also gradually broke out our huge collection of old movies and children shows on VHS.
It was all good for a good amount of time. But that time quickly grew, and grew, and grew, until the shows were still good, but the amount of time they were stealing from us each day was becoming very bad! It had become difficult to find time or energy for our family devotions until they disappeared completely. It was not all the fault of the TV, but I know it contributed. Ultimately, I am to blame, as the leader of my home, if we fail to have meaningful spiritual moments together as a family!
I decided that December 1st would be a perfect time to throw out the "23rd Channel" and focus on the "23rd Psalm"! So yesterday I put away all of the DVDs and VHSs and Matthew and I packed that big floor model TV out of the living room and up to the school house storage. In the place of the TV I put a nice collection of uplifting children's books, mostly for us to read aloud to Timothy and for him to look at by himself in lieu of a TV screen.
We will be completely TV free for the entire month of December as we focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus during our family time! In the past, we have utilized Christmas videos in our family, and that is nice sometimes. This year, however, we are going to be radically different! We have many good, Christ honoring TV specials on VHS, but they are not necessary for us to enjoy the holiday season. We will read and sing and listen to dramas together as a family, and we will talk more. We may find time to play a game or two. Perhaps there will be more time for cookies? I don't know exactly what our Christmas month celebration will be like this year, but I am looking forward to what God will show us during this time!
After December I have no plans to move a permanent TV back into the living room. Sometime in the future, I probably will get another portable TV that I will bring out periodically for a family TV time, but it will go away when that particular show is over!
We have been having our family devotion time more consistently since before Thanksgiving, and I'm definitely going to continue it throughout the Christmas season, and beyond. I won't be legalistic about it, but we should be able to have devotions more evenings than not! At least the TV will no longer be competing for that precious time!
I have a wonderful family! As for me and my house, it is a clear choice of which 23rd we desire! I am thankful that Lisa and the children are supportive of this choice as well. (Timothy is not too sure, yet.)
I suspect that most families try to merge both 23rds together into their experience. I can't help but think how difficult it is to serve two masters! Actually, Jesus was a bit more direct: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." I know He was teaching about wealth, but I think I can apply it to our modern TV. It could also apply to the internet...
Well, how about you? Are you choosing the 23rd Psalm or the 23rd Channel? Or do you think you are successfully straddling the fence between the two? It's something to think about this Christmas season..... and always.
Friday, May 29, 2009
People Need the Lord
(The following is from a deep conversation between myself and another homesteadblogger concerning spiritual matters.)
——————————
Original message from janaeel:
Hi,
I am a 46 yr old construction business owner from washington. I was introduced to you blog from a a commentor on HSB. I went back and read nearly every post you wrote to date. I was very inspired and at the same time saddened by the way my life has turned out. I have the knowhow to do what you do on your farm and enjoy that part but I seem to be missing something spiritually. I have never been very religious but when I encounter someone as your self my life seems to have an obvious hole. I am afraid that if I were to pursue the need the the people in my life would distance themselves from me. We live a lifestyle not bad but lacking in direction in the faith department. You and your children seem so grounded. I know by your blog that you are a busy man with work farm and your preaching but I was hoping you might have a few words of advice.
Thank you for your time,
Janaeel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
——————————
Original message from Purewater:
Dear Janaeel,
It sounds like God has been trying to direct you in the direction He knows is best! It does take some major leaps of faith, but He will always help when a man desires to lead his family in the way they should go, toward God.
It is hard to offer specific advice without knowing your situation better, but I have picked up enough from your couple of posts to say a little.
Your number one priority has to be your own spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. It is important to daily meet with Him during a quiet time, when you can read His word and ask Him questions. Even just 10 minutes a day will be a great help. For most, early in the morning is the best time, before everyone else in the house has gotten to moving around. It sounds like He has already been showing you things in your own life that can be given up or improved upon for His glory. The more time you can spend reading the Bible the better.
Second priority has to be getting your wife on board 100%. My family would be a wreck if my wife and I did not have the same focus. As you move closer to the Lord and begin to change, it is likely that your wife will notice. You should share with her what the Lord is showing you. Hopefully she won't resent your spiritual leadership; most wives long for such leadership, but they don't know how to put it into words.
Do you all have a Bible believing church where you can worship together? This can be important, but be careful that you don't fall into the trap of depending completely on them for your families spiritual nurishment. You are actually the one responsible and you will be better suited to direct your family than any pastor or Sunday school teacher. You wrote that your youngest is 10. How old are your others? It may be hard changing the relationships you have with them, but in time, they will see the change in you and will likely be open to discover what it is all about. Deep down, teens desire love, guidance and boundaries.
These are some of my initial thoughts after praying about it for the past hour or so. I wish you well, and will be praying for you. What is your first name? It would be easier praying specifically instead of for "Janeel". Unless that is your name, in which case I hope I did not just offend you.
Anyway,
God Bless,
Eric
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
——————————
Original message from janaeel:
Hi, Eric
My name is Bill. I have children 27,22, 12, 10. 10 & 22 are boys the others girls, 3 grandsons – 9,3, 6 months. I am hoping that if I make this change the people I will meet will be more genuine than the ones I am currently surrounded by. Most leave me feeling so empty because the just need me for what I can do for them but dont involve me on a personal level. Everyone seems so self obsorbed but it may be just me and the hole in my life i am feeling. It may be clouding my views. Thank you for your prayers and the time you took to respond. I know you are a busy man.
Best Wishes to your family,
Bill
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Bill,
You've mentioned a couple of times about me being a busy man. This is true, but I actually enjoy taking my time and just experiencing the life God has given us. There are always things going on, which can make things seem busy, but really it is just life. Instead of feeling busy, I am usually just in awe of what God is doing every day. It helps when I can take myself out of the picture and see things from His perspective. I am just a small part in His wonderful plan.
I am convinced that God desires peace and simplicity for His children. We will still have trials and tribulations, even as His children, but He wants us to have His peace and perspective through all the bad times.
I really don't know what you are looking for, but I'm sure that God does, and if He can use a few of my words on a blog site or a message, then I will give Him praise! God has kept you on my mind all day at work, and since you messaged back, I'm taking that as a signal to share more "advice" with you. I pray that you will not be offended but that you will listen with an open mind and heart.
You already know that I am a preacher, so maybe you won't be suprised with a long-winded response. I'm not going to shoot out a lot of Bible at you, even though the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. I sense that you probably just need someone to be "real" with you and tell you the truth, from a Biblical perspective.
You are correct that most folks in our world are overly self-absorbed. God wants us to be Savior-absorbed instead. Some might accuse me of being too absorbed with my family, but my family is what God expects my time and attention to focus on. I am serving God by leading and serving my family, and focusing on their well being is ultimitely accomplishing the cause of Christ.
I may not be the greatest preacher and I may not be the most successful pastor in the eyes of many, but if my family is going in His direction, living for Him, and are able to serve Him in whatever capacity He desires, than I believe He will be pleased with my service.
However, you cannot lead a family to a place where you have never been yourself. You cannot accomplish your purpose in life if you don't really know what your life is meant to be about. You can't know what life is really about if you don't know what Jesus Christ is all about. And you can't truly know that until you know Him!
You said earlier that you have never been a very religious man. This can actually be a good thing for you! "Religious" ideas often get in the way of God's plan. For too many people, their "religion" actually causes them to miss the whole idea of what God really wants.
