Mother’s Day 2018

Text: Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) Eph. 6:2

Today is Mother’s Day, a day we all are called to honor our moms. And even if your mother is no longer living, you can honor her memory. 

Like all mothers, we learned much from them.  If your mother was like mine, and I am sure she was since all mother read from the same training manual you were taught so many virtues throughout your childhood.  

Mom taught us how to pray. "You better pray you can fix that."  She taught us how to have a great imagination.  "Don't do that again of else."  Or else what? She taught us how to anticipate the worst of things.  "When your dad gets home you will be sorry." And she taught us self-control, whenever our family would go somewhere we were told “Don’t touch anything…” and then she’d often combine self-control with imagination, “or else....”  Then there were the lessons of respect.  Don't walk between adults.  Stand up when older people enter the room.  Don't interrupt adults when they are talking. Offer to help the elderly. Give the elderly and women your seat if there are no more places to sit.  Children are to be seen and not heard.

 I am sure if you as old as I am you heard the same lessons of life.  They were universal with mothers.  Today, not so much. Today our world tries to tell mothers to do something important in their life.  While God is showing them, what is essential is sitting at the dinner table looking at you. 

 The Fourth Commandment “Honor your father and your mother” with these words, God has given the first commandment with a promise of long life.  Motherhood is a unique position of honor, higher than that of any occupation. 

You see, in God’s eyes, there is no vocation higher than parent.   What the Scriptures teach is that the vocation of parent is more important than any other vocation and that the proper ordering of vocations places fatherhood and motherhood on top. 

But we live in an upside-down world. Our world tells women, “Motherhood is a hindrance. Children will hold you back. If you want to do something important with your life and if you want nice stuff, you have to limit those things.” So, what do they offer women? Deliverance from the “burden” of children. How? Through the legal opportunity and social expectation to exercise “a woman’s right” and “choose” fewer children, not this child, no children right now, or no children ever. 

We need to hear truth: children are not an interruption of a parent’s lifework; they are a parent’s lifework. Every other vocation, in which a parent might serve, exists to serve the mission of parents. As important as other professions are—and they are essential, and God calls men and women to serve in various fields of work—we can’t mislead men and women into thinking, “This vocation over here is what’s really important, or that occupation over there needs me or this calling is what really matters.” Motherhood and fatherhood matter more than any other. 

Let me meddle at this point.  God does not call you to spend more time reaching others at the cost of your own children.  Your first obligation is to you own family. Some individuals have spent more time trying to “save” others at the cost of their own children being “lost.” This is not what God intended.  If you loose your own children what will it matter if you brought hundreds to the LORD.  Children are your heritage.  Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Ps.127:3   

Unredeemed eyes don’t see motherhood’s honored position next to God Himself. That’s why they’re always saying, “Pursue this. Chase after that. Here’s what really matters.” That’s why they keep pushing a no family planning; they don’t see the majesty of motherhood. They think a thousand different professions and positions and careers are more esteemed than motherhood. 

And don’t mishear me, I’m not saying women shouldn’t work outside the home; I’m saying the greatest vocation isn’t found somewhere out there, it’s seen in the hungry eyes of an infant, the inquisitive stare of a child, the hopeful gaze of a youth, the confident stride of a teenager, and the independence of a young man or woman stepping beyond the bounds of home for the first time. Motherhood matters more than any vocation out there.  The most important person on earth is a mother. She may not lay claim to having built some magnificent cathedral or monument, but she has created something far more significant, a dwelling for an immortal soul, the perfection of her baby's body.  The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God’s creative miracle to bring new saints to heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation.  What is more glorious than this: to be a mother?  If the church gave the message of the importance of motherhood, there might not be as many young mothers willing to sacrifice their child's life. 

As Christians, it is time that we encourage mothers who are struggling to raise their children in the ways of the LORD.  Show them there is no greater vocation on earth, for it, is God’s chosen means to bring children into this world and, likewise through parents, to bring children into Christ’s kingdom. 

