Following Judah's Lion: How Whole is Your Eye?

     Here is an interesting perspective on Christians and politics. I think this is timely, as is seems that many evangelical Christians are being "swept off their feet" by Donald Trump. There are many questions that one could ask about politics and voting. Should we support "Christian" candidates only? What do we do if there are no godly candidates running for office? Do we then vote for the "lesser of two evils?" What if a candidate supports moral issues, but is not a Christian? What about voting for a Mormon? Thousands of evangelical Christians threw their support behind one in the last presidential election because he was the lesser of two evils in their sight. Yet most of us should agree that Mormons are not Christians by the biblical definition of one. Do we still get behind him or her with our support? What about the fact that we as Christians are in reality citizens of the kingdom of God, living as pilgrims and strangers here? Do we still get active in politics and civic duties, or fight the good fight of faith in other ways? The early church spent their time on their knees in prayer, and gave their lives in the spreading of the gospel, and saw far more results than we seem to be seeing. These are honest questions that Christians should ask themselves before jumping on the next candidates bandwagon. Check out this article by clicking on the link below.


Following Judah's Lion: How Whole is Your Eye?: HOW WHOLE IS YOUR EYE? Matt.6: 22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be ful...

Food for Thought.

     Read Matthew 5:1-7:28. This is what we often refer to as the sermon on the mount. Jesus ends this sermon with this illustration,

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears theses words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."

Matthew 7:24-27 NASB

     We often look at this illustration in a general way. To build upon the rock means to "trust Jesus"; to be saved, etc. We would agree that a wise man would obey Jesus, and anyone who did not would be considered foolish, and is building upon sand. However, we sometimes tend to be abstract with vital scriptural truths.

     Remember, Jesus has been teaching the crowd. We might say He has been preaching a sermon. He has made many points, some of them shocking, even unsettling, and now He is wrapping up His message with the application.

     When He speaks of "hearing these words of mine, and acting upon them," He is referring back to what He has just spoken to this crowd. It is true that Jesus taught many things on other occasions as well, and discipleship demands we obey His words, but lets just look at a few things that Jesus taught in this portion of scripture.

     Look at what we refer to as the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-10. He speaks of humility and poverty of spirit, gentleness, purity and righteousness. We are to be merciful, and are called to be peacemakers. Persecution is the lot of the faithful follower of Christ, and will come as we let our lights shine in this world.

     But what do we believe about these things? Do we agree with Jesus really, or does our pride betray us? So many act as if these words meant nothing. Where is the mercy, where are the peacemakers, where are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness? Is purity still important to those who name the name of Christ, or has it been set aside lest we offend someone with this high standard?

     One does not have to deliberately seek persecution. You only need to publicly live in such a way that lifts Jesus up for the world to see. Open up your mouth to witness for Him, declare your allegiance to Him, and break with the sins that those around you walk in, and persecution will come naturally. Yet we see so much compromise, and so little conviction, and so much fear of man in much of what we call Christianity today.

     If we go on we come to Jesus teaching on hatred and murder, making things right with an offended brother, adultery, divorce and remarriage, and honesty (Matt 5:21-37). Notice how Jesus condemns the sin in the heart. You may not have committed the outward act of murder or adultery, but cherishing anger in our hearts, looking with lust (even if we do not touch), is still sin. Yet so many believe that what we think to ourselves does not matter if we do not actually do the deed. Jesus tells us to get ruthless with sin, to go to great lengths to avoid it and get it out of our lives. He does not intend for us to justify our actions, and presume upon His grace, while our lives are still filled with immorality. How many people will offer an apology to someone they have offended? We so often let our pride get in the way, excusing our anger and actions, instead of seeking reconciliation.

     Jesus goes on to speak on love and non resistance. Love your enemies, turn the other cheek, do not demand your rights to property, go the extra mile, etc (Matt 5:38-43). Many professed Christians today follow an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We demand our rights, we fight for our things, we hate our enemies, we refuse to forgive. Jesus makes it clear, but we so often cloud His words because we believe that this can never work in our society. God never meant for us to follow this teaching did He?

     Laying up treasures, living for our basic needs, and serving two masters, are where you will find large numbers of so called disciples. Many like to quote Jesus words about seeking first the Kingdom of God, but are not willing to actually put it into practice. There are pastors and teachers who promote wealth and possessions as a sign of God's blessing. "Name it and claim it," they say. Their theology only caters to our selfish nature. This goes against what Jesus teaches about wealth, and what we are to do with our material things (Matt 6:19-34).

     Jesus tells us that there is a broad way leading to destruction, filled with multitudes. There is also a narrow way, with only a few on it. This however, is the way to life (Matt 7:13-14). We must be discerning. We must be careful to heed these words of our Lord and Savior. Many, many people who call themselves Christians are living in opposition to these basic teachings of the one they claim to follow. A wise builder will listen and obey, no matter how unrealistic it may seem. Humility, and self denial go against the grain of this world. We have been programmed so to speak, to demand our rights, to enjoy pleasure and possessions, to lay up treasures in this life time, to hate our enemies, and so on. Yet to disregard these things is to build on sand, and fall into spiritual ruin.

