What is truth? Who is God? Explore the interactions between Christianity and real life. Discover biblical discipleship, faith, and how to glorify Christ. The word says we are called to love God and love others. Jesus Christ is God come to us; He is alive. God will call all of us to give an explanation of how we lived. Trust in Jesus and receive forgiveness; a new life. Stand for the truth. Glorify Christ in how you live. A new world awaits.
John 5:1-9 NIV: "Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."
Today we’ll address the topic of mental health: healing from past trauma. In the fallen world in which we live there are many times when we experience things that harm us. We have to go through hard times. Each of you I’m sure could list off traumatic experiences that you’ve been through. Whether we were soldiers in combat, or children who went through abuse, or those who struggle with drug addictions, or those afflicted with the blackest depression, we all have scars along the journey of life.
I’ve been through a lot in my life. And I’d like to share a bit more of my story, as I have in the past, and then transition into 3 ways of healing.
From birth on, it's been a struggle. Just after I was born, I would experience terrible stomach pains. When I began to learn to talk I developed a stutter, and had to work through that. In school I got bullied a great deal and spent a lot of time as an outcast. When I was 17 I was expelled from my high school and shunned by my former friends. When I was 18 I experienced being locked in a mental hospital. When I was 20 I became a serious drug addict. That same year I experienced serving jail time for the first time, for marijuana charges. I struggled with alcoholism and addiction for years after. I fought severe depression and anxiety on a daily basis. When I was 21 I became addicted to cigarettes. When I was 23 I was physically assaulted. When I was 25 I was hospitalized in intensive care for a drug overdose. I attempted suicide twice. I went to rehab and detox a dozen times.
But, this is key: I’m not a victim. I’m not a victim. I’m an overcomer. I’m a redeemed, born again, son of the most high God. Because Jesus came to save sinners, I need never be a victim, and the moment I let myself believe that I’m a victim, I’m no longer able to heal. Life is messy. And sometimes terrible things happen. But I have to keep fighting. We all do.
Jesus changes everything. The ultimate source of healing is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the doorway, God the Father is the architect & guide of the plan, and the Spirit is the indwelling healing presence.
Jesus Christ does the mighty work within us. But it isn’t finished there. We still need to heal and grow. There is work to be done. Faith without works is what? Dead!
So let’s look at three ways to gain healing from past struggles and traumas in our lives.
First, Step 1: Writing in powerful. Writing in a journal, on a daily basis. One of the best ways to experience healing is through study and writing things down. I keep a journal, where I write down my deepest thoughts and pains.
Write it down. Write down what you’ve gone through. Create a timeline of your life, so you can better understand your story. I did that once in treatment, and it was amazing to see how my life went from good to bad, and bad to good, and all over the place.
I’m convinced many of us don’t experience the fullness of God’s presence because we have too much wreckage from our pasts built up within. But when we clear out those past struggles, we make room for the Spirit of God to fully consume us.
All one need do is write out a timeline of our lives, emphasizing important events, from birth to present. Then working from the timeline, write down in journal format with the deepest honesty exactly what happened. Once having this inventory completed, the writer takes it to a trusted friend, colleague or pastor and “confesses” it to them. And through this, healing is found.
As it says in James 5:16 “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Pray about it, maybe God is leading you to write out some of your past traumas to gain healing. If you'd like a more detailed inventory guide Google search "fourth step inventory guide." You'll find quite a few documents that you can print out to guide your inventory process.
Secondly, step two: Study, learn and grow. Books, sermons on youtube, workbooks. Get these resources, and use them for healing.
The first book I studied on healing was called “The Bondage Breaker” by Neil T. Anderson. It was an excellent book on how to challenge the lies of Satan with the truth of God’s word.
Another powerful workbook I went through was called the "Freedom from Depression workbook" by Frank Minirth. It helped change a lot of my perspectives about the world.
I could list off a lot of extremely helpful books, I read a lot, but I would recommend the life recovery study bible, and the celebrate recovery study bible. But overall just immerse yourself in healing, listen to youtube sermons on Christian healing. Get that right message in your mind!
