The folly of worry

Let me speak briefly, I have a confession to make... One of my sin struggles is worry. I fight it but find it a stumbling area often. Desiring to conquer this temptation by God's Spirit I sought out help from the Word of the Lord.  So here are my Biblical thoughts on worry and how to overcome it.

I thought of 5 Biblical reasons to avoid worry, and 4 Biblical ways to combat it.

1.) Worrying forgets the Gospel
It denies God’s sovereignty and power.  Christ has said in John 14 that we are not to let our hearts “be troubled.”  Why?  Because He was going to be and has now died and been raised, thereby making the way for man to get to God.  Worry denies the peace promised by the Holy Spirit and makes God out to be a liar.  It forgets the Gospel’s power to bring peace as it fails to trust that Christ is a refuge for all our strife.  Worry elevates some stresses as being beyond the perfect plan and power of God.

2.) Worrying is meditation
Defined, to meditate is to “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time.”1  It is to have your mind captive to something.  Scripture tells us that we are to let our minds dwell (meditate) on Christ and His Word.  The truths of God are to be our meditation.  In Psalm 19:14 the Psalmist pleads with God to let his every word, every thought and every devotion be pleasing to God.  Verse 13, however, sheds some additional light to his plea.  He petitions the Lord to keep him away from presumptuous sins.  The “presumptuous sin” in worrying is presuming that meditating on what you can do about a worry will produce a more favorable result.  It sets the meditation of your heart on that issue and resolving it as opposed to trusting the Lord to do what is right and in keeping with His perfect will.

3.) Worrying is idolatry
If worry is your meditation and meditation is that which you think and dwell on... then doesn’t it stand to reason that what you dwell on is your idol?  That stings a bit.  We know we aren’t to have any idols (Exodus 20:4-6).  Instead we are to dwell on Christ alone, but how easily idols sneak in and construct themselves in plain sight, and before we know it we have allowed them choice real estate in our heart.  Idols form when our hearts are drawn away from Christ by other things (Deuteronomy 30:17).  They are demonic in origin and dressed as something seemingly harmless but massively destructive to us.  Be on guard for them in your heart.

4.) Worrying is disobedient
It seems that this one should be most obvious, yet it bears stating even still.  Matthew 6:25-27, Jesus declares that we aren’t to worry.  Our Father, He says, knows our needs and will provide.  So to engage in constant worry is to disobey the Word of the Lord.  Before you think me legalistic, please remember that God’s Law is a law of liberty!  Though often stated in the negative (“Thou shall not...”) they are always intended for our good.  They are intended to preserve our joy by focusing us on Him and our need for Him in all things.

5.) Worrying is vanity
What good does worrying incessantly do?  “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27).  What more needs to be said about the sheer wastefulness and vanity of worrying?

So what should we do?

I write to you, the one tempted to incessant worrying, from the trenches with you.  My mother says that I get that nature from her.  Maybe I am predisposed genetically to struggle with worry to some extent, but the truth is that I wrestle with it because sin dwells in my flesh.  I don’t set out trying to worry, but it creeps in at times just the same.  At its worst in me I literally lie in bed, my mind racing so fast over the many daily things I’ve decided to worry about, that I can hardly lie still.  There are few things more frustrating than a restless mind fixated on worry.  For someone whose sin struggle doesn’t include worrying, this is hard to understand.  I explained that those times when the worrying is at its worst, in my mind, it feels as though I am trying to divide a number by a color to derive a letter.  I mean that quite literally!  I have seen that frustrating formula over and over in my mind at times.  (I should note that these extreme times happen mostly while I am trying to sleep, but during times of extreme worry nonetheless). It is the sign of just sheer mental exhaustion that has come on over time as I have failed to pray and rest in Christ as I ought.  As the Lord works in and grows me I am learning how to more quickly rest in Him and for that I am grateful.

Can you relate to this struggle?  If so, here are some Scriptural helps.

1.) Pray – (Philippians 4:6) – Seems simple, but for those who struggle with worry we also struggle to keep our mind focused during times of prayer.  If you find it difficult to pray at all times and stay focused, wrestle and pray all the more!  Strive in prayer until you feel the Spirit of God bring you rest.

2.) Seek God’s Glory, not Your Solutions. – (Matthew 6:33) – Certainly we are to engage our minds in problem solving but there is a difference between evaluation and problem solving vs worry.  Ask God to help you seek His will above all things.  Seek His wisdom and trust His sovereign plan.  Striving with worry will only weigh you down (Proverbs 12:25).

