What is truth? Who is God? What is the meaning of life? On this blog we explore the interactions between Christianity and real life in the real world. 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.
"In February 1980, the U.S. Olympic hockey team slipped its foot into a glass slipper and walked away with a gold medal at Lake Placid, New York. Those collegians had shocked the world by upsetting the powerful Soviet team, and then they grabbed the championship from Finland while the crowd chanted, "U.S.A.!" Before his team's victory over the Soviet Union which advanced them to the finals, the coach of the U.S. hockey team told his players, "You are born to be a player. You are meant to be here at this time. This is your moment." Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 11.
In the same way today, I believe God has called you here for a purpose. He’s called you to a new way. You are not here by accident. I would like to talk with you about starting a new life. Coming to the table here is about a new start. It’s about a new way of living. It’s about starting over, and becoming all God has made us to be. Many of you have already begun down this road by participating in soldiership classes on Wednesdays. I’m here to recruit you into a new life. I’m here to recruit you into the kingdom of God. I’m the lieutenant, and you are my army, my army of love and truth.
The word of God says, Jeremiah 29:11 ESV “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
The Lord has a plan for your life, and it’s a good plan. A plan to do great things. But you still have your choice, your free will. You can choose to live a new life, or you can continue the old life. And the old life leads nowhere. Ultimately I ask you this question: What will you do? You gonna walk with God? Or go your own way?
It’s time to get off the sidelines, and become the hero of your own story. I know a lot of you lost hope at one time in the past that things could ever be better. But hope is back baby, it’s back in a big way. It’s time for a new day. It’s time for that fire to burn bright inside of you once again. With Jesus inside you can’t lose brothers and sisters. You’ve got power now. When you hit the ground before ,you’re gonna rise up in strength.
The enemy is gunning for you. That’s for sure. But you’ve got your sword and shield. You’ve got your helmet and your breastplate, you’re ready for battle. A new day is dawning in your life. You’re the hero now. And you’re gonna have to fight. But the battle is worth it. You’re going to become a man of honor, a woman of dignity. You’re gonna become a pillar of this community. I’m looking at the new heroes of the world.
What is your purpose in life? Thomas Carlyle a Scottish philosopher and writer said, “A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder--a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.”
You know, God likes to take people who don’t seem that important and make them His heroes. Jesus didn’t go talk to rich elites when he gathered his disciples. He went to some fishermen, a tax collector, prostitutes, and the sick and the miserable. Jesus flips everything around. He takes the least and makes them first.
Matthew 19:28-30 Jesus said, “You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life. 30 But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first.”
I’ve met many of the “important people” in Owosso. I’ve met some of the important people in the United States as well, what we think of as the elites. And they’ve got all the angles. They’ve figured out how to make all the money, how to get the women, how to take the power, and how to win in politics. And most, not all, but most of them think of faith in God as something for simpletons, country bumpkins, and people without a proper education. But that’s what makes God’s plan so amazing. He does something that most people can’t fully understand, like with Jesus and the cross. It seems like foolishness to rich educated people. But it’s a trip wire that God put there intentionally, to trip up the prideful, who think they are better than everyone else.
The kingdom of God is certainly open to the rich and powerful, if they will humble themselves and turn to Jesus. It’s happened before, like with Nicodemus. But overall, the kingdom of God is come to us, average everyday people, who are willing to come to God like children, simply trusting God, and obeying Him. The kingdom of God comes to us. And often times the rich and powerful, the Jeff Bezos and the Bill Gates miss it.
The first, will be last, and the last will be first. Isn’t that amazing? So it’s time to be the hero. It’s time to live the new life. You guys are the heroes now, and I think each of you are going to become mighty warriors in the army of God. So we’ll conclude with this scripture, Ephesians 4:17-24 ERV "I have something from the Lord to tell you. I warn you: Don’t continue living like those who don’t believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They have no understanding, and they know nothing because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame and use their lives to do what is morally wrong. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil. 20 But that way of life is nothing like what you learned when you came to know Christ. 21 I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. 23 You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. 24 Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him."
Audio Message: We live in a world that is largely dominated by self interest. All around town, up and down, we see self interest at work. What can I get? What can I gain? We gotta make money. We gotta meet the right people, and get what we need from them. Often times it feels like our lives revolve around what we want and how quickly we can get it.
We live in a time of great abundance and technological brilliance in the United States, yet we also live in a time of depravity and immorality that shocks us and amazes us with it’s level of evil, and toxic culture. The “me” culture is quite dominant. Selfie stick, Facebook profile, twitter account, hundreds of pictures of me, me, me, videos, conversations, my perfect scores, my high grades, and we’ll only show the best to others. We never show people what’s really going on inside of us.
