I have always wondered why some churches will invite politicians who have obviously not been called to preach to speak in their congregations during a Sunday worship service. You would think that the members of the church would deserve better. Perhaps it is the allure of having someone who is well-known to grace them with their presence and deliver a message, no matter how inadequate or inappropriate that message may be.
Yesterday, President Joe Biden delivered the Sunday morning sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. With all due respect, I don’t think that President Biden is qualified to preach at a Bible-believing church. He has anger issues. The president has trouble telling the truth. He regularly uses the names of God and Jesus as swear words. Mr. Biden is a champion of abortion and celebrates same-sex “marriage”.
These sins would prevent any discerning Bible-believing church from giving Mr. Biden a platform to speak. It seems that some churches are so star-struck that they don’t even consider the lack of character in the celebrity that they invite to come and speak for them.
We can do better than that. We should do better than that.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”—2 Timothy 4:3.
(I got the outline for this article from an exhibit at the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky.)
The history recorded in the Bible is under attack by our society. As a result, many people now view the Bible as a book that contains many interesting stories and religious teachings, but has no relevance for us today. This is not true. The Bible gives us the truth about our existence. There are seven words that describe how God has engaged with mankind throughout human history. These words all begin with the letter “C”.
The first word is “Creation”. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” If you can believe the first verse of the Bible, then you can believe the rest of it. Attempts to explain the creation without a Creator have proven to be woefully inadequate. Molecules-to-man evolution is nothing more than a fairy tale for grownups. It all starts with God.
The second word is “Corruption”. God created everything good, but mankind succumbed to temptation and disobeyed God, thus bringing a curse on the earth. Sin ushered sickness, sorrow and death into God’s once perfect creation. We now live in a world filled with pain, strife and turmoil.
“Catastrophe” is the next word to consider. Mankind became so wicked that evil filled the earth. Only Noah and his family were found to be righteous. So God destroyed the rest of humanity with a great flood and started over with the few people who were saved on the ark that Noah built.
The fourth word among the seven “Cs” is “Confusion”. After the flood, God commanded humanity to spread out all over the earth. Instead, they chose to build a tower to the sky and make a name for themselves. So God confused their language, and they were forced to scatter in confusion.
The next word to examine is “Christ”. Because we have all disobeyed God, we are all sinners in need of a savior. And God did not leave his precious creation without hope! He sent his only Son Jesus to seek and to save the lost!
The sixth word goes along with the previous one—“Cross”. The way that Jesus would save us from our sins would be to pay the price for them by offering his own life as a ransom. Jesus willingly went to the cross to suffer and die so that we could be forgiven and accepted into the family of God; lost no more, but saved!
The seventh and final word in human history is “Consummation”. This is the only one that has not yet taken place. It refers to the Second Coming of Jesus, when God’s plan to save the world will finally come to fruition. Jesus will return to conquer evil and claim his own. God will usher in eternity, creating a new heaven and a new earth where there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain! I believe that the next great event on God’s calendar is the Second Coming of Jesus. It could happen any day now! Therefore, we must watch and pray as we wait for the final act of history to unfold—the triumphant return of the King of kings and the Lord of Lords—Jesus Christ!
In Mark 6 we read about the time when Jesus walked on water. His disciples were in a boat, straining at the oars, when they saw him walking on the lake. Thinking they saw a ghost, they were terrified and they cried out.
Verse 50 says, “…Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”
Jesus didn’t want them to continue to be terrified, so he spoke out immediately. In exhorting them to be brave, he made two short statements–one in the positive, the other in the negative—that basically said the same thing. First, they should take courage. Second, they shouldn’t be afraid. The Bible, Old Testament and New, often urges us to put aside our fears and act courageously.
How do we do this? I think the key is that short, but important, sentence in between the two statements on bravery—“It is I.”
When we realize that Jesus is in our midst, fear quickly dissipates and courage springs forth! Any time you feel scared, put your trust in Jesus. He is the key to being brave.
The above photograph shows Buffalo Bills players kneeling to pray for an injured teammate. People all over the world are continuing to pray for Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the football field after making a tackle in last night’s NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, and his heartbeat was restored on the field by medical personnel at the game. Then he was taken by ambulance to UC Medical Center, where, at this writing, he is sedated and in critical condition.