3.) Humble Yourself. – (1 Peter 5:6-11) – Worry is arrogant because it sets our “wisdom” over God’s.  Scripture says to humble ourselves “under the Mighty Hand of God.”  We are to cast all our cares upon Him “because He cares for” us and is abundantly mighty to take all the cares we can think of and infinitely more.  We are promised rest if we will seek it from the Lord (Matthew 11:28-30).

4.) Remember the Gospel. – (Romans 8:28-39) – Are you born again?  Redeemed by Christ?  Think on that!  What greater promise is there?   I know of none, than to be certain that I have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Remember the Gospel and apply it!  What worry is greater than the problem you once had of being condemned and under the wrath of God for your sin?  None.  Yet Christ was mighty enough to rescue you from your condemnation.  Will He now not be able to strengthen you, guide you, and give you joy and rest?  Of course!  Nothing, not even that which you worry over, can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ.  Nothing.  So, my fellow worriers, let’s press on in the love of Christ together and trust Him to care for us as He has promised to do.

If you found this article helpful, please encourage others by re-posting it to your facebook, twitter, or other appropriate social media outlet. Also, feel free to comment and let me know how God has worked in you to overcome worry.

5 Things I Learned By Staying Away From Facebook

When my family and I decided to take a vacation this Spring Break I also felt convicted to put all social media (such as Facebook and twitter) away for the entire time. Don't get me wrong. I think Facebook can be a very handy tool for Christians. 

As a Pastor I use it to post great quotes I come across, books worth reading, articles worth a look, warn about wolves, encourage/exhort brethren near me or in other countries. 

I post A LOT; albeit when I post an article I'm typically not on Facebook, I'm on a blog or news site and posting from there... even still.

I had to know whether my usage of Facebook had become an addiction/possible idol in my life.

The first couple of days, anytime I found myself in a moment where nothing was going on (waiting for my kids to finish eating... Standing in a line... Driving to our destination) I would grab my phone and reach my thumb towards the FB icon stopping just shy of pressing it.

I wasn't doing it from an obsessed desire to see what people were doing or to show all my friends what I was having for lunch... I was doing it because I wanted to fill the time.

By the end of day 2 it had become way easier. The urge was gone and I couldn't care less.  Day 3-5 I began noticing the things that I will detail below.  Sufficing to say here that by day 3 of no facebook or other social media it was actually quite easy to stay away.

Will I keep my facebook? Most likely. Will I continue to post so often?  Possibly on occasions but not nearly so much as before

This has helped me break the need to feel I have to check Facebook every 10 minutes (or less!!!).  

In fact, today being my first real day back online in the world of social media I have only felt compelled to log in to facebook just a couple of times and none during lunch rather than my usual every 3-5 minutes.

I HIGHLY encourage all of you to ask yourself: 'Just how dependent have I become on Facebook (or other social media)?'  Does the thought of giving it up even for a week sound like something you couldn't stand?

How about giving it up for good?  Yes or no?  I'm not saying you should deactivate your account, but if in your mind your thinking, 'I could never do that!'  My friend, you may have found an idol in your heart. Without further ado...

Things I learned from my Facebook Hiatus:

1.) Prayer time came much more frequently. I found out I was filling the free time with mindless facebooking which led to mass time consumption which equaled far less time spent praying and communicating with God.

2.) The time I spent in the Word was much more meaningful as I was not so distracted wondering who'd 'liked' my posts or who had done what that day.  It sneaks up to slowly, the desire to receive approval from others I mean. 

3.) I enjoyed more fully my time with my family. When I constantly check Facebook in the boredom time I sometimes miss my kids saying something to me the first time.  I also noticed I had far more patience in general. Don't get me wrong, I don't get upset at an interruption from Facebook, but I think the extra patience came from my brain not constantly being bombarded with my surroundings AND the Facebook world

4.) It isn't as much addiction as it is a constant effort to avoid boredom. Why do I feel I must constantly be entertained. A sound theology of rest is vital to my spiritual & physical health.   Rest

can also just be not filling my every short moment with something as much as it is taking an extended rest period such as a vacation.

5.) I fit in reading 2 books start to finish, each had at least 200pgs, and I retained more of what I read (no Facebook quote posting).  Two whole books!  Now I love to read, but absorbing two books in a week (after the kids went to bed and on our trip to and from our destination) is incredible for me.