Ten Shekels and a Shirt (High Quality)

This sermon confronts the humanism that has crept into our modern gospel presentation. We are guilty of making our happiness the chief end of our christian experience. This is nothing more than using God as a means to an end. Please listen to this with an open heart.


Ten Shekels and a Shirt (High Quality)

The God of Creation.

Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seeds in them, on the earth"; and it was so. Genesis 1:9-11 NASB

 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." Genesis 1:20 NASB

When one looks at the beauty of God's creation, it is evident that this did not happen by chance. There was no cosmic explosion millions of years ago, that brought all of this into being. The creation itself reveals God to man. His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen, and understood by what He has made. (Romans 1:20)

The Nature of Biblical Faith.

     And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
                                                              Hebrews 11:6 NASB

     For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
                                                                Ephesians 2:8 NASB

     Faith is one of the most important, yet one of the least understood elements of Christianity. If it is through faith that we obtain saving grace, and if it is impossible to please God without faith, it is of absolute necessity that we have a good working knowledge of what true faith really is. We cannot afford to be wrong in our definition of faith; there is no room for error. Our very souls depend upon our having a solid biblical understanding of what constitutes faith.
     I would like to look at some very important elements of faith as found in the scriptures; elements that are sadly overlooked, or often explained away, yet these things are found in scripture nonetheless.
     
     1. Faith is taking God at His word.
     2. Faith is active.
     3. Faith leads to obedience.
     4. Faith works by love.
     5. Faith overcomes.

     1. Faith is taking God at His word.
     We read of faith in Hebrews 11, and discover right away that one must believe that God exists, and rewards those who seek after Him. If we are to exercise faith, we must start here with the belief that God means what He says. His word is filled with warnings and promises, blessings and curses. If we have faith, we will believe what God says to us. To ignore or disregard what He says, is to lack faith. The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Many people make the mistake of thinking that faith consists in believing what they want, and God is bound to honor that faith. This is not so. True faith believes what God says, no matter how unrealistic it may seem. Take Noah for example. God told Him that He was about to destroy the world with a flood as a judgment of its sin. He told him to build an ark for the salvation of his family. As absurd as this might have seemed, Noah took God at His word, and did what he was commanded to do (Genesis 6:5-21; Hebrews 11:7). He believed the word of the Lord. We too must believe the word of the Lord as well. Imagine what it must look like to God when He fills His word with promises and commands, but we fail to believe what God says. Unbelief in effect is calling God a liar.

     2. Faith is active.
     Look at the example of Noah again. Noah believed what God told him. He believed that a flood was going to destroy the world. He also believed that God would spare him and his family if he would build an ark. this belief caused him to act. As ridiculous as it must have appeared to those around him, Noah began to build an ark, a task that took around one hundred years to complete. There was plenty of time to get discouraged, and plenty of time to decide that maybe God was going to change His mind and not send a flood. Noah believed God, and acted upon that belief. He persevered over a period of one hundred years, and at the command of God, he and his family, along with pairs of animals entered the ark, and were saved. When the multitude asked Jesus what they must do to do the works of god, Jesus responded by telling them that the work of God was to believe upon the one that He sent (John 6:28-29). If they had truly believed in Christ, that faith would have manifested itself in works. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). A man sitting in his recliner, reading the paper is suddenly interrupted by a pounding on his door, and cries of "Fire! Get out, your house is on fire!" If he has faith, he will put down the paper, get out of his chair, and escape his burning house. It is that simple. James gives us several examples of men and women who acted upon their belief, as does the book of Hebrews in the eleventh chapter. (James 2:21-26; Hebrews 11:1-40).

     3. Faith leads to obedience.
     Paul refers to the obedience of faith in Romans 16:26. What is this obedience of faith? Jesus asks "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) We are called to obey Jesus Christ, to follow Him, and to walk as He walked. This amounts to us living out our faith in Him with an active obedience. The true disciple hears the commands of Jesus, and believes what he hears with an active faith. It is futile to say that we are Christians, followers of Jesus, yet we balk at His commands. Just as a soldier obeys his commanding officer, or an employee obeys his boss, we are called to obey Jesus Christ, if we are going to follow Him.

     4. Faith works by love.
     We read in Galatians 5:6, that what really counts in the eyes of God is faith working by love. This is the opposite of dead works-things that we do to earn God's favor. Legalism, the keeping of commandments, observance of rituals or traditions, is based upon selfish motives. An individual who "obeys" God out of a sense of obligation or fear of punishment cannot please God, as this individual is merely serving God for reward. True faith is motivated by love for God. This is why Jesus could say that those who love Him will obey Him (John 14:23-24). Love will motivate us to what Jesus commands, not for our sake, but for His. This is the difference between a "legal" salvation, which is no salvation at all, and a salvation where the law is fulfilled in those who believe, through love (Romans 8:4, 13:9-10).