Thirdly, make sure you have a good network of support. That is always key. And its usually one of the hardest things for those with past traumas to do. When you’ve been through hard times it tends to make you feel different from others. It makes reaching out and connecting with people a very hard thing to do. But we have to force ourselves to socialize, because hiding away doesn’t help anything.
That is a powerful thing, to have friends and mentors who speak into our lives. We have to have people we can share anything with. Otherwise it stays locked inside of us. A lost art is that of young people finding older, wiser people, who can they learn and grow from. Trust me on this, seek out a good mentor.
We need community, group support. One of the best options for this sort of healing is found at a program called Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery is a place to come with your hurts, habits, and hangups. It’s a great program. Other programs are also available for those with alcohol, drug, or gambling problems like Alcoholics anonymous, Narcotics anonymous, and Gambling anonymous. The healing is found in these programs through blunt, honest, real discussions. It’s so powerful to open up and talk about these pains, believe me, it’ll change your world.
When I work with teens in ministry, I always try to engage them in deep, real conversations. I try to get them to express their deepest thoughts, and share the struggles they go through. You’d be amazed how these blunt, real conversations can help shine the light of healing.
So those are the three best ways I've found to address the issue of healing from past struggles. And we all have those struggles.
In closing, there is something very important to remember about healing. What was the first thing Jesus asked the crippled man? The first question Jesus asked him was: “Do you want to get to well?”
I say “yes” to God today. With every issue and sin that crops up in my life. Because there are always more things to work on. So I have to say to Jesus time and again, yes Lord, now I’m ready and willing that you should have all of me. I want to get well.
The cool thing about our savior Jesus Christ is that he takes people like you and me, and heals us, and then compels us to go out and help those with the struggles we have gone through. So let me challenge you, if you’ve been through some stuff, think about how God can use that to bless others who are hurting.
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d]
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e] 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[f] -Hebrews 12:14-29
Today we’re talking about how we can learn to follow Jesus Christ our glorious savior. And we’re considering the book of Hebrews, chapter 12. This book of the Bible is just amazing, it’s so powerful, it’s so deep, it’s so meaningful. I just love it. But I love the whole Bible, it’s all so amazing, I can’t get enough of it. I hope you have a Bible, and that you take time to read it everyday. I usually read the Bible in bed before I sleep at night. And I hope your also praying regularly, asking God to be with you each day, and praying for people and for the world, and for your own needs. Prayer is powerful.
I’m alive today because I had a praying grandmother. I had a mom praying for me. I had a bible study group somewhere praying for me when I was lost in addiction. That’s powerful.
So we know that we’re saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, that was shed on the cross. Jesus was taken by the ruling authorities, and whipped, and beaten, then forced to carry his own cross, to the place where he’d be killed. Then Jesus was made to lay across the wood of the cross, and nailed were driven through his hands and his feet. And then the cross was hoisted up, and dropped into a hole in the ground. And Jesus roasted in the sun, until he had lost so much blood, and become so exhausted, and so dehydrated, that he could no longer hold himself up. See, on the cross you would die from suffocation. You had to force yourself up, to be able to breath, but eventually you were so weak, you couldn’t do it anymore. And you’d die.
But something was strange about the way this Jesus person died. He was on the cross, and it was about noon, about 12 noon, and suddenly it went dark. And this event is actually recorded by historians of the time. It went completely dark for 3 hours. From noon until 3. Totally darkness. Can you imagine this? 3 hours. And then there was an earthquake. And Jesus cried out, he just screamed, screamed so loudly, and then it says he died, and gave up his spirit. That’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus took the punishment that each of us deserve for our sins. He took it on the cross. Then 3 days later he resurrected from the dead. It wasn’t over when Jesus died. He came back to life.
Now our job as Christians today, is to believe in Jesus Christ. To believe that Jesus is really alive, and at work in the world today. He conquered death itself. Meaning we can have eternal life, and live forever, because of what Jesus did.
