Tag Archives: Bible

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7 Ways to Anger God

The Bible tells us that God is loving and slow to anger. Exodus 34:5-6 Then the Lord descended in the form of a pillar of cloud and stood there with him, and passed in front of him and announced the meaning of his name. “I am Jehovah, the merciful and gracious God,” he said, “slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth. God demonstrates incredible patience with us, but He is also a God of justice.
Psalm 37:28 For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.
Isaiah 61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrong. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them.
God is just, but despite being slow to anger, we can make Him angry. As you read through the Old Testament you see His people worshiping other gods and turning away from Him. You see God restraining His anger until the time He has had enough.
2 Chronicles 36:16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words, scoffing at the prophets until the anger of the Lord could no longer be restrained, and there was no longer any remedy.
In today’s message we see Jesus blasting the religious leaders. Our behavior can make God angry.
Matthew 23:14-36 TLB 13-14 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and won’t go in yourselves. And you pretend to be holy, with all your long, public prayers in the streets, while you are evicting widows from their homes. Hypocrites! 15 Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of hell you are yourselves. 16 Blind guides! Woe upon you! For your rule is that to swear ‘By God’s Temple’ means nothing—you can break that oath, but to swear ‘By the gold in the Temple’ is binding! 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And you say that to take an oath ‘By the altar’ can be broken, but to swear ‘By the gifts on the altar’ is binding! 19 Blind! For which is greater, the gift on the altar, or the altar itself that sanctifies the gift? 20 When you swear ‘By the altar,’ you are swearing by it and everything on it, 21 and when you swear ‘By the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God who lives in it. 22 And when you swear ‘By heavens,’ you are swearing by the Throne of God and by God himself.
23 “Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders—hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things—justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed. 26 Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the whole cup will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders! You are like beautiful mausoleums—full of dead men’s bones, and of foulness and corruption. 28 You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin.
29-30 “Yes, woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! For you build monuments to the prophets killed by your fathers and lay flowers on the graves of the godly men they destroyed, and say, ‘We certainly would never have acted as our fathers did.’
31 “In saying that, you are accusing yourselves of being the sons of wicked men. 32 And you are following in their steps, filling up the full measure of their evil. 33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How shall you escape the judgment of hell?
34 “I will send you prophets, and wise men, and inspired writers, and you will kill some by crucifixion, and rip open the backs of others with whips in your synagogues, and hound them from city to city, 35 so that you will become guilty of all the blood of murdered godly men from righteous Abel to Zechariah (son of Barachiah), slain by you in the Temple between the altar and the sanctuary. 36 Yes, all the accumulated judgment of the centuries shall break upon the heads of this very generation.
Today we will look at 7 ways our behavior can make God angry, as described by Jesus in today’s text. In today’s text Jesus pronounces “woes” on the religious elite of the day. The word woe is an exclamation of grief, denunciation, or distress. This was not the first time Jesus had some harsh words for the religious leaders. The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to know God and help others know Him and follow His ways. Instead, they added to God’s Law, making it a heavy burden on the people. And they did not follow God with a pure heart. Their religion was not true worship of God; rather, it was rooted in a prideful heart. The scribes and Pharisees emphasized the letter, completely missing its spirit.
Many of the practices that Jesus denounced are still found in our churches and people today. We need to be aware and repent if we are doing these things.

Here is one way to anger God:
1. Not letting others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and not entering it yourself. Mt 23:13-14 13-14 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and won’t go in yourselves. And you pretend to be holy, with all your long, public prayers in the streets, while you are evicting widows from their homes. Hypocrites!
Being a religious leader in Jerusalem was very different from being a pastor in a secular society today. The nation’s history, culture, and daily life centered around its relationship with God. The religious leaders were the most well-known, powerful, and respected of all leaders. Jesus gave His stinging accusations because their hunger for more power and status had made them lose sight of God, and their blindness was spreading to the whole nation.
Jesus cares for people. He desires for them to know Him and to enter His kingdom. After rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus lamented over rebellious Jerusalem. His heart is for people to find life in Him. He has harsh words for those who prevent people from finding salvation. The teachers of the Law and Pharisees were not truly seeking after God, though they acted as if they were. Their religion was empty, and it was preventing others from following the Messiah.
Jesus’ severe words were directed against religious leaders and false teachers who had rejected a part of the revealed Word of God and replaced it with their own ideas and interpretations. This also applies today. Jesus was not a weak preacher who tolerated sin. In our culture, we see many churches who have reinterpreted God’s Word and replace it with their own ideas. My friends, God does not celebrate sin. Make sure the church you are attending lines up with God’s Word. And, if you are a leader or a teacher, be sure that you are presenting God’s Word correctly. The Bible tells us that those who teach and preach will be held to a stricter standard. Be sure you are presenting His words correctly.
Another way to anger God is…