The Thankful Heart's Desire

So King David is preparing Israel to build the house of the Lord.  Preparing them to build the temple.  It was David’s plan to build the Temple, however Solomon will be the one who builds it because of the bloodshed that had happened at David’s hands.

As we enter into 1 Chronicles 29 we find David offers a prayer of thanks to God.  I have always loved this prayer and felt it would be appropriate for us to think on tonight given the holiday we will celebrate this week.  What I want you to observe from David’s prayer though is not just its beauty and adoration of God but rather the progression of the prayer and the effect it intends on the heart of David and all the Assembly.  Hopefully I can make that clear as we press on. Before you begin it would be helpful for you to go read 1 Chronicles 29:10-22 as that will be the focus of this post.  Did you read it?  Beautiful right?  Let’s look at then briefly the keys to a heart full of thanksgiving to God in all things and for all things.

The desire for a thankful heart must include: Adoration of God. - 1 Chronicles 29:10 

David began his prayer by acknowledging the blessedness of the Father.  The everlasting nature of His goodness and blessedness of the Lord towards His children forever and ever.

The desire for a thankful heart must include: An Exalting of God. - 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

It isn’t only that God is great and powerful but rather that all greatness and all power and all glory and all victory and all majesty and all the heavens and the earth and its contents belong to Him!

You start orienting your mind and your heart like that and you will find it easy to live a thankful life.  A life of constant worship and praise to God.   You plead with God to teach you and lead you to see all things as belonging to Him and you will find yourself more ready to give Him thanks in all things and for all blessings.

You see from verse 11 how David exalts God as high and lofty and above all things and then what comes naturally in verse 12 is an acknowledging of God’s provision.  How God has never once failed to provide for the needs.  Further, God has never failed to provide that which He calls for from His people.  Riches and honor come from the hand of the Lord alone!  David then says now we thank you, our God, and praise Your glorious Name!

We praise YOU Lord!  We thank YOU Lord!  Why?  For we have seen your display of all these attributes.  We have seen your greatness and power and goodness and love.  For this reason we lift our praises to God!  This sort of prayer leads to a devoted heart that increasingly loves and is conformed to Christ!

The desire for a thankful heart must include: Humility in relation to God. - 1 Chronicles 29:14-16

When we acknowledge God for who He is in all His fullness and then we pull back to look at ourselves by comparison it is quickly obvious that we must be humble before Him.  We are dust and ashes.  We are a sinful lot and completely unworthy to receive anything from God, let alone having the honor of doing anything for God.  Yet we find ourselves gripped by His grace and shown infinite mercies from His hand!

What is man that God is mindful of Him?  What a wonderful and loving God we serve who will lavish His goodness upon us purely from the purposes of demonstrating His kindness and grace!  David says, we are offering up all these things to you freely and willingly.  He is referring to all the materials that the people are giving for the House of the Lord to be built. 

The people are giving these free-will offerings so that the work can be done and yet even in their giving David acknowledges that they’d have nothing to give had what they have not been given to them by God in the first place!

Talking about being strangers and sojourners expresses the astonishment that they have anything at all!  How many travelers or vagrants do you know that possess anything at all?  That sort of person is usually marked by extreme poverty.  Such should have been the case of Israel yet they are blessed and all their needs and provided and God has even provided them with riches for the purpose of them freely offering those riches in their many forms back to Him for His glory!

The desire for a thankful heart must include: A Dependence on God. - 1 Chronicles 29:17-19

Having lifted God High and having humbled Himself and come lowly before the Lord David sees that not only are the riches that they have coming from the hand of the Lord, but moreover he realizes that to continue walking in such a thankful way they must depend on the Lord.

The fact that the people are giving so generously and so freely is an indication that they are in agreement with David on these things.  And if they are to continue praising God and worshiping God in such a way that the people have hearts these benevolent hearts they must plead with God for His continued leading.

David says, I know that you test the heart.  I know that you have pleasure in uprightness.  In the uprightness of his heart he and the people have offered these things and he knows this comes from God alone.  His plea is simple:  Verse 18, Keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you.

Church, what if your prayer this Thanksgiving and beyond was just that.  Lord, please… with every passing breath that I take, create in my heart Your purposes and bind Your thoughts on my heart.  Because what a Christian should desires is to be upright before the Lord.  We want to be upright before the Lord because that is what the Lord takes pleasure in. 

