Filed under: August 2009
Deal With It!
Joshua 7
The Bible says … “Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Hebrews 12:6) My mother was a staunch defender of the Word of God and she often reminded me of how much the Lord loved me … as she acted as His agent of discipline. My mother had the ability to use God’s Word as both a reminder and reprimand as she would quote, “be sure (to know) your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
I can count and recount the times of my wayward nature that caused me incredible pain. Like the time at age 10 shopping with my mother at Lee’s grocery store with the candy racks always positioned as a tempting site for all kids to behold, and I succumb to the temptation of wanting “Double Bubble Gum” … and I took (another word of stole) several pieces stuffing them into the pockets of my jeans. My sister Diane was my accomplice … actually I think she made me do it. All was good until on the way home my sister and I decided to chew a piece of gum in the back seat of the car as we rode home. In doing so my mother asked us where we had gotten the gum. I looked at my sister and she quickly squealed, “It was Bobby’s idea to steal the gum!” I discovered that day that our big old Ford could turn on a dime as my mother quickly headed back to the store and made my sister and I go inside and tell Mr. Lee that we had stolen gum from his store. The embarrassment of getting caught could have been punishment enough, but I knew the wrath of God waited for me when we got home. It was one day in my life that I was willing and ready to help carry in groceries very slowly all the time telling my mother that I was sorry for stealing. That day I was once again reminded just how much God loves me as my mother disciplined my sister and me with spanking. Later that night my mother asked me I realized what I had done. My confession was, taking what was not mine … stealing from Mr. Lee … embarrassing her … all of which was true. She reminded me with a tender voice … “You broke God’s Word. God says, ‘Thou shall not steal’” (Exodus 20:15)
It would be easy to pass off the offense as no big deal … after all it was bubble gum! It’s not like I robbed a bank! Right? Wrong! Sin is sin and though it might vary in degrees of consequences, it nevertheless is a breaking of God’s Word.
So what’s your sin story? Surely you have one or many? Is it about bubble gum, banks or other bad stuff? We all have a sin story as God’s Word says … “for all have sinned.” (Romans 3:23) Most likely in your sin story you tried in some way to hide your sin hoping no one would find out. But your sin found you out didn’t it? Some of you are living your sin story right now … thinking that no one knows, but I’m here today to tell you, there is One who sees and knows what you are trying to hide. I can let you in on a little secret … you won’t get away with it. You think you will, but you won’t. In your sin story you are thinking “It’s no big deal.” Look to the cross and tell yourself it’s no big deal. We all have a sin story that aches in our heart, because we know we have broken God’s Word and sinned against Him.
Consider the sin story of a man called “Achan”.
Joshua 7:1 (ESV) But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
Let’s “summarize” this sin story …
- Achan’s sin … taking what God said not to take … is unknown to Joshua
- Joshua sends spies to look over the city of Ai
- Report … “Piece of Cake!” Send the “B” Team
- It’s a rout! 36 men die! … “Never Underestimate the Enemy!”
- Joshua asks the series of questions we all tend to ask when things don’t go our way …
- “Why did you do this God?”
- “What are others going to think?”
- “What are you doing to do about it, God?”
- God says “GET UP! Israel has sinned.”
SIN: DEAL WITH IT, BEFORE IT DEALS WITH YOU!
- Sin is Faithlessness … broke faith … Joshua should have known!
Joshua 6:18 (ESV) But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.
- Sin is Seeking You Out …
Genesis 4:7 (ESV) … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.
- Sin will find you out … God in sovereign design moved through the camp … tribe – clan – household – man (vs.14) … Joshua led by the Lord comes face to face with Achan. (vs.19)
- Sin is No Accident … “iSaw – iDesired – iTook – iHid” (vs 21)
- Sin has consequences … confession does not remove them!
- Sin effects more than the sinner … person, family, friends, nation
- Sin is Never in Our Favor … Body = corruption … Mind = Depraved Thoughts … Soul = Separation
- Sin is costly … costs you more than you want to pay … stoned & fired! … “the wages of sin is death!” (Rom 6:23)
- Sin makes an example of you …
1 Timothy 5:20 (ESV) As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
- Sin separates you from God … no victory in sin! (vs.12)
I’m sure we could find something else to say about sin … but the bottom line is … “How much better would it have been to obey God (His Word) in the first place?” In doing so there is a whole lot less “achan” going on!