2. Converting people away from God to be like yourselves. Mt 23:15 15 Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of hell you are yourselves. Converting people away from God to be like yourselves
In the second woe, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for making strenuous efforts to win converts and then leading those converts to be “twice as much” children of hell as the scribes and Pharisees were. In other words, they were more intent on spreading their religion than on maintaining the truth.
The Pharisees’ converts were attracted to pharisaism, not to God. By getting caught up in all the details of their additional laws and regulations, they missed God to whom the laws pointed. A religion of works puts pressure on people to surpass others in what they know and do. A hypocritical teacher is likely to have students who are even more hypocritical. We must make sure we are not creating Pharisees by emphasizing outward obedience at the expense of inner renewal.
God is angered when we…


3. Blindly lead God’s people to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s Word.
Mt23:16-22 16 Blind guides! Woe upon you! For your rule is that to swear ‘By God’s Temple’ means nothing—you can break that oath, but to swear ‘By the gold in the Temple’ is binding! 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And you say that to take an oath ‘By the altar’ can be broken, but to swear ‘By the gifts on the altar’ is binding! 19 Blind! For which is greater, the gift on the altar, or the altar itself that sanctifies the gift? 20 When you swear ‘By the altar,’ you are swearing by it and everything on it, 21 and when you swear ‘By the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God who lives in it. 22 And when you swear ‘By heavens,’ you are swearing by the Throne of God and by God himself.
The third woe Jesus pronounces against the scribes and Pharisees calls the religious leaders “blind guides” and “blind fools”. Specifically, Jesus points out, they nit-picked about which oaths were binding and which were not, ignoring the sacred nature of all oaths and significance of the temple and God’s holiness. They blindly led God’s people to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s Word.
This has not disappeared in our culture. There are a number of denominations that promote man made traditions as being equal to God’s Word. Take note of what your particular denomination teaches. Does it focus on God’s Word, or does it weave in traditions that are not found in the Bible?
God is angered when you…


4. Involve yourself in insignificant details and ignoring what is really important: justice, mercy, and faith. Mt 23:23-2423 “Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders—hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things—justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
The fourth woe calls out the scribes and Pharisees for their practice of diligently paying the tithe while neglecting to actually care for people. While they were counting their mint leaves to make sure they gave one tenth to the temple, they “neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness”. Once again, they focused on the letter of the Law and obeyed it with pride, but they missed the weightier things of God. Their religion was external; their hearts were not transformed.
It is possible to obey the details of the law but still be disobedient in our general behavior. For example, we could be very precise and faithful about giving 10 percent of our money to God but refuse to give one minute of our time in helping others. Tithing is important, but paying the tithed does not exempt us from fulfilling god’s other directives.
This also angers God:


5. Keeping up appearances while your private world is corrupt. Mt 23:25-26 25 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed. 26 Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the whole cup will be clean.
The religious leaders made sure they were keeping up appearances while their private world was corrupt. Jesus elaborates on their hypocrisy in the fifth woe. He tells the religious leaders they appear clean on the outside, but they have neglected the inside. They perform religious acts but do not have God-honoring hearts. It does no good, Jesus says, to clean up the outside when the inside is “full of greed and self-indulgence”. The Pharisees and scribes were blind and did not recognize that, when the inside is changed, the outside, too, will be transformed.
I recently heard of a Christian men’s conference that was held in a large hotel. After the day’s conference, it was reported that 60 percent of the participants that night had ordered pay for view pornography as they attended the conference. It matters to God what you do in private as well as your public behavior. God wants our outside to match our insides. He sees what we do in secret, and we will all give an account of our behavior on judgment day.
Do you want to anger God? Do this:


6. Act Spiritual to cover sin. Mt23:27-28 27 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders! You are like beautiful mausoleums—full of dead men’s bones, and of foulness and corruption. 28 You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin.
We should not act spiritual to cover sin In the sixth woe, Jesus claims the scribes and Pharisees are “like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. The deadness inside of tombs is likened to the “hypocrisy and wickedness” inside the religious leaders. Once again, they appeared to obey God, but their hearts were far from Him. Jesus condemned these religious leaders for appearing saintly and holy outwardly but inwardly remaining full of corruption and greed. Living our Christianity as a show for others is like washing a cup on the outside only. When we are clean on the inside, our cleanliness on the outside won’t be a sham.
God is also angered when we:


7. Pretend to have learned from past history, but our present behavior shows we have learned nothing. Mt 23:29-36 29-30 “Yes, woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! For you build monuments to the prophets killed by your fathers and lay flowers on the graves of the godly men they destroyed, and say, ‘We certainly would never have acted as our fathers did.’
31 “In saying that, you are accusing yourselves of being the sons of wicked men. 32 And you are following in their steps, filling up the full measure of their evil. 33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How shall you escape the judgment of hell?
34 “I will send you prophets, and wise men, and inspired writers, and you will kill some by crucifixion, and rip open the backs of others with whips in your synagogues, and hound them from city to city, 35 so that you will become guilty of all the blood of murdered godly men from righteous Abel to Zechariah (son of Barachiah), slain by you in the Temple between the altar and the sanctuary. 36 Yes, all the accumulated judgment of the centuries shall break upon the heads of this very generation.
Jesus concluded His seven-fold rebuke by telling the religious leaders that they are just like their fathers, who persecuted the prophets of old. In building monuments to the prophets, they testified against themselves, openly admitting that it was their ancestors who killed the prophets. Although they arrogantly claimed that they would not have done so, they were the ones who will soon plot the murder of the Son of God Himself.
In verse 35, Jesus gave a brief summary of Old Testament martyrdom. Abel was the first martyr; Zechariah was the last because the Hebrew Bible ended with 2 Chronicles. Zechariah was an example of a man of God being killed by those who claimed to be God’s people. ( 2 chronicles 24:21 21 Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and finally King Joash himself ordered him executed in the court of the Temple.)
Jesus wanted to gather His people together as a hen protects her chicks under her wings, but they wouldn’t let him. Jesus also wants to protect us if we will come to him. Many times, we hurt and don’t know where to turn. We reject Christ’s help because we don’t think He can give us what we need. But who knows our needs better than our Creator? Those who turn to Jesus will find that He helps and comforts as no one else can.


Jesus’ words were harsh because there was so much at stake. Those who followed the Pharisees and scribes were being kept from following God. Much of the teaching in Jesus’ day was in direct contradiction of God’s Word. The religious leaders made a mockery out of following God. They did not truly understand God’s ways, and they led others away from God. Jesus’ desire was that people would come to know God and be reconciled with Him.
Sadly, many churches in America are also teaching things that are in direct contradiction of God’s Word. And if people do not know Scripture, they will blindly assume their religious leaders are teaching God’s truth. I used to work at a bank and part of my training was studying currency so I would be able to spot a counterfeit. We study God’s Word for the same reason. We should all be like the ancient Bereans who dug into God’s Word and studied His truths so they would not be deceived by a leader’s lies.
You may not be a church leader, but it is possible for individuals to twist and distort God’s Word. It is possible for individuals to look holy on the outside but be sinful in secret. It is possible for individuals to “do church” but never have a transformed heart. Do you recognize yourself in any of these examples?
Jeremiah 2:35 And yet you say, “I haven’t done a thing to anger God. I’m sure he isn’t angry!” I will punish you severely because you say, “I haven’t sinned!”
Scripture tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of meeting God’s holy standard. We need to recognize that we cannot save ourselves, despite all of the good deeds we may do. We need a savior!
Jeremiah 4:4 Cleanse your minds and hearts, not just your bodies, or else my anger will burn you to a crisp because of all your sins. And no one will be able to put the fire out.
We must repent of our sins and accept Jesus’ payment for our sins. Allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and seek God’s truth today.
Repentance is more than saying, “Sorry!” It is a promise to turn around and avoid sinning. Accept Jesus’ payment for your sins, ask God to make you His own, and promise to do your best to live your life in ways that please Him. He will send the Holy Spirit to live inside of you to help guide you. He will make the Bible clear to you and help you make Godly choices.
I believe our time here is short. One day we will stand before God and be judged; we will either receive rewards for our life or be condemned for our behavior on earth. I pray that you will take these words to heart and draw close to God. Do not be one to hear Jesus say “I never knew you”!


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Living in God’s Light

Today we will look at a passage from the book of First John.   First John was written by the apostle John, one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples.  This letter was probably written between AD 85-90 from Ephesus, before John’s exile to the island of Patmos.  Jerusalem had been destroyed in AD 70, and Christians were scattered throughout the empire.  By the time John wrote this epistle, Christianity had been around for more than a generation.  It had faced and survived severe persecution.  The main problem confronting the church at this time was seduction and many believers were conforming to the world’s standards, failing to stand up for Christ, and compromising their faith.  False teachers were plentiful, and they accelerated the church’s downward slide away from the Christian faith.

Things haven’t really changed much in 2,000 years.  The church still faces seduction, and many believers are conformed to the world’s standards.  False teachers are still plentiful today, and we can fall for their lies.  Just as the Christians of John’s time, Believers in our time need to be reminded about how to live in God’s light.

1 John 1:5-10 AMP  5 This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. 8 If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.] 9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. 10 If we say that we have not sinned [refusing to admit acts of sin], we make Him [out to be] a liar [by contradicting Him] and His word is not in us.

This passage from the 1st letter of John gives three basic instructions on how to live in God’s light.  The first is to avoid spiritual darkness; second is: don’t be self-deceived; and the third is to freely confess our sins to God.

The first point of instruction in John’s letter to Christians is:   Avoid Spiritual darkness.

     V 5-7 AMP  5 This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

    Light represents what is good, pure, true, holy and reliable.  Darkness represents sin and evil.  To say “God is light” means that God is perfectly holy and true, and that He alone can guide us out of the darkness of sin.  Light is also related to truth.  It exposes whatever exists, whether it is good or bad.  In the dark, good and evil can look alike; but in the light, they can be clearly distinguished.  Just as darkness cannot exit in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a Holy God.  

    If we want to have a relationship with God, we must put aside our sinful ways of living.  To claim that relationship but live for ourselves is hypocrisy.   Christ will expose and judge such deceit.

    To walk in spiritual darkness means to live in sin and immoral pleasure.  Such people do not have fellowship with God.  They are not born of God.  Those who have fellowship with God experience His grace and live lives of holiness in His presence. 

    Conversely, to walk in spiritual light means to believe God’s truth as revealed in His Word and to make a sincere and sustained effort by His grace to follow it in word and deed.  The phrase “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” refers to the ongoing work of sanctification within the believer and the continual cleansing thought Christ’s blood for our inadvertent sins.

    This process is called “Sanctification”.  It means to make holy, to consecrate, to separate from the world, and to be set apart from sin so that we may have intimate fellowship with God and serve Him gladly. 

    1Peter 1:2 AMP  2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

    Sanctification was God’s will for His people in the OT; they were to live holy or sanctified lives, separated from the lifestyles of the nations around them.  Likewise, sanctification is a requirement for believer in Christ.  Scripture teaches that without holiness no one will see the Lord.

     Heb 12:14 AMP  14 Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.

    God’s children achieve sanctification by faith, by union with Christ in His death and resurrection, by the blood of Christ, by the Word, and by the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.  Faith is not real unless it results in changed lives and good works and people cannot be true believers if they continue living in sin. 

    Sanctification is both a work of God and a work of His people.  In order to accomplish God’s will in sanctification, believers must participate in the Spirit’s sanctifying work by ceasing to do evil, purifying themselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, and keeping themselves from being polluted by the world.

    True sanctification requires that believers maintain intimate communion with Christ, engage in fellowship with believers, devote themselves to prayer, obey God’s Word, be sensitive to God’s presence and care, love righteousness and hate wickedness, put sin to death, submit to God’s discipline, continue to obey, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

    In the New Testament, sanctification is not pictured as a slow process of forsaking sin little by little.  Instead, it is presented as a definitive act by which the believer by grace is set free from Satan’s bondage and makes a clear break with sin in order to live for God.  At the same time, sanctification is described as a lifelong process by which we continue to put to death the misdeeds of the body and are progressively transformed into Christ’s likeness.  We grow in grace and exercise a greater love for God and each other. 

    We have seen that Believers should avoid spiritual darkness.  The second point of John’s instruction to Christians is: Don’t be self-deceived  v 8  AMP  8 If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.]

     We need to remember that not everyone with a platform, television program, pod cast or radio slot will teach God’s truth.  If a person does not study the Bible and know it’s truth, they can easily be led astray by a false teacher.  Many false teachings appeal to our sin nature and sound like an easier path than what the Bible truly teaches. 

    There were false teachers who wormed their way into the church in John’s day as well as ours.  Some of these people taught the body was evil or worthless.  Either they insisted on denying bodily desires through rigid discipline, or they approved of gratifying every physical lust because the body was going to be destroyed anyway.  Obviously, the second approach was more popular in John’s time as well as ours!  In this letter John exposes the error in both of these approaches.

     Not only may false teachers be found in churches, but many are welcomed   into our homes on a nightly basis.  When I was in college, I was taught that those who control the media control the culture and can mold it to their will.  Television shows often promote the idea that lying is okay as long as it accomplishes one’s goal.  Sex before marriage is okay as long as you are in love.  And if the woman gets pregnant, an abortion can take care of that. If you are bored with your spouse, have an affair.  It is whatever makes you happy that matters.   Homosexuality is celebrated and religious people are foolish. 

    Today we see many false teachers promoting lifestyles that God clearly calls an abomination.  We see them sanctioning sexual immorality, teaching that it is okay to claim the name of Jesus and still actively participate in these sins.  One day we will all stand before God and give an account of how we followed Jesus in this life.  Beware of teachers who call evil good.

    Some false teachers taught that not only that they had no sin in them, and whatever they did, they would not sin.  This is a lie.  They forgot one basic truth: we are sinners by nature and by practice.

    Romans 3:23  AMP   For all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God.   

    These false teachers wanted to be considered Christians, but they saw no need to confess their sins and repent.  The blood of Jesus did not mean much to them, because they didn’t think they needed it.  Instead of repenting and being cleansed by Christ’s blood, they were introducing impurity into the circle of believers. 

    They taught not only that they had no sin in them but also that no matter what they did, they would not sin.  This is a lie.  They forgot the basic truth that we are sinners by nature and by practice.  At conversion all our sins are forgiven – past, present and future.  Yet even after we become Christians, we still sin and must confess.  This kind of confession is not to gain God’s acceptance, but to remove the barrier to fellowship that our sin has put between us and Him.  It takes humility and honesty to recognize our weaknesses, and most of us would rather pretend we are strong.  But we need to not fear revealing our sins to God – He knows them already.  He will not push us away, no matter what we’ve done.  Instead, He will push away the sins and draw us to Himself.

    We have seen that Christians should avoid spiritual darkness and should not be self-deceived.  Now we will address John’s third point: Freely confess sins to God 

    v.9-10  AMP  9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. 10 If we say that we have not sinned [refusing to admit acts of sin], we make Him [out to be] a liar [by contradicting Him] and His word is not in us.

    Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ.  It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares.  But some Christians do not understand how it works.  They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over and then wonder if they might have forgotten something.  Other Christians believe God forgives them when they confess, but if they died with un-confessed sins, they would be forever lost.  These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us.  He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could pardon us.  When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit.  We don’t need to confess the same sins all over again and we don’t need to fear that He will cast us out if we don’t keep our slate perfectly clear at all moments.  Of course we want to continue to confess our sins, but not because we think failure to do so will make us lose our salvation.  Our hope in Christ is secure.  Instead, we confess our sins so we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.