Today, if your mother is living show her the respect and honor God has given to her as a mother.

Judgment is Coming America

Anyone who is a student of the Old Testament cannot help but see the parallels between the history of Israel and America. Since the early 1900’s America has been in a steady spiritual decline.  The Church, in general, has become more secular than spiritual. Secularization is the process by which society becomes more and more distant from its Christian roots.  Secularization is the fact that the culture no longer depends upon Christian symbols, morals, principles, or practices. 

Just as Israel allowed the world around them to influence them to turn from God, America is doing the same. The prophets, priests and leaders of Israel led the people away from God.  Today the prophets, priest and leaders are leading America away from God. It is the same spirit of evil that influenced Israel that is influencing America today.

What is this country coming to? Anyone who pays attention to religion in America can see monumental changes and conflicts affecting the present and looming in the future. And anyone with a bit of historical awareness knows that religion has always been at the core of American society just as religion was the core of Israel.

Christians in America are divided over issues that were once considered sin.  Americans can’t decide if gay marriage is a sacred vow or a heinous sin.  Americans are increasingly following the path of SBNR (“spiritual but not religious”) in their pursuit of the sacred.  American Christians still believe in God but do not agree on how to define and understand God.

What does all this turmoil and contestation, argumentation and confusion say about the state of Christianity and its place in American society?

For the armchair theologians, the increasing fragmentation of religion is a sign of secularization. All religions are losing their influence and a more secular frame of mind, anchored by natural sciences, economics, political science, and self-interest, rules the day in American culture. With the loss of social power and cultural authority the Church no longer has the influence on American society.

The America Church is a battlefield, and the future of its very soul will depend on the outcome of this war. The conflict between the faithful followers of Jesus Christ and the secular Christians are so pervasive because the stakes are so high that there is a feeling of hopelessness of many faithful Christians.  The struggle among conservative Christians is, do we uphold American ideals about justice, democracy, and freedom, or pray for the LORD to return and bring all this to an end?

The secular “Christian” believes that diversity is a good thing and enriches society. This diversity values tolerance, however, the tolerance is a one-way street.  Christians who base their beliefs on the Bible and identify the socially accepted sins as unacceptable are not tolerated.  The fact that Americans can’t agree on the right religious values for any issue is a signal of spiritual decline.  Christianity has explicitly lost its authoritative power across society. What we are witnessing today, and what has been especially visible in the past for some time now, is the secular world has become the norm within the Church.

Just as Israel was given time to repent, I believe that America has been given time to repent.  However, I feel that the time is quickly running out and that we are at the point of no return. 

As a nation, America has benefited from the longsuffering patience of God.  But when will that run out?  It is not the evil of the non-believer that brings about judgment on a nation.  It is the sins of those who call themselves Christian, followers of the LORD, that will bring judgment. What believers sow in terms of obedience to God in a secular nation largely determines what that nation will reap. Again, this is the guiding light of 2Chronicles 7:14. It informs us that God holds believers responsible. In the NT, this same idea is underscored in 1Peter 4:17 which states,

 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Jeremiah 22:21 informs us that Judah was a materially prosperous nation like America – but the prosperity served to buffer God’s intended impact of His messenger and His message.

The American Church no longer has need of the LORD in a vast number of  churches: Most everyone is just playing church, going through the motions. Why? Because in our material prosperity there are very few in desperate need of God as their only solution!  Few cries out to Him from physical and/or spiritual poverty! Few are America’s believers who have any needs today (that is revealed by the majority of prayer requests which are dominated by medically related needs). In the Book of Revelation, the Church of Laodicea serves as a replica of today’s American church.  Rev. 3:14-17  

The Church of Laodicea and the Church of America are parallels to ancient Judah, such similarities in attitude and condition in our country exist for God to rock our nation.  The blood of the innocent cries out for justice.  Our country has carried out the exploitation of the most indefensible of all individuals – the unborn!  Such terrible, continued practices of exploiting the innocent child – coupled with the callousness of “Christian” political leaders and judges who do little about it will evoke the fury of The Almighty! How can the LORD not bring judgment on a nation who continues the practice of shedding innocent blood?  Jeremiah 22:3 and 22:17 speaks respectively in this regard-

Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. 