We GET that uprightness of self from God who grants it only through faith in Jesus Christ.  We trust in the God who is pleased to bestow all these things on us out of His mercy and grace!  So David says, let this continue Lord.  Let us continue to be thankful to You.  Please God do not remove Your guiding hand from us so that we never fall away from You!  Oh how I desperately want that to be my prayer and yours. 

Finally, the desire for a thankful heart must include: A Response to God. - 1 Chronicles 29:20-22

David calls upon the people to bless the Lord.  To lift their praises to God in affirmation of this resolve to live for God alone!  The people respond by offering sacrifices to the Lord.  We no longer are asked by God to sacrifice bulls or rams or lambs.  But we are called to live our lives as a sacrifice of worship to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2).

That’s my challenge to you at Thanksgiving and always.  Plead with God that according to His mercy He would stir up in you a passion for His Name that will not fade or pass.  A zeal for Him that will continue leading you down the paths of the righteous and upright.  The path that pleases the Lord and leads to eternal life with Him!

Believing Christ's Forgiveness

As of late I have received a couple of requests to address the issue of forgiveness; specifically the issue of forgiving yourself once you know that God has forgiven you through Jesus Christ.  I contemplated a sermon on the subject but felt that this might be the best medium so that the information can be ever at your fingertips.

At the core, we struggle with letting go of our sins of the past.  Some of us struggle more than others.  Oh we mentally acknowledge that we’ve been forgiven of course, but it is hard to actually forgive ourselves because deep down we feel we have to earn God’s forgiveness.  The real battle with forgiving ourselves does not come from the heinous nature of our various sins; it comes in believing that God is really a God who will forgive sinners FREELY with no works or merits on their part.  When we cry out in despair and struggle with forgiving ourselves what we are really doing is forgetting the Gospel; we are doubting God.  I don’t at all mean that to sound harsh so please do not take it that way, but that is what is happening.

Anytime I fret over my past and decide not to forgive myself because of the transgressions on my account I am forgetting the Gospel of Grace which declares that Christ’s blood was and is so powerful that it cleanses me from ALL unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  Let that sink in for a moment.  Let all of your past sins run through your mind for a moment and now understand that if you are in Christ they have ALL, every single one, been declared FORGIVEN.

If you were to open up your case file with God and check to see on what grounds all the charges against you were dismissed you would find one answer and one answer only.  It is solely on the grounds of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone that we can be forgiven and not only forgiven but justified!  Freed from ever being in debt over our sin again!

When we deny ourselves something basic, and by that I mean some non-sinful basic human need and we do it on the grounds of still feeling guilty, what we are really doing is trying to punish ourselves so that we feel forgiven. 

But that is just opposite of what the Gospel tells us.  The Gospel says that He, meaning Christ, was bruised for my iniquities.  He took the punishment for my sin.  1 John 1:9 reminds us that God is faithful and just.  Faithful and just!  We need to be careful not to doubt our forgiven position in Christ lest we drift into the dangerous waters of doubting God’s Holy character.

We struggle with forgiving ourselves because we know that we are going to sin again in some way.  We struggle with it because we break our promises and have a hard time believing a God who won’t break His.  But our Father is not like us.  He has promised and He alone cannot break His promise.  It is His steadfastness, not our worthiness, that guarantees our forgiveness.

It is true that we are sinners who do not deserve His mercy but He is faithful and loving and it is by His faithfulness to uphold His promise of forgiveness that we can begin to forgive ourselves and move past the hurt we’ve caused in the past by our sin.  We never forget the things we’ve done to sin against God and others, but we stand in awe of Him because He has (Psalm 103:12).

Spend some time pondering the Gospel today.  Spend some time dwelling on the fact that we are not only promised forgiveness of our sin but also cleansing.  It is Satan’s desire to keep you locked in a state of doubting God so that he can keep you ineffective for the kingdom.

Jesus did not forgive you before you sinned against Him nor did He wait for you to stop sinning before He saved you.  He has said to you as He did the woman caught in adultery

If you believe that God sent Christ to forgive you of all your sin then live like you believe it.  You may think ‘this is too easy, give me some self-forgiveness steps Pastor’, but that is the flesh desiring to do works for forgiveness again.  The key isn’t in some do it yourself process; the key is in believing the Gospel.  Daily as you rise, go about your tasks, and lay your head down at night, REMEMBER THE GOSPEL!  The Gospel was not merely a one-time message you needed to be saved, it is the ever present reminder of the hope you need and the grace God has provided every single day!

The byproduct of forgiveness and justification is peace.  Jesus said He came to bring us peace, not as the world defines peace, but a peace that is beyond all comprehension John 14:27)!  That peace guards our hearts (Philippians 4:7).

