The Fight for Freedom and Faith

What would you draft if you were writing a document founding a new nation?

In the Declaration of Independence we find answers to this question. I hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend with family and friends commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, officially asserting independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Our founders knew they were embarking on an unprecedented campaign as they drafted the Declaration of Independence. The lessons they learned from experience and history influenced their view on effective governing systems. They also understood that the framework of government they were instituting would impact future generations of Americans. I am thankful they were faithful to endure suffering and persecution to help found our great nation. They fought for freedom and we are recipients of their sacrifice.

What would you communicate if you were writing the last letter of your life?

In the letter of Second Timothy we find answers to this question. Second Timothy is a bold, clear call for perseverance in the gospel in spite of suffering. Paul calls on his young coworker to continue the fight of faith, even as Paul approaches the end of his own life. The letter pictures Paul in prison in Rome, awaiting death. Most likely, then, this letter was written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment.

Second Timothy is very personal, as would be expected in a final letter to a close friend and coworker. Paul exhorts Timothy to continue in faithfulness and points to his own life as an example for Timothy to follow. What he calls on Timothy to do, he himself has already done.

Whether you are drafting a declaration of independence or writing the last letter of your life, it is important to recognize you are part of history and should live to leave a Godly legacy.

2 Timothy 1:3-4 says, “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.”

Apostle Paul begins his letter by thanking God while recalling the faithful service of his forefathers, and reminding Timothy that he was constantly in his prayers. In the midst of persecution and prison, Apostle Paul found encouragement that led to endurance from two sources.

First, he reminded himself of the faith of his forefathers. Paul recognized that his ministry was part of a historic mission that others had served with great sacrifice and devotion. He knew it was an honor to be chosen by God to carry on this mission. As Paul ran his race, he found inner strength by remembering those who had already ran their lap well.

Second, he kept his spiritual son Timothy on the forefront of is mind. Paul knew it was important to leave a legacy worthy of emulation. While suffering, Paul never gave up because he had a hope that Timothy would serve God faithfully. The thought of Timothy standing strong for the Lord was a source of joy for Paul.

Our founders and Apostle Paul had two things in common. The recognized they were a part of history and they lived to leave a Godly legacy. I hope and pray we will continue to value the words they penned, and pass them on to future generations.

Do you recognize you are part of history and are you living to leave a Godly legacy?

We Are All Witnesses!

Since Nike is so assured about the dominance of Lebron James on the basketball court, they boldly declare that all spectators are witnesses.

God is greater than Lebron James! Elijah was a man who knew God is Almighty.

22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God." 1 Kings 18:22-24

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 1 Kings 18:36-37

When we know God is God it keeps us from wavering between two opinions. As a result, our faith is strong because we are secure in our identity in Christ, and sure about our knowledge of God.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Elijah was convinced that the God he served was the LORD. His was so confident that he challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to see whose God was Lord. He had no doubt that his God was the Almighty One.

Our confidence in God should produce in us a bold witness.

Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Jesus has saved his people, and sent them into the world to be light for those who live in darkness (Ephesians 5:8-11). Christians are never supposed to flee from problems, or shrink back from those who deny the truth of Christ. God commands us to stand strong and courageous as we go forth in all the earth making disciples of Jesus.

Are you a bold witness?

God is God!

The redemptive names of God revealed as Jehovah (or Yahweh) are God’s own personal and distinct names. The name Jehovah appears over 6,000 times in the Bible and is generally translated as LORD. The Hebrews referred to this name as the unpronounceable or incommunicable name of God.

Jehovah is the I AM THAT I AM. It signifies “to be”, or “I will be all that I will be”. It tells us that God is the Eternal, the Unchanged and Unchanging One, and He will be all that He is ever needed to be. This is more particularly seen in the compound redemptive names of the Lord. These compound names are always linked with some need of man, and it is here that Jehovah will be all that His people ever need Him to be. He says of Himself, “The LORD is My name…this is My memorial unto all generations.” (Exodus 3:14-15, 15:3; Isaiah 42:8; Jeremiah 16:21; 33:2; Amos 5:8; 9:6).

