God Gave Them Over (Romans 1:18-32, Judges 19:1-29)
Man was created to worship God, but because of sin, we are tempted to turn from God and worship other things. When a person rejects God, they are choosing a path toward levels of debauchery and evil that they could never imagine. A person who persists in their rebellion against God will reach a point where God will relax His restraining hand on the wicked desires of his heart and allow him to pursue the fulfillment of all his lusts. God will give him “over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Romans 1:28) As they indulge their sinful lusts, they will begin to endure the natural consequences of their sin. They will “receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” (Romans 1:27) These truths are vividly displayed in Judges 19. This chapter of scripture is one of the most difficult to read because it shows us the natural and logical result of rejecting God and the truth of God’s word. When there is no absolute truth, and no one is accountable to anyone for their actions, a society inevitably descends into the depths of the most disgusting and repulsive behavior. Sadly, we see the same kinds of things taking place in our nation today. What God calls an abomination is celebrated and paraded down the streets of America. We are being led further and further astray by reprobate minds. With so much evil on full display, there has never been a greater opportunity for Christians to make a difference. We must first be sure that we are not letting the world influence us and spoil us with their godless philosophy. Then we must be salt and light, glorifying God by living and sharing the gospel.
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- Jul 23, 2023God Gave Them Over (Romans 1:18-32, Judges 19:1-29)
God Gave Them Over (Romans 1:18-32, Judges 19:1-29)Man was created to worship God, but because of sin, we are tempted to turn from God and worship other things. When a person rejects God, they are choosing a path toward levels of debauchery and evil that they could never imagine. A person who persists in their rebellion against God will reach a point where God will relax His restraining hand on the wicked desires of his heart and allow him to pursue the fulfillment of all his lusts. God will give him “over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Romans 1:28) As they indulge their sinful lusts, they will begin to endure the natural consequences of their sin. They will “receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” (Romans 1:27) These truths are vividly displayed in Judges 19. This chapter of scripture is one of the most difficult to read because it shows us the natural and logical result of rejecting God and the truth of God’s word. When there is no absolute truth, and no one is accountable to anyone for their actions, a society inevitably descends into the depths of the most disgusting and repulsive behavior. Sadly, we see the same kinds of things taking place in our nation today. What God calls an abomination is celebrated and paraded down the streets of America. We are being led further and further astray by reprobate minds. With so much evil on full display, there has never been a greater opportunity for Christians to make a difference. We must first be sure that we are not letting the world influence us and spoil us with their godless philosophy. Then we must be salt and light, glorifying God by living and sharing the gospel.
- Jul 23, 2023The Tomb of the Unknown Prophet (I Kings 13:1-34)
The Tomb of the Unknown Prophet (I Kings 13:1-34)The mistake of the unknown prophet was to go against the clear revealed will of God. His story teaches us that no matter who we are and no matter what we are told, we must obey God's Word. While God may not strike you dead the instant you disobey, failing to obey God always results in tragedy.
- Jul 19, 2023The Danger of Departing (Ruth 1:1-5)
The Danger of Departing (Ruth 1:1-5)The book of Ruth is all about God’s redemption. He can redeem a foreign widow from her destitution. He can redeem a bitter woman from her sorrow. He can redeem the sinful choices of a fearful man so that “all things work together for good.” But God’s grace and His power to redeem should never be used as an excuse to depart from the will of God. We must trust God through the hardest times and obey His word, even when another way seems better to us.
- Jul 16, 2023The Disappointment of Worldly Worship
The Disappointment of Worldly Worship
- Jul 16, 2023Humble Faith
Humble Faith
The Lord Jesus Christ was known for his gracious speech. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." (Luke 4:22) But there were a few times that Jesus' words appear to be harsh and unkind. Such is the case with Jesus' conversation with a Gentile woman, recorded in Mark 7. This woman had a problem she couldn't solve. Her daughter was possessed by a devil. She heard that Jesus had come to town, so she went to Him because she knew that Jesus could heal her. When she found Jesus, she fell at His feet and begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter.
Jesus' answer seems cold and callous.