I am convinced that God does not want a "religion" with us, but instead wants a "relationship" with us. Religion can be misinterpretted by fallen man, when God really wants us to "know" Him and trust Him in a personal way. That is the whole reason that He came in flesh and blood as a human. Jesus Christ came as the only perfect sacrifice for our sin. When He died on the cross and rose again the third day, He made the way for us to be forgiven and have eternal life, but He also made a way for us to know God in an intimate and personal way while we live out our lives here and now!
I was especially fortunate that I discovered this when I was just 19 years old, and have had Him to help me throughout my entire adult life. I've made my share of mistakes going along, but He has always been here to guide me through them, and He is still helping me to decide the next steps to take for my family!
I know that age does not matter to God, and someone who is 46 can find the same peace and blessedness that I did at 19! He can lead you and guide you from this point onward, if you will let Him. I know some of your challenges will be different from mine since you already have a couple of grown children, but even though they may have their own families, you can still have a great impact on them. And your grandchildren need a godly grandfather in their lives! God will help you to know how to relate to your 10 year old son and 12 year old daughter, as well, as you grow closer to Him and begin to understand His will for you!
You do not have to go to a church to get on this narrow road. That may sound strange for a preacher to say, but it is true. I was "saved" out under a giant tree when I actually left the service. Instead of coming up the aisle to the alter, I bolted out the door. I found myself sitting under this tree, crying out to God.
My cry was similar to yours, I think, because I saw His joy reflected in the tears of other people in that service and yet all I felt was an emptiness. My tears were ones of self-pity and despair. The main question I remember saying out loud under that tree was, "What's wrong, God? Why am I so miserable? I'm doing the best I can, but something is missing. What is it, what's wrong, God? I want to be happy like other people. What's wrong with me?" I'd like to say that I used all the proper words about confessing my sin and asking for forgiveness and inviting Him into my heart, but pretty much I was just sobbing that same question repeatedly, "What's wrong, God?"
I don't think that I was even expecting an answer; I was just having one major pity-party. Thankfully, I was not the only one there under that tree in the midst of my pity-party. The one and true Lord, creator of all things, was also there! I had a head knowledge of God, but until that time, I didn't really even believe for sure that He was real! In the quietness of the moment, inbetween my sobs, I heard His still, small voice. His message to me during that moment was, "Eric, you don't really know me at all. I want to be part of your life. I want to be your life."
I can't really say exactly how the unspoken conversation went from that point, but I knew that He was telling me He would help me, and I knew that from that moment on, my life was going to be different. Without really forming any words, I realized that I had caused all of my pain myself through my sin and that it actually hurt God worse than it even hurt me, because He loved me so much. I wish I could say that I actually vocalized a prayer telling Him how sorry I was for going against Him all my life, but I did not. I felt it, however, and as I later came to know Him better, I was able to understand what all was going on in my heart that night. I invited Him to come into my heart and life without really forming the words.
We preachers often speak of the "sinners prayer" and sometimes "religion" gets in the way. Yes, a person must admit they are a sinner, repent of those sins, ask for forgiveness, and ask Christ to save them by coming into their heart. Many people have repeated three lines of a "sinner's prayer" and then been declared "Saved". I'm sure some have actually been saved during such times. I can tell you what happened to me was a very real experience, even though I did not say the "magic words" perfectly. God saved me and I was truly "born again"!
Maybe God wanted me to share all that just so you can better understand what He is trying to do in your life. God is real, salvation is real, and Jesus is waiting for "whosoever will call".
A verse in Revelation has always spoken to me, and it was the final verse that He used to get my oldest son to understand. Jesus is speaking, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." He wants to have a personal relationship with you, just like a friend you have over for supper! He's knocking at the door to your heart, so to speak, and all you have to do is open it up and let Him come in!
After you experience this for yourself, you will understand that your life is meant to be all about serving God in holiness. We serve God by serving other people, first and foremost our families. It is an incredibly liberating truth to understand that God has a purpose for your life and that it is all in His hands. Whatever comes your way, God can use for His glory! It takes all the pressure off, to give your life over to Him. The peace that passes all understanding and His love will fill all the holes and empty places in your life!
He will help you to guide your business for His glory as well. Your life, your family, your business, your dreams; God is actually interested in every part of your life, and He wants in!
If you watch movies, you should find one called "Flywheel". I've seen the DVD for rent at Food City before. It was the first movie from the same guys who did "Facing the Giants" and "Fire Proof" (both of which are also great movies to check out). "Flywheel" is not as famous as those other two, but it has a great message. I'm thinking about it because it is about a guy who owns a business (car lot) and how God intervenes in his life, family, and business. While you are at it, you ought to rent those other two, as well, when you get a chance. I know you want to have less TV, (which is a very important and worthy goal) but a well timed family movie night, with a godly movie, can be an awesome time. It may be a way God will begin to work in your wife and children as well.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'm pretty far away geographically, but technology wise, I'm just next door. I hope I have not overwhelmed you with all this. I believe it has been orchastrated by God, though, so I will try not to apologize for writing so much!
Looking forward to hearing how God moves in your life!
In His Love,
Eric
——————————
Original message from janaeel:
Hi,
I am a 46 yr old construction business owner from washington. I was introduced to you blog from a a commentor on HSB. I went back and read nearly every post you wrote to date. I was very inspired and at the same time saddened by the way my life has turned out. I have the knowhow to do what you do on your farm and enjoy that part but I seem to be missing something spiritually. I have never been very religious but when I encounter someone as your self my life seems to have an obvious hole. I am afraid that if I were to pursue the need the the people in my life would distance themselves from me. We live a lifestyle not bad but lacking in direction in the faith department. You and your children seem so grounded. I know by your blog that you are a busy man with work farm and your preaching but I was hoping you might have a few words of advice.
Thank you for your time,
Janaeel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
——————————
Original message from Purewater:
Dear Janaeel,
It sounds like God has been trying to direct you in the direction He knows is best! It does take some major leaps of faith, but He will always help when a man desires to lead his family in the way they should go, toward God.
It is hard to offer specific advice without knowing your situation better, but I have picked up enough from your couple of posts to say a little.
Your number one priority has to be your own spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. It is important to daily meet with Him during a quiet time, when you can read His word and ask Him questions. Even just 10 minutes a day will be a great help. For most, early in the morning is the best time, before everyone else in the house has gotten to moving around. It sounds like He has already been showing you things in your own life that can be given up or improved upon for His glory. The more time you can spend reading the Bible the better.
Second priority has to be getting your wife on board 100%. My family would be a wreck if my wife and I did not have the same focus. As you move closer to the Lord and begin to change, it is likely that your wife will notice. You should share with her what the Lord is showing you. Hopefully she won't resent your spiritual leadership; most wives long for such leadership, but they don't know how to put it into words.
Do you all have a Bible believing church where you can worship together? This can be important, but be careful that you don't fall into the trap of depending completely on them for your families spiritual nurishment. You are actually the one responsible and you will be better suited to direct your family than any pastor or Sunday school teacher. You wrote that your youngest is 10. How old are your others? It may be hard changing the relationships you have with them, but in time, they will see the change in you and will likely be open to discover what it is all about. Deep down, teens desire love, guidance and boundaries.