Because of Christ we now have peace between us and our own souls (Hebrews 9:14). “O the precious peace of a clear conscience. So many people labor under the misery of a guilty conscience. I’ve heard many say, “I cannot forgive myself.”, but that’s what Good Friday is for!  The forgiving of sinners and the removal of a guilty conscience!

Peace with yourself doesn’t mean that you start seeing past sins as appropriate nor does it mean excusing the wrong you’ve done. Peace doesn’t mean that past sins cease to be painful. It means they cease to be paralyzing. The pain may not be taken away immediately, but the penalty is taken away immediately through Christ. And that makes it possible to heal and move forward in our pursuit of Christ-likeness. 


The only remaining option beyond what has been said above is that you cannot experience forgiveness of yourself because you've never received forgiveness from God.  Jesus Christ has died and been raised and has taken the punishment for your sin.  He commands you, and I am pleading with you, repent and trust in Jesus Christ and God will forgive you!  Not because of your merits because you have none but rather because of Christ's merits!  He is good and He is perfect and He is kind!  Flee to him because He has been kind enough to provide for you a Savior!  If you should turn away from His offer of salvation then know this, the guilt you feel now over the sins you've committed in your life, as painful as they are to you now, is nothing compared to what awaits you after you die.  When you stand before God and all your sins are laid bare before Him and you finally see your sin as not just bad things you've done against others but as rebellious strikes against God Himself.


Seek Him now and KNOW Him as Savior, seek Him later and you'll only know Him as Judge.

Pastor's Bookshelf: "Convert: From Adam to Christ" by Emilio Ramos

I have been blessed by the ministry of Pastor Emilio Ramos for many years. When I learned that he was soon to release his very first book I was incredibly excited to once more benefit from the wisdom God has granted him.

I have just completed the book and can say with certainty that my excitement and expectations for the book were not misplaced.  'Convert: From Adam to Christ' is not only an important book for the church it is a great commentary for all those who are passionate about seeing the lost come to know Christ.

Explaining what Scripture has to say about conversion Pastor Ramos begins with the state of every person who has ever been born and that is their lost condition as a descendant of Adam and an inheritor of the sin nature that fell upon man when Adam sinned in the Garden.

It was such a refreshing and thorough look into what Scripture tells us about the lost.  It was also a sobering reminder of who I formerly was before God graciously saved me from my sin and took me from being 'in Adam' to being 'in Christ'.

"Adam radically affects every person around you who does not possess salvation. They are "in Adam".  For this reason we must explore what it means to be "in Adam"." - Emilio Ramos - Convert .19

Why is it that we look to Scripture for understanding in all areas except evangelism.  We have to be sure we have a proper understanding of the doctrine of man in order to best understand self and evangelize the lost.

Through a study on our part with Adam Emilio brings this out masterfully.  This is why I feel this book is so important to the evangelist.  In general, "Convert" will help the Christian understand what Scripture says about our sanctification.  As the Christian learns more of the depths of depravity that we were thrust into by being 'in Adam' we begin to esteem more highly what it means to now be 'in Christ'.

People often ask why Adam was able to sin but in Heaven we won't be.  The reason lies in understanding that being in Adam, the fallen, ensured our fall into sin just like him.  But being in Christ, the sinless One, ensures our eternal security.

Emilio also stresses the importance to a Christian of having sound doctrine and also applying that doctrine.  Focus on doctrine that never leads to obedience is a waste of time and evangelism without sound doctrine is dangerous.

Lastly, Emilio rounds out the discussion by stressing the importance of submission to the authority of the church you are a member of.  There shouldn't be any rogue evangelists out there who are "just goin' it alone".   God has given the local church as a means for discipleship.  Any Christian seeking to obey and follow Christ will find a Bible based church and submit accordingly.

I thoroughly recommend this book.  Pick it up today from http://convertthebook.com/ .

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

**As with any Christian book, it does not take the place of or redefine Scripture.  Read this book with your Bible open so that you will see that the things it teaches are truths straight from the God's Word.

The unique-ness of Christianity (and our response)

For your consideration, there are over 400 prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Jesus Christ.  Folks, He perfectly fulfilled them all!

The odds of someone doing that who was not the Messiah are too great to even calculate!  It would be impossible for anyone to even begin fulfilling the prophecies by being born of a virgin or choosing what family line they would be born from unless that person was GOD in the flesh!