We’ve gotta get the right job. And make sure we get married and have the family. Then we gotta keep buying bigger stuff, nicer stuff, more stuff, and show our neighbors, that we don’t really like how, just how important we are. And that’s life I suppose. That’s the American dream, the white picket fence, the sports car, the fancy house.
There is much more to life than that. And it seems like we’ve gotten so bogged down in the material in our lives, that we lose touch with the spiritual. Life is about so much more than our daily routines, it’s about so much more than work, and habits and eating meals and collecting paychecks. We have to find ways to recapture the wonder for life.
Because if we spend everyday circulating between the cubicle to the computer to the television screen to the bedroom and back again, we will go crazy. We will fade away. And that’s no good. There are ways to reclaim the wonder of life.
Something I like to do, is I wait until night time, usually about 8pm, or 9pm, sometimes even 10pm, and I’ll go out for a walk around my neighborhood. And I live in a safe neighborhood so I’m able to do that. And I stare at the sky, and listen to music, and watch the trees, and the shadows they form, and wander down roads, not really trying to go anywhere in particular, just looking for spots of beauty. Then I’ll look at the moon and the stars, and think
On the weekends I will go out and bike ride at the nature preserve on the outskirts of town. And I delight in the sunlight, the beautiful trees, and everything that is so beautiful about the natural world. I watch the birds fly about, I listen to the sounds of the woods, and then later I’ll walk along the Shiawassee river downtown and maybe sit down, and read my Bible, or pray. There is great wonder in life. There is beauty in the world God created.
Our world is full of interesting paradoxes. Darkness, and light, goodness, and evil. Beautiful sunny days, cold placid lifeless winter nights. Beautiful creatures, birds, rabbits, dogs, cats, and ferocious creatures like lions, wolves, rhinoceros. Glorious sunsets, stunning mountain ranges, and terrible diseases that end peoples lives, and violent earthquakes and hurricanes. Life is a mysterious, wondrous, and terrifying adventure And deep down we know that there is very much at stake. In fact, everything is at stake. Somehow when I’m walking alone at night, or staring out the window in the evening, something inside tells me the clock is ticking, and time is running out.
As the scripture said today, “The end of all things is near.” That was written about one thousand nine hundred and forty years ago. How much more true must they be now, than then?
Our scripture today is essentially calling us to live completely differently from the world we live in right now. This world seems to make us think we’re going to live forever. The scriptures say “the end of all things is near.” This world says “you deserve everything you want” and word says “ be self controlled and alert.” This world says “get yours” and the word says “love one another deeply.”
And it continues, in our scripture today, 1st Peter 4: 9-11 “Open your homes to each other without complaining. 10 Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God. 11 Those who preach must preach God's messages; those who serve must serve with the strength that God gives them, so that in all things praise may be given to God through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”
When is the last time you invited someone over for dinner to your home? The word says open your homes to each other, and don’t complain about doing that. That’s a spiritual gifting, certainly, but it’s also something we’re all called to do. It’s the same with evangelism, sharing the gospel, some may be especially equipped to do it, but in truth all Christians must be doing it.
If your gift is to serve, then serve in God’s strength. Serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. If your gift is to preach, then preach God’s messages. And the ultimate goal, to bring glory to Jesus Christ.
If you’re a true Christian, you should be tithing at least 10% of your income. Whenever you get paid, set aside at least 10% of your income to give back to God. It's the first thing we should do on payday, write a check, and set aside at least 10% for God. Of course the New Testament standard is to give all (Acts 2:42-47). But a good starting point is 10%, then slowly work your way up, 11%, 12%, 15%, 20% and more. God has given us everything we have, so it already belongs to Him. Therefore, honor God with your money. For those who reject this simple giving, they may well be called disobedient Christians at the final judgment. Ultimately God does not need our money, this is about obedience, and learning to give.
Unfortunately many don’t believe that Jesus will really return to Earth. Many in fact openly mock the ideas of Christianity. Today they are referred to as the new atheists, they’ve sold millions of copies of their books, like the God delusion. Which is quite interesting, because the word of God actually says, in 2 Peter 3:3-4 NIV, “3 First of all, I want you to know that in the last days men will laugh at the truth. They will follow their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “He promised to come again. Where is He? Since our early fathers died, everything is the same from the beginning of the world.”