Now, when we believe in Jesus, we become born again. God changes our heart. My old self is dead. And now a new life starts. Has your new life started? My new life has started.
So now that we are Christians, which means followers of Jesus, we seek with all our strength and determination to live as Jesus lived. This is the tough part. I knew instantly 7 years ago, that when I got saved, Jesus was saying to me, you need to get clean and sober. And Jesus was saying, I’m gonna help you. But I knew Jesus was telling me to go back to recovery. It’s not enough to just believe in Jesus, we need to live differently.
And that’s where a lot of us can get stuck. Because we want Jesus as our savior. But we aren’t really willing to change. But we have to change. That’s what God expects of us. That’s why as soon as I had cried out to Jesus, and I knew Jesus had come into my heart, I started trying to live differently. I started going to 12 step groups. I started attending celebrate recovery. I joined a bible study, attended Sunday services at a church faithfully. I began pursuing the new life Jesus had given me.
Sins started dropping from my life. I quit drinking. I drinking using drugs. A year later I quit smoking cigarettes. I stopped having sex with whoever I wanted to. I decided I was going to honor God in my romantic life. I decided I would wait for marriage to be intimate with a woman. That’s what God made sexual intimacy for, for marriage, a lifelong marriage between husband and wife. So God is challenging us, as His people, to show Him that we really mean it. That we really trust Him. Faith without works is dead. So I gotta get to work!
And its’ fun. It’s great. Sure it’s tough. But man it’s so exciting to watch Jesus change my life. It’s so great to be free from dope, from alcohol, from cigarettes, from meaningless relationships. And it’s so exciting to see a whole new life of purity, of holiness taking hold in my life. It’s like wow, I never thought this was possible, but God is doing it in me! God does the deep work in our souls. And we do the foot work.
As our scripture today said, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” Do you recall that when God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, and Moses led them into the wilderness, that they began to complain against God, and disobey God, and so that generation died wandering in the wilderness, and lost the inheritance they were so hoping for.
What scares me is that I could fall short of making it to heaven when I die. And that’s always a possibility. If I held on to some sins in my life, secretly, and only I knew, well, God would know. And say I come before him on judgment day, all of that stuff is gonna come out. And then God would have to send me to hell. And I would burn in fire and torment forever. That’s terrible. But I was playing games with God, if I did it that way. I’m not going to play any games. I want to be holy, because God is holy. And the new city of God, the new heavens and new earth that God is preparing for us, is for holy people. People who are not living in sin. So I do need to live holy. But it doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a process. Over time God removes sins from my life, I fight against the sin, and God gives the victory. But it’s in his timing. But I work very hard to live in holiness. God does it in me. Jesus Christ lives in me. And it’s amazing. God is so good. But my job is to resist temptation, and pray, and seek God, and study the Bible, and stay in fellowship, attend church faithfully. Then I stay close to God, and those old sins can’t get near me. But if I were to stop attending church, stop praying, stop attending my meeting, and start hanging with the wrong crowd, then pretty soon the devil would be knocking and those old sins could easily come right back.
If you recall when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, they came to mount Sinai. And God would call Moses up the mountain to meet with him. But at that time, that was considered holy ground. And some didn’t take that seriously, and they touched the mountain, and they were struck dead right there. Boom, dead. And Moses witnessed this and he was so shocked, it says he was trembling with fear, trembling before God, because our God is not some sappy, love-sick sort of hippie God. Our God is righteous, holy, and a God of justice. He is going to set all things right. Yes, He loves us. He does, so much. But He is also just. Like any good father, he disciplines us. And let me tell you, growing up, when you hear the dad voice, or grandpa, yelling, because I was doing something wrong, well, you understand. I fear God. I know God can send me to hell. I know He doesn’t want to do that. But God demands that I live right. That I live holy. And he demands the same of all of us. So let’s be holy. If we stick close to God, then we will be holy.