But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

The Book of Lamentations can be applied to America and should be understood as a warning and motivation for those who are His chosen in our nation. 1Peter 4:17 underscore the principle of God’s chosen ones being the guiding force by which God determines to bless or else curse an entire nation! Again, take careful note as believers go, so goes the nation.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God.

The American Christian needs to wake-up if God is not afraid to judge His own people in the Old Testament, then He is not afraid of judging His people in the New Testament – and the nation(s) wherein they reside. Deuteronomy 32:21-22 states regarding God’s “sinning Christians.”

They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. ²² For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

American Christians have been blinded by the teaching that the judgment of God will be in the future and that the Christians will be removed from what happens to this nation.  Here is a thought that should give this teaching of escaping judgment some consideration.  God’s uses surrogates to enact His judgment. It is interesting how this theme is illustrated in the Book of Jeremiah, versus the Book of Lamentations. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon brought about the destructive calamity that was a result from the sin of God’s people.  The Book of Jeremiah mentions Babylon at least 150 times.  In Lamentations, however, Babylon is never mentioned – only the Lord is specified as the one who will deal with Judah’s sin. The conclusion is that Babylon is the surrogate instrument of the LORD to achieve His ultimate purposes. Note this by comparing Jeremiah 50:23 to Lamentations 2:1

How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

This insight more than suggests that God uses other individuals and other nations (whom He dislikes too!) to invoke His wrath. It is well within the scope of the LORD judgment to use America’s most detested enemies to manifest His judgment on our nation.  Could the jihadist be the instrument of the LORD’s judgment on America and the other nations that have forsaken the LORD? 

That is the application of this surrogate principle; it is often His way of accomplishing shame, total humility, and repentance. Likened to Babylon ransacking Jerusalem, such godly actions bring the greatest disgrace – embarrassment that is both warranted and intended from and by the LORD for our good.

Jeremiah is giving us a warning that we should heed.  Christ is standing at the door of the American Church today knocking, asking to come in.  Will we heed the advice of Jeremiah and open the door and repent?

Christ Through The Bible- Jeremiah

CHRIST THROUGH THE BIBLE- JEREMIAH

TEXT: ''Now it came to pass when Jeremiah had ceased speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die'' (26:8).

Introduction

The prophet Jeremiah has a close similarity with the life of Jesus.  Each of them was “a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief”; each came to his own and was rejected.  Both passed through hours of desolation and were forsaken.  There is a special message in the ministry of Jeremiah for those who stand alone; God will take care of you.

Many of the details of Jeremiah's activity depict the response of the nation of Israel to the first coming and the ministry of the Lord Jesus. You could write these words of the Lord Jesus over the pages of Jeremiah: ''O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!'' (Mat 23:37).

Jeremiah's call.

God had put His hand upon the prophet before he was born (1:4-9).  For every true believer, the concept of a divine call should be absolutely essential to our understanding of biblical religion. The call of Abram (Gen 12:1-3) at the very beginning of the patriarchal history is the critical event referred to by Stephen at the very beginning of his speech to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7. People of all other religions are asked to reach out to God, but the Bible everywhere describes God as reaching out to us, searching for us, calling us. Elsewhere the direction of the call is from down upward, as people seek to touch God in their own strength and through their own devices, building towers of Babel in uninvited attempts to reach heaven. But in Scripture, the direction of the call is from above downward, and that difference alone is enough to expose every man-made religion as being entirely opposed to biblical faith.