     5. Faith overcomes.
     We read in 1 John that if we love God we will keep His commandments. The passage goes on to show us that those who have faith, who believe in the Son of God, overcome the world (1 John 5:3-5).  It is impossible to love the world, and yet love God at the same time (1 John 2:15-16). The world will throw every temptation and trial at us with the intention of drawing our hearts away from Christ. Here is where the grave danger lies. If we are not overcoming, we are being overcome. Only the one who overcomes will inherit eternal life in the end (Rev 21:7). Once again, this is not legalism; trying to earn salvation by works. Jesus came to deliver us from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4). By faith in Him, we overcome. It is by faith we win the victory over sin and temptation. It is by faith that we stand strong in the face of danger and persecution. If we do not overcome by faith in Christ, we are then ensnared once again in this present evil age. Jesus came to destroy the devil's works (1 John 3:8). By faith in Him, we walk this out in our daily lives. The one who has become aware of the depths of depravity in his unregenerate heart, will by faith, cast himself at the feet of the one who will deliver him from the power of sin, and then continue to trust in the Savior moment by moment until this life is over.

     There is so much more that one could discuss concerning faith, but I hope that this will encourage you to walk in the power and victory that God intends for each one of us, as we walk by faith in Christ Jesus.

     

     

The Prosperity of the Wicked.

     But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
                                                              Psalm 73:2-3 NASB  

Read Psalm 73:1-28

     Sometimes it seems that everyone around us is prospering, while we struggle. There are those who seem to live luxuriously, never in need of life's basic necessities, who always appear to succeed at everything they put their hand to. We may feel as if the wicked are prospering in this life in spite of their wickedness, as if God does not see. It can be easy to look at our hardships and struggles in comparison with the ease of the wicked, and say as the Psalmist did, Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence" (Psalm 73:13 NASB).

     But this Psalm goes on to show us that what may appear to us as an unfair situation is not what it seems to be. While the wicked go on in their prosperity, they are actually in a very slippery place. Their life will not always go on as it has. Just like the rich man whom Jesus described in Luke 12:16-21, life is uncertain. As this man was preparing to retire in his abundance, his life was required of him. Things may go smooth for a season for those who live apart from Christ, but it will always catch up to them one way or another. Ultimately, we will all stand before God someday, and then it will be worth it all to follow Him now. 

     As for the hard times and struggles that so many Christians seem to face, these are for our good (James 1:2-3). The writer of Hebrews encourages us with the fact that God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-12). Discipline is not fun to go through, but it is the means by which God keeps us close to Him. Much like a parent who lovingly corrects and disciplines a child to keep that child safe, and to train him to grow up into a godly individual, God also uses trials and testings to keep us from straying after the things of this world. It is better to face discipline, and thereby grow in grace and holiness, than to be allowed to persist in worldliness and sin, and ultimately go lost.
Psalm 73:1-28

     

The Sin of Grumbling.

Then they despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe in His word,

but grumbled in their tents;

They did not listen to the voice of the Lord,

therefore He swore to them,

that He would cast them down in the wilderness,

and that He would cast their seed among the nations. Psalm 106:24-27 NASB

     It is easy to get into the habit of grumbling and complaining about the various twists and turns of life that befall us. It is just as easy to downplay it as no big deal. In fact, many of us perhaps are not even aware that we are complainers! But it is a big deal, and instead of downplaying it, we should take a careful look at ourselves to see if we are guilty of this sin, and then forsake it.

     Look at the above verse, and you can see what preceded the grumbling mentioned. God had promised the nation of Israel the land of Canaan. He would go before them and give it to them. They only had to go in and take it. It was a pleasant land with all they needed. The bible describes it as a land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27). However when they learned that the land was inhabited by giants, they were afraid, and began to weep and grumble.

     This verse tells us that they despised the pleasant land. It did not mean anything to them; they no longer desired it, in fact they preferred to return to the hard life of slavery that they had lived back in Egypt. They also did not believe the word of the Lord; that He would give them this land. They did not believe that they could take this land in His strength. And in this unbelief, they refused to obey Him, in going forward to possess the promised land. Instead, they spent the night, in their tents, weeping and grumbling about the entire situation.

     Let this be a warning to us today. It is no small matter to grumble and complain about the things we go through. It only shows our lack of faith in God. In fact, it exposes our unbelief; it is a good indicator that we do not take the word of God seriously. We may say we believe His promises to us; we may say we are willing to obey Him at all cost, but if we grumble instead of acting upon His word, we are deceived.