SIN: DEAL WITH IT, BEFORE IT DEALS WITH YOU!
- REDEDICATE YOURSELF … deals with devotion (who or what are you devoted to?) … dedication … separation (from sin) … it would be a night of “self-examination” … “See if you are in the faith?” (2 Cor 13:5) & “Where is your faith?” (Lk 8:25)
“Temptation is always a test of your faith, not just your self-control.” – Andy Stanley
- IDENTIFY SIN & CAUSE … ID sin (symptoms) but get to the root cause of sin … the heart … “For out of the heart proceed evil” (Mt 15:19) … deceitful & can’t be trusted (Jer 17:9) …
James 1:14-15 (ESV) But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
- GET RID OF IT! … (sin & cause) … gouge it out & cut it off (Mt 18:8-9) … God will never placate sin nor allow His people to play with sin … “FLEE” (sexual immorality [1 Cor 6:18] … idolatry [1 Cor 10:14] … lusts, evils, greed [1 Tim 6:9-11])
Galatians 5:24 (ESV) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
SIN: DEAL WITH IT, BEFORE IT DEALS WITH YOU!
Isn’t it time we come clean? Even Achan when confronted with his sin came clean. God’s not looking to stone you, or fire you up … but pour out His “amazing grace” upon you.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Imagine what it might look like for a parade of people confessing not only their sin … but their testimony of victory! Wouldn’t you like to be in a parade like that?
Video: Cardboard Testimonies
SIN: DEAL WITH IT, BEFORE IT DEALS WITH YOU!
God help us come clean! Help us today to confess our sins and let You clean us and keep us from them. In Jesus name, Amen!
Filed under: August 2009
Doing It God’s Way
Joshua 6:1-5
In the “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” Aunt Polly discovers Tom has skipped school and gone swimming and so she makes Tom whitewash the fence on Saturday as punishment. Well, Tom convinces a friend that whitewashing a fence is great pleasure, and after some bargaining, his friend agrees to give Tom his apple in exchange for the privilege of working on the fence. Over the course of the day, every boy who passes by ends up giving Tom something in exchange to whitewash the fence. Tom within a few hours has the fence whitewashed with three coats. Tom also has collected a hoard of miscellaneous treasures. Tom had discovered that … to make a man or a boy covet a thing; it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
What appeared to be foolishness became a foolproof means to accomplishing the task of whitewashing the fence.
I remember trying a Tom Sawyer tactic on my boys when they were little at the supper table trying to get them to eat as I made the spoon into a flying airplane or using some sort of reverse psychology (which is really stupid!) by saying … “You better not eat that!” or “Don’t you eat it!” All the while hoping they would eat it.
I’m sure you have done something of that nature that looks silly or foolish as means of trying to accomplish your goal or objective. You know what I’m talking about … using foolish means of promising your kids this or that if they do thus and so.
Have you ever given thought to how it appears how God deals with us? Sometimes I think He is sort of like that parent at the table trying to get His kids to eat … or obey. Do you ever think what God asks us to do not only sounds foolish but looks foolish?
In our look at the book of Joshua we can say the Jordan River extravaganza was nothing short of miraculous! It was a bona-fide miracle! But next there comes Jericho. Yes a miracle by all of God’s standards, but you have to admit it all sounds sort of …. Uh, well … foolish!
Let’s look at this story of what I’ve titled … Doing It God’s Way.
Joshua 6:1-5 (ESV) Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
It almost sounds like a Tom Sawyer trying to convince someone that whitewashing the fence isn’t work! “Foolishness!” someone might say hearing it for the first time.
The thing we need to keep in mind is … we have the advantage of seeing how it turns out. Joshua & Co. had no such advantage … they were living it moment by moment! Can you imagine what Joshua & Co were thinking!?
Victory @ Jericho …
- Would be in the most UNUSUAL way.
- No USUAL weapons of warfare would be used.
- No USE of logical tactical Battle Strategy 101 … no flanking, ambushing, ramping, or battering rams.
It would be a procession of men of war, priests blowing rams’ horns, followed by the rear guard, all marching around Jericho and then going back to camp. For six days this is ALL they did! It appears foolish! (Note: no words! v.10)
But on the seventh day, the foolishness of what man thinks would replaced by God’s “foolproof” plan of victory … and the walls of Jericho came “tumbling” down!