As a young man, Jeremiah had already seen the evil results of pagan worship, and he perhaps longed to do something- anything--to foster and further the worship of the God of his fathers. But we can be sure that he had no idea of the fearful responsibility that the Lord was about to place on his shoulders.

''Now it came to pass when Jeremiah had ceased speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die'' (26:8).

Before Jeremiah was born, God had called him to a specific task.  We should be asking what is it that God has called us to do?  What is the mission you were born to fulfill?  Remember that in the creative mind of God there is a divine purpose for you.  It is our responsibility to the seek the will of God for our lives.  We should never doubt that we have been endowed with the particular aptitude that requires us to fulfill the purpose that God demands of our life.  We have been formed by God for His purpose.  We should not be envious, jealous or covetous of the lives of other; it is enough for us to be what God has made us to be. 

Just as God formed and called Jeremiah we too have been called for a purpose.

I am convinced that the weakness and spiritual lethargy that characterizes far too many churches in these days is due at least partially to the fact that their pulpits are occupied by uncalled men; men who have usurped the divine privilege and have placed themselves in positions that they have no right to hold. In such cases the voice of authority is replaced by the view of opinion; proclamation is replaced by discussion; the Word of God is replaced by the words of men. But miserable indeed is the man who, having received a definite call from God, has refused to obey that call! Jeremiah tried to keep from speaking forth God's word at one point in his career, but he was unable to keep it in because it was like a fire shut up in his bones (Jer 20:9). Peter and John on one occasion said, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). And Paul referred to the inward compulsion that he felt: "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). So it always is with the real prophet: He becomes miserable when for one reason or other he is not engaged in fulfilling his divine vocation.

Jeremiah's suffering.

Few men ever suffered for doing good as much as Jeremiah. He was imprisoned again and again.

·        Chapter 20, verse 2, tells us that he was put in stocks.

·        Chapter 38 records that he was lowered by ropes into a miry dungeon (probably a cistern), accused of treason, opposed by false prophets, and surrounded by his countrymen who were demanding he die.

·        He was then carried away into Egypt and not permitted to die in his beloved Judah.

We can readily see that his suffering at the hands of his own people is a type and picture of the agony of Christ.  “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:11

Jeremiah's message.

In our culture today, we are accustomed to instant everything.  We have instant meals by just adding water; we have instant money at ATM, we have fast passes at the airport, so we don’t have to wait in long lines.  We have email, twitter, so we don’t have to wait days for a letter.  We have snapchat, voice-mail, facebook, and smart phone so we can be in instant contact. 

Because we have an immediate life, we get lulled into the self-deception that God is not going to bring judgment on us.  But Jeremiah reminds us that judgment will come, and we will pay for our sins.  Even if that judgment is not instant, there is a day of reckoning coming.  The message of Jeremiah is relevant to us today. 

The words of the LORD, when He commissioned Jeremiah, are: ''For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land, against kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land'' (1:18).

It took them all in-- the throne, the politicians, the clergy, and the laity. His message was against every Jew; consequently, it turned every Jew against him. Why did God ask this of His servant?

The nation was rushing headlong toward destruction. God thrust Jeremiah onto the scene to endeavor to save them. He was faced with a decision: should he go along with the crowd, or should he go with God?  Same decision you must make today.

To the east of Palestine were the mighty Assyrians, and Egypt was a substantial threat on the south. So the frightened Jews were trying to play politics. God had said, ''Go not down into Egypt for help'' (42:19). Why did He give this command? Because the LORD alone was their help. So, Jeremiah sounded the message, ''Repent! Repent! Repent!''

The message of Jeremiah was a two-part message, repent or be destroyed.  Anytime a message of destruction is given people will rise up and rebel against the message.  The prophets and priests of the day assured the people that the very presence of Jehovah’s Temple was a guarantee of their safety, and to suggest that a fate might come upon them was the height of presumption.

When Jeremiah was finished with his message, he found himself in the middle of an angry group of people.  Had it not been for the prompt intervention of the princes he would have been killed on the spot.

The Word of God is never quietly accepted by those who hug their sin.  They will rise up in anger and try to destroy those who are the messenger of God.  Jesus told us that if they hated Him, we would be hated as well.  The message of repentance is never a easy message to give or receive.

If you want to know about the times of Jeremiah's work, look at chapter 36. The prophet is confined in prison, and his scribe Baruch is with him. God commanded Jeremiah to put into a scroll all the words that He had spoken against Israel, Judah, and the nations. Baruch transcribed this message. Did the people receive it? Jehudi, the king's servant, took the scroll, cut it with a knife, and cast it into the fire to destroy it. The record comments, ''Yet they were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words'' (36:24).  The destruction of the scroll did not cancel the judgment of God.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus told John to write what he saw and to give the message to the Churches.  John gave the message as he saw it.  It was a message of repent or destruction would come.  That is the message for today.  Just like in the day of Jeremiah people are refusing to listen.

Why do they refuse to listen? Because wicked people hate God's Word, for it testifies against their sins. The psalmist said, ''But unto the wicked, God saith, what hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest My words behind thee?'' (Psalm 50:16,17). Evil men seek to destroy God's Word because it tells of their doom.

But the wicked can no more destroy the written Word than they could the Living Word. ''Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven'' (Psalm 119:89). Jesus spoke some very stringent words, recorded in John, when He asked the Jews, ''If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken, say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?'' (John 10:35,36). Jesus had earlier certified Jeremiah's words when He said, ''Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled'' (Mat 5:17,18).

You might think there is no bright side to the prophecy of Jeremiah, yet there is.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: ³² Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: ³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Jer, 31:33

The new covenant that was give is through Jesus Christ.  The new covenant is a spiritual one, not physical with rituals and ceremonies, not the works of the Law but where God dwell within us, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, we have one LORD, one faith, one baptism that LORD is Jesus Christ, the faith is in the atonement of His shed blood, and the baptism is the baptism of the Holy Ghost with fire purifying our hearts.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your LORD and Savior, you need to do so now.  Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time.

It is Time For The American Church to Preach Holiness and Righteousness

I have been in the ministry since 1968, that is a total of 50 years.  In those 50 years, I have come to realize that not everything taught in the church is Bibicial truth.  There are many personal preferences found in church doctrine that have no scriptural background.  There are isolated passages of scripture that have been taken out of context to control the membership of various denominations.  Then there are those who have a personal agenda and use the Bible to justify their actions.

In my 50 years in the ministry, the message of the Church has changed.  There was a time when holiness and righteousness was preached from the pulpits.  Today, we excuse sin, tolerate it, condone it and practices it without remorse.  The result is there is crisis of sin and immorality in America’s churches. Across our land, many professing Christians are practicing sinful lifestyles that are little different than those of unbelievers. Sins of adultery, fornication, drunkenness, drug abuse are rampant among those to claim to be followers of Jesus.

I ran across this blog that was shocking.  Forty percent of pastors surveyed admitted to having an extra marital affair after entering the ministry!  40%!  How does that happen?  Of course, it is common knowledge that there have been pastors that have had moral failures, like Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and John Hagee but to have 40% admit to an affair?  Is anyone else shocked or am I just closed-minded?  Is it any wonder that there is a lack of spiritual power in the church today?  What is disturbing is the number of pastors that are still in the ministry after having affiars.  Bakker, Swaggart, and Hagee are all pastoring churches again making millions of dollars off the deceived. I guess what is hard for me to understand is the number of people who overlook this sin.

When I read about the sins committed by the ministry, it is not surprising why there is little preaching against sin in the American pulpits. Rarely are ministers being held accountable for their sinful behavior.