One final thought is this, like we talked about, Jesus Christ is alive right now, he walked the Earth about 2000 years ago, about. In fact somewhere between 2030-2035 will be exactly 2000 years since Jesus walked the Earth. Isn’t that interesting. See after Jesus resurrected from the dead, he showed himself to many witnesses, to his disciples, then he ascended to heaven. And that’s where Jesus is right now, in heaven. But the ultimate conclusion of this planet, and of our lives is when Jesus Christ will return. The Bible says he is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him. So we as Christians are watching for the return of Jesus. We are eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus. We must be watchful. Are you watching for his return? He is coming very, very, very soon. Be watchful.
I thought to myself, should I follow suit with the post-modern heroes of Christianity, the disaffected, selfish millennials flipping on the faith, and declaring their atheism to the world? The answer to that question is NO! My reasonable faith in the architect of reality, the universe, and the human race is stronger now than ever before. Some think science is slowly poking holes in religion. That is the narrative sometimes repeated in the coffee shops and plush venues of cultural elitists, in their elitist newspapers and journals. Of course the opposite is quite. More so than ever, science itself is pointing us to the reality of the existence of God. The more scientists study DNA, the more they realize that the cells in our bodies are coded with instructions, exceedingly advanced instructions. As they look deeper and deeper into the cells of our bodies, they realize, with awe, "This looks designed!" Meanwhile astronomers studying the stars and the universe have realized that there are particles called the "higgs boson" that literally hold the universe together. Many in the scientific community nicknamed these "God" particles. It is quite interesting when we realize that the word of God declares that Jesus Christ himself holds the universe together by his mighty power (Colossians 1:17). Additionally, it's clear to the scientific community that our universe is not eternal, but that is began in the finite past, something they refer to as the big bang. This cosmological principle is powerful in that this burst of creation in the finite past is remarkably similar to the concept of God "speaking" the universe into existence during the creation week. And if the universe did come into existence, it can't simply pop into existence from nothing. It must have a cause. What force or entity best fits the bill to be the cause of the universe? That's right you guessed it, God the intelligent designer, who is infinite in nature, outside time, and possessing ultimate power. Not only that, but historical and archaeological discoveries continue to confirm the biblical account of history. In fact just two weeks ago archaeologists discovered the ancient "Church of the Apostles" near the sea of Galilee in Israel. Thousands of archaeological discoveries have served to confirm the biblical account of history, from a statue of Caesar Augustus discovered in the red sea, to the old city of Jerusalem recently discovered by archaeologists. But what about that age old question that philosophers have wrestled with for centuries: Is God really is there, why is there so much evil in the world? Now, it's interesting to note that if the atheists are really right, and there is no God, then there is no standard by which to discern between good and evil. It's all just personal opinion. If it's true that our universe burst forth from nothingness billions of years ago and aimlessly flies into nowhere, and we are just evolved slime from the goo pits, then there is no good or evil. It's all just personal opinions. And ultimately it wouldn't matter anyway, because one day, all would come to darkness. Then again if God does exist, then there is good and evil, and an ultimate standard. Which means God has allowed for humanity to have free will. What an incredible gift, don't you think? We'd be mindless robots without free will. Free will is the only thing that allows for true love. Free will is a beautiful gift. But it's also risky, because we can choose good or evil. Unfortunately we live in a world where things have gone terribly wrong, and humanity has fled away from God. We live in a world where a child may die of some disease, or a natural disaster may kill thousands, or a lone gunman may slaughter innocent people. This world is the chaos that results when humanity tries to play God, and live without God. We also wrestle with the issue of evil in the world. It breaks our hearts. But in the Christian worldview, God has promised to judge evil, at the end of the world. That should be very satisfying to us, that in the end, good will be rewarded, and evil will be punished. God is patient. God is kind. And God isn't afraid of our questions. God will interact with you, as you probe such deep and meaningful questions. Ultimately, when we look at the life of Jesus Christ, even today Jesus is as popular as ever in the