The crowd fell silent as Hamlin was receiving treatment on the field. Players for both teams were visibly distraught, some of them openly weeping and many sharing hugs. The game, which all of a sudden didn’t seem so important, was postponed by the NFL.
We occasionally get these blunt reminders that life is precious, and that, for any of us, it could end at any moment. We are awakened to the fact that we all have an appointment with the hereafter.
Then, with the passing of time, the crisis passes and life gets back to normal, at least for most people. In this case, the prayers will eventually subside and the kickoffs will resume. Most people will go back to the way they had been living before, pretending that life will go on indefinitely.
However, for a select few, this tragic event will have a lasting impression. No more will they take life for granted. They will give careful consideration to the fact that their days are numbered, and they will live their lives with more passion and purpose. They will look ahead to the time when they will face the hereafter. And, if they are wise, they will be ready to stand before God.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”—Psalm 90:12.
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6.
The arrival of a new year often leads people to examine their lives to see what changes they might like to see take place. Many people make resolutions about what they will do differently, whether it be eliminating a bad habit, adding something positive to their routine or accomplishing some worthwhile task. Some decisions may be relatively small, while others could bring major life-changes.
In Revelation 2, Jesus sent a message to the church in Ephesus, challenging them to make a change. He commended them for their hard work, their perseverance, their strong stand against wicked people and the fact that they had endured hardships for his name and had not grown weary.
However, the message Jesus had for the church was not entirely positive. In Rev.2:4-5 he says, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…”
Jesus was not specific in what he meant by the first love that they had forsaken. Was it their love for God? Their love for each other? Their love for the poor? Their love for lost people? The church at Ephesus probably knew exactly what Jesus was talking about, but the Bible does not give us that detail. Perhaps Jesus was being intentionally vague here so that we future readers would consider all the possibilities of how Christian love should be expressed.
Are you loving God as much as you once did? If so, it will show in your actions. Do you love God enough to attend his church, or to talk to him in prayer or to read his Word? Do you love God enough to obey his commands and work toward building his kingdom?
Are you loving people as much as you once did? Are you deeply involved in the fellowship of your local congregation? Are you generous with your time and money? Do you make it a point to put yourself in situations where you can be a blessing to others? Are you quick to share your testimony or offer a much-needed word of encouragement?
All of these are important questions to ask, because there is a danger that our love will start to wane, just as it did in the church at Ephesus in the first century. Jesus said that they needed to love like they had in earlier times. They needed to repent and do the things they had done at first.
There are some Christians today who need to do the same. In the words of Waylon Jennings, “Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love!”
H. Cosman baptizes Grace Allen on December 25, 1898
Christmas is a time when many people who consider themselves Christians sing carols, exchange blessings with others and maybe even make a rare effort to attend a worship service. They seem to think that it’s an easy thing to follow Jesus. They couldn’t be more wrong!
Jesus certainly never said anything to make us think that following him would be easy. In Luke 9:23-24 we read—“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”
A friend of mine says that she is dreaming of a white Christmas. However, if they run out of white she will drink the red!
Sadly, a lot of people turn to alcohol or other drugs during the holidays. Too often we hear of one type of tragedy or another that is connected to someone’s drunkenness. Make a wise decision this Christmas and stay sober!
“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”—Proverbs 23:31-32.
A cartoon showed two angels looking down at the earth from their position in heaven. One of them says, “I wonder why God pays so much attention to that particular planet?” The other angel answers, “I think it’s because he visited there once.”
John’s gospel begins with the account of God’s visit to earth. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:1).
The phrase “in the beginning” reminds us of how the Bible begins, with God creating the heavens and the earth. John connects the arrival of Jesus to God’s continuing creative work. Through Jesus God will bring spiritually dead people to life. Through Jesus God will create a family of believers. Through Jesus God will create a church where these believers can live in fellowship with each other and with God.
The “Word” obviously refers to Jesus. Jesus never had a beginning. He was always with God, and he indeed was God. Many cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, try to deny the deity of Christ. Scripture, however, will not allow us to take that position. Jesus insisted that he and the Father were one. He said that if you have seen the Father, you have seen him. Verse 2 of this text says that Jesus made everything. If you made everything, that makes you God!
Verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his swelling among us…” Jesus was to be called “Immanuel”, which means “God with us”. God chose to come to this earth so that he could identify with us. While he walked this earth, he got hot and cold, hungry and thirsty, tired and weary. He was tempted just as we are, but he never sinned. He willingly laid down his sinless life to pay the price for our sinful ones. Then he rose from the dead, proving that all his claims to divinity were true. And everyone who believes in the crucified and resurrected Jesus will not have to perish, but will have eternal life.
This passage from John 1 points out that we have a choice to make concerning Jesus. It says in vv.11-12, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Our choice is to either receive Jesus or not receive him. When Jesus first arrived on earth, some received him and some didn’t. The Jewish religious leaders, who should have been the first to receive Jesus, did not. King Herod certainly did not receive Jesus! But the shepherds who heard the good news did receive him. So did the wise men who travelled from far away to worship the newborn king.
The choice remains for us today to either receive Jesus or reject him. There is no third option. Those who receive him are allowed to become children of God. They enjoy the blessings of living in God’s family, not only in this life, but forever! Those who don’t receive him spend their entire lives, including eternity, outside of God’s family, and they suffer the awful consequences of their decision.
The most important decision you will ever make is to receive Jesus, God in the flesh, as your Lord and Savior. Believe in him! Confess that he is Lord! Turn from your sins! Be united with him in baptism! And continue to live for Jesus for the rest of your life! You will never regret your decision to receive Jesus!
As I write this, almost everyone I know is doing something to get ready for Christmas. They are buying gifts, shopping for food, planning family gatherings, and preparing for church and community events. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting ready for Christmas, but let’s also remember to get ready for Jesus.
The gospels point out that John the Baptist was sent to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus. John was the one that Isaiah predicted would come and prepare the way for the Lord so that all the people could see God’s salvation (Isaiah 40:3-5).
Chapter five of Luke’s gospel tells us how John prepared the way for Jesus. He began by preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v.3). Those who wanted to get right with God must repent, which is always a prerequisite for baptism. And please take note of the fact that John’s baptism had to do with the forgiveness of sins. How could we say anything less about the baptism that Jesus would later preach!?
Not everyone who came to John to be baptized had the right motive. He called them a “brood of vipers”! It takes a lot of courage to begin your sermon by calling your audience a bunch of snakes! But he got their attention and pointed out to them that they needed to show by their actions that they truly had repented. It seems that they thought that they were in good standing with God because they were Abraham’s descendants (vv.7-9). Our spiritual heritage can be a good thing, but we must stand before God on the basis of our own faith. John’s teaching about repentance would serve to prepare people for Jesus, who also had quite a lot to say about that subject.
The crowd seemed to accept John’s message and asked specific questions about how they might show true repentance. He answered that they should share with those in need, avoid being greedy and be content with what they had (vv.10-14). Since Christmas has been so greatly commercialized, this time of year really puts our level of contentment to the test, doesn’t it?! Jesus would teach a lot about our attitude toward material possessions, so John’s teaching on these matters would help people get ready for Jesus.
People were quite impressed with John, and started wondering if he might be the Messiah that the Jewish people were expecting. He assured them that he was not. The power of Jesus’ message and ministry would be far beyond anything they had seen or heard from John! V.18 says, “And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.”
John did what he could to get people ready for Jesus. His message is still relevant today. We need to examine our lives see what we might need to do to prepare the way for Jesus to truly be the Lord of our lives. And we must try to prepare the way for others to get ready for Jesus also. Let’s get ready for Christmas, but let’s especially get ready for Jesus!
I walked out of a hospital recently and noticed that a helicopter was coming in for a rooftop landing, so I stopped to watch. I noticed that the pilot was being extremely cautious in his approach, and I remembered that there were strong winds blowing through the area that day. The pilot took note of the weather conditions and slowed down to ensure a safe landing.
Jesus was in a boat with his disciples when a storm came up. The disciples woke the sleeping Jesus and expressed concern for their lives. Luke 8:24-25 says, “…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples…”
When the storms of life blow fiercely through our lives, it is easy to become fearful. In those times, we need to just slow down and put our faith in Jesus.
Jesustrek 