Elijah, whose personal name means, “my God is Yah”, was a prophet from the ninth century B.C. Elijah experienced the wonderful deeds of the Lord, and he confidently proclaimed that there is no god like the true God.

There are many intriguing stories in the Bible that remind us of the fact that God is God. The story of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel is a great example of what can happen when God’s people know for certain that their Lord is God. Over the next couple of weeks I want to focus on what is produced in us when we know God is God.

First, when we know God is God, it keeps us from wavering between two opinions.

1 Kings 18:20-21 says “20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."

Belief in God is the key to living a bold life of faith. In other words, certainty must precede action if we are going to do mighty exploits for God. We usually act upon that which we believe to be true. Unbelief is the key to living a life of doubt. Doubt produces passivity in people. Passivity leads to our destruction when we fail to act on God’s commands.

All throughout history God has always been faithful to reveal Himself to His people. God expects us to know His will and obey it wholeheartedly. He does not like when we waver in our faith. In fact, Scripture reveals to us that the double-minded person will not receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-8).

Elijah was a powerful man for God because he did not waver between two opinions and obeyed when God gave him instructions.

Conscience over Creed

Many saw evil.
They dared to stop it.

Last week I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie Valkyrie. With three young boys, my wife Cindy and I do not get a chance to watch movies often. I highly recommend that you view this movie.

Valkyrie is a 2008 historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the July 20, 1944 plot by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country. These brave German soldiers could no longer violate their conscience while serving their country.

The film opens with an oath that the adherents to Nazism took while practicing their wicked behavior. In order to accomplish his agenda, Adolf Hitler denied God’s ways and set himself up as the new Lord of Germany. The oath contained the following words:

I swear by God this sacred oath:

That I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler
Fuhrer of the German Reich and people,
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces,

And that I shall at all times be ready, as a brave soldier,
to give my life for this oath…

God has given us a conscience as a guide to witness to what is right and what is wrong. In fact, God writes His laws on our hearts. We should never follow a creed that denies what God teaches in His Holy Scriptures as righteous and just conduct.

Psalm 14:1a says, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

The root of all deceptive, evil and immoral action is the belief that there is no God. This presupposition causes people to live life without the thought of suffering eternal consequences for bad behavior. There is no absolute standard for what is right or wrong if there is no God.

History has proven two things. First, people consistently deny the reality of God and don’t approach life with a reverence for His commands. Second, God will accomplish His purpose whether we obey Him or not.

The film ends with words on the screen from the German resistance memorial in Berlin. The words on the memorial say:

You did not bear the shame
You resisted
Sacrificing your life
For freedom, justice and honor

Valkyrie is a great reminder that, although people can rebel against the commands of God, there is nothing they can do to ultimately prevent His will from being done on earth. Today, Hitler’s name is remembered in shame and his soul rots in hell forever. Those who resisted this evil tyrant are remembered with honor and dignity for all of eternity.

God is God! Only the fool says differently.

Love * Sacrifice * Service

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the brave and noble men and women who have faithfully served the United States of America. I would also like to give my condolences to every family who has lost loved ones during their duty. I can’t even describe in words how much I admire every person who serves in our military.

I think every weekend should be a memorial weekend. It is so important that we remember the love, sacrifice and service of others who have selflessly given their lives to make ours better. Actually, Sunday morning Christian church services are a memorial time when we honor the greatest life-giving act of all time. This act was Jesus Christ sacrificing his life on a cross for our sins.

Those three words: love, sacrifice and service are very powerful. When a person possesses these qualities, they can do amazing deeds of courage. Whether it was Christ on a cross, or the multitude of men and women who have died for our country, you can be assured that they all imbibed these attributes.

Love: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:3

Sacrifice: “By one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14

Service: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

All of these Scriptures refer to the sacrifice of Christ. He is the one we should follow because He is the one who shed His blood for us.

