Monday, July 24, 2017

When The Gospel Isn't Good News


The good news is that Christ came to forgive sinners.
He took your burden of sin and payed your penalty.
The wrath that was yours, He accepted.
This good news comes with another side to it.
Those who don't repent are not forgiven, still in their sin they will perish, forever separated from God and doomed to Hell.
Have no pleasure in unrighteousness!
Pray, repent and share the gospel.
Let this blessed gospel be good news to you and others.
The gospel is an individual gospel.
You are redeemed individually.
We worship corporately but never forget, salvation is for individuals, depending upon individual grace that is given as a gift by Christ through the blood shed on the Cross.
Individual repentance and an individual relationship with Christ.
There must be a realization of sin, knowing you need a Savior, followed by repentance and obedience.
God will indeed set things right in His new kingdom.
Sin and death will be abolished!
Our God does indeed reign!!

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."  - Isaiah 52:7

8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." 
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry." 
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." 
21 But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:8-21

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-
6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9

9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. - Romans 8:18-25

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"- - Galatians 3:13

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:3-4

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  - Isaiah 53:3-7

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:22-25




Thanks Pastor John!!












Our Most “Besetting” Sin



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“…and the sin which doth so easily beset us...” Hebrews 12:1b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In this part of our verse, Paul is no longer talking about good things that might become bad things. Now he’s just talking about bad things.  The word beset means “to tangle you up.”  Can you imagine a person trying to run a race with a long flowing robe entangling him or some rope around his feet?  No, he wants to be free so he can run. 

What is the sin that so easily trips us up? Weights load us down; sin trips us up.  Either one can make you a poor runner and keep you from running the race.
In Hebrews 11 and 12, Paul is talking about faith. The whole race we’re running is the race of faith. Hebrews says we live by faith; therefore, we run by faith.   

Most of us say, “I wish I had better faith, stronger faith.”  Do you know the reason you don’t have more faith than you have?  Sin.  You say, “Now wait a minute, pastor....”  No, friend, the Bible says, “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”

ACTION POINT:
Unbelief is not a mental sin; it is a moral sin.  It doesn’t come out of the head; it comes out of the heart.  “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” 


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Take Off That Overcoat!



BIBLE MEDITATION:
Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us….” Hebrews 12:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you’re going to run a race, how do you prepare yourself?  First, you’ve got to lay the weights aside.  Notice athletes. They run in very light clothing. The less weight, the better.  One thing you’ll never see is someone in the Olympics, running in an overcoat.  It’s not going to happen.  They get as light as they possibly can.  You have to lay aside every weight.

The Greek word weight does not mean something that’s sinful.  It just means something that burdens you, that holds you down.  There are some things that are not bad in themselves.  Nothing wrong with an overcoat.  You just don’t wear an overcoat when you’re running a race.  Paul said:  “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Friend, it may be some recreational habit you have.  It may be some cottage in the woods.  It may be some acquaintance, some hobby, too much television or sleep. Paul is saying, “Something may be lawful for me, but if it’s not expedient, if it doesn’t speed me on my course, then I need to leave it alone.”

ACTION POINT:
Ask yourself, “Is there something in my life that’s hindering my walk with Christ?  Something that’s holding me back?  Is there something that is excess baggage?  Something keeping me from being all I ought to be for the Lord Jesus Christ?  Whatever it is, if you want to win the race, lay it aside.  Good things become bad things when they keep you from the best things.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Paying An Extra Price




BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course” Acts 20:24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you pay a price—some extra time in the morning—to get into the Word of God?  Do you pay the price of being ridiculed because you keep your Bible on your desk in the office or bow your head and thank God for His gracious goodness to you when He gives you a meal?  Are you willing to be different?  Will you finish your course?

When you’re running this race, you’re going to find out that you’re running right against the grain. Don’t get the idea that there’s the broad road and the narrow road, and the narrow road runs alongside the broad road, and over there a bunch of people are going this way, and over here you’re going in the same direction.

No, there’s the broad way, and here you are, right in the middle of it, going the other way. Against the grain. What we believe


starts at a different source
follows a different course
ends at a different conclusion
…and there is a price to pay. 

ACTION POINT:
Frankly, today we don’t like that idea of a “price to pay.”  We say, “Well, I’m saved by grace, and so I’m just going to float on into heaven on flowery beds of ease.”  No.  A disciple is one who follows his master, obeys his master, and there is a price to pay.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Friday, July 21, 2017

Are You Looking For An Easy Way To Serve God?



BIBLE MEDITATION:
“…and run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1c

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The word “patience” here doesn’t mean the ability to thread a needle, but literally means “endurance.”  It means bearing up under some load, some challenge. 

Are you looking for an easy way, a cheap way, a lazy way to serve God?  All honey and no bees? A life of ease?  You just want to say, “O, I’m so happy in Jesus.”  Listen, this business of running this race means that you’re going to be at it with all of your heart. 

You may be on a sick bed or in a wheelchair. But none is excluded. We are to run with endurance.  When you watch someone running, do you notice how intense he is? If you’re in this race, you need to pray over it, you need to weep over it, you need to study over it, you need to work over it. 

ACTION POINT:
This matter of being saved and running the race is a full-time occupation.  God does business with those who mean business. 


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Never Knowing The Difference



BIBLE MEDITATION:
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When a person dies, his spirit departs. And I’m afraid that’s what has happened to many churches: the Holy Spirit has departed.

The organism has become an organization and the movement has become a monument.

Dr. Carl Bates said years ago something that shook me to my foundation: “If the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die [now, of course, you know that's impossible. He cannot die] but “if the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die, most of our churches would meet next Sunday and go right on and never know the difference.”

I wonder if that’s not true about many churches. The Holy Spirit has not died, but He has departed. I've been in some churches where you’d think that Hallelujahs and Amens cost $100 apiece. You just can't find them. There’s a sort of barren stillness. But I believe there's something contagious about the Holy Spirit of God. 

ACTION POINT:
The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  I don't think we have to fry in fanaticism or freeze in formalism, but I believe we ought to have a burning, passionate, blazing, emotional love for the Lord Jesus Christ.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Revive Us


Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.  - Proverbs 16:20

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, - 2 Peter 2:9

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:1-6

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 
10 "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."  - Jeremiah 17:9-10

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. - John 14:26-27

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.  - Isaiah 57:15

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.  - Psalm 71:19-20

The evil one wreaks havoc.
He looks for a tiny opening that he rips into a deep dark hole of despair.
He will knock you off your feet.
He will bring you to your knees. 
He will disturb your peace.
He will take you to places you do not want to go.
These struggles are real.
These struggles cause pain.
These struggles can lead to sin.
We have to cling to Jesus, His promise, His sovereignty and the fact that Satan is defeated.
That battle has been won, hallelujah!
Our hope is in Christ!
Praise Him!