world. The academic masterminds of our time continue to debate and discuss the life of Jesus, and average everyday people continue to consider Jesus, what he taught and how he lived. When we look to Jesus Christ, we see a flawless, beautiful life, in which one lived to serve others, loved others, helped others, and offered up his very life to bring others home to God. And Jesus is alive, and continues to change lives in the world today. Jesus changed my life seven years ago, when he saved me from addiction, depression, and an empty, meaningless life. So do I get upset, and start to waver in my faith when high profile Christians like Joshua Harris, and the worship leader from Hillsong reject Christ? No I don't. I know in whom I've believed. God is real. And his son Jesus Christ is a true, living savior, who conquered the grave, and is literally alive right now in heaven. And Jesus Christ is coming again, to rule this entire Earth. I believe that now more than ever. And if some are rejecting the faith, and turning back to the ways of the world, maybe it's just a sign of the times we live in. It's hard to follow Jesus. It means giving up our whole lives to a new way. It means fighting and defeating sin. It means serving God, instead of serving self. And it's a lot easier to live a vain, selfish life. But I'm convinced more than ever, that the most loving, beautiful, holy, and selfless way to live life, is to live walking hand in hand with my King the Lord Jesus Christ.
“You must fight devils, lies, fleshly indulgences, hardships, disappointments, and everything that sets itself up against God, or that is apposed to the living of a holy life, or which threatens the damnation of man. At all risks and consequences, you must fight for God and the salvation of souls.” -William Booth, The Seven Spirits Today, we consider holy warfare. For this I will direct you to a famous story that William Booth recounts, and is commonly referred to as “What will you do?” Many of you have probably heard of it. If you’d like to read the full story, get a copy of this book titled “William Booth’s Amazing Visions.” Booth one day was home, sitting alone considering the plight of the millions of lost in the world. And he saw this vision. He saw a raging sea, storming, lightning and thunder, and he saw thousands and thousands of people drowning in the waters. Then he saw a mighty rock rise up from the waters. And there was a platform at the rock, on which people were rescued. Some on the rock were working tirelessly to help save the people that were still trapped in the water, throwing them life preservers, and building boats to go down into the water, and even some dove into the water to help fish people out that way. But to Booth’s astonishment most of the people on the platform were not helping to pull people out of the water at all. They were going about their worldly affairs, gathering money, working, going on vacations, playing sports; while others were growing flowers, playing music, accumulating products, others debating about theology, and still others painting, taking classes, and so on and so forth.
Then in his vision Booth saw one drop down into the water, helping to save people dying in the water, and he was bright and brilliant, fighting with all his might, and he cried out to the people on the platform “Come help me! Come help me!” But they did not respond. Sadly, they did not care.
Booth realized quickly what the vision meant. The storming sea and the people it in were the unsaved in this world drowning in sins and brokenness. The rock that rose from the sea was the salvation provided in Christ. The platform and the people on it were the church. And he realized that the people in the boats and the ones throwing out life preservers were salvation soldiers, those who burned with the true spirit of holy warfare. But most of the church didn’t care, for the lost. The bright one in the waters was Jesus Christ himself, fighting to save the lost to this very day.
And this visions I believe perfectly describes what it means to be living the Spirit of Holy Warfare. There are only two kinds of Christians, the Christian who sits on the platform, enjoying worldly pleasures, and the Christian who is down in the waters tirelessly fighting to save souls from damnation. Which one are you? Are you down there in the water fighting tooth and nail to get people saved? Or are you up on the platform, ignoring the cries of the dying? Only you can answer that question.
It could just as easily be me. In fact as an officer it is very easy to get bogged down in paperwork, fundraisers and food drives, that pretty soon there is no soul winning going on at all. And what will be my fate on judgment day, if I live that way? Is there any chance of my attaining to eternal life? None-whatsoever. I must be a soul winner. I must be one who practices holy warfare.
Everyday we suite up for conflict, in fact conflict is our very nature. We fight to provide for our families. We fight to teach our children. We fight to make money. We fight against disease and old age. Life is often a conflict, and we meet it daily in the struggle of life.
