As Christians, there are certain expectations that we set for ourselves based on God’s Word. As humans, meeting these expectations is an impossible task. None of us is without sin, nor are we able to avoid temptation, let alone turn away always. Our faith is continually tested.
To walk with Christ is a challenge in itself. We have continual tests of faith. Sometimes we lack faith altogether. There are times when I pray for God to just give me a break! After all, He knows I’m human. Why do I have to struggle so? Why do I have to work so hard to find my way to Christ’s path?
There are times when I’m simply out of ideas on how to follow Jesus, when I can’t for the life of me muster the inspiration to step one step farther in the goodness of Christ. I look at the Bible and see the words, but they are simply that: words. I know that at one time, God’s words sang truth to my soul, the Holy Spirit danced in my heart and the printed page was the Word. But now…now it’s all gone. I am out of ideas, void of understanding. And I am lost.
Times like this reminds me of something I read by one of America’s greatest writers. In his book A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway recalls a time when he was asked about story ideas. Hemingway, a prolific writer, was asked if he ever ran out of ideas. And, if so, how did he cope with writer’s block? Hemingway said that whenever he was at a loss for a story idea, he sat and wrote one factual sentence. He wrote one true thing, from which the story flowed.
The Bible has factual sentences throughout. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). These are true beginnings to a great story; true things from which the story of man, his failure and his redemption flowed.
What is your “one true thing?”
Read Philippians 2:9-11:
9Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
“Jesus Christ is Lord,” is one true thing from which our story as Christians flows.
John 20:31, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
“Jesus is the Christ, The Son of God,” and “in Him was life, and the life was the Light of men,” (John 1:4), is one true thing.
When I am lost, and I cannot seem to find hope in my life, when I cannot find a way to live the way I believe the Lord would have me live, I try to remember one true thing. It’s not always the same thing, but it always points to the truth of God’s eternal sovereignty and the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, died for my sins.
I hope you will remember at least that as your one true thing.
Blessings!
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
A True Heart and a True Faith
Recently, I had the special privilege of addressing a group of Boy Scouts during a Sunday service at Big Woods Church. The young men were accompanied by their parents, grandparents, families and friends. They also had with them the men who lead their troop, Boy Scout Troop 849, which is chartered by Big Woods Church.
For the morning's message, we turned to Hebrews 10:19-25, which reads in the English Standard Version:
"19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
First, we learned that anything that God tells us is possible for we as people to accomplish is possible only because of Jesus Christ. For instance, in verse 19, the Bible says, "since we have confidence...by the blood of Jesus..." and in verse 21, we read, "and since we have a great priest..." Both point directly to Jesus Christ whose sacrifice and resurrection empower those who know Him to act confidently in His name and by His power and authority. Jesus Christ, we learned, has all authority, all glory and all power in all the universe, and because of His holy magificence is entirely worthy of all praise and honor.
The young men were then challenged to apply four biblical principles to their lives from Hebrews 10:22:
1. Live with a true heart. This simply means that we don't live as fakes. Know who we are in Christ and live purposefully in Christ. Each of these young men will be faced with decisions throughout their lives. Every decision will reflect on their character. If they remember to stand firm and live with a true heart honestly, their integrity will be solid. The late Craig Phillips was recently remembered at his funeral by a colleague as a man who was the same in his roles as husband, father, businessman, churchman and volunteer. When you met Craig, you knew that he lived with a true heart, and what he said in one place was consistent with what he said everywhere. Craig lived with a true heart.
2. Live with a true faith. The only way to know that you're on solid footing in your faith is to know and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Anything else is shaky ground. When I was in Marine Corps boot camp, we had to camp on a mountainside on a night that was threatening to rain. We could not go to the top of the mountain, so we had to find ground that was reliable not to be washed away with the rain. We looked for a place where there was plenty of grass and shrubbery whose roots had preserved the ground from mudslides and avalanches. There, on that firm foundation, we pitched our tents. Then we dug a trench around our tents so that the rain water coming down the mountain would run around our tents and not deteriorate the ground upon which we would sleep. These precautions prevented us from slipping down the mountainside as the rains came. Likewise, firmly planting our faith on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ prevents us from slipping down a mountainside when the rains of life come our way. We each should strive to live with a true faith.