These are some of my initial thoughts after praying about it for the past hour or so. I wish you well, and will be praying for you. What is your first name? It would be easier praying specifically instead of for "Janeel". Unless that is your name, in which case I hope I did not just offend you.
Anyway,
God Bless,
Eric
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
——————————
Original message from janaeel:
Hi, Eric
My name is Bill. I have children 27,22, 12, 10. 10 & 22 are boys the others girls, 3 grandsons – 9,3, 6 months. I am hoping that if I make this change the people I will meet will be more genuine than the ones I am currently surrounded by. Most leave me feeling so empty because the just need me for what I can do for them but dont involve me on a personal level. Everyone seems so self obsorbed but it may be just me and the hole in my life i am feeling. It may be clouding my views. Thank you for your prayers and the time you took to respond. I know you are a busy man.
Best Wishes to your family,
Bill
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Bill,
You've mentioned a couple of times about me being a busy man. This is true, but I actually enjoy taking my time and just experiencing the life God has given us. There are always things going on, which can make things seem busy, but really it is just life. Instead of feeling busy, I am usually just in awe of what God is doing every day. It helps when I can take myself out of the picture and see things from His perspective. I am just a small part in His wonderful plan.
I am convinced that God desires peace and simplicity for His children. We will still have trials and tribulations, even as His children, but He wants us to have His peace and perspective through all the bad times.
I really don't know what you are looking for, but I'm sure that God does, and if He can use a few of my words on a blog site or a message, then I will give Him praise! God has kept you on my mind all day at work, and since you messaged back, I'm taking that as a signal to share more "advice" with you. I pray that you will not be offended but that you will listen with an open mind and heart.
You already know that I am a preacher, so maybe you won't be suprised with a long-winded response. I'm not going to shoot out a lot of Bible at you, even though the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. I sense that you probably just need someone to be "real" with you and tell you the truth, from a Biblical perspective.
You are correct that most folks in our world are overly self-absorbed. God wants us to be Savior-absorbed instead. Some might accuse me of being too absorbed with my family, but my family is what God expects my time and attention to focus on. I am serving God by leading and serving my family, and focusing on their well being is ultimitely accomplishing the cause of Christ.
I may not be the greatest preacher and I may not be the most successful pastor in the eyes of many, but if my family is going in His direction, living for Him, and are able to serve Him in whatever capacity He desires, than I believe He will be pleased with my service.
However, you cannot lead a family to a place where you have never been yourself. You cannot accomplish your purpose in life if you don't really know what your life is meant to be about. You can't know what life is really about if you don't know what Jesus Christ is all about. And you can't truly know that until you know Him!
You said earlier that you have never been a very religious man. This can actually be a good thing for you! "Religious" ideas often get in the way of God's plan. For too many people, their "religion" actually causes them to miss the whole idea of what God really wants.
I am convinced that God does not want a "religion" with us, but instead wants a "relationship" with us. Religion can be misinterpretted by fallen man, when God really wants us to "know" Him and trust Him in a personal way. That is the whole reason that He came in flesh and blood as a human. Jesus Christ came as the only perfect sacrifice for our sin. When He died on the cross and rose again the third day, He made the way for us to be forgiven and have eternal life, but He also made a way for us to know God in an intimate and personal way while we live out our lives here and now!
I was especially fortunate that I discovered this when I was just 19 years old, and have had Him to help me throughout my entire adult life. I've made my share of mistakes going along, but He has always been here to guide me through them, and He is still helping me to decide the next steps to take for my family!
I know that age does not matter to God, and someone who is 46 can find the same peace and blessedness that I did at 19! He can lead you and guide you from this point onward, if you will let Him. I know some of your challenges will be different from mine since you already have a couple of grown children, but even though they may have their own families, you can still have a great impact on them. And your grandchildren need a godly grandfather in their lives! God will help you to know how to relate to your 10 year old son and 12 year old daughter, as well, as you grow closer to Him and begin to understand His will for you!
You do not have to go to a church to get on this narrow road. That may sound strange for a preacher to say, but it is true. I was "saved" out under a giant tree when I actually left the service. Instead of coming up the aisle to the alter, I bolted out the door. I found myself sitting under this tree, crying out to God.
My cry was similar to yours, I think, because I saw His joy reflected in the tears of other people in that service and yet all I felt was an emptiness. My tears were ones of self-pity and despair. The main question I remember saying out loud under that tree was, "What's wrong, God? Why am I so miserable? I'm doing the best I can, but something is missing. What is it, what's wrong, God? I want to be happy like other people. What's wrong with me?" I'd like to say that I used all the proper words about confessing my sin and asking for forgiveness and inviting Him into my heart, but pretty much I was just sobbing that same question repeatedly, "What's wrong, God?"
I don't think that I was even expecting an answer; I was just having one major pity-party. Thankfully, I was not the only one there under that tree in the midst of my pity-party. The one and true Lord, creator of all things, was also there! I had a head knowledge of God, but until that time, I didn't really even believe for sure that He was real! In the quietness of the moment, inbetween my sobs, I heard His still, small voice. His message to me during that moment was, "Eric, you don't really know me at all. I want to be part of your life. I want to be your life."
I can't really say exactly how the unspoken conversation went from that point, but I knew that He was telling me He would help me, and I knew that from that moment on, my life was going to be different. Without really forming any words, I realized that I had caused all of my pain myself through my sin and that it actually hurt God worse than it even hurt me, because He loved me so much. I wish I could say that I actually vocalized a prayer telling Him how sorry I was for going against Him all my life, but I did not. I felt it, however, and as I later came to know Him better, I was able to understand what all was going on in my heart that night. I invited Him to come into my heart and life without really forming the words.
We preachers often speak of the "sinners prayer" and sometimes "religion" gets in the way. Yes, a person must admit they are a sinner, repent of those sins, ask for forgiveness, and ask Christ to save them by coming into their heart. Many people have repeated three lines of a "sinner's prayer" and then been declared "Saved". I'm sure some have actually been saved during such times. I can tell you what happened to me was a very real experience, even though I did not say the "magic words" perfectly. God saved me and I was truly "born again"!
Maybe God wanted me to share all that just so you can better understand what He is trying to do in your life. God is real, salvation is real, and Jesus is waiting for "whosoever will call".
A verse in Revelation has always spoken to me, and it was the final verse that He used to get my oldest son to understand. Jesus is speaking, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." He wants to have a personal relationship with you, just like a friend you have over for supper! He's knocking at the door to your heart, so to speak, and all you have to do is open it up and let Him come in!
After you experience this for yourself, you will understand that your life is meant to be all about serving God in holiness. We serve God by serving other people, first and foremost our families. It is an incredibly liberating truth to understand that God has a purpose for your life and that it is all in His hands. Whatever comes your way, God can use for His glory! It takes all the pressure off, to give your life over to Him. The peace that passes all understanding and His love will fill all the holes and empty places in your life!
He will help you to guide your business for His glory as well. Your life, your family, your business, your dreams; God is actually interested in every part of your life, and He wants in!