    True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We can’t just say, “Ooops, I did it again, sorry.”   We are not genuinely confessing our sins before God if we plan to commit the sin again and just want temporary forgiveness.  We must pray for strength to defeat the temptation the next time it appears.

    Born again Christians are still capable of some kinds of sin.  However, John does not teach that the Christian MUST sin; instead, he exhorts his readers to live without sin.  For those who do fall into sin, the remedy is to confess and forsake our sin.  The assurance of forgiveness lies in the blood of Jesus Christ and His heavenly ministry as “one who speaks to the Father in our defense.”  Jesus intercedes before God on our behalf on the basis of His atoning death, our repentance and our faith in Him.

    In this small passage of John’s letter, written to believers everywhere, we see three key instructions for the church.  We are to avoid spiritual darkness; don’t be self-deceived; and freely confess our sins to God.

    There is much spiritual darkness waging war against Christ’s church today and many false teachers doing their best to deceive God’s people.  John reminds us that we are to freely confess our sins to God. 

    If you have not done a thorough assessment of your life lately, ask God to show you where you may have sinned and confess them to receive that wonderful reconciliation with God.  Ask Him to help you avoid these snares of sinful behavior; He will through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

    May we walk before God with a clean slate and enjoy unbroken fellowship with our loving Heavenly Father.

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    Don’t Love the Evil World

    Today we will look at the Apostle John’s message to the followers of Jesus Christ.  The world was steeped in evil when John wrote this message.  Ephesus, where he served the Lord, was under Roman rule and people followed a multitude of false gods, including worship of the emperor.  Sexual sins abounded and morals were low.  John warns the church about allowing themselves to be drawn back into the evil world systems of the day.  His warning applies to us as well.  In modern times we see false religions, we see multitudes indifferent to God, we see a rise in Satan worship as well as some churches claiming the name of Christ but celebrating things that God calls an abomination.  We need this message today as much as John’s readers did 2,000 years ago. 

    Let’s look at 1 John 2:12-17 NLT  I am writing to you who are God’s children
        because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[    a]
    13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[    b]
        because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
    I am writing to you who are young in the faith
        because you have won your battle with the evil one.
    14 I have written to you who are God’s children
        because you know the Father.
    I have written to you who are mature in the faith
        because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
    I have written to you who are young in the faith
        because you are strong.
    God’s word lives in your hearts,
        and you have won your battle with the evil one.

     15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

    John addresses three things in today’s text.  This is a message for all who belong to Christ.  It is a warning that worldliness begins in the heart, and it is an instruction to do God’s will.

     John’s message is for all. V.12-14  NLT  I am writing to you who are God’s children
        because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[    a]
    13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[    b]
        because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
    I am writing to you who are young in the faith
        because you have won your battle with the evil one.
    14 I have written to you who are God’s children
        because you know the Father.
    I have written to you who are mature in the faith
        because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
    I have written to you who are young in the faith
        because you are strong.
    God’s word lives in your hearts,
        and you have won your battle with the evil one.

    John is writing to believers of all ages. He writes to his “little children” who had experienced forgiveness through Jesus.  He writes to the older men who were mature in the faith and had a long-standing relationship with Christ. He writes to the younger men who had struggled with Satan’s temptations and had won.  And he writes to the boys and girls who had learned about Christ and were just beginning their spiritual journey.

     In each stage of life, God’s Word is relevant.  Each stage of life builds upon the other.  As children learn about Christ, they grow in their ability to win battles with temptation.  As young adults move from victory to victory, they grow in their relationship with Christ.  Older adults, having known Christ for years, have developed the wisdom needed to teach young people and start the cycle all over again.  Is your Christian growth appropriate for your stage in life?  This message applies to all, wherever you may be in your Christian Walk.

    If you are a Christian, this message is for you!

    2.Worldliness begins in the heart  v 15-16 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

    The term “world’ often refers to the vast system of this age that Satan promotes and exists independent of God.  It consists not only in the obviously evil, immoral and sinful pleasures of the world, but also refers to the spirit of rebellion against or indifference to God and His revelation that exists within all human enterprises not under Christ’s lordship.

     Satan uses the world’s ideas, morality, philosophies, psychology, desires, governments, culture, education, science, art, medicine, music, economic systems, entertainment, mass media, religions, sports, agriculture, etc, to oppose God, His people, His Word and His righteous standards.  For example, Satan will use the medical profession to promote the killing of unborn babies, agriculture to produce life-destroying drugs such as alcohol and narcotics, educational systems to promote ungodly and humanistic philosophy, and the entertainment media to destroy Godly standards. 

    Believers must be aware that behind all human enterprises there is a spirit or power that moves against God and His Word, some to a lesser degree, some to a greater degree.  Finally, the “world’ also includes all man-made religious systems such as Greek gods or humanistic, and all unbiblical, worldly or lukewarm “Christian” organizations and churches. 

    Satan is the god of the present world system.  Along with a host of subordinate evil spirits he controls it.  He has organized the world into political, cultural, economic and religious systems that are innately hostile toward God and His people and that refuse to submit to His Truth, which exposes its evil.

    John 7:7 NLT  7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.

    Because the world hated Jesus, we who follow Him can expect that many people will hate us as well.  We can be grateful if life goes well, but not at the cost of following Jesus halfheartedly or not at all.

    The world and the true church are two distinct groups of people: The world is under Satan’s dominion, and the church belongs exclusively to God.  Believers must separate themselves from the world.  In the world believers are aliens and strangers.  We don’t think or act or speak the way people do who are under Satanic control. 

     1 Peter 2:11. NLT  11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

    Believers must come out of the world, not be conformed to the world, and not love the world.  Instead, we are to overcome the world, hate the world’s evil, die to the world and be delivered from the world.  Loving the world defiles our fellowship with God and leads to spiritual destruction.  It is impossible to love the world and the Father at the same time. 

    Mt 6:24  NLT  24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

    To love the world means to be in intimate fellowship with and devoted to its values, interests, ways and pleasures.  It means taking pleasure in or enjoying what is offensive and opposed to God.

    The terms “world” and “earth” are not synonymous.  God does not forbid a love for the created earth, ie nature, mountains, forests, animals and the like.  God created the earth and declared it to be good in Genesis 1.

    1 John 2:16 NLT  16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

    There are three aspects of the sinful world that create open hostility to God.  They are:  1. The cravings of sinful man.  2 impure desires and 3 running after sinful pleasures and sensual gratification.

    1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT  18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

    Php 3:19 NLT  19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

    James 1:14 NLT  14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.

    The Believer must not have close fellowship with those who participate in the world’s evil system.  Instead, we must openly condemn their sin, be salt and light to them, love them and attempt to win them to Christ.

    The devil will oppose what we are doing, and the true Christian will experience trouble, hatred persecution and suffering.  Using the lures of the world Satan makes an unceasing effort to destroy the life of God in the Christian.

    We must remember that the world system is temporary and will be destroyed by God.    Even now the world is passing away.    

    We have seen that this message from John is for all believers and that worldliness begins in the heart.  Now we will see that believers should do God’s will, in spite of the evil around us.   

    3.Do God’s Will  v17 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

    When our attachment to worldly things is strong, it’s hard to believe that the things we want will one day pass away.  It may be even harder to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever.  But this was John’s conviction based on the facts of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and promises He made.  Knowing that this evil world and its sin will end gives us courage to continue doing God’s will.

    What is God’s will for the Believer?  To love God and love people. 

    John’s message was for all believers, including believers of today.  This world is steeped in evil and many systems and people live in direct opposition to God and His followers.  But, despite what we see around us, we are to continue to live lives that please God. 

    We have the promise of eternal life with Him. 

    People often fear death because of the many unknown factors surrounding it.  We don’t need to fear.  Jesus tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in Heaven.  And we will be with Jesus forever. 