Every detail prophesied and fulfilled.  ALL within the person of Jesus Christ!  All the way through His death and resurrection.  Listen very closely.  If you aren’t saved and the reason that you are holding onto for that is that you just don’t see proof that Jesus was a real person or that He really didn’t do what the Bible says He did, listen closely.  The evidence of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is absolutely indisputable. 

Amongst all world religious systems Christianity stands alone.  What makes it so unique?  Its founder.

Jesus Christ is unique; and because Christianity is linked expressly to Him, it becomes unique also.  In fact you simply cannot have Christianity at all without the true Lord Jesus Christ. 

You see folks, if Jesus Christ is not who He claimed to be, and if He did not do what He said He had come to do, then the whole foundation of Christianity is destroyed!  Everything collapses.  Christ-less Christianity is nothing more than man-made religious rules.

Logically then, if Christ is the central theme of Christianity we need to ask the question, ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’.  Who is this Lord that Paul was so willing to serve?  That men and women throughout the history of the church have died for.  Who is He?

1.) Jesus Christ is the Son of God

When the New Testament writers used the term ‘Son of God’ it wasn’t used lightly.  When they called Him Son of God, they meant here is the one who stands apart from all others because He is more than a man, He’s fully divine.

Matthew 16:16 – Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was and Peter answered that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!  This fact set Jesus apart from the people that others thought He was.  It identified Him as the Divine Messiah!

Jesus assured them that Peter’s statement was not a guess but a direct revelation from God!

2.) Jesus Christ is the God-man

Not only unique in His divine nature, but also unique in that He became a man and now remains the God-man eternally.  No one else is like that nor could they ever be.

So He was fully divine as the Son of God but as a descendant of David, a Son of David it says, He was also fully man.

The really interesting point there in verse 4 of our text is the word ‘declared’.  Paul says, Jesus was born of earthly royalty.  That in itself was not a unique claim. Many others believers and pagans alike were of royal birth.  But this Jesus, this man born of the Davidic line is the Messiah!  Why?  Because He was ‘declared the Son of God’.

Jesus said in John 10:30 that ‘He and the Father are One.’.

Romans 1:5-6 - 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,  6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

Through the facts of the Gospel of God we have received Grace.  If you are in Christ Jesus then you have received the merciful kindness of God, by which He exerts His Holy influence on the souls of mankind, turning them to Christ!  Then He keeps us, strengthens us, increases our faith in Him, our knowledge of Him, and our affection towards Him and others.

Among whom, the Bible says, WE ARE ALSO CALLED!  WE are called to obedience in Jesus Christ!! The whole of Christianity rests on the fact that Christ has raised from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 - But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain, our lives are completely wasted.  That implies that our whole life is built around Jesus being alive!

The divinity of Christ, which is what sets it apart from all other religions, is most proven not in His miracles or in His healings.  His divinity is most proven by His resurrection!

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to doubt the claims of Jesus IF; IF He hadn’t risen from the dead!  His very Sovereignty depends upon it.

More than this our regeneration, our salvation, depends on it.  1 Peter 1:3 –“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”  We are born again to a LIVING Hope through the resurrection. 

Oh how we as believers ought to rejoice every minute in that truth!  That beyond any doubt it is established!  God has established from eternity past, fulfilled it in Christ, and guaranteed it forever!

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 - But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.  21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

The ESV says IN FACT CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED!  Amen?

Romans 1:7 - to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Called as saints.  What does that mean that we are called as Saints?  The Greek word for Saints is hagios (hag-ee-os).  It means ‘to be Holy’.  Now we know that we’re not Holy on our own but, Paul lays out in these 7 verses, Christ’s  Blood makes us Holy.  So just to call us saints signifies a calling.  We’ve been called as saints.  Called out to be Holy.

Hagios comes from another the Greek word Hagos.  It means an awful thing… Are you seeing this with me yet?  We are called out from something awful and damnable… called out and set apart to be Holy! And Walk with Christ!

Ephesians 2:1-9 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

What a beautiful picture of redemption!  Jesus Christ dying and resurrecting to redeem a people from an awful thing.  That awful thing was the curse of sin.  I was born in sin.  My nature was sinful and the moment I was old enough to consciously rebel against God, I did… and so did all of you.

But thanks be to God!  We have been redeemed.  Honored to share in the resurrection of Christ.  But for all who are in Christ they too have been named saints.  People whom God has called by His Grace and Sanctified by His Spirit.