If you watch movies, you should find one called "Flywheel". I've seen the DVD for rent at Food City before. It was the first movie from the same guys who did "Facing the Giants" and "Fire Proof" (both of which are also great movies to check out). "Flywheel" is not as famous as those other two, but it has a great message. I'm thinking about it because it is about a guy who owns a business (car lot) and how God intervenes in his life, family, and business. While you are at it, you ought to rent those other two, as well, when you get a chance. I know you want to have less TV, (which is a very important and worthy goal) but a well timed family movie night, with a godly movie, can be an awesome time. It may be a way God will begin to work in your wife and children as well.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'm pretty far away geographically, but technology wise, I'm just next door. I hope I have not overwhelmed you with all this. I believe it has been orchastrated by God, though, so I will try not to apologize for writing so much!
Looking forward to hearing how God moves in your life!
In His Love,
Eric
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Why I Don't Celbrate Halloween
I preached this sermon last Sunday to our home church. Actually, I don't preach word for word what I type out, but it is usually pretty close. Most of the time I don't even type out the sermons that God gives me, but from time to time I feel led to. I thought I would share it here, just to demonstrate some more of my convictions. They are not always popular, but I always feel strongly about them. There is much more that could be said about Halloween, but this is the direction that the Lord led me this week. Our pastor had touched on some of the evil components of Halloween the previous week, but left open the possibility that it may be OK to participate in many aspects of the "fun" part of the holiday. I have difficulty seeing anything about the celebration being appropriate "fun" for a Christian.
(I am always amazed when God allows me to put together a message and uses me to deliver it. This message was not copied from anyone else, but the Lord led me through prayer and study. What follows is a copy of my notes for the message with the actual Bible verses put in where they would have been read aloud):
INTRO:
Many pastors may touch on some of the evil components of Halloween in sermons, but most will leave open the possibility that it may be OK to participate in many aspects of the “fun” part of the holiday. Personally, I have come to the conviction that nothing about the celebration of Halloween is appropriate “fun” for a Christian. There is much more that could be said about the truly pagan origins and Satanic elements of the holiday, but this message mainly focuses on the aspects of Halloween as seen and practiced by 21st century Americans in our culture today.
WHY I DO NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN
EPH. 5:8-16
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
I have been asked by many people over the years, why I do not celebrate Halloween. I was not brought up with any convictions against Halloween: I participated in trick or treat as a child; I’ve been to many Halloween parties in the past; I’ve even helped to organize a full-fledged “haunted house” at a church where Lisa and I were the youth leaders.
As I grew in Christ, and started looking around at what Halloween is really all about, God convinced me that there was nothing about Halloween that should interest me as a Christian. Today, for me as a Christian to want to celebrate Halloween would be like an Iranian citizen wanting to celebrate the 4th of July! It just doesn’t make much sense when I consider the main elements of Halloween:
1) Darkness is enhanced
2) Fear is embraced
3) Sin is expected
4) Death is exploited
5) Evil is exalted
Look at these elements in light of the scripture from Ephesians 5:8-16 as well as other scripture:
I. Darkness is enhanced v8
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the lord: walk as children of light:
Illus: Just look at the decorations surrounding Halloween, and they are everywhere. Halloween decorations are meant to celebrate evil and darkness. The Good Housekeeping Book of Entertainment: “orange, black and red, the devil’s colors, are the colors associated with Halloween, and this scheme should be carried out as far as possible! Have paper streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, or you could make a giant spider web with black and orange strings, or with narrow strips of crepe paper for the four corners of the room, complete with a large spider, ‘one of the devil’s followers’.” Whatever is dark and creepy is supposed to be enhanced during the Halloween festivities.
But what is wrong with darkness?
A) Darkness hides evil
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19
B) Darkness is opposite to God
“If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” 1 John 1:6
C) The light of Christ dispels the darkness
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
II. Fear is embraced v9-10
9 (For the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Illus: haunted houses, haunted trails, scary movies all have a goal contrary to goodness, righteousness and truth. Halloween says that we should embrace fear as a fun element of the holiday. So what’s wrong with fear?
Fear is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit, but you can make the case that fear may be a fruit of the spirit of Satan:
A) Fear is not from God
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7
B) The love of Christ casts out fear
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
III. Sin is expected v11-12
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Illus: What teens do when they are too old to trick or treat: egging, corning, toilet paper, bashing mailboxes, road blocks, etc
Illus: Police verify that there are more crimes committed during the Halloween season.
We shouldn’t even have to think about what is wrong with sin. Sad to say, most Americans allow Halloween to be an excuse for some “innocent” sinful behavior. Such behavior is actually expected!
A) Sin is enticing
Proverbs 1:10-16
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
B) The Cross of Christ crucified sin
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
IV. Death is exploited v13-14
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Illus: Slasher movies glamorizing brutal, serial murders. Horror movies glamorizing the supernatural. Wicked movies dealing with the undead like zombies or vampires.
What’s wrong with allowing death, and the “un-dead”, to be some fun things to dwell on during Halloween?
A) Death was not from God - Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
B) Death is an enemy - 1 Cor 15:26
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
C) The victory of Christ defeated death - 1 Cor 15:21-22
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
- 1 Cor 15:54-57
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
V. Evil is exalted v15-16
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Illus: World Book Encyclopedia “Halloween’s beginnings preceded Christ’s birth when the druids, a pagan group of devil-worshipers in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer by making human sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic new year. They believed that Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to the old pagan ties and superstitions.”
Illus: Today there are real Satan worshippers and witches who consider Halloween to be their “high holy day”
Should a Christian ever be exalting evil?
A) We should hate evil
“Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Rom 12:9
B) We should overcome evil
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom 12:21
C) We should not look evil
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thes. 5:22
D) The devil is evil
1) Satan wants to be exalted and worshipped
Isaiah 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high.
E) The manifestation of Christ destroys evil
“He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
- 1 John 3:8
Go back to some of the previous verses and notice the relationship between the common elements of Halloween and the work of our Savior Jesus Christ:
Darkness is enhanced – the light of Christ dispels darkness
Fear is embraced - the love of Christ casts out fear
Sin is expected - the Cross of Christ crucified sin
Death is exploited - the victory of Christ defeated death
Evil is exalted - manifestation of Christ destroys evil
Ephesians 5:17 is the verse immediately following our text:
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
What is the will of the Lord? For me, concerning the celebration of Halloween, there is no question.
Halloween is celebrated on 10-31 so let’s end with an appropriate 10:31 verse from the bible:
1 Corinthians 10:31
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 comment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penny Raine & family on November 18, 2007 at 12:13 pm
and amen and amen and AMEN!
can I use this as an article on one of my websites? giving you credit of course?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPLY:
Dear Penny,
Thank you for such a kind comment about the sermon! I usually wonder if anyone really reads something like that all the way through. Of course I always pray that God will direct people to read them and use the messages to accomplish His will, but I usually wonder anyway!
Most of the entries on my blog are limited to only registered users, and some are to only "friends", but the few sermons I have posted are on the web for all the world to see, in hopes that someone may stumble upon them and God will be able to speak to them.
I would be flattered if you used it in any way you can, for the glory of God! If you want to change any of it to fit your needs, that would be fine also. I am not happy with the format the way it is right now because it could be laid out a lot nicer. My computer was not allowing me to do the indentions and sizes and italics and things the way I wanted, so you would probably want to format it nicer.
What other websites do you have? Homesteadblogger is the only site of yours that I know about. Let me know where you put it, if God leads you to use it, because I think it would be awesome to see it on another site! You don't have to credit me, necessarily. My name is not important. The name of Jesus is!
Thanks again, and may God bless you!