When we desire comfort, convenience and personal pleasure over love, sacrifice and service, we set ourselves up for destruction. If the citizens of America will once again make these qualities the ambition of their lives, our nation can regain its greatness. As we honor our veterans on this Memorial Day who sacrificed their lives for our country, I hope we remember and treasure the example they set for all of us to follow.

Please pray for our military personnel all this week, and ask God to help you live a life of love, sacrifice and service.

Born to be Born Again

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Can you imagine getting a chance to live your life over again? What would you do different? I am quite confident that every person on the planet would do things differently if they received a do-over in life.

Experience and maturation teaches all of us that we make many mistakes in life. In fact, every single person on the planet sins and falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Take a moment and think about the heartache and pain your sin has brought to your life. Do you wish you made different choices while growing up? I know I sure do.

When people do not want to admit they need to change, they justify their sinful behavior by proclaiming this is the way they were born. In their attempt to make an argument that would allow them to continue participating in immoral behavior without condemnation, they actually state very clearly what they Bible teaches in regards to human nature.

Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

It is true that we are born to sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, sin entered the human race. The consequence for their disobedience is that every person born after them would now possess a sinful nature from birth. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Our actions reveal our nature.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:1-5).

Even though Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of this Jewish party that saw the way to God as being through obedience to the law, he knew he needed more than just “good deeds” to be in right standing with God. Nicodemus, like all of us, still had to deal with his sins. He needed to be born again.

The reason we need to be born again through God’s Spirit is because the wages of our sins is death (Romans 6:23). We have all sinned, and therefore, we are all dead in our trespasses.

So the next time someone tells you they were born that way when they try to justify their sinful behavior, don’t argue with them. Tell them they are absolutely 100% correct. Then, speak the truth in love by telling them their conduct is sin according to God’s Holy Scriptures. After that, tell them they need to repent of their sins, and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, so they can become born again with a new Christ-like nature.

Remember…our actions reveal our nature. Are you born again?

Possessing a Proper Perspective

Has anyone ever demanded your attention when it was inconvenient to respond to him or her? My three young boys seem to have a knack for possessing this attribute. The latest incident involved my six-year old son Ethan while I was shaving.

I have been shaving since the seventh grade, so it is safe to say that I have a few whiskers. For those of you who shave regularly, you know how important it is to shave when your skin is properly prepared for the razor. For me, shaving right after my shower while my facial hair is soft is the key to preventing my own version of the chainsaw massacre.

Last Thursday I was shaving and in a hurry to get to a Dave Ramsey event we were hosting at the church when suddenly the bathroom door almost came flying off its hinges. Ethan had stubbed his toe and it was bleeding. Since Ethan has an older brother, he has learned for the sake of his own personal survival how to be tough. However, mighty Ethan has never warmed up to the sight of blood, especially his own.

As he was screaming and in a panic like death was certain, I glanced down to see if his toe was still attached to his foot. When I looked at his toe, I observed that it was just a little scrape. It was the sight of blood that had him all freaked out.

I was relieved to know that his toe was fine and I would not have to interrupt my shaving routine. While I finished shaving, I kept reminding him that he was going to be just fine. Despite my most convincing plea, I could not get him to believe me.

After I finished shaving, I grabbed a cotton ball out of the cabinet, put some first-aid antiseptic on it and magically rubbed off the remaining blood. As soon as Ethan saw that the blood was gone, he was off to the races. One cotton ball soaked in antiseptic proved that it was not the end of the world, as we know it.

Years of experience in dealing with my own bumps and bruises, and three sons who daily acquire new scrapes and scratches, has produced in me a perspective that my son Ethan does not possess. One glance and I knew Ethan’s toe was going to be fine.

This incident reminded me of how important it is to have a wiser person help process the circumstances of life. In times of uncertainty like we are living in today we must gain a proper and eternal perspective. The best way we can do this is by looking to the omniscient God.

Jesus taught his followers to not worry. In Matthew 6:31-34 says, “31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In times of war, economic crisis and potential pandemic, we can have peace because we are focused on the one who possesses a greater perspective. We can trust in God’s goodness and His love for those who faithfully follow Him.

Do you possess a proper perspective by trusting in God?