God shows His love for us by rescuing us from sin’s curse and forgiving all our sins!  So what is our response Christians?  We must preach Christ!  So that the eyes of sinful men may be opened.

We preach Christ crucified.  To those who reject the Gospel, we preach Christ and plead with them to repent and we don’t stop until they do or until they die… whichever comes first.

God has spoken in our hearts, ‘Let there be Light!’ and because of that you called out to Jesus Christ! ‘Save me’.  That’s what happened to you Christian.  Learn who you are.  Learn to thank God for calling you into fellowship with Him and then live in the humbling wonder of His Grace.

Matthew 10:32-38 (NASB) - “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.  34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  35 “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;  36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.  37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Think of Jesus’ words and then think of the worst case scenario with your family member.  So you witness to family members and the worst thing that can happen is that you will become their enemy rather than family right?  You aren’t in a Muslim family so your life probably isn’t on the line.  At the worst you’ll just be written off as the family religious black sheep.  So what!  I don’t mean to down play family.  Family is very valuable.  God created the family unit.  But let’s be careful not to make family an idol that we preserve at the cost of Gospel truth either.

Besides, how do you know they will reject the truth of the Gospel?  You may think that their heart is hard and sinful and that they will automatically reject.  You are basing your assumptions on the behavior of that person that you’ve seen to date.  If God has chosen to save them through your witness then they won’t reject it.  They’ll respond in a way you could never imagine them doing.

If you love them, you’ll tell them the truth.  The most loving thing you can do for them is tell them the truth about sin and God’s judgment and God’s Love shown in Jesus Christ.

Now you do want to be careful with family, friends, and anyone you witness to.  You don’t want to pressure them into a false conversion.  A decision made just so you’ll back off is no good, so we must rely on God to work on their hearts.  Keep Paul’s word to Timothy in mind when you’re doing these things…

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NASB) - The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,  25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,  26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Keys to this text:

1.) You are whose servant? - God’s servant!  You are doing HIS business; not your own.

2.) Be kind… not quarrelsome – When they reject what you are saying it will anger you.  You will be tempted to raise up in that anger and chastise them as if to demonstrate you were willing to be gentle so long as they agreed with you or listened to you.  But now that they won’t, you just get angry.

3.) Able to teach – meaning; God calls us to be able to articulate the true Gospel.  In Greek it means “skilled in teaching”.

4.) Be patient when wronged – You may find this hard to believe, but I have a BIG mouth!  Don’t be too shocked now.  When dealing with family it is SO easy to get hurt and offended… If you are going to open your mouth for the Gospel, you need to pray consistently that God reigns your words and your emotions.

Proverbs 14:29 (NASB) - He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

If you fly off the handle (demonstrate the unrighteous anger of man) then; 1.) They’ll quit listening 2.) You might miss hearing questions they have that they Bible answers.

5.) Rather than getting angry, even if provoked, resolve to be all the more gentle – If you look at what Jesus did closely you’ll notice that with religious leaders and teachers He wasn’t gentle but blunt.  However, with all others, nearly, He was gentle but truthful.  Using gentleness, Lovingly correcting them… why???

6.) So that God might grant them repentance and save them!  - Look at how it words that there.  The NASB says – so that they may ‘come to their senses’.

The snare of the devil is the lie that attempts to suppress our conscience.

1 Peter 5:8 (NASB) - Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

He prowls around like a lion, waiting to devour you.  He can’t just pounce out and get you.  Its when we walk into the darkness.  Allow our doubts and fears to overtake us out of our pride… So you be gentle with them and pray and keep believing and trusting God that hopefully one day they’ll be saved.  But even if they don't repent, you are being obedient to Preach Christ Crucified... and that's all you can do...

God Bless Folks!

j

Question and Answer: About infant death and unreached people groups

Q: What happens to babies when they die? Also, what about remote tribes who've never heard of Jesus?

Response:

"instant heaven" - John MacArthur

In 2 Samuel 12:16-23 David, upon learning that his infant son had died, ceased his fasting and mourning and began praising the Lord. He said that mourning wouldn't bring back his child. No prayers were going to alter that and he knew that one day he would once again be with his son.

He obviously knew that God, being just, would parson his son's sins. Now, are children born sinful? sure they are... Psalm 58:3 'Even from birth the wicked go astray...' However God is just, Genesis 18:25 '...will not the Judge of all the earth deal justly.'

It means that as they grow, when given the chance to choose to sin or not. They will, as we all do, choose to sin. They are born with that sin tainted heart that is bent towards evil until God gives them a new heart.

