Famous Last Words

I once preached a sermon I entitled “Famous Last Words.” In the sermon, I looked at the last words of Jesus in Revelation. And as I am remembering this sermon, I am conscience of other last words in the bible.

Like when Joshua stood before the people of Israel, aware that he was in his last days, preparing the people for his departure and his famous last words of choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

And the last words of a dying father to his son, when King David called his son Solomon to him and charged him to worship Jehovah and him only and follow Him all the days of is life.

And the last words of Malachi, prophesying the impending coming of the messenger, preparing the way of the Lord.

And the final words of Paul to a young evangelist, summing up his entire existence and purpose in life and charging his prodigy to continue in his steps in three words…
Preach the Word

When the days are evil and men, too. When you are the only one. When you have stood all you can and feel you cannot stand anymore. And when you stand alone…
Preach the Word

You mean when men ridicule me? When the church mistreats me? When there are those who whispers in corners and speak openly? And when there is no one who talks…
Preach the Word

There will be those who spite you, who mock you, who get in the way, who do not care for you nor for the message you preach, who do not want to hear, who can do it better, easier, and get paid more to do it. Nevertheless…
Preach the Word

Do not do it for wealth. Do not do it for fame. Do not do it if you can.

Do it because you must. Because you cannot live if you do something, anything else. Like a zebra has stripes for it was created that way, preach for you are made for it, created for it. Let it burn in your bones so that you cannot but preach. And always…
Preach the Word

Ready for Missions?

A few days ago the guys in the missions track were told that none of them should be foreign missionaries on account of being too young. He said that a person should stay in America with a congregation and gain maturity then proceed into the mission field. He said you should have gray hair before going into the field.

Needless to say, the men took offense to these comments. Immediately they went into defense mode and some became belligerent in their responses (at least in my perspective). But what if this man is right; what if these guys are not ready? I believe most of them are. But at the same time, some of them simply are not. They are spiritually immature and thus I can see where this man was coming from.

However, in defense of these gentlemen, that man (in my opinion) had no business saying what he said to them. To me it seemed like he made a statement he himself did not believe in. Think about it: he was taking to a bunch of guys, anxious to go into the foreign mission field, in a school whose main focus is to prepare men and women to go out into all the world to proclaim the gospel. Not to prepare them to wait ten, to get experience in the States, only to lose zeal for foreign mission work. Further, this is a school with the Adventures in Missions program for teens and kids in their early twenties. And while I have my critiques of this program, this is still a program of the school, and here is this man saying he does not think people of this age should go into the foreign mission field. His statement is that only gray heads belong on the mission field. Well guess what, there aren’t too many gray heads stepping up to the plate so how about the young, whose zeal for the Lord needs direction, and whose passion for the lost in so high. What about the ones screaming, “Here am I, Lord, send me?”

While in some of sense I agree with him, there is a point at which sometimes your opinions are better kept to yourself, especially in a missions class full of preaching itching to be let loose into the world. Some missionaries need maturing, others just need to be sent. You cannot make a blanket statement about all young missionaries.

"Be still and know..."

Five years ago something happened that devastated the world. Lives were destroyed, people were killed, and terror reigned. The world changed in matter of moments. Mankind was scarred with a deep wound and continues to heal today.

For some it was a personal matter. Their entire life was changed as a direct result of the outcome of this dark day. Others felt nothing. They were not affected in the least. They were neither New Yorker nor victim. And the rest of us fall in between…

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God will help her right early.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
he burns the chariots with fire!
"Be still, and know that I am God.
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth!"
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.

I want to notice what the Psalmist says. He tells us we have nothing to fear. Yes bad things happen to good people. Yes bad people do horrible things. Yes the world changes. But we, Christians, have nothing to fear for Jehovah, the Lord Almighty, the Lord of Hosts, holds absolute sway in our lives. Further, not only is he in total control, he is our refuge. He shelters us in our time of trouble. What an awesome thought that the infinite God of the cosmos cares for each of us in his care. He is ever-present in our lives and our only true source of strength.

The world changed five years ago. But if the Lord is your refuge, your strength, you have nothing to fear for He and He alone is God.

Warning Shots

Five years ago something happened to this country that changed it forever. We all know what happened. The twin towers came down as a result of a terrorist attack. Nearly three thousand people lost their lives, and countless hundreds were affected as a result of this heinous act. But are their spiritual applications to be gleaned from this…

I believe God has sent a warning shot. I believe he has sent several warning shots and 9/11 was only one of many. Someone says, “What you mean? This sounds like some kind of doctrine one would find on TV.” Is that a fact? Allow me to give my biblical backing for this belief.

When God dealt with the people of ancient Israel and Judah, he spoke through men. His prophets (Literally spokesmen for God) told them how to interpret the warning shots he had sent. Things such as locust plagues, fire, famine, and devastation from surrounding nations. These were the warning shots that the people of God were not in line with God. They were out of fellowship with him and as a result, he was bringing about the curses he covenanted to them in Deuteronomy 28-30. The Israelites were to see these warning and know they were out of fellowship with God and get right with God.

In the same, I believe God has sent us warning shots that our nation is out of fellowship with God. And the twin towers coming down was one of them. Further, I believe hurricane Katrina was another warning shot telling the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah that God hates their immorality. He is outraged with this type of behavior and he will only stand for it so long.

Someone says, “This is harsh.” My response is you are 100% correct. This is harsh. But you know what, God is just and cannot but punish us. Why? Because he loves us. Because he loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us. He loves us enough to send us warnings that we need to correct the path we or we will be destroyed. Thus, we have two choices: heed the warnings and live for him or ignore the warnings and face the consequences.

The Right to be Outraged

The idea of outrage to the point of manifestation is something that most Christians look down upon. For example, if a brother gets upset easily, or outraged, that person is usually referred to as an hot-head. Or if someone does something to harm another to spur anger in them, then the angry one is to reconcile before the sun goes down.

However, I wonder why Christians do not manifest outrage more often. Someone says, “Well, we are called to live at peace.” Sure, right, absolutely. But allow me to explain.

In John 2.13ff, we find our Lord in doing something that seems contrary to what God is all about. Notice the actions of the Lord:

John 2:13-17
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." – RSV

In this we see a side of Jesus not too many are familiar with. And I wonder here why didn’t anyone stop him? There must have been enough men there to subdue this one man. Why did no one make him stop? I believe it is because of the intensity of his outrage. He was outraged at the godlessness of the people, their utter contempt for the Father’s house, and their complete lack of respect for Almighty God. So he lets his moral outrage come out, manifested in a make-shift whip.

In Matthew 23, I believe strongly that we see our outraged at the Pharisees. Notice though, this is not uncontrolled, hostile anger. This is moral outrage at the Pharisees. Notice what Jesus says:

Matt 23:13-15
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. – RSV

This is strong language to say the least. Some of us sit here and read this and say, “Go get ‘em Jesus” while at the same time saying “I would never do that.” I wonder, though, what would Jesus say to us today? We see what he said to the “religious elites” of his day. And these were the so to speak “cream of the crop.” But Jesus does not attack them on account of their holiness, but on account of their complete lack of love for God. They were spiritual anemics, dragging others into their one trip to hell. So what would Jesus say today?

We live in a country, when Clinton was caught in immorality, 70% of the people said that they were fine with his licentious immorality because the economy was good. What would Jesus say knowing that 60% of that said they were affiliated with the Church of Christ, and if asked if they believed in God they answered “Yes?” Someone says “Well, we just need to show love.” Do we? Is that what we need to show at this time in our nation’s decline is love?

The flood was a direct result of God’s moral outrage on the godlessness of the time of Noah. Sodom and Gomorrah were the result of the moral outrage of God. Nadab and Abihu were swallowed up by fire from the presence of the Lord as a direct result of the moral outrage of God. And this is not just an Old Testament teaching…

As we have seen, Jesus manifested moral outrage. In Romans 1.18, Paul writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.” In 1 Corinthians 5.1ff, Paul talks about the situation of the church in Corinth. Paul is Morally outraged with the Corinthians accepting the immorality of this man who has his father’s wife and is further outraged by their pride of accepting this heinous thing. Paul is literally outraged that the Corinthians are not outraged.

Brothers and sisters, Church, we have the right to be outraged with the current moral state of this country. If we are not outraged at it, then the Lord is outraged with us. We especially have the right to be outraged with immorality in the Church. We cannot have people who claim to love Christ living in immorality any longer. We must and I dare say are demanded to be outraged with this type of behavior. We must have the same attitude as the Psalmist when he wrote, “I will set nothing evil before my sight.”

This is the time to be outraged. If I may quote another brother, “Now is the time for the world to be turned upside down because the wrong-side is up.” So the question is what will we do with our faith? One thing we must understand is that we cannot be satisfied with mediocrity. Nor can we be satisfied with fitting in. Nor can we be satisfied with being ordinary. What form does our faith take? It takes the form of greater determination of the preaching of the Gospel. It is not let in letters to the editor. It is not wrapped up in political boycotting. Notice that when Jesus set about to make reform, he did not start with the political scene. He did not rally an army behind and topple the government. Nor did he try to make change via politics. No he made change by proclaiming the gospel! The only solution to the problems, all the problems we face is the cross of Christ for the message is the power of God.

