2 Passages today - 2 Peter and 2 Timothy. The Bible is the best selling book of all time ever since its 1st printing on the Gutenberg press in 1455. As of today there have been about 6 billion copies of the Bible sold. 86% of the homes in America have at least one copy of the Bible. If you were to go to amazon.com and type in Bible, you would find 4,000 entries. There is no other book like it in publishing history. God gave us the Bible to help us navigate throughout our lives. How do people without the Bible get along through life?
16% of Americans read it every day. 21% read it weekly, 12% read it monthly, 10% read it occasionally and 41% rarely ever read it.
Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1 that all the things he wrote about Jesus were true because he was an eyewitness to all these things. He goes on to tell them that they are to remember these things after Peter has died. "Follow God even when I am gone." Those words should be the same for us... that people should remember the things we taught them about God even after we are gone. In verses 16-18 he reminds them that he was an eyewitness and earwitness to Jesus. In Matthew 17 we have the account of Jesus taking Peter, James and John up on the Mount of Transfiguration. They saw the glow of Jesus' face and Moses and Elijah come down from heaven. Peter then said a glowing cloud, the shekinah glory of God, enveloped them. Peter thought this was such a good thing that he wanted to build 3 houses, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Then he heard the voice of God saying "this is my beloved son," He said he fell on his face and worshiped. Peter said he was writing what he had seen and heard. Sadly in our world today, people have fallen out of love with God and his Holy Word. So now what does Peter do with the last days of his life? He encourages them to read their Bible. The psalmist said "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Read the holy scriptures. He reminded them that Micah(5:2) had written the place where Jesus was to be born some 700 years before the birth of Jesus.
The Bible is an amazing book written by 40 different authors in 3 continents over a time span of 1500 years. The writers were inspired by one author... the Holy Spirit of God. And he reminded them that they could not interpret these scriptures any way they wanted for the prophecy was not of any private interpretation v.20-21. Then John encourages them to remember the things he has told them.
Finally, Paul tells them in 2 Timothy 2:15 to 1) study the Word of God, put time into studying it, more than just a casual reading and you must be honest with yourself. AND 2) talk to God and the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Present yourself to God as one who is a dependable and diligent workman. 3) Ask him to help you rightly divide the word of truth... an agricultural word that means you must "plow a straight furrow." Adrian Rogers
said read it through/ think it clear/ write it down/ live it out and pass it on!
Voltaire said "in 100 years there will be no Bibles left." After his death his house became a distribution house for Bibles. Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away.
Where did the "question mark" come from? Some have suggested that the curve of the Egyptian's cat's tail and coupled with the curiosity of a cat formed a question mark and thus, we have it. The Latin word is "quaisito" meaning to ask with vocal inflection. This led to 16th century printers to decide what the mark of a question should be like.
It is said that preschoolers ask on average 100 questions a day... and the question they most ask is "why?" The average elementary student asks up to 200 questions a day and their main question is "are we there yet?" The average adult gets about 30 questions a day but the school teacher gets about 300 questions a day. For adults most questions come in 3 main categories - 1) Medical - Is it cancer? will I get better? 2) Relational - Do you trust me? will you marry me? 3) Vocational - Did I get the job? or the promotion? Make note that all three of these are about the here and now.
John 11:25-26 This passage is about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is assuring Martha that even though Lazarus had physically died, yet he shall live.Jesus asked the most important question of Marthe in V. 26 believest thou this? Martha got the answer right when she replied yes Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God.
1) A PERSONAL MATTER - Jesus was making this a personal matter... Martha do YOU believe? Your salvation is a personal matter and it does not happen by accident or osmosis. You must personally invite Jesus into your life. Nor does it happen just because your parents were Christians. It does not matter what other people say about Jesus! Remember Jesus asked Peter "But who do YOU say that I am? It was personal for Peter and all the other Christians. Salvation requires a personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
2) It is a POINTED MATTER To believe is not just a mental state of mind, it has a physical aspect. To the Jews, the word "believe" meant you were required to do something. To believe means you are willing to stake your future on your beliefs. James 2:19 tells us that "you say that you believe there is one God, you do well for even the devils believe and tremble." James was saying that believe was more than just words. He said that the demons know Jesus is the Son of God because they have tasted of his awesome power when they were cast out of heaven.To say that you believe is more than assenting to God's existence. It is committing your life to Him... you must give yourself to Him.
3) It is a PRECISE QUESTION. To believe means that you have the truth... objective truth.. precise truth. Jesus made 4 fantastic truth claims about who he was.