What’s the point?
DOING IT GOD’S WAY MAY APPEAR FOOLISH, BUT IT’S FOOLPROOF
Jericho was “Shut Up” … no one coming or going … God at work
Revelation 3:7 (ESV) … the holy one, the true one … who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
God’s way is a GIVEN … “I have GIVEN Jericho into your hand” … prophetic perfect tense some say … describing a future event as if it were already accomplished. Since God declared it, the victory was sure!
Weapons of Warfare … Unflinching Faith & Unquestioning Obedience
2 Corinthians 10:4 (ESV) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
Paul in Ephesians 6 speaks of our armor and weapons as being … (are you ready for this?) TRUTH – RIGHTEOUSNESS – PEACE – FAITH – SALVATION – WORD OF GOD!
Joshua did not question or flinch at the plans God, but by FAITH and OBEDIENCE he carried them out.
- Faith & Obedience Glorifies God
- Faith & Obedience Marches Daily
- Faith & Obedience Can Save Others (Rehab & fam)
DOING IT GOD’S WAY MAY APPEAR FOOLISH, BUT IT’S FOOLPROOF
Joshua 6:20 (ESV) So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
Do you ever think that what is asked of you in God’s Word seems “foolish?” You know, where the flesh (thinking) is more reasonable and even more fashionable. You know, doing what everyone expects you to do.
All of us have had “Jericho” moments … and we’ve had to decide if we are going to DO IT GOD’S WAY.
How about …
- Turn the other cheek … when dealing with insults.
- Go the second mile … doing what you really don’t want to do for others
- Love your enemies … those who do you wrong or you don’t like
- Bless those who curse you … say bad things about you
- Do good to others who hate you … you know they don’t like you!
- Pray for those who … use you on purpose & make fun of you
A JERICHO WALL … Let me tell you about a friend of my son. He got married in the Spring of 2008 … he was a Youth Pastor … 4 months into marriage he discovers his wife has been unfaithful … she moves out … they go through several months of counseling, to no avail … she files for divorce … he won’t sign the divorce papers … his wife develops drug and alcohol problems … his church asked him to resign … he works odd jobs … now working two jobs to try to keep “their” apartment … a lot of people told him to “divorce” her as he had biblical cause … he said “No, I won’t divorce my wife, because God’s Word says not to.” … my son told his friend, “I don’t know if I could do what you doing if my wife cheated on me!” … his friend said, “I’m not doing it. Christ gives me strength. The Bible says for husbands to love their wives like Christ loved the church. Christ has never left or divorced the church though she has been dirty and given Him every reason to do so … He just keeps on loving her. That’s how I am to treat my wife, love her and not divorce her.” He told my son that he has been praying for God to break his wife, and even though she may never come back to him, he prays she will come back into a right relationship with God.
Now some 8 months later his wife called him last Friday to apologize and seek his forgiveness and ask if there is any way they can try and put their marriage back together. She told him on the phone that she had sinned and is seeking to reestablish her relationship with God. He told her that he is willing to enter into counseling again and in time they can begin to see each other again with the hope that God will restore their marriage.
We might all have different advice for this young man … but his UNFLINCHING FAITH in his God and his UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE to God’s Word is priceless in knowing …
DOING IT GOD’S WAY MAY APPEAR FOOLISH, BUT IT’S FOOLPROOF
All of us have Jericho walls that need to come down … and the only way to see them fall down is to have an unflinching faith and unquestioning obedience to the Word of God in our lives.
DOING IT GOD’S WAY MAY APPEAR FOOLISH, BUT IT’S FOOLPROOF
This is not to say that everything will turn out okay as we expect or plan, but when you and I address and apply God’s living and active Word into our lives, doing it God’s way we will not fail in our faith and obedience.
Amen!
Filed under: July 2009
“An Ending & A Beginning”
Joshua 5:10-12
My “Mom” was instrumental in helping to develop my faith. In both the study and life application of the Word she helped to determine and set the direction in life I have walked. Like that of a Timothy, I believe God used my Mom to not only help develop my belief (faith) in Christ, but also to stir it at times throughout my life.
2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV) I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
But there came a time I could no longer stand on my mother’s faith … I needed my own. All my mother had taught me was good for a foundation, but if I was going to build a house of faith, I would have to do the work myself … constructing my faith and belief upon the Word of God, not just upon what Momma said. I guess you could say, “God was ending one act of dependence, while starting another.”