There is a judgment day coming and those individuals who profess to be Christians, yet practice a sinful lifestyle of immorality, are not Christians.  Yes, I am judging them by the fruits they exhibit in their daily lives. The Bible makes it clear that people who practice “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries,” and so forth, will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21)

The Church can exist in a world of sin, but it cannot prosper when a world of sin is brought into the Church. A ship in the water is fine, but water in the ship can be disastrous.  One of the problems within the Church is the attitude toward sin.  I am sure at this point there will be many who will vehemently disagree with me.  It is hard to understand how a thinking person can read the Bible and still believe in living in the bondage of sin.  In most of the Churches, today sin is excused because we are “only human.” The Bible commands men to depart from all sin, to keep God's commandments, to be holy because God is holy, and to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. The Bible teaches that all men ought to live without sin and that they can live without sin by God's grace and the power of his indwelling Holy Spirit. The Bible also teaches that Christians do live without sin and overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.  This is not what I say; this is what the Word of God says.

The Bible teaches that the believer can live without sin. Its pages are filled with promises to the believer that he can live a holy life and have victory over sin, temptation, the world, the flesh, and the devil: Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (not in their sins) Matt. 1:21

Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin...If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:34, 36 

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. I John 5:4

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. I John 3:6.

And we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. I John 5:18

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. I John 3:9

Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law but under grace. Rom. 6:14

Now unto him, that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24, 25

Now, who are we going to believe? Will we accept the uncertain declarations of mere men or will we receive the sure Word of God? If, after all, what God has said and promised in his Holy Book, it is still impossible to live without sin, then God is a liar, deceitful, and insincere. Surely, if it is impossible to live without sin, God knows it! Yet he promises victory over sin. He commands holiness and Christian perfection. "Be ye holy, for I am holy." I Peter 1:15. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as you father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48. Would God command us to walk in Christian holiness and Christian perfection if he knew it was impossible for us? I cannot believe it! Do those who propagate the evil doctrine of sin understand its implications on the character of God? If God knows that we can't obey him, if he knows that after He has redeemed us and filled us with His Holy Spirit, we still have a corrupt, sinful nature which makes obedience impossible, then He is insincere and deceitful in commanding us to do what He knows is impossible. And if God knows that we are to live out our life with a sinful nature that makes sin necessary, then all His promises of grace and power to keep us from sin are lies.

God cannot lie. It is the doctrine of constant sinning while in this life that is a lie! For the Word of God reveals that God has always had his saints. He has always had a people that feared him, loved him, and kept his commandments. He has always had a people that did not break his commandments daily in thought, word, and deed: There was Job, of whom God said, "A perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil." There was Enoch who "walked with God" and "was not, for God took him." There was Zacharias and Elizabeth who "were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." There was John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. The Bible clearly teaches that God's people can and do live without sin. So, the doctrine of a sinning religion, which teaches otherwise, is a myth and a lie.

Is this reason that the Church is weak and without power?  It is because Christians spend all their efforts on repentance and justification and not on  holiness.  The Hebrew writer puts it this way,

 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.   And this will we do if God permit.   For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Here is why the Church needs to return to the message of holiness and righteous living and stop excusing sin. It dishonors God. It makes Him arbitrary, cruel, and unjust.  It causes the Church to wink at and justify sin. It produces complacency and a low standard of religion among Christians.  It is a stumbling-block to the unsaved.  It contradicts the Bible.  It creates false doctrines and false interpretations of the Scriptures.

There is crisis of sin and immorality in America’s churches. Across our land, many professing Christians are practicing sinful lifestyles that are little different than those of unbelievers. Sins of adultery, fornication, drunkenness, drug abuse are rampant among those to claim to be followers of Jesus.  It is time to return to the message of a holy life and stop excusing sin as we are only human.  The transformational power of the blood of Jesus Christ can free us from the bondage of sin.  Accept God’s remedy for sin and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What Was Abnormal, Is Now Normal

This year marks 70 years for me and as I look back on my life much has changed in the world I live.  There are so many things that were at one time normal, but now are abnormal. There was a respect for authority and obedience for rules and law. For the most part, people were decent and polite both in public and private. Men treat women with respect.  Children were respectful of the elderly.  Sunday was a time for worship and family—all these things have changed drastically, and the world is turned upside down.