For whatever reason, and we can't even begin to speculate on the why here... but for whatever reason God has chosen for some children to die before what is commonly referred to as the age of accountability. It is that age when we are not just able to discern between right and wrong but able to understand that our sin has offended a Holy God and His justice demands our eternal punishment.

My kids understand some right and wrong but only because we've taught them what is right and wrong. They know about God and sin, but neither are old enough to have put those two things together. The same principle would apply to someone born with a mental handicap. They may grow to an age where normally they could respond to God's call of Salvation, but because of some debilitation from birth they are never able to comprehend. God is just, loving, and merciful and to punish them would be unjust, so teaches Scripture, and so we can say with some authority and assurance that for those it is instant heaven.

The fact though that God is merciful to them should in no way exonnerate us as parents from teaching them the things of God and pointing them towards Him their whole life. Some parents have told me that they aren't worried about stressing Biblical truth to their children until they surpass the age of accountability when there will be danger for them at judgment if they die.

That is absurd for two reasons. 1.) We have no clue what age a person is able to respond. I could guess at it just based on mental understanding and such. But I have no clue. That age is probably different for everyone. God knows when He will draw them to Him and we'd be well advised not to step in and take His role on that one.

2.) If we don't show them the value of Jesus from birth, they'll be less likely to see His value later in life. It can't be some cute trite thing that doesn't matter much. It must be taught and explained from birth on through! What a privilege that we get to do that!

About those who are in some remote tribe and have never heard of Jesus? No one will go to hell because they haven't heard of Jesus Christ. The unregenerate sinner will go to hell for murder either literally or merely of the heart, rape, adultery (literal or not), lust, theft, lying, blaspheming, idolatry, etc. Sin is not failing to hear the gospel. Sin is the transgression of the law. Ephesians 2; 1 John 3:4.

Sin is the problem, Christ is the answer. Now, what about those in remote tribes who die and have never heard of Jesus or seen a Bible or anything... what about them? Well if they have never responded to their conscience and sought out the Creator (God) having turned from their sin and trusted in Christ they will go to hell. Ignorance of the law is not the same as lack of understanding.

God has revealed Himself to all of creation. Even the remotest tribes of people. Psalm 19:1 - the heavens declare the glory of God.

Also, we are all born with a conscience.

Romans 2:14-15

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (NASB)

God has programmed every individual to know that certain things are right and certain things are wrong regardless of whether the laws are put into legislation by human governments.

The existence of these moral laws points man to a Moral Lawgiver that transcends (or is over and above) human governments and man made laws.

Both testimony of creation and conscience fall under the heading of: General Revelation. General revelation refers to God's revelation that reaches

--all people

--of all times

--in every culture

All throughout the Bible Scripture teaches that if someone seeks after God then He will not hide Himself (Jeremiah 29:13). God ordains who will and will not be saved and so for those who are among those remote tribes that God has chosen to save He will draw them to Him and they will respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction on their conscience. God will do it by a dream or a vision or He'll send them a Bible or a missionary or something. But the remote nature of their location cannot negate God's ability to draw them to Him. All Creation bows before Him. If He is going to save them, He'll make a way when to us there may seem to be no way.

Now, does that excuse us from ministering to those folks? Absolutely not. It could be that we are to be the missionaries to that tribe and we are the vessel God will use to speak to them. Or our money is the money God will use to fund the Bibles sent to them and pay the workers to teach them. Or maybe God will call one of us to find such a tribe and place organize a Bible drive effort missions effort to get the Word to them in their language. Who knows... If we are truly concerned about those groups then lets pray harder for them and do something about them.

Typically, some of these tribes will respond to their conscience that there is something out there bigger than them... a god of some kind. But rather than seeking Him they build up an alter to the false god they create for their culture. You see it ALL throughout history. Typically they end up worshiping an element of nature or some fictitious being that controls nature.

If they err in that way, their first clue that they still haven't found the true God should be in the fact that they are having to climb on top of their idol that they have constructed and clean the bird droppings and other debris from it! ha

Also keep in mind that we are all descendants of Adam and then Noah after the flood... so at some point in all our ancestry the truth of God has been spoken to us. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. So they've heard... how far down the line it went before getting lost and distorted or which ancestor abandoned the faith... who knows...

God has revealed Himself in numerous ways to every man and woman who has ever lived. Those who die in their sins did not do so because they never heard... they did so because they never responded.

Hope that helps...