Truth Claim #1 DEITY - he claimed to be deity... to be God Himself V. 25 - "I AM the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, thou he were dead yet shall he live."
Truth Claim #2 - DEATH - He made claims about his death. By his death, he paid the sin punishment for all people forever. We all have an appointment with death. He died once for all - 1 Peter 3:18. It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment. Hebrews 9:27
Truth Claim #3) DESTINY - Claim about destiny - When we die we are all going some place. We spend more time preparing to live than preparing for eternal life and that is odd for the time spent on earth is very short as compared to eternity in Heaven with God. Some people live as if there is nothing after death. Won't they be surprised? John 14:2-3
Truth Claim #4) DELIVERANCE Claim about deliverance. It is an old saying but it is true, if you are born once, you will die twice; but if you are born twice, you will die only once. Jesus told Nicodemus that You must be born again, unless you are born of the water and the spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:3
The great Christian theologian C.S. Lewis said either Jesus was demented, or he was a deceiver, or he was genuinely divine.
Jesus was who he claimed to be, he was and is the Son of God!
So how do YOU answer the question - Do you believe this? Do you believe enough to trust him with your whole life? ... to cling to his truth?... enough to commit to him?... to rely on him?
There is no greater place than to be in the lap of Jesus.
YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!!!!
1) IN CHRIST - These two important words appear 9 times in Ephesians 1:1-14. At the end of the sermon we will look at three important words... CHRIST IN ME. Are we in Christ? Are you in Christ?
1) To be IN CHRIST is the POSITIONAL PHASE of our Christian life. What does it mean to be In Christ? To say that you are in Christ is where you are... ever since I surrendered my life to Jesus I am "in Christ." It is my SPIRITUAL position, my locale... it is where I am.
Illustration... Place a ball in a bucket and the location of the ball is in the bucket. It is where you will find the ball. When you swing the bucket around, the position of the ball is still in the bucket. Wherever the bucket is, the ball remains in the bucket. The bucket affects the ball. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are in Christ. If we are in Christ, He affects us no matter where we are. Are you in Christ? How does Christ affect us. He is the "Hub" of our lives as Christians. He is connected to us ("the wheel") through the "spokes." These "spokes" are... 1) the Scripture - as we read it, it affects what we spend our time thinking on. 2) He affects us through prayer, our communication with him. He helps us recall the scriptures that we have read and will help us in our daily living. and 3) the church - spending time with others is where where we will receive spiritual encouragement from fellow pilgrims who like us are also becoming more and more in Christ. All these connectors keep us close to him. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation old things pass away and all things become new."
2) CHRIST IN US - this phrase occurs 8 times in the NT. We find it in Colossians 1:27. "Christ in you the Hope of Glory." This phrase expresses the RELATIONAL PHASE of our spiritual life. This tells us who we are. A relationship can only take place between two living beings. Christ and us together forever. The Bible calls us the bride of Christ. When a couple gets married they become more ours - and less mine. Expectations and actions and attitudes change when we become married. Expectations, actions and attitudes change when we become the bride of Christ... he is in us. The longer a couple is married, it is said that they begin to look alike. So it is with us as Christians, we should begin to look and act like Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are his workmanship created to bring his presence and his glory into the lives of people we meet. "To whom God would make known what is the riches of his glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory." Whose glory? It can mean both - God's and yours.
Make the God that you know be the
God that you show. He should be the same person. How long does someone look at you before they see Jesus? Let Christ live in you and through you. It will be for your glory and for God's glory too! IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY AND BLESS OTHERS TOO.
HAVING A BAD DAY?
Bricklayer's Accident Report Dear Sir,
I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block 3 of the accident report form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient. I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later were found to be slightly in excess of 500lb. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks. You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 ; lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I Iost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explained the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collar bone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and several lacerations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs. I hope this answers your inquiry. (Think you are having a bad day?)
3 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM JOB THE WORST DAY OF HIS LIFE.
Job had it all, great family, wealth and respect among his neighbors! God gave Satan the right to try Job. Satan said he will curse you if you remove your hedge of protection from him. So Satan caused Job to lose everything. His wife told him to curse God and die, BUT... He never forgot God in it all and he worshiped.