Many of you have had someone in your life that God has used as tools (saws, chisels, hammers, wrenches) to construct your faith from the birth of salvation, feeding you milk, and growing you up in the meat of doctrinal faith.
Maybe you are still being mentored in some capacity … someone teaching you the basics of faith in Christ … helping you dig deeper into the Word so as to build your faith on the soundness of God’s Word rather than opinions.
Whoever God has used in your life, this I know … in the scope of faith … it has to be personal. I love the passage of scripture where “faith” is extolled as something “personal.”
- Blind man … “according to your faith let it be to you.” (Mt 9:29)
- Woman washing feet of Jesus … “your faith has saved you.” (Lk 7:50)
- Woman with a sick daughter … “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” (Mt 15:28)
Faith to stand on and live by can’t be your parent’s faith, your friend’s faith or your preacher’s faith (my preacher said,) … it has to be YOUR FAITH. There is NO PIGGY-BACK FAITH. God will bring us all to a place of “AN ENDING & A BEGINNING”.
Take the Joshua and NEXT generation (everyone wants to talk about the X-Generation … I suggest we focus on the NEXT-Generation our kids faith!) who were occupying the Promise Land … coming out of 40 years of wilderness living … hearing the stories of their God by the mouth of the parents. But now it would not be their g-parent or parent’s faith … but their faith … and to show them God was brining an ending so that they might have a beginning.
Joshua 5:10-12 (ESV) While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Here’s our point to remember … “WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE”
Would you agree that …
- Our God is a beginning and ending God … Alpha & Omega
Revelation 1:8 (NKJV) ”I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Our God is an ending and beginning God …
John 12:24 (ESV) … unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
For FORTY years God was working to bring an END TO SOMETHING so that He might BEGIN SOMETHING ELSE!
Joshua 5:6-7a (ESV) For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place …
“WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE”
Now this is cool, how God works His ending and beginning work in our lives.
- NEXT Generation … observes the Passover (most likely had not observed it since leaving Egypt)
- NEXT day they eat from the produce of the land.
- NEXT day the MANNA they had eaten for 40 years ended. (Where’s the manna?)
- NEXT year they would eat from the produce of the land.
“WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE”
The ENDING and BEGINNING can be both a fulfillment and a challenge.
- God began giving manna and God ended giving manna … it confirms that such was not by chance, luck or natural means.
- God doesn’t intend to let us live off the miraculous forever … don’t expect extraordinary supplies when supplies can be gain in an ordinary way (work the land).
- God wants us to learn to “walk by faith not sight” (personal faith) … live in the UNSEEN by faith.
- God is faithful … yesterday, today, tomorrow … He supplied food and will continue to supply in a different manner … We can trust God now and Trust God always!
To believe … “WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE” … brings into greater focus the biblical truth …
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Such is not fabricated hope, or “talked into” faith … but real personal, standing alone, personal faith that believes … if God has ended something, He will begin something else in my life.
What has or does God want to bring to an END & BEGIN “next” in your life?
- Job … loss of job, change of job, careers, positions …
- Relationships … family, friends, co-workers …
- Places … destructive and harmful … interfering … pulling us down …
- Traditions … doing just because … trap us & cause us to be …
- Church … moving out of town … leading to another …
- Ministries … no longer effective or productive … preaching style …
Though all such situations can produce sorrow and hurt, we must not waste it. We all have a tendency to want to “HOLD ON” to our comfort zones of life. But if we can begin to see and look for … “WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE” … our faith will begin to grow and cause us to stand alone.
This I know … God wants to move us forward … faith is never static and standing still. So let’s start asking, seeking and knocking for our God who is ever active, present, and leading us onward in following Him.
“WHEN GOD ENDS SOMETHING, HE BEGINS SOMETHING ELSE”
Amen!
Filed under: July 2009
Simply Profound
Mark 14:22-24
Sometimes in life it is the simplest of things that can make a profound impact upon us and others.
Take for instance a 4” round grainy rubber disk. It is simple but it has a profound impact on opening tightened jar lids. It turns the weakling of a man or woman into Mr. or Mrs. Atlas of opening jars with tight lids.