Eric
(I am always amazed when God allows me to put together a message and uses me to deliver it. This message was not copied from anyone else, but the Lord led me through prayer and study. What follows is a copy of my notes for the message with the actual Bible verses put in where they would have been read aloud):
INTRO:
Many pastors may touch on some of the evil components of Halloween in sermons, but most will leave open the possibility that it may be OK to participate in many aspects of the “fun” part of the holiday. Personally, I have come to the conviction that nothing about the celebration of Halloween is appropriate “fun” for a Christian. There is much more that could be said about the truly pagan origins and Satanic elements of the holiday, but this message mainly focuses on the aspects of Halloween as seen and practiced by 21st century Americans in our culture today.
WHY I DO NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN
EPH. 5:8-16
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
I have been asked by many people over the years, why I do not celebrate Halloween. I was not brought up with any convictions against Halloween: I participated in trick or treat as a child; I’ve been to many Halloween parties in the past; I’ve even helped to organize a full-fledged “haunted house” at a church where Lisa and I were the youth leaders.
As I grew in Christ, and started looking around at what Halloween is really all about, God convinced me that there was nothing about Halloween that should interest me as a Christian. Today, for me as a Christian to want to celebrate Halloween would be like an Iranian citizen wanting to celebrate the 4th of July! It just doesn’t make much sense when I consider the main elements of Halloween:
1) Darkness is enhanced
2) Fear is embraced
3) Sin is expected
4) Death is exploited
5) Evil is exalted
Look at these elements in light of the scripture from Ephesians 5:8-16 as well as other scripture:
I. Darkness is enhanced v8
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the lord: walk as children of light:
Illus: Just look at the decorations surrounding Halloween, and they are everywhere. Halloween decorations are meant to celebrate evil and darkness. The Good Housekeeping Book of Entertainment: “orange, black and red, the devil’s colors, are the colors associated with Halloween, and this scheme should be carried out as far as possible! Have paper streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, or you could make a giant spider web with black and orange strings, or with narrow strips of crepe paper for the four corners of the room, complete with a large spider, ‘one of the devil’s followers’.” Whatever is dark and creepy is supposed to be enhanced during the Halloween festivities.
But what is wrong with darkness?
A) Darkness hides evil
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19
B) Darkness is opposite to God
“If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” 1 John 1:6
C) The light of Christ dispels the darkness
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
II. Fear is embraced v9-10
9 (For the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Illus: haunted houses, haunted trails, scary movies all have a goal contrary to goodness, righteousness and truth. Halloween says that we should embrace fear as a fun element of the holiday. So what’s wrong with fear?
Fear is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit, but you can make the case that fear may be a fruit of the spirit of Satan:
A) Fear is not from God
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7
B) The love of Christ casts out fear
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
III. Sin is expected v11-12
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Illus: What teens do when they are too old to trick or treat: egging, corning, toilet paper, bashing mailboxes, road blocks, etc
Illus: Police verify that there are more crimes committed during the Halloween season.
We shouldn’t even have to think about what is wrong with sin. Sad to say, most Americans allow Halloween to be an excuse for some “innocent” sinful behavior. Such behavior is actually expected!
A) Sin is enticing
Proverbs 1:10-16
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
B) The Cross of Christ crucified sin
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
IV. Death is exploited v13-14
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Illus: Slasher movies glamorizing brutal, serial murders. Horror movies glamorizing the supernatural. Wicked movies dealing with the undead like zombies or vampires.
What’s wrong with allowing death, and the “un-dead”, to be some fun things to dwell on during Halloween?
A) Death was not from God - Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
B) Death is an enemy - 1 Cor 15:26
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
C) The victory of Christ defeated death - 1 Cor 15:21-22
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
- 1 Cor 15:54-57
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
V. Evil is exalted v15-16
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Illus: World Book Encyclopedia “Halloween’s beginnings preceded Christ’s birth when the druids, a pagan group of devil-worshipers in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer by making human sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic new year. They believed that Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to the old pagan ties and superstitions.”
Illus: Today there are real Satan worshippers and witches who consider Halloween to be their “high holy day”
Should a Christian ever be exalting evil?
A) We should hate evil
“Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Rom 12:9
B) We should overcome evil
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom 12:21
C) We should not look evil
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thes. 5:22
D) The devil is evil
1) Satan wants to be exalted and worshipped
Isaiah 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high.
E) The manifestation of Christ destroys evil
“He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
- 1 John 3:8
Go back to some of the previous verses and notice the relationship between the common elements of Halloween and the work of our Savior Jesus Christ:
Darkness is enhanced – the light of Christ dispels darkness
Fear is embraced - the love of Christ casts out fear
Sin is expected - the Cross of Christ crucified sin
Death is exploited - the victory of Christ defeated death
Evil is exalted - manifestation of Christ destroys evil
Ephesians 5:17 is the verse immediately following our text:
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
What is the will of the Lord? For me, concerning the celebration of Halloween, there is no question.
Halloween is celebrated on 10-31 so let’s end with an appropriate 10:31 verse from the bible:
1 Corinthians 10:31
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 comment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penny Raine & family on November 18, 2007 at 12:13 pm
and amen and amen and AMEN!
can I use this as an article on one of my websites? giving you credit of course?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPLY:
Dear Penny,
Thank you for such a kind comment about the sermon! I usually wonder if anyone really reads something like that all the way through. Of course I always pray that God will direct people to read them and use the messages to accomplish His will, but I usually wonder anyway!
Most of the entries on my blog are limited to only registered users, and some are to only "friends", but the few sermons I have posted are on the web for all the world to see, in hopes that someone may stumble upon them and God will be able to speak to them.
I would be flattered if you used it in any way you can, for the glory of God! If you want to change any of it to fit your needs, that would be fine also. I am not happy with the format the way it is right now because it could be laid out a lot nicer. My computer was not allowing me to do the indentions and sizes and italics and things the way I wanted, so you would probably want to format it nicer.
What other websites do you have? Homesteadblogger is the only site of yours that I know about. Let me know where you put it, if God leads you to use it, because I think it would be awesome to see it on another site! You don't have to credit me, necessarily. My name is not important. The name of Jesus is!
Thanks again, and may God bless you!
Eric
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Without Christ: A Sunday Sermon
(I have been trying to post this for over an hour now! Terrible problem with pop-ups and computer crashes. I am starting to think that Satan does not want anyone to read this post!)
Nearly every Sunday you will find the Pure Water Hollow clan leaving the homestead for a time of community worship, prayer and fellowship. We currently drive about 15 miles to the church that God has placed us in at this time. We pass many other Bible believing churches on our way, but we are confident that we have found the one where God wants us to serve. In this small country church I am one of three preachers. None of us are seminary trained and we all earn our living in the secular world, although I am not opposed to those who are in the ministry “full time”.
I am usually called on to preach about two to four times a month, most of the time with no advance knowledge. The church believes strongly in the man of God being “instant in season and out of season.” Last Sunday, both our pastor and the other preacher were out of town, so I had a pretty good idea that I would be asked to deliver the message. The Lord gave me a good sermon and I have decided to share the basic sermon I preached last Sunday here on the Pure Water Hollow Homestead blog. It is not a word for word transcription or anything like that. (We do not tape the sermons, even though that is a great idea!) But rather what I am posting here is the basic gist of the message, and perhaps some of the points are ones that I now wish that I had given Sunday, but actually only thought of them while typing this. God knows what we need and when! The basic 5 points are the same I gave Sunday; they are just maybe elaborated a bit differently here.
I enjoyed receiving this message from God and I enjoyed preaching it. I have also thoroughly enjoyed typing it all down for this blog, even though it is taken a vast amount of time! I originally split it up into two posts so that neither one would be so long, but I later went back and combined them like they should be. I hope and pray that it will encourage those of you who need encouraging and convict those of you who need convicting!
What is it like to be without God? What would it be like if Jesus Christ was not a part of my life? In Ephesians 2:12 we read a description of what it is like:
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”
This is a bleak picture of what life is like for those without Christ. They are aliens to God’s people, strangers to God’s promises, and they have no hope! I’m glad the passage continues in verses 13 and 14:
“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”
What a difference Jesus Christ makes in a person’s life! Yet many people are without Christ in their lives today. They feel that they cannot do without so many things, yet choose to do without the one most important thing! I’ve heard many people comment that they could not do without their television, or computer, or their morning cup of coffee. What about Christ? Also there are many people who do belong to Christ, yet choose to live their lives so far below what He intends for them, that they are living their lives as if they were without Christ! What a shame!
There are many things we could say about life without Christ, but I would like to compare what it was like for the apostles to be without Christ, literally, after He died and before His resurrection, with what it is like to be without Christ today, in our own lives.
We will look at John 20:19-31 and find that without Christ we are living life without 5 important aspects that we need in order to have a home in heaven and to be able to serve Him properly on earth. Without Christ we are:
I Without Courage
II Without Peace
III Without Joy
IV Without Purpose
V Without Forgiveness
This passage (John 20:19-31) shows us what the disciples were doing 3 days after Jesus had died. They did not understand that He had to die to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. They did not understand that He was going to be resurrected on the third day. At this moment, at the beginning of the passage, they were confused and had little hope and probably thought that they may be the next to be put to death. But I am glad most of them assembled together. I believe we need fellowship with other believers, especially when we are confused and down heartened. We need one another. (But that is going off into a different sermon.)
Nearly every Sunday you will find the Pure Water Hollow clan leaving the homestead for a time of community worship, prayer and fellowship. We currently drive about 15 miles to the church that God has placed us in at this time. We pass many other Bible believing churches on our way, but we are confident that we have found the one where God wants us to serve. In this small country church I am one of three preachers. None of us are seminary trained and we all earn our living in the secular world, although I am not opposed to those who are in the ministry “full time”.
I am usually called on to preach about two to four times a month, most of the time with no advance knowledge. The church believes strongly in the man of God being “instant in season and out of season.” Last Sunday, both our pastor and the other preacher were out of town, so I had a pretty good idea that I would be asked to deliver the message. The Lord gave me a good sermon and I have decided to share the basic sermon I preached last Sunday here on the Pure Water Hollow Homestead blog. It is not a word for word transcription or anything like that. (We do not tape the sermons, even though that is a great idea!) But rather what I am posting here is the basic gist of the message, and perhaps some of the points are ones that I now wish that I had given Sunday, but actually only thought of them while typing this. God knows what we need and when! The basic 5 points are the same I gave Sunday; they are just maybe elaborated a bit differently here.
I enjoyed receiving this message from God and I enjoyed preaching it. I have also thoroughly enjoyed typing it all down for this blog, even though it is taken a vast amount of time! I originally split it up into two posts so that neither one would be so long, but I later went back and combined them like they should be. I hope and pray that it will encourage those of you who need encouraging and convict those of you who need convicting!
What is it like to be without God? What would it be like if Jesus Christ was not a part of my life? In Ephesians 2:12 we read a description of what it is like:
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”
This is a bleak picture of what life is like for those without Christ. They are aliens to God’s people, strangers to God’s promises, and they have no hope! I’m glad the passage continues in verses 13 and 14:
“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”
What a difference Jesus Christ makes in a person’s life! Yet many people are without Christ in their lives today. They feel that they cannot do without so many things, yet choose to do without the one most important thing! I’ve heard many people comment that they could not do without their television, or computer, or their morning cup of coffee. What about Christ? Also there are many people who do belong to Christ, yet choose to live their lives so far below what He intends for them, that they are living their lives as if they were without Christ! What a shame!
There are many things we could say about life without Christ, but I would like to compare what it was like for the apostles to be without Christ, literally, after He died and before His resurrection, with what it is like to be without Christ today, in our own lives.
We will look at John 20:19-31 and find that without Christ we are living life without 5 important aspects that we need in order to have a home in heaven and to be able to serve Him properly on earth. Without Christ we are:
I Without Courage
II Without Peace
III Without Joy
IV Without Purpose
V Without Forgiveness
This passage (John 20:19-31) shows us what the disciples were doing 3 days after Jesus had died. They did not understand that He had to die to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. They did not understand that He was going to be resurrected on the third day. At this moment, at the beginning of the passage, they were confused and had little hope and probably thought that they may be the next to be put to death. But I am glad most of them assembled together. I believe we need fellowship with other believers, especially when we are confused and down heartened. We need one another. (But that is going off into a different sermon.)
I. Without Christ, We Are Without Courage
V19a “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,…”As far as they knew they were assembled without Christ and since the scripture states that they kept the doors shut because of their fear we can see that without Christ they were without courage. It is true in our lives as well. There is a type of courage that people can have and not necessarily have Christ in their lives. I thank the Lord for men and women who have the courage to run into a burning building to save lives, or the police officer having the courage to make the drug bust to keep the community safe. They do their jobs, even though they are putting their own lives on the line, and they need a type of courage to do it.
But the kind of courage I am talking about is a moral courage. Like the courage to take a stand and do the right thing, even when it is unpopular. Having Christ in our lives gives us the courage to be honest when everyone else is cheating, or to stand up for the lives of the unborn when all around us are pro-abortion, or to stand up for the Biblical definition of marriage as being one man with one woman, even if people accuse us of hate speech, or to take a stand against the sale of alcohol when there is much community pressure to have it legalized. (I am thankful that we still have dry counties in eastern Kentucky. We live in one and our church is in another, but the forces of evil never cease attempting to get liquor in our communities. Every so often there is a concerted push to make alcohol sales legal and if the Christian community ever fails to use the courage that having Christ affords, we will see liquor stores and bars around every curve!)
Another area that comes to mind this time of year where true courage is needed revolves around the celebration of Halloween. My family took the unpopular stand long ago to not join in with the world concerning celebrating Halloween. We have never decorated for the holiday, our children have never gone trick-or-treating, and we do not attend any parties that may contain Halloween “fun”. It is not right for Christians to celebrate the day that practicing witches and Satanist consider their most sacred high day of the year! It is a glorification of the dark and evil world of the occult. I know that the Christian “church” attempted to take the holiday back from the pagans by calling November 1st All Saints Day and the 31st All Hallows (Saints) Eve and that kind of a celebration would be fine. But the idea did not stick. I’ve not heard of anyone dressing up like a ninja turtle and going house to house yelling “trick or treat” in honor of their dearly departed great grandmother who was a Christian! Even trying hard to leave out all the witches and ghosts, most of the time Trick-or-Treating only teaches children to be greedy and demanding and to be upset if someone gives them an apple instead of a Resee Cup! Very little good can come from the celebration of Halloween. If you must participate in Trick-or Treat I would suggest investing in some kid-friendly tracts from your local Christian bookstore and along with the candy, drop a tract about salvation into their bag. There has been other years that I have preached whole sermons about the evils of Halloween but that is not what this sermon is about, and I have chased that rabbit long enough!
We are talking about moral courage to go against the world’s values, and if you take a stand against a popular, fun holiday like Halloween, or you stand up for anything that is contrary to the world’s perverted sense of right and wrong, you will need the courage that comes from having Christ in your life!
We could go on and on with examples of times that we need the moral courage of Christ to take a stand. Those instances are not comfortable and it is easy to be silent, but we do not need to fear if we are with Christ!
“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.” 2nd Tim. 1:7And as Moses told Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” Deut. 31:6
II Without Christ, We Are Without Peace
V19 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”
Peace is something the world is looking for. Peace in the Middle East, yes, but also peace down in our individual hearts. A deep settled peace that causes you to know that all will be ok, no matter what. Peace in knowing that everything is in the master’s hands and that I have a home in heaven! Without Christ it is impossible to have peace with God.
Jesus spoke about peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
Wow! Did you notice that Jesus said that we could have His peace? He exhibited peace even in the midst of being beaten and spat upon. He could have called the angels to take Him off that cross and destroy the world if He wanted to, but he opened not His mouth against them. He had peace in knowing that He was accomplishing the Father’s will. We, too, can have that kind of peace, if we are with Christ! Even when taking unpopular courageous stands, we have peace because it is His peace. “My peace I give unto you.”
Jesus also recognized in that verse that the world has its brand of peace and that His is far superior. His is a lasting, eternal peace, while the peace the world offers is fleeting and worthless. People look for peace in the bottom of a bottle of alcohol or pills and they may feel some type of peace as long as they are in a stupor and forget about their problems. But when the "buzz" is gone, the problems are still there. Some people seek peace through divorce and believe they will have a peaceful life with a new spouse, only to find things much the way they were before. Spending thousands of dollars to satisfy all of one’s material wants does not bring about the desired peace, only more debt.
Homesteading and living close to nature will not bring lasting, eternal peace, either. You can feel so much closer to God when living a simpler life and there may be many peaceful moments. But if you don’t know where you will spend eternity after you die, you will not have the peace you need. Without Christ you are without peace.
“These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
The Bible also points out that this kind of peace is hard to understand in Phillipians 4:7:
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
We can see in verse 19 that the disciples were without courage and without peace when they were without Christ. We, too are without the moral courage to do what is right and without the eternal peace that passeth all understanding, when we live our lives without Christ. As we continue with verse 20 we see that...
III. Without Christ, We Are Without Joy
V20 “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”
Joy is closely related to peace and is also highly sought after by the world. Many people mistake joy with happiness. Happiness is dependent upon outside circumstances while true joy is dependent on that inner peace we were talking about. You cannot have fullness of joy in your life apart from God.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11
Drugs, alcohol, new sex partners, material goods; none of those sorts of things really bring joy either. There can be joyful moments even in those things, but fullness of joy is with God. Jesus discussed full joy:
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11
Both of these verses are true because Jesus and God is one. Notice that in the Old Testament fullness of joy came about by being in the presence of God but in the New Testament full joy comes about by God’s presence being in us!
Before, Jesus had said, “My peace” and now He says “My joy”! What a privilege to have His peace in us and also have His joy in us! When thinking about what the “My joy” Christ was referring to we recall an interesting verse in Hebrews 12:2:
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
There is a lot in this verse but notice that it links Christ’s joy with the cross; “the joy that was set before him”. What joy could there be in the cross for Him? It was an excruciating, humiliating death! The joy was in obeying the will of His father and seeing the salvation of you and me! He also knew that the "throne of God" was set before Him, which brought Him joy. There is joy in the presence of the angels when one sinner repents! (Luke 15:10) When a person repents of their sins and comes to Christ for salvation is what brings God joy!
So true, full joy is knowing Christ, doing the Father’s will, and seeing people saved, but to grasp the whole depths of what that deep settled joy is all about is difficult to form into words! The apostle Peter worded it this way:
“Whom having not seen, ye love: in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” 1 Peter 1:8
So, without Christ we are without peace and joy. With Christ we have a peace that passeth all understanding and a joy unspeakable and full of glory!
IV. Without Christ, we are without Purpose
V21 “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
Without Christ and His salvation, it is very hard to sense any real purpose for our existence. One’s life purpose is especially elusive if you listen to some in the world of science who have pushed the theory of evolution into all aspects of society. If there is no Creator and everything in the universe came about by some cosmic “fluke”, then why are we here? If mankind is only a highly evolved animal, why should we live any differently from the animal kingdom? No purpose in life.
People sometimes try to find their purpose in life through their occupations and their whole identity is surrounded by that job. If they loose that job or when they retire, they tend to loose all sense of purpose for their life! We allow our occupation to define us too much I think. Without Christ, that is probably the best we can do.
Since becoming a Christian, a whole new world of living has been opened up to me! The knowledge that God loves me so much that He sent Jesus on the cross to die for me is exhilarating! The first and foremost purpose for my life involves asking for the forgiveness of my sins and repenting, and accepting the free gift of salvation offered by Christ through the cross! The knowledge that I was created in the likeness and image of God, on purpose and for His purpose, is liberating for me! I know that whatever occupation I may currently hold, the real purpose for me is to serve God by serving mankind, wherever I am! Jesus had a purpose for those early disciples and He has a purpose for my life as well. Without Christ, I was without any real purpose, and I was miserable, not understanding what my role on planet earth was supposed to be. Solomon summed it up this way in the beginning of Ecclesiastes:
"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher , vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" Ecc. 1:2-3
But by the end of the book, he understood what the proper purpose of man was intended to be:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecc. 12:13
V. Without Christ, we are without Forgiveness
As we continue in the passage from John 20 we see that Thomas was not with the other disciples when Christ appeared to them. He is still without Christ a week later. Not only is he a doubter at this point, but he is without courage, peace, joy, or purpose!
V24,25 “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Did’-y-mus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
We refer to this disciple often as “Doubting Thomas” but he was really “Unbelieving Thomas” which is far worse. The sin of unbelief is the sin that causes a person to be damned in Hell! We all love John 3:16 because it is so uplifting and encouraging. Read John 3:18, just two verses later in the same passage:
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
So at this point we could call Thomas “Condemned Thomas” instead of “Doubting Thomas.” I am glad that the verse also said, “He that believeth on him is not condemned.”
You probably know the rest of the story about Thomas from the passage we are looking at in John 20. In it I see forgiveness that can only come from Christ.
V26-29 “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Without Christ in our lives, we are without forgiveness. This is very bad because we know from the Bible and through observation that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”( Romans 3:23) and “The wages of sin is death”(Romans 6:23).
Without forgiveness through Christ we are found guilty in our sins, and in no way worthy enough to enter heaven and be with God! But just like Jesus gave Thomas another chance, He also will give us another chance. The Bible tells us that God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Longsuffering means that He is patiently waiting for you to see your need for a Saviour and come to Him. We need the forgiveness that only comes from repenting of our sins and accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour!
There is one last verse in this text that we need to look at, and it is a fitting conclusion.
V31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
With Christ we can have real life! A life of courage, peace, joy, purpose and forgiventss!