Lesson 1) LIFE IS NOT FAIR - Job's children were celebrating in their oldest brother's house. A messenger came to Job and said your oxen and asses have all been slain and only I have escaped to tell you. AND while he was speaking, a 2nd messenger came and said fire from heaven fell and consumed your sheep and servants and only I escaped to tell you. AND while he was speaking, a 3rd messenger came and said your camels have all been stolen and your servants have been slain, and only I have escaped to tell you. AND a 4th one came and told Job that a great wind had caused the house where his children were and it collapsed and killed them all. Only I escaped. In all this, Job did not sin but acknowledged his trust and faith in God. In chapter 14:1, Job said man is short in days and full of trouble. Jesus told us that in the world you will have tribulation(John 16:33) . But why do bad things happen to good people? a) sometimes we bring it on ourselves by our bad choices and actions; b)Sometimes others may bring these bad things on us. we need to be careful of the company we keep and what they say and do, we should not copy them and do likewise.; c) we live in a world of not yet. Psalm 23 tells us that we can get through the valley of the shadow when we dwell on Him. Don't dwell on the what but on the WHO! Notice that Job didn't complain but went and talked to God.
2) GOD IS NOT FAR! Job was honest with God. In Job 7:20 he confessed that he was a sinner. Even though you cannot understand the why things happen, trust his heart He is not finished with you yet. He's still working on you and me! Cast all your cares on him for he careth for you 1 Peter 5:7. and he will sustain you Psalm 55:22. Trust Him even in your pain. Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me. He will never leave you He will dwell with you and in you. Hebrews 13:5
3) GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH JOB OR YOU. Job was not finished with life because God was not finished with Job. Job asked God a lot of questions and God asked Job a lot of questions. He discovered that God was bigger and more powerful and better than anything. In Job 42:10-17 we find- God gave him more possessions, more family, and long life. Job found that he could be happy again as long as he had God. So it is for us, our future can be better. 1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
March 13, 1964 - 28 year old Kitty Genovese was attacked and stabbed by a man with a knife outside the New York apartment building where she lived . As she cried out for help lights came on inside the building, and one resident shouted out "Leave her alone." The assailant fled but when the lights went out, he came back again and continued his attack. Again the lights came on and once again a voice shouted "Leave her alone." And once again the attacker fled. She crawled up the steps to the door and the attacker returned a third time. This time he finished killing her. Someone called the police and they were there in 2 minutes. Sadly no one cared enough to go to her aid, afraid that they might be attacked too. No one cared. Custom at the time was no one wanted to become involved. Because they didn't care, she died.
This psalm written by King David who said he felt like no one cared for his soul.
We know King Saul hated David because he felt his throne was threatened. David may have been afraid and hiding in a cave from Saul when he wrote this psalm.
The New Testament describes people who feel no one cares about them.
Luke 19:10 tells us the person feels lost. Ephesians 2:12 tells us that people without Christ feel they are without hope and without God in the world. John says the person feels like he will perish, is condemned, and under God's wrath. Ephesians says that person is spiritually dead.
GOD CARES and he always has, ever since the Garden of Eden when he went looking for Adam and Eve. God cares because he loves men.
The SON CARES. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He wept over Jerusalem. He died once for all people. He cares.
The SPIRIT OF GOD CARES. He draws all people to trust Christ and give them eternal life. The Holy Spirit says come! He invites you to trust Jesus.
The SAVED IN HEAVEN CARE.There is joy in heaven over one who co mes to Christ. Hebrews 12 tells us we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. They are cheering you from heaven.
The LOST IN HELL CARE. The Bible says they regret not having trusted in Jesus. They don't want you to make the same mistake. Consider the rich young ruler.
So, we Christians on earth now care and we are compelled to care enough to do something. Do you remember someone who cared for you when you were growing up? A Sunday School teacher, a preacher, a Christian friend. Someone cared for your soul. Do you really care... enough to tell someone about Jesus?
Our SBC Guidestone conducted a questionairre asking Christians if they have shared Jesus. Only about 5% of Christians have. Proverbs says "He that winneth souls is wise." We have a Distinct Commission to go and tell everyone in Matthew 28; and we are asked a Deliberate Question to share Jesus. And we should have a Determined Response. "I care and I will go and tell."
In the 60's there was a youth musical called "Do You Really Care?" The theme song says there are people who are dying to know just that somebody cares. It asks will you take the dare and spread the good news everywhere, do you really care? Think of the name of someone whom you can share Jesus with and be ready to share Jesus the next time you see him or her.
Apollo 13, April 1970, the message was heard "Houston, we have a problem." A while after the launch, there was a failure of a small switch that caused the mission to the moon not to continue for lack of oxygen to the 3 astronauts... thankfully they returned to the earth safely. Something small affected that huge mission. Principle: something minor can cause major damage and affect something very large.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 tells us that we have a fly in the ointment in our relationship with God... and it is called sin.