As a kid I was totally amazed how manly and easily I could open new jars of pickles, tomato sauce, canned green beans. With simple ease I used this 4” rubber disk to open just about every jar of whatever I could find until my Mom discovered what I was doing. It was then that this simple 4” rubber disk had a profound effect upon my being … particularly my “behind.”
What is it that has simply had a profound impact on your life?
Maybe something that “slices, dices and even makes Julian fries”? My mother had one of those too (Vegomatic), but she didn’t let me use it!
Maybe some thought simply stated has impact on your life in profound measures.
- “I want to be rich toward God” … struggling against the constant pull of the wealth of the world.
- “The difficulty in life is the choice.” (George Moore) … as life is always a series of choices to be made.
Maybe it has been a simple act of kindness by someone toward you that has profoundly impacted your life. Life can sometimes be simply profound.
Take the night in the upper room where both the words and actions of Jesus were “simply profound.”
Mark 14:22-24 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Jesus took the simple actions of blessing a piece of bread, breaking it and pouring out something to drink for His disciples and invited them to eat and drink from it.
Such actions had been and continue to be done a thousand times over … but that night Jesus knew the profound would soon set in when His body would be broken and His blood would be poured out for the sin of all mankind.
What a simply profound blessing to consider!
The purpose is simply … remember what He did for you (dying to take sin away), and the profound … enter into the broken and poured out life of Christ.
Each time we eat and drink the “Lord’s Supper” as we simply call it, Jesus invites us to remember and enter into the profound life He lived … the Christ-Like-Life allowing our actions to be like His.
The simplest of acts are sometimes the most profound!
- stopping for someone … “Jesus stopped and said …” (Mt 20:32)
- touching someone … “touched her hand … his eyes” (Mt 8:15; 9:29)
- speaking to someone … “your faith has made you well” (Lk 8:48)
It is in Matthew 25 Jesus speaks of the simple elements of “food – water – clothing” and said that when you feed someone who’s hungry, give a drink to someone who’s thirsty or provides clothing for someone naked … they become profound acts not only IN Jesus name … but also TO Jesus!
‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25:40
“A LIFE SIMPLY LIVED FOR JESUS, IS A PROFOUND LIFE LIVED”
The life of Christ … how He lived and acted is to be exemplified in our lives. And so He asks us … remember Me and then go live like Me. God’s will is to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). What does that mean? We are to be defined no longer by the world but by the life (examples) of Jesus.
“A LIFE SIMPLY LIVED FOR JESUS, IS A PROFOUND LIFE LIVED”
Consider … Jake Rodriguez, student at Shekinah Bible Institute … led several student missionaries to a small southern Mexican town, Palenque who were going to minister at La Esperranza Rehab Center.
They stepped up to the challenge to live like Jesus. Not a religious Jesus. Not a happy Jesus. But an active Jesus.
As they traveled in the back of a pickup they were all looked worried. Their truck driver Eleazar a native Mexican pulled over and asked them what they were worried about. Each of the young missionaries listed a few concerns … language barrier, saying the right words, assuming they knew what the people were going through, when they did not. Eleazar said said to them, “All those things point right back to you … it’s not about you.”
Jake after delivering the message, not really knowing what to say, said, “Wow, I know that wasn’t me.” His simple words and acts by the other student missionaries saw over forty men declare their own freedom they found in Christ, many who were suffering from alcoholism, drug addictions, and spousal abuse.
God had taken simply taken their words and acts of love to profoundly impact the lives of others.
“A LIFE SIMPLY LIVED FOR JESUS, IS A PROFOUND LIFE LIVED”
What simply profound difference is our life making in the lives of others? Have we realized “it’s not about us” … it’s about Jesus, His life in us.
Consider the simply profound difference we would make in our families.
Consider the simply profound difference we would make in our friends.
Consider the simply profound difference we would make in our co-workers.
Consider the simply profound difference we would make in our church.
If we begin to simply live for Jesus … profound would it not be?
Jesus is inviting us to come to His table where the simple elements of the bread and cup … are to remind us of Him and to enter into His profound life.
“A LIFE SIMPLY LIVED FOR JESUS, IS A PROFOUND LIFE LIVED”
Prayer … Lord we accept your invitation to come and dine, remembering you and entering into you life. Let our lives be lived in a simply profound manner. Amen.
The Lord’s Supper …