Without Christ, we are without courage, peace, joy, purpose, or forgiveness. With Christ in our lives we have His courage, His peace, His joy and we can take part in His purpose! All of this is possible because we have His forgiveness!
So why are so many people set on living life their own way? They have nothing that really matters! You can do without many things, but you should not do without Jesus Christ as your Saviour! Repent of your sin and accept Him today!
And why are so many “Christian” people living their lives as if they do not have Christ on their side (or inside)? They have no courage to stand up for what is right and they live their lives in fear and anxiety. They are stumbling around without God’s purpose in their lives and some even go back to a life of sin as if they had not experienced His forgiveness. This should not be! Even though you call yourself a “Christian”, if you look like the world, act like the world, and live like the world, then you might just be, in fact, without Christ in your life! Repent of your sin and come to Him today!
My wife, Life, sings a song you may have heard before:
Without Him, I could do nothing,
Without Him I’d surely fail;
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail.
Without Him I would be dying,
Without Him I’d be enslaved;
Without Him life would be hopeless,
But with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.
Jesus, O Jesus!
Do you know Him today?
Do not turn Him away.
Without Him, how lost I would be.
Without Him, I could do nothing,
Without Him I’d surely fail;
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail.
Without Him I would be dying,
Without Him I’d be enslaved;
Without Him life would be hopeless,
But with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.
Jesus, O Jesus!
Do you know Him today?
Do not turn Him away.
Without Him, how lost I would be.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The LORD of Pure Water Hollow
We recognize that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17).
By referencing the "Father of Lights" I am not speaking of Allah, or Buddha, or of the Watchtower, or of some spirit being that was once like us, and that we will one day be like. I am speaking of the one, true God of the Holy Bible who created the world and all that is in it in 6 literal days; who saved Noah and his family through a cataclysmic global flood when He destroyed the earth because mankind’s deeds were evil continually; who loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the perfect sinless sacrifice that was needed as an atonement for sins; who saves whosoever will come to Him with true faith and repentance. I could go on and on, but I am talking about a God who is powerful and a Savior who is personal.
Salvation is one of those good and perfect gifts that only He can give. I am saved and on my way to Heaven, not because of any good thing that I have done, but because of what Jesus has done in me! When I claimed His blood on my life and repented of my sins and asked Him to come into my heart, He did! God declared me righteous from that moment on. A holy and just God looks at me now, and He does not see my sin and shame, but He sees His Son’s righteousness and sacrifice. Praise Him forever more!
Since every good and every perfect gift comes from God we are keenly aware that He has given us the piece of land we now call “Pure Water Hollow” to take care of. It is really His and we are to be good stewards of it! He is the Lord of Pure Water Hollow and we give Him all honor and glory for creating such a wonderful place and allowing us to be a part of it.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
Each success that we have, we will give credit to the Lord. He sends the sunshine and the rain; He sends the harvest’s golden grain! Every failure we experience we will thank Him for the lessons we learn. Everything we do here, we want it to glorify God in some way.
Before we moved here in 1993 we made it a matter of prayer. It seemed that God had worked a miracle to allow us to be able to buy this property for such a low amount. We had no doubt that it was God’s will and His timing so we went ahead. There turned out to be some trials before we even closed the deal but God helped us through them! When it was finally time to begin moving into the house we decided there were some things we should do first. Before we moved any items into the house I made a point to hold out a Bible in front of me as we walked into the door for the first time as “owners”. This was to symbolically state that the Word of God was the first and foremost occupant of our new home. We prayed for God’s protection and leading and blessing on this place. We prayed that He would help us to have a Godly home and that this place would be pleasing to Him for as long as we were here. We gave the house and all the land back to Him before we even took possession of it! We knew, even as a young Christian couple, that
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it”(Psalm 127:1)
God has greatly blessed us over the years that followed. Each of our four children in turn gave their hearts to the Lord and was saved in that very living room where we prayed that first blessing on our home! Glory to God in the highest! Thank you Jesus! The words in Joshua 24:15 were always true for us, but they became even more special after our fourth child was saved.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Before we had children, my wife and I had already given our lives and future to Him when we were married. Jesus Christ is at the center of our marriage as well as at the center of our family and of course, the center of anything we do here at Pure Water Hollow!
There is only one Lord of Pure Water Hollow and thankfully it is not I, but the Great I Am!
1 comment
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Homestead Originals... on September 24, 2006 at 9:31 am
Have a blessed day in the Lord
Lisa
By referencing the "Father of Lights" I am not speaking of Allah, or Buddha, or of the Watchtower, or of some spirit being that was once like us, and that we will one day be like. I am speaking of the one, true God of the Holy Bible who created the world and all that is in it in 6 literal days; who saved Noah and his family through a cataclysmic global flood when He destroyed the earth because mankind’s deeds were evil continually; who loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the perfect sinless sacrifice that was needed as an atonement for sins; who saves whosoever will come to Him with true faith and repentance. I could go on and on, but I am talking about a God who is powerful and a Savior who is personal.
Salvation is one of those good and perfect gifts that only He can give. I am saved and on my way to Heaven, not because of any good thing that I have done, but because of what Jesus has done in me! When I claimed His blood on my life and repented of my sins and asked Him to come into my heart, He did! God declared me righteous from that moment on. A holy and just God looks at me now, and He does not see my sin and shame, but He sees His Son’s righteousness and sacrifice. Praise Him forever more!
Since every good and every perfect gift comes from God we are keenly aware that He has given us the piece of land we now call “Pure Water Hollow” to take care of. It is really His and we are to be good stewards of it! He is the Lord of Pure Water Hollow and we give Him all honor and glory for creating such a wonderful place and allowing us to be a part of it.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
Each success that we have, we will give credit to the Lord. He sends the sunshine and the rain; He sends the harvest’s golden grain! Every failure we experience we will thank Him for the lessons we learn. Everything we do here, we want it to glorify God in some way.
Before we moved here in 1993 we made it a matter of prayer. It seemed that God had worked a miracle to allow us to be able to buy this property for such a low amount. We had no doubt that it was God’s will and His timing so we went ahead. There turned out to be some trials before we even closed the deal but God helped us through them! When it was finally time to begin moving into the house we decided there were some things we should do first. Before we moved any items into the house I made a point to hold out a Bible in front of me as we walked into the door for the first time as “owners”. This was to symbolically state that the Word of God was the first and foremost occupant of our new home. We prayed for God’s protection and leading and blessing on this place. We prayed that He would help us to have a Godly home and that this place would be pleasing to Him for as long as we were here. We gave the house and all the land back to Him before we even took possession of it! We knew, even as a young Christian couple, that
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it”(Psalm 127:1)
God has greatly blessed us over the years that followed. Each of our four children in turn gave their hearts to the Lord and was saved in that very living room where we prayed that first blessing on our home! Glory to God in the highest! Thank you Jesus! The words in Joshua 24:15 were always true for us, but they became even more special after our fourth child was saved.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Before we had children, my wife and I had already given our lives and future to Him when we were married. Jesus Christ is at the center of our marriage as well as at the center of our family and of course, the center of anything we do here at Pure Water Hollow!
There is only one Lord of Pure Water Hollow and thankfully it is not I, but the Great I Am!
1 comment
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Homestead Originals... on September 24, 2006 at 9:31 am
Have a blessed day in the Lord
Lisa
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