This world, this life, everything we worry about and stress about, and strive so hard to get will very soon, be completely destroyed and gone. The word calls this “the day of the Lord” and is referenced many times in the New Testament.
2 Peter 3:10-11 :“The day of the Lord will come as a robber comes. The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, you should think about the kind of life you are living. It should be holy and God-like.”
This is probably the most important thing I’ve learned in my time as a Christian follower of Jesus: How we live matters greatly. Live right. Do right. We will also have to stand before God and give an explanation for how we lived. I remember that everyday, when I’m tempted to live falsely or do something selfish. I remember, and I tremble before God’s throne. God can send us to heaven, or to hell, and he does not show favoritism. He is a just judge, and if we die in sin, that’s it, we’re not going to heaven. So live rightly, live holy, and repent quickly.
As it says in 2 Corinthians 7 “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
In a dark age of selfishness, and self-worship, where we focus on me, me, me and that’s it, when we exhibit the holiness of God, by walking as Jesus walked, we change the world. The gospel spreads through us to others. Nothing can stop it. All of the powers of this world, lies, flesh, evil powers, darkness, sin, nothing can stop that holy light of God that shines from the Father, through Jesus, inside us, through us, and into the world. Lives change. Lost people get saved. Communities are transformed. And new souls are led to a future paradise. Holy light shocks the world, it’s a terrifying brightness to them. They can hardly stand it. Some reject it, some fear it, some flee from it, but some are drawn toward it, those who are being saved.
Holiness changes the world. Jesus works through simple people, like you and me. He is calling people home through us. And if we will walk differently, then we will change the world just like Jesus changed the world when he walked the Earth. Life becomes a holy warfare. And that warfare becomes our lives. We fight, we suffer, we struggle, and we battle for the souls of humanity. We fight against the evil corrupt systems of this world, by shining forth holy selfless light into the darkness. And it changes the darkness into light. All of this brings great glory and honor to God.
As our scripture said today, in verses 12-16: 12 My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. 13 Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed. 14 Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 If you suffer, it must not be because you are a murderer or a thief or a criminal or a meddler in other people's affairs. 16 However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name.”
As we shine for Christ, living holy selfless lives, this will lead to suffering. What happened when Jesus began speaking the truth, healing people, loving people, and teaching the multitudes? He was persecuted. He was hated. People plotted against him. People despised the light that he brought. He threatened their power. Jesus threatened the hold they had over the people. So they fought against him. The darkness of this world always fights against the holy message of Christ. It can’t stand it, because it brings to light their own evil deeds, and convicts them of what they do. So they fight against it. And just that same way they will fight against you. And hate you. And mock you. And try to silence you any way they can.
But instead of being surprised by the suffering we go through, we should be full of joy because we are suffering for Jesus. How did Jesus handle it, when he suffered? He prayed to God in the garden of Gethsemane. He continued to speak the truth. He cared for his disciples. And that moment that Jesus was taken to the cross, Jesus fully submitted to the evil of this world. He allowed it to consume him completely. One looks at the morning of the crucifixion and one could easily think of it as the most evil day in the planet Earth’s history. Jesus God of the universe was brutally tortured, and murdered by the people he designed and created, on the Earth he made by the speaking of His voice. What could be worse? It seemed by outward appearance that evil had triumphed. But that’s the surprising victory of Holy selfless light. When it seems like evil has triumphed, by completely destroying good, it’s the blood poured out on the ground by the victorious dead that waters the seeds planted by their voices, echoing into eternity, far beyond their death, that spreads forth as a mighty forest, hundreds, thousands, millions of new voices rise up in their stead, empowered by that martyrs blood, watered and sustained by that paradoxical victory in defeat, that spreads holy selfless light throughout the world, crushing the darkness that had so believed it had won. But instead, paradoxically God’s victory comes through weakness, brokenness, and defeat. When we allow the evil to overcome us, and strike us down, we come to see that we rise again, stronger than ever, having suffered for Christ, and the blood of our wounds spreads the light even brighter, to more and more people. Indeed, as we suffer for Christ, we glorify God, bringing the gospel message to the lost, and changing and transforming the people of the world. Thus we seek to escape this broken place, destined for destruction, and gather humanity to the new heavens, and new Earth, where we will live in peace and infinite harmony with God, for years and years to come, into an incredible future, an adventurous future, that we can hardly imagine. That is your destiny, if you will decide now, that I will live holy, selfless, true to God, in secret, and in public, living by his decries and commands, and living for Jesus, being a light in the darkness of this selfish world, shocking them with a selfless life of love, goodness, service, and holy giving light. Related Posts:
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.