    Revelation 22:3-5  NLT  3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

    John gives us a sneak peek into our future in Heaven with Jesus.  There will be no evil there.  God will live among His faithful people on an earth purged from all evil.  On this new earth the saints will see and live with Jesus, the Lamb of God, who through love redeemed them by His death on the cross.  We will worship God and see Him face to face, wrapped in His perpetual love. 

    Please remember this great promise if you feel yourself being tempted by Satan and drawn to evil.  Stand firm and resist the devil and he will flee from you.

    I pray that God will bless you richly until we meet again.

    by

    Coronavirus Dreaming

    Our world changed dramatically after the terrorist attack on 9-11. I went through a period where my dreams were centered on the time before the attack, and I would wake up in the morning with the dream still swirling around in my mind, and then be snapped into reality after a second or two.

    I don’t recall exactly when the new reality following 9-11 finally kicked in to my subconscious, but it eventually did. I didn’t fly very often but my husband was a frequent business flier so our family was probably more aware of the increased security procedures than most people were.

    Since returning home from our winter in the Land of Sunshine, I have experienced a similar sensation. My dream life has been pre-COVID19 and waking up to the reality of self quarantine and government regulations have felt reminiscent of the days following 9-11. There is that moment, upon first awakening, when your subconscious is still spinning tales of your dreams, that all is back to normal and you plan your day’s activities. Then true reality sinks in and you remember that life is not as it was.

    I think my subconscious has settled into the new normalcy. Last night I dreamed a quarantine dream; it was about everyday life, going on as usual, but we were all in quarantine. It was not a defining point in the dream, instead it was more like the wallpaper in a room – just a part of the background. We did normal life things that we have been doing the past two weeks while in self quarantine. It was not a scary dream, or a significant dream, or a Word from Heaven kind of dream. It was pretty garden variety as dreams go, but the one thing that I remember is that we were living our lives according to the new rules.

    When I woke up this morning, my brain did not experience the “life has changed jet lag” that it has the past two weeks. My subconscious has accepted the fact that this, for the time being, is the new normal.

    Despite the shifting sands of normalcy in this life,there is one constant that will never change. The Bible says that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He does not change. He is the rock we can anchor our life upon and know that whatever happens in this life is just a flash in the pan of eternity.
    God’s got this. We can trust Him despite of the circumstances around us.

    Despite the circumstances, because Jesus Christ is my personal savior, I have a peace that transcends the uncertainties of this life. If you haven’t’ met Him, pick up a Bible during this time of self isolation and get to know Him. You will never regret it.

    by

    Catching a whiff of memories

    Isn’t it funny how scents can trigger memories?  A summer breeze wafting past my neighbor’s cow barn transports me back to happy childhood summer afternoons playing in my Grandmother’s cow shed.  The smell of fresh tar immediately transports me back to the days my Dad sealed the outside of the basement walls of the house he built when I was four.   And if you open a box of crayons around me, my brain takes me back to the hallways of Flora List Elementary School.  

    Today I walked through a classroom here at the church and something I smelled took me back to my Aunt Patty’s farmhouse kitchen!  I spent a week at her house when I was six years old and she made blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  I was startled when that whiff of something in the classroom instantly “took” me there and my mouth began watering, remembering her cooking.  

    The sense of smell is an interesting thing that is directly linked to our taste buds.  Hold your nose and you won’t notice the taste of something that has an unpleasant flavor.  Yet, constant exposure to an odor will dull one’s sensitivity to it.  I have talked to people who live in towns with paper mills or oil refineries.  After a while, they don’t even notice the odor.

    Just as people who smoke cigarettes don’t notice the odor of nicotine clinging to their clothing, or a pretty perfume seems to lose its scent to the person wearing it, we can easily become immune to the common smells that surround us day to day.  In the Bible days, a shepherd spent his life so close to his sheep that he would begin to smell like them.  I’m sure the shepherd didn’t notice the sheep-smell, but everyone else probably did.  

    As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to spend so much time with our Lord that we begin to smell like Him.  We may not even notice it, but those who don’t know Him will.  My prayer is that we leave a fragrant scent of Christ’s love where ever we go, so that when people “catch a whiff” it will trigger a pleasant memory and make them hungry for more of Jesus, much as I am now hungry for my Aunt Patty’s home-made blue berry pancakes!