People disrespect rules and feel they have RIGHTS. People need safe-places, they are spoiled, pampered and lack respect for any type of authority or people as a whole.  Their sense of the spiritual has been replaced by a virtual world of fantasy.  For the most part, they have been catered to, surrounded by amusements, comforts and their every whim has been fulfilled.  They have no understanding of NO!  This is the culture of “me,” their wants are more important than the needs of others.  Parents are ruled by their children. Schools are becoming a place to learn social protest and churches have lost the message of transformational salvation.

I realize that this is not the case with your children, home, or church, but it is the case with enough families that it is the rule of the contemporary family.  Today, you must be careful how you discipline a child.  Neighbors are watching, teachers are listening, doctors are watching, law enforcement is watching and how you discipline must meet their approval.  This has led to a decline in disciple of children.  When these children grow older, they surround themselves with like individuals.  They are in a constant search for “fun.”  Even in the church, the youth are only attracted to things that are “fun.”  Could it be that the search for “fun” has led to an empty life that is focused on “me?” Could it be that this is the reason suicide is high? Could the fun life style be the reason companies cannot find people to work?  Could this be the reason there are so many marriages failing?  I’m just asking the questions.

I am aware there are youth who turn to religion.  What I have witnessed with most “religious youth” is a religion that is not transformational, it is more about self-improvement, self-development, and emotional.  They are focused on the same type of music to which non-Christian youth are hearing. The music is the same the lyrics are changed to make it religious. They dress and talk the same as non-Christian youth.  They have the same problems with alcohol, drugs, sex, and depression.  Their lives have not experienced the transformation power of Jesus Christ.  They do the same old things only with a “religious” name.  

Let me rant for just a moment. The hymns of the church are gone in most churches, with songs off the wall.  You say that’s OK. But it is not OK.   It is in the hymns where sound doctrine is taught.  The hymnal is a tool for teaching theology. The great principles of our faith have been incorporated into some of our most significant hymns.  The easiest way to discover the potential of the hymnal for teaching theology is to study its topical index.  Enough said.

I grew up when men were respected.  Today, there is this universal attack on men; it is openly in the secular world and becoming familiar in the church world.  The problem in the church is that the subliminal message is that “religion” is for women.  For men, Sunday is a day to relax, enjoy yourself, be comfortable and watch some type of sporting event.  This is the same message which is openly expressed officially in atheist countries.  Religion is not important.  If you don’t realize this, you should.  This is what has turned our world upside down.

Our culture has changed from one where God was worshipped, to forget God there are more important things in life.  The fear of God and the reverence for holy things are no more than the stupid ideas of religious nuts or “old-fashioned” beliefs that need to be eliminated. Christianity is on its way out.  Don’t waste your time going to church with a bunch of old women.  Sad that we have come to this. (Yes, I know your church is on fire and many lost souls have been brought into the kingdom of God.) 

It is true in 70 years much has changed in the world.  The carefree, fun-loving, self-worshipping people of today are in for a rude awakening.  As we see the generation that the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about becoming the norm for our culture, we are in for some troubling times.

Paul tells us these people:

1.     They will love only themselves and money.

2.     They will be proud and boast about themselves.

3.     They will abuse others with insults.

4.     They will not obey their parents.

5.     They will be ungrateful.

6.     They will fight against all that is pleasing to God.

7.     They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone.

8.     They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control.

9.     They will be cruel and hate what is right. People will turn against their friends.

10.They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will enjoy pleasure.

11.They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live.

Paul says, Stay away from these people! It may be useful advice but when your whole society is this way it is difficult.  Keep the faith, endure until the end, watch for the LORD He is coming back.