If we fight in this world, how much more do we fight in the Christian faith? The Christian faith is a constant battle. Once first get saved, all sorts of problems suddenly spring up to try to tear us back down, and rip us away from God. The enemy does his best to dissuade us, to get us to turn back. Sins of the flesh boggle our minds and we find ourselves confessing and repenting, and desperately trying to live holy lives. And how bleak it seems at first, in those first few years, wondering if there’s even any chance to live like Christ.
That is the personal struggle. But we must too struggle to get others saved. William Booth said, “This is desperate, agonizing, wounding business.” My goodness Booth could turn a phrase. I recall when at training college we went out did evangelism at a public event in downtown Chicago. It was exhausting, talking to person after person about Jesus Christ. But after being there a few hours, I had spoke to probably about ten people about Jesus. And on the way back in the van, I felt the wounds. The harsh answers, the debates, the discussions, and the stress and strain on my soul.I felt beat up in my spirit. But I felt so… real. So complete in those moments. I tell you today that there is never any time that I feel more alive, more Spirit-filled, more completely like a true, real Christian, than when I witness to the unsaved. I always feel as I do that, that this is the single, most important thing I can do as a Christian, to win the lost to Christ, by simply sharing the faith with a stranger. Or a friend, or a neighbor.
I dare you to do it. Do it daily in your life. And feel the Spirit declare in you the fullness of who you are, a real Christian.
That is true holy warfare! That is the difficulty we are called to. We’re all here on the platform, and we see the raging sea around us. And how clearly we can see it in Flint. We see the dying people slowly drowning in the waves and crashing sea. And how difficult and agonizing work it is, to try to fish them out of the sea, with row boats and life jackets and ropes. It is not easy work. It is thankless work. But it must be done.
Booth said, “Think of the difficulties that have to be surmounted before a man can have ground for expecting the “well done” at the judgment throne, or a victorious crown in Heaven. “Be thou faithful unto death!” Do you ever consider what that faithfulness unto death meant to those to whom the words were first spoken? The visions of the torture chamber, the wild beasts in the arena, the crucifixion, which it called up in their minds?”
Even today, in the middle-east, in China, in north Africa, in India, there are Christians who are dying everyday for their faith in Jesus. These are the heroes of our faith. And who is to say that something like that couldn’t happen here in America? It is closer that we might all realize. But when we consider the blood of the martyrs, and the struggle of our faith, we are drawn back to the first one who offered up his blood.
In our scripture today, Revelation chapter five, we see the one on the throne holding a scroll. This scroll ushers in the final conclusion of God’s kingdom program. And there is one who is able to take the scroll and open the seven seals. The messenger of God declares, “Fear not, for the lion of Judah has triumphed!”
Now let’s just pause there for a moment. We’ve gone through Revelation, and we see these amazing displays of God’s throne, these scrolls, all this sort of esoteric imagery. Does it seem strange to you? Does it seem just like a little bit too much? I must admit at times, I doubt. I think to myself, could that really be true? Is this really real?
Could it really be true that an ark carried all that was left of the animals and people of the Earth at one time. Could it really be true that a giant fish swallowed Jonah? Is it really true that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? Isn’t it all just a bit too extreme? Haven’t they disproved all of this with science?
And I would answer myself this way: Has science disproved religion? Absolutely not. Science simply measures the observable universe. It doesn’t have anything to say about religion. In fact I’ve found that science and religion complement each other quite well. A natural process shows how rain falls, or how water freezes, or how vapor becomes clouds, and so on. Our religious faith answers the questions as to why we exist at all on this planet. Can everything be explained through natural means? Not at all. In fact I think the single best argument for the existence of God comes from science. Science indicates that the universe is expanding. Scientists discovered that the universe is not eternal, but that is began to exist at a fixed point in time. They call this “the big bang.” Now ask a scientist, where did the big bang come from? And some would say that it’s simply a mystery. There was nothing, then bang, the universe. But someone whose honest would have to say, “What caused the bang?” And one could indicate, that God is the best explanation for the cause of the universe. Something that begins to exist must have a cause. Therefore God exists.