Usages of Ointment - Ointments were used for economic purposes - sometimes soldiers were paid in ointment. Ointments were used to consecrate and anoint priests. Ointments were used for practical hygienic reasons as well as for perfume. Ointments were used as medicines - we recall the balm in Gilead. The ointment container had a lid placed on it to keep the flies out.
Something minor can have a huge affect - 1 untuned trumpet; small bit of mold on bread; 1 rotten egg can spoil a recipe; an incorrect computer code can prevent access; a computer virus can wipe out valuable information... Eve's small bite of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; 1 outburst in a crowd of people; 1 golden calf affected the entire nation of Israel to spend 40 years of wandering; and 1 lone fly can spoil an ointment.
God is our apothecary... the one who prepared the healing "ointment" for our sinful natures. We are his anointed priests - anointed with his ointment of forgiveness and salvation, cleansing us from the punishment of all our sin. 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish. to the one we are the savor of death unto death and to the other the savor of life unto life. C.S. Lewis said he looked at his life and didn't like what he saw. What about you? any evidence o f bitterness, envy, gossip, worry, unkind spirit, complaining, anger, unholy thought, lying, cheating...?
Against these things we have help in God's Word, in His Holy Spirit, in private and congregational worship, and in fellowship with Christian friends - to help keep these sins away... So close the LID!
Hebrews tells us to encourage one another - to stir up each other to good works.
What do we do about the flies that are already in the ointment? God remakes the ointment - 2 Corinthians 5:17 we become new creations in Christ Jesus, old things pass away, all things become new. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS!
Look inside your life with the purpose to clean it up and confess your sin to God. Don't let sin ruin your life! Show his love to everyone you meet!
In Roman mythology, the god Janus, the god of beginnings, had two heads, one looking backward and the other looking forward. (The idea of making resolutions was supposedly inspired by this "deity" who called on people to see where they they had come from and to make goals of where they wanted to go.
People today make good resolutions to replace bad things or habits in their lives with good things. January 14 is Quitters Day, supposedly how long the average person keeps his or her resolutions.
Consider Proverbs 3 as a great place to get help in making your resolutions. If we will heed or keep our resolutions, we will be happier in the new year.
1)RESOLVE TO SHOW MERCY AND TRUTH, (V. 3-4). Be responsible, respectful and reliable. Paul said we ought to speak the truth in love. Jesus is the greatest example of mercy and truth.
2) RESOLVE TO TRUST IN AND THINK ABOUT GOD, (V. 5-6). God really knows what is best and wants the best for us. Protect your relationship with Jesus above all else.
3) RESOLVE NOT TO TRUST IN ME - (v. 7-8). Trust in God and not in your own self sufficiency. Peter had too high a thought about his self sufficiency and he failed. But Jesus gives us second chance to totally trust him just as he did Peter. BE DEPENDENT ON GOD.
4) RESOLVE TO HONOR GOD WITH YOUR POSSESSIONS - (v. 9-10). Give him the firstfruits of your income, remembering a tenth belongs to him and failing to give him a tenth means you are robbing God. He is also interested in how you spend the other 90%... honor him with all of your life and income.
5) RESOLVE TO LISTEN TO GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS (v.11-12). Be so convinced of his love for you that you listen to his instruction and correction. Listen to his Word, other believers, and your prayer life. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN
6) RESOLVE TO SEEK AFTER NA DUSE WISDOM (v.13-24). Wisdom can even lead you to restful sleep. Don't confuse knowledge and wisdom - facts and inspiration from God. James 1:5
7) RESOLVE NOT TO LIVE IN FEAR (v. 25-26). Fear is real but do not dwell in it. "Perfect love casteth out fear." "Fear not for I am with thee." Ultimately things will be OK. "He has not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. Whether we live or die we will be with Jesus.
8) RESOLVE TO BE GENEROUS (v.27-28). If you have it, give it... to Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, to Disaster Relief, to Children's Hospital, etc. AWBC members give over and above their tithes each month when we give to our monthly mission projects. Be generous with your time and talents as well.
9) RESOLVE NOT TO PLOT EVIL (v. 29-30) against your neighbor. be known as a peacemaker not a peace breaker. Treat your neighbor well. Watch your temper: ask God to control you (Patience)
10) RESOLVE TO MAKE WISE CHOICES (v. 31-32) don't just choose by looks or the one who makes the most noise. See people as God sees them. Will your role model lead you to God or away from him?
Finally promises good to those who follow these wise sayings and warnings of evil to those who do not follow them.
SO... In your resolutions, honor God and embrace wisdom. And he will give us wisdom, IF WE ASK.
RESOLVE TO HONOR GOD!