"Let the children first be filled: for it
is not meet to take the children's
bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."
Did Jesus call her a dog? Was He
refusing to answer her prayer?Many people would have been so
offended by that kind of an answer
they would have turned around
and left, but not this woman. She
knew who she was and that she
did not deserve anything help
from Jesus. But she also knew who
Jesus was. Just a crumb of his
power was enough to deliver her
daughter, and that's all she asked
for. In response to her humble faith,
Jesus healed her little girl.True faith is always humble. It does
not demand of God what it wants,
nor does it think it deserves to get
what it wants. Humble faith admits
that for God to help us, He must
stoop to where we are. It realizes
that whatever good thing God gives
us is better than we deserve. The kind
of faith that honors God is humble faith. - Jul 9, 2023God’s and a Good Luck Charm
God’s and a Good Luck Charm
- Jul 9, 2023The Sins of the Elder Son
The Sins of the Elder SonThe story of the prodigal son is one of the most well-known parables that Jesus ever told. Most people are familiar with the prodigal’s part of the story. He was discontent with living and serving in his father’s house, so one day, he demanded his inheritance early. The father gives it to him, and he leaves home and wastes all the money on wicked living. After some time, famine came to the land, and the prodigal had to find work feeding pigs to survive. Finally, he comes to his senses and returns home. Instead of being angry and holding a grudge, his father happily receives him back into the family. But the prodigal son had a brother, also mentioned in the story. The story concludes with an exchange between the father and the elder son. The elder son never left home. He was hard-working. He obeyed his father’s instructions. All of these are admirable traits, but there was something wrong with the elder brother’s heart. He was proud, bitter, and envious, and he proved it by refusing to join in celebrating his brother’s return. How we react when the lost are found reveals what is truly in our hearts. If we are unmoved by a sinner’s profession of faith in Christ or cynical about a backslidden Christian getting right with God, we are acting like the prodigal’s big brother. We must confess our pride, bitterness, and envy and rejoice with the Father when a prodigal returns.
- Jul 5, 2023Living Right In A World Gone Wrong
Living Right In A World Gone WrongAs the book of James comes to a close, the final instructions sum up how to live right in a world gone wrong. So many times we focus on visible outward actions instead of the invisible spiritual condition. The outward is merely a reflection of the inward and the visible is merely a symptom of the invisible. If we are going to live rightly, we must be right with God and others.
- Jul 2, 2023Giving As An Act of Worship
Giving As An Act of Worship“Give unto the LORD the glory due
unto his name: bring an offering,
and come before him: worship the
LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
(1 Chronicles 16:29) Everyone is
worshipping something. Even the
most irreverent, ungodly atheist
engages in worship. Webster
defines “worship” this way: “To
adore; to pay divine honors to;
to reverence with supreme respect
and veneration.” Worship is when
you demonstrate your devotion to
someone or something by giving the
most and the best of your time and
treasure to it. The idea of giving is
so connected with worship that we
cannot even imagine a form of
worship that doesn’t involve some
aspect of giving. Even those who
do not worship the true God
understand that worship involves
giving of offerings and sacrifices.
They do it to appease their false
gods and earn their favor, but it
shows that God has put into the
conscience of man the knowledge
that giving is a part of worship. As
Christians, we too should give as
an act of worship to the Lord. We
should give thanks, we should give
praise, and we should give money.
We do not give to earn God’s favor,
nor do we give expecting God to
bless us with great and greater
wealth. We should give to the
Lord because God means so
much to us. When we give tithes
and offerings in obedience to
the teachings of God’s Word, we
are showing that we take God
seriously and that He means
enough to us that we are willing
to part with our hard earned
dollars to honor Him. - Jun 25, 2023Samson’s Tragic End
Samson’s Tragic End
- Jun 25, 2023Pride Goeth Before Destruction
Pride Goeth Before Destruction
Samson was known as a strongman, but
in reality, he was very weak. He could
slay a lion bare handed, kill a thousand
men in one fight, and carry the gates
of an ancient city up a mountain. Yet
he was not strong enough to control
the sinful desires of his flesh. All of
the famous events from Samson’s
story involve him indulging sensual
desires and suffering the consequences.Perhaps the most well-known portion of
Samson’s story is his encounter with
Delilah. Delilah was not a godly woman
and did not love Samson. The Philistines
bribed her to discover the secret to
Samson’s strength and she readily agreed.The first three times Delilah asked him,
Samson lied to her. Each time the
Philistines were ready to take him, but
each time he escaped unharmed.
Astonishingly, Samson finally revealed
the secret of his strength after Delilah
asked him for the fourth time. Did
Samson not know what she was trying
to do? Or could it be that he had
become so prideful that he believed
he didn’t need to keep his vow to God
any longer to keep his strength?Whatever he was thinking, the
result was Samson’s capture, torture,
and humiliation. He had lived a
sensual, prideful life and he became
a prime example of the old adage,
“The bigger they are, the harder
they fall.” Why? Because “Pride
goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall.”
(Proverbs 16:18) Instead, we should
humble ourselves, and if we do,
God promises that He will lift us up. - Jun 19, 2023What’s In Your Heart?
What’s In Your Heart?There are two sides to every person: the inside and the outside. Or in the language of the Bible, there is the “inward man” and the “outward man.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 KJV) Each of us chooses which will receive our focus and attention. Either we will focus on the external things that other people can see and notice or on the internal things that may go unrecognized. Which one we make a priority determines the direction of our life takes. If you believe that perception is more important than reality, then your focus is on the outward man.If you believe that if you fake it, you can make it, then the outward man is your priority. If you do what you do “to be seen of men,” then external things are paramount to you, and that is a problem. It is a problem because Jesus said that what is in your heart is more important than what people see on the outside. The heart is the real you, and it determines what will come out of your life.The most religious people in Jesus' day were consumed with maintaining an appearance of godliness, but in reality, their heart was far from God. Their heart was evil, and the result of an evil heart will be an evil life. They were meticulous about ensuring that nothing went in their mouth that would “defile” them, but they ignored the corruption that was in their heart. The inward man is the most important part of us because that determines who we really are. We must be sure that we keep our hearts clean, and when we do that, our whole lives will be pure.
- Jun 18, 2023The Downward Cycle of Revenge Samson Part 3 (Judges 15)
The Downward Cycle of Revenge Samson Part 3 (Judges 15)
- Jun 18, 2023What’s In Your Heart?
What’s In Your Heart?There are two sides to every person: the inside and the outside. Or in the language of the Bible, there is the “inward man” and the “outward man.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) Each of us chooses which will receive our focus and attention. Either we will focus on the external things that other people can see and notice or on the internal things that may go unrecognized. Which one we make a priority determines the direction of our life takes. If you believe that perception is more important than reality, then your focus is on the outward man. If you believe that if you fake it, you can make it, then the outward man is your priority. If you do what you do “to be seen of men,” then external things are paramount to you, and that is a problem. It is a problem because Jesus said that what is in your heart is more important than what people see on the outside. The heart is the real you, and it determines what will come out of your life. The most religious people in Jesus' day were consumed with maintaining an appearance of godliness, but in reality, their heart was far from God. Their heart was evil, and the result of an evil heart will be an evil life. They were meticulous about ensuring that nothing went in their mouth that would “defile” them, but they ignored the corruption that was in their heart. The inward man is the most important part of us because that determines who we really are. We must be sure that we keep our hearts clean, and when we do that, our whole lives will be pure.
- Jun 14, 2023Humbling Yourself
Humbling YourselfAt the root of every sin that we commit is a prideful heart. Sin originated when Satan (Lucifer) said “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:14) Pride is the defining feature of all rebellion against God.
Humility, on the other hand, is at the heart of holy living. Christ demonstrated the superiority of humility when He humbled Himself to come to earth and die for our sins. Those who are truly following Christ will strive to live humble lives like He did.
This theme of pride versus humility is the main focus of 1 Peter 5:5-7. Having admonished pastors to not be “lords over God's heritage, but [examples] to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3), Peter expands on the idea of being an example of humility. But the commands and principles are not for pastors only. All Christians should live humbly because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