3. Live with a clear conscience. Even though we are living with a true heart and a true faith, we all will face times of challenge where we slip in our decision-making and it will be reflected in poor choices and behaviors. For a person pursuing godliness, this will challenge our consciences. Keeping a short account with God and with the people we know, keeps our consciences clear. It's not always easy to admit mistakes, but it is in honestly evaluating, confessing and seeking forgiveness for our mistakes that develops our character. John 1:9 promises that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." By keeping a short account of our sins with God and with those we offend will allow us to live with a clear conscience.
4. Live with a pure body. The challenges for our youths today to step into the raging river of immorality are overwhelming. As these young men grow into men, nearly every influence around them will try to draw them into immorality and impurity of body. The day we spoke was Superbow Sunday (Congratulations, Saints!). During the Super Bowl telecast, there would be numerous television commercials that would entice youths and adults alike to make decisions that would lead to impurity of body and soul. There also would be tremendous influences for good and proper decision-making. The young men were encouraged to focus on the positive influences in their lives so that they would live with a pure body.
I thank the Lord for the opportunity to speak His truth into the lives of the Boy Scouts of Troop 849. I trust Him to be glorified through each of their lives.
Blessings!
Pastor Bill
If you would like to listen to this message, click here.
For the morning's message, we turned to Hebrews 10:19-25, which reads in the English Standard Version:
"19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
First, we learned that anything that God tells us is possible for we as people to accomplish is possible only because of Jesus Christ. For instance, in verse 19, the Bible says, "since we have confidence...by the blood of Jesus..." and in verse 21, we read, "and since we have a great priest..." Both point directly to Jesus Christ whose sacrifice and resurrection empower those who know Him to act confidently in His name and by His power and authority. Jesus Christ, we learned, has all authority, all glory and all power in all the universe, and because of His holy magificence is entirely worthy of all praise and honor.
The young men were then challenged to apply four biblical principles to their lives from Hebrews 10:22:
1. Live with a true heart. This simply means that we don't live as fakes. Know who we are in Christ and live purposefully in Christ. Each of these young men will be faced with decisions throughout their lives. Every decision will reflect on their character. If they remember to stand firm and live with a true heart honestly, their integrity will be solid. The late Craig Phillips was recently remembered at his funeral by a colleague as a man who was the same in his roles as husband, father, businessman, churchman and volunteer. When you met Craig, you knew that he lived with a true heart, and what he said in one place was consistent with what he said everywhere. Craig lived with a true heart.
2. Live with a true faith. The only way to know that you're on solid footing in your faith is to know and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Anything else is shaky ground. When I was in Marine Corps boot camp, we had to camp on a mountainside on a night that was threatening to rain. We could not go to the top of the mountain, so we had to find ground that was reliable not to be washed away with the rain. We looked for a place where there was plenty of grass and shrubbery whose roots had preserved the ground from mudslides and avalanches. There, on that firm foundation, we pitched our tents. Then we dug a trench around our tents so that the rain water coming down the mountain would run around our tents and not deteriorate the ground upon which we would sleep. These precautions prevented us from slipping down the mountainside as the rains came. Likewise, firmly planting our faith on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ prevents us from slipping down a mountainside when the rains of life come our way. We each should strive to live with a true faith.
3. Live with a clear conscience. Even though we are living with a true heart and a true faith, we all will face times of challenge where we slip in our decision-making and it will be reflected in poor choices and behaviors. For a person pursuing godliness, this will challenge our consciences. Keeping a short account with God and with the people we know, keeps our consciences clear. It's not always easy to admit mistakes, but it is in honestly evaluating, confessing and seeking forgiveness for our mistakes that develops our character. John 1:9 promises that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." By keeping a short account of our sins with God and with those we offend will allow us to live with a clear conscience.
4. Live with a pure body. The challenges for our youths today to step into the raging river of immorality are overwhelming. As these young men grow into men, nearly every influence around them will try to draw them into immorality and impurity of body. The day we spoke was Superbow Sunday (Congratulations, Saints!). During the Super Bowl telecast, there would be numerous television commercials that would entice youths and adults alike to make decisions that would lead to impurity of body and soul. There also would be tremendous influences for good and proper decision-making. The young men were encouraged to focus on the positive influences in their lives so that they would live with a pure body.
I thank the Lord for the opportunity to speak His truth into the lives of the Boy Scouts of Troop 849. I trust Him to be glorified through each of their lives.
Blessings!
Pastor Bill
If you would like to listen to this message, click here.
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