Now, if God can make the universe, the stars, and craft the planet is Earth from nothing, into a lush green ecosystem, and create humanity, in all our complexity, from our auto-focusing eyeballs to our fully functional endocrine and circulatory systems, then is it really that hard for God to resurrect Jesus from the dead? Is it really that hard for God to keep Jonah safe in the belly of a whale? And is it really so difficult to believe that God exists in some sort of ethereal throne room on a plain of reality we refer to as “heaven”? No, it isn’t that hard. If God can make the universe from nothing, imagine what he can do in our lives.
Revelation 5:6 “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth.” The lamb is at the center of the throne, that astonished me. Jesus Christ is God. He ‘s right there on the throne with the Father.
Then the elders and the living creatures cried out in worship to Jesus saying, ““You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
Jesus Christ triumphed in his life. He lived a life of holy warfare fighting tooth and nail for the lives of lost humanity. He fought so hard, toiling in prayer, constantly surrounded by crowds, preaching the word, constantly dealing with people who would argue with him, call him a demon, mock him, and ridicule him. He fought against the religious leaders the Pharisees. He fought for the weak, the poor, and the sick. And Jesus Christ fought a very certain sort of holy warfare. He fought with love, grace, and truth. He fought by dying on the cross, by giving up His life to the Father of Lights. And by offering up his blood, Jesus Christ our King purchased us. He purchased for God people from every nation and language and group across the face of the Earth. He purchased lost souls in China, he purchased homeless boys in India, he purchased settlers in America, he purchased rich business men, prostitutes on the streets, drug addicts and Nobel prize winners. All gathered to God, because of the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, to pay off our debt of sins, and take us home to God.
In the Salvation Army, God worked through two rather ordinary people named William and Catherine Booth. Through two people, not all that special, just ordinary folks, he launched a war on Satan and his dominion over the poor, the homeless, the starving, the alcoholic, and the addicted, that were being sorely neglected by the churches of their day. From a poor, broke man named William, preaching to drunks in bars, and having beer bottles thrown at him, God launched a war against Satan and a war for the souls of humanity, that has spread to 130 countries in the world today.
The goal of my life, is to fight tooth and nail for the lost souls of humanity in this world, by winning them to Jesus Christ, and teaching them to live in holiness. I want to bring as many souls with me to heaven as possible.
And I believe on that day, when each of return to the God that made us, there will be a special sort of ceremony for salvationists who have won their battle and proceeded home triumphantly. I can see it now. The bright golden hauls of heaven. And we are walking down a long, long corridor. And to the left and to the right of us, we see thousands and thousands of salvationists in their uniforms cheering and applauding as we march forward, step by step. Can you see it? I see them cheering and giving glory to God, and praising Jesus Christ, as we march forward. And standing along the path we walk, will be the people we preached to, the people we prayed for, the people we won to Christ, stopping us, and hugging as we go by, and shaking our hands, with huge smiles, and tears in their eyes. And we’ll walk forward together with them, to a brightness beyond our comprehension, a glowing love and beauty, from the throne, where Jesus will stand, and say to us, “Well done good and faithful soldiers.” You have won your battle.
In conclusion today, William Booth said:
“If you are saviors of men you must fight. Make up your minds that it is so, and that nothing on earth or in Heaven, human or divine can change it. The Devil has got possession of the world; anyway, of the people that dwell in it, and if you want them for Christ and holiness and heaven, you will have to take your stand and hold your post, and close with your enemy, and fight for their rescue, and you may be sure he won’t loosen his grip without inflicting all the damage he can upon you who dare to attack him and his prey. This law is not of my making. I am not responsible for it. I found it in my Bible. It is God’s plan and God’s plan for us. Have you accepted it? I have.” –William Booth Related Posts:
