It's Not Your Way

Jesus told us in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and He followed that by claiming that no one can come to God without going through Him. This common and familiar verse quoted by so many is incredibly powerful. The first statement is that Jesus Christ is THE way to God. How can this be with so many religions claiming to have a piece of the God pie. Our relativistic culture tells us that there are many ways to get to God, all of them legitimate though they may differ dramatically in their methodology. All one must do is pick your personal path and go to it. the 2008 Pew forum on religion showed that 48% of "born again" or "evangelical" Christians believe that there are many ways to God. Of that 48%, 33% believed that even atheism could lead one to God (figure that one out). In stark contrast to our society's teachings, Jesus claims that He alone is the way to God. One could also say that Jesus exemplifies for us the way to God. How did Jesus live? What is the way of God? "For God so loved. . ." John tells us that if we don't love we can't know God "for God is love." We can see this love clearly displayed for us in the life and ministry of Christ. Based on the example of Christ, therefore, if we are to come to God we must love. Discussing coming to God, Jesus gave us a fantastic illustration in the parables. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus says, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." In this brief parable we can notice three things about coming to God. First, that we must come with a searching attitude. Notice the man was looking for a treasure. Are we looking for a right and real relationship with God, or simply a "get out of Hell free" card? How many have come to Christ flippantly, simply looking for some enhancement to their life (health, wealth, and prosperity), and have missed the whole point? Secondly, we must come recognizing the value of what we are seeking. Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God. He is not one of many ways, or even one of a few ways, He is the only way. Salvation can be found in no other religion or teaching, only in Christ. Hell will not be escaped through any ritual, membership, or material acquisition, it is only in Christ. We must recognize the value of a relationship with Christ. Lastly, we must come to God with a total commitment. Notice this man sold EVERYTHING to acquire this treasure. We must understand that when we come to God we are not "trying" this God-thing out for a while and if it doesn't work then we can try something else. "If any man will come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Coming to God is on His standards not on ours. Have you come to Jesus? If not you can be guaranteed that you will not find God any other way.

Never Have Enough

Is there a difference between religion and relationship? Absolutely, a difference that anyone should be able to tell, but so few experience. It seems that the more people I talk to, more and more are "good" people, or have "good" morals, but yet when you look at their lives you see no sign that they experience the presence of God or hear the voice of God on anything resembling a regular basis. This is a travesty of the highest degree. God has designed us to worship, to experience a real and vibrant relationship with Him. So, what is hindering so many from experiencing this. . .desire. In the opening verses of Exodus 33 God is instructing
Moses to proceed with the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, but with a variation from His instructions at the burning bush. In Exodus 3 God had promised to bring the people to Canaan with His presence. In Chapter 33 God tells Moses to go and that an angel will be sent ahead to bring the victory, but that God's presence would not be going with them. Do you realize what God was offering Moses? God was giving him the chance to experience a "successful" life by leading God's people to victory in the Promised Land, giving them the homeland God had promised Abraham hundreds of years before, but all of it without God's presence. Why? The hearts of the people were not filled with the desire to experience and please God, it was to fulfill their own desires. I see many today living that very lifestyle; experiencing "success" without God because they will not surrender their will to His. Moses had seen the results of life without the presence of God and his response is a lesson to us of how our response should be patterned. The first thing Moses did was move the tent of meeting outside the camp showing a clear separation between the sinful state of the people and the house of God. This resulted in the repentance of the people which stemmed from a fear of God's judgment of their sin. If the church would live by, preach, and teach the truth of God's impending judgment of sin and clearly separate from all it's tenants the world might take notice. There must be a clear separation! The second thing that Moses did was go to God and make three very profound statements. The first statement could be summarized, "God you told us to go our way, but would you please show us your way that we may go with you." What is God's way for your life? Have you asked Him? Wouldn't our energies be better spent pursuing God's will and plan rather than our own? The second statement Moses makes is "If your presence doesn't go with us I'm not going anywhere. We move when you move." Activity is not a sign of the true work of God, the leading of the Holy Spirit is. In response to Moses' two previous statements God agreed to lead and go with them, so it would seem that Moses should be satisfied. He got what he was after, God would lead and go with them clearly identifying them to the world as the people of God. I want to preface Moses' final question with a question of my own. Who on planet earth at the time of this conversation was closer to God than Moses? To whom was God speaking as clearly and often as Moses? Moses could have been satisfied with his proximity to God and left it at that because compared to the rest of the human race, he looked pretty good. Notice verse 18, "And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory." Did you catch that? God, I want to see you and your glory. I've heard your voice. I've held the stone tablets with your handwriting on them. My face has glowed with the reflection of you presence, but I am not satisfied, I want to see you. Moses did not ask this question out of any ulterior motive or selfish desire, but of a pure and righteous desire to know more of God than he did at the time. Do we have that hunger and desire? Do we strive each day to know more of our God or are we satisfied being where we are because we look "better" than others? Notice Moses got what he asked for, he saw God. We will too, if we want it bad enough. Ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all thy heart.

Hidden Treasure

Many look at chapters of Scripture that contain genealogies as worthless except in a historical context. Scripture tells us that “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” Within the lists of Genesis chapters 5 and 11 we are given a prophetic statement of the coming Messiah and the hope that He brings.

Adam – man or mankind
Seth – appointed
Enos – mortal
Cainan – dwelling, sorrow
Mahalaleel – Praise of God
Jared – descent
Enoch – to bring up
Methuselah – a branch
Lamech – powerful
Noah – comfort
Shem – name, renown
Arphaxad – a healer, releaser, or deliverer
Salah – mission, sending
Eber – one that passes or dies
Peleg – division, divided
Reu – his friend or shepherd
Serug – branch, layer, twining or embracing
Nahor – hoarse, dry, hot
Terah – to breath, bring
Abram – high father (Abraham – father of all people)

What does this prove? Look as we add a few words to what comes out.

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow. Praise of God (a) descent (will) bring up a branch, (a) powerful comfort. (His) name, a deliverer, sent (to) one that passes/dies, divided (from) his friend and shepherd, embracing (the) dry to bring (to) (the) High Father/Father of all people.

Coincidence? Hardly, especially when you consider that the name Jesus means “deliverer”. Here in two seemingly useless lists of names God is telling us that the Messiah will come, what He will come to accomplish, and even what His name is. Consider what other hidden treasure may be lurking in depths of Scripture.

Please Take Your Seat

As a principal at a Christian school I have heard much, read much, and even spoken much about having a "Christian world-view". My understanding of this phrase is that we view all of life and the world around us as it is defined and discussed in Scripture. Having worked with many students, and having spoken to a multitude of people about their personal experience with Jesus Christ I have come to the conclusion that simply a world-view is insufficient. Let me explain my thinking. David, the second king of Israel, the "man after God's own heart", had a son, Solomon. Solomon grew up under the tutelage of his father, a man who loved and worshipped Jehovah and had a tender heart towards the things of God. Solomon was given the task of building the temple, the most sacred building in all of Jewish history. We can read Solomon's prayer of dedication and it is filled with a "Biblical world-view". How did Solomon end up? There is a fragment of hope in Ecclesiastes that he restored his relationship with God, but the hope is fragmentary at best. Solomon had a son, Rehoboam, and we are told that he did not prepare his heart to know, serve, and love God. His life ended in rebellion against God. My father was a pastor, a man that loves God and His Word like no other I have ever known, and he taught me to have a "Biblical world-view". How I end up has little to do with my view and everything to do with the application of that view. The success of my son's relationship with God is totally dependant upon their application of the view they are being taught. I have a choice, as did David, Solomon, and Rehoboam. I can have a heart for God, a mind for God, or simply feeble hand service to God. My view means nothing without the application. There are many walking the streets of 21st century America that have a correct view but are not supporting it with the necessary application to experience the favor of God. So, which seat is your's?

What is your Gospel?

Romans 16:25 Paul tells us, "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ. . ." What was Paul referring to as "my gospel"? We know that Paul preached "Christ and him crucified", as well as "all have sinned" and that "the wages of sin is death." When one looks at the words of Jesus Himself, you find that Paul was right on track. How does that line up with the Gospel preached or lived by many today? Not very well. God does not promise us a life of health, wealth, and prosperity if we serve Him. To the contrary, His Word confirms that if we serve Him we are guaranteed to experience turmoil, persecution, and difficulty. The Gospel we are instructed to proclaim is one of a hope in heaven. How do we attain this hope? First we must realize and admit that we have broken God's commands and that that makes us guilty in God's eyes. Secondly, we must ask God to forgive us for sinning. Thirdly, we must accept Jesus'payment of our punishment. Lastly, we must place ourselves in God's control. Is that the gospel that you live by and share with others. To ignore the gospel of the Bible is to condemn yourself to an eternity of punishment in the lake of fire. It is essential that we share the truth, not what sounds good or makes us popular. So, what is your gospel?

The God of the Real

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake." A familiar tune I know, but the truth of the matter is that it is all based on a lie. Does that seem like a strong statement? We live in a world where true reality doesn't matter, only perceived reality. If I want to believe in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, or Godzilla that is my liberty. Also, if I don't want to believe in UFOs, Hell, or God, that is also my choice. Jesus plainly stated that those that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. Do you worship the real Jesus? Do you realize that you need Jesus more than you need air to breathe? When we tell one lie, take one thing that is not ours, or look one time with lust we break the law of God and condemn ourselves to an eternity of punishment in the lake of fire. We are all guilty, and deserve to be punished, but Jesus entered the courtroom of eternity and took your place and suffered your judgment . . . death. We could act the fool and refuse His offer or we could accept it on His terms. What are His terms? You must acknowledge that you havfe broken God's laws, ask for His forgiveness, and give Him complete control of your life. Scripture commands us to follow up our commitment with baptism and involvement in His work. That is real.

The Myth of Separation

Quite often in recent years we have heard the phrase "separation of church and state". This phrase has been used to justify keeping anything and everything to do with God out of politics, government, and the public eye. Sadly, Christianity as a whole has swallowed this principle and allowed it to be expanded. How so? We have been taught that there is very little connection between the spiritual realm or religion and "real" life. The sad result of this is that many feel that their relationship with God consists only of going to church, tithing, giving to charities, and the like. They see no reason for God to be involved in their everyday lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is the God of all or not at all. He has told us that whatever we do we are to do it as if it were for Him. That includes everything: how we drive, how we do business, how we talk about others, how we treat our family, how we compete in athletics. . . everything. We are also told in Scripture that we will answer for every word, thought, and deed. There is no separation. Coincidentally, the separation of church and state; it's not in our Constitution. It was mentioned in a personal letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison. It's a myth, just like the belief that God desires to be separated from certain areas of your life.