Brothers and sisters, remember this: mediocre Christianity is the greatest threat to Christianity. So go forth and preach the gospel for it is the only way we can turn this world upside down.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

I have been told that I have been harsh when I preach. Someone says that I say things that offend some people. Personally, I think I temper quite a bit of my stuff and I believe I present in a manner that, while it is straight-forward, is a little softer than I would intend for it to be. I’m the kind of guy who does not like to pull too many, if any, punches. I say it like it is and don’t think I should apologize for saying it. Let me illustrate this idea.

Imagine if the prophet Nathan had decided not to be harsh with David when he was confronting him about his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. I imagine if he had refused to speak any bit of the oracle God gave him to speak, God would have struck him dead.

Or suppose John the Baptist have veered in proclaiming to the Pharisees, “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath.” I doubt anyone would have repented of their past life if John did not preach the coming of the kingdom in the manner he did.

And remember the great apostle Peter when on the day of Pentecost he refused to be slandered by the crowds of mockers and stood to address the crowd. His message was not pleasant; in fact it was a scathing commentary on the actions of the people around him who crucified the Son of God. Not the nicest message, yet he refused to tone it down.

Of course this list of great proclaimers of tough messages could not be complete if our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was not on it. Remember when he stood on a hill and addressed the cities of Korazin and Bethsaida with a scathing rebuke about their rejection of the prophets.

These men did not and (dare I say) refused to allow their message to be robbed of the sharp nature that they knew would cut directly to their listeners hearts and produce the fruits of repentance.

Why would they do this? Why would they allow their harsh message to be rung throughout history to the listening ears of non-believers? I believe Paul summed it best when he penned these words when writing to the Romans: “I’m not ashamed of the gospel…” To be unashamed of the gospel would necessitate that they confront their listeners with the harsh reality of sin, death and judgment. But why have the harshness? Why not preach the gospel in glittering generalities? I believe Paul answers this question with the next words of the same verse: “…for it is the power of God unto salvation; first for the Jew and then to the Greek.” To preach a gospel is without the message of sin, death and judgment would not only NOT be the gospel, but would rob God of his power to blast even the most stubborn and callous heart into submission to his will.

Thus, I refuse to not be harsh, for I am unashamed of the gospel and to preach a message without the things that we don’t like to speak of would be robbing God of his power to convert the unconverted.

What does God want?

Suppose a wife comes to her husband at Christmas. And she tells him that she wants a specific gift for Christmas. She tells her husband that the gift she wants can be found all over the world; from China to Africa to Europe and even down the street at any market store. They come in different sizes, shapes and colors, and this is all she wants for Christmas.

Now as a result of his wife telling him this, like a good husband he goes to the store in search of her gift. When he gets there, he tells the clerk what she wants and they proceed to get the gift. After all, this is what she wants.

Now along the way the husband sees something else, something that he is sure his wife would like, and in addition it is much more expensive than the gift she wanted. He is absolutly sure this is the gift for her and so instead of getting the gift she wanted, he gets her this other gift.

So Christmas time rolls around and the anticipation has built as the gifts have sat under the tree; anticipation from her because she believes that she is going to get what she asked for and anticipation on his part because he knows she will just love the gift he got her.

She picks her gift up and begins unwrapping it and to her disappointment she sees what it is: it is not what she asked for and she lets out a disappointed "Oh."There is hurt in the "Oh" because it isn't what she wanted.

Seeing his wife's disappointment, the husband will try to explain how he was at the store on his way to buy her the gift she asked for when he saw this and knew she would love it and furthermore it is much more expensive...

But the wife just sits there, staring at her gift, disappiontment on her face.

Suppose we were to sit down with God and ask him "God, what is it you want?" What would he say? I suggest to you that he would answer with "Well, there is this one thing i want. Now you can get these anywhere in the world; from China to Africa to Europe, even down the street from your house. They come in many different sizes, shapes and colors and it is this one thing i want more than anything else: mankind."

Notice what happens though; the church, the chosen, the known before creation vessel for the propogation of the saving message of grace, in its attempt to get the gospel to every living creature has become focused on things God did not ask for: bigger buildings and gymnasiums and the like. Now don't misunderstand this: these are all good things and they can be useful. But when a congregation fails to divert their attention on seeking and saving the lost and using those resources to do that, then God kind of says "Oh. Yes, the new church building is nice but couldn't that money have been used toward several missionaries with a machete in the jungle working to share the gospel with people who stand condemned in their sins.

My challenge is that everyone of us would take a step back and try to see what the motives behind every action are and weigh them on the scale with God's standard to see whether we have stepped over the line into comfortablity and lethargy, or if we are truly striving to please him in all that we do. Is this what God wants, or will his face and heart be clouded with disappointment as he says "Oh."