John 3:30

He Must Increase, I Must Decrease

Memory Verses

My First Sunday Morning Sermon

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On March the 6th, 2016, I was honored to preach my first ever Sunday morning sermon at First Baptist Church of New Albany in Ohio.

To skip my comments and just listen to the sermon see below.

A few notable moments. Upon arrival I found out they were happy to allow me to lead the entire service. They had a bulletin already created which they could not get printed. As I was writing it out, I was so glad to see Heaven Came Down, How Great Thou Art and Victory in Jesus listed for singing. Then I noticed a song titled “Let Jesus Come into Your Heart” as the ‘invitation hymn.’

Not opposed to judging a song by its title, I asked if we could change it to “How Firm a Foundation” and they had no problem with that. The service flowed nicely with a skilled pianist and my friend Christopher offering prayer.

They had Scripture reading on their bulletin. I had not prepared for that. Since my sermon was about God’s Word, I thought it would be appropriate and helpful to read Proverbs 30:5-6. I then tested myself and tried to quote Psalm 1 from memory. I did it!! I thought Psalm 1 went nicely with my sermon, and it was the first time I had quoted an entire chapter of Scripture in public from memory (inside a church).

Then my daughter Bailey played perfect renditions of Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art on her flute for special music. You will notice if you listen to the sermon that I open by talking about the hymns. I then do what I am apt to do (and learned from my own pastor), and I spoke for 20 minutes off the cuff while ignoring my notes. So many things flood to my mind that I want to share.

I really enjoyed myself and was very grateful to my friends Mike Stockwell and Christopher Ledezma who attended along with my 3 oldest children. It was a time of service to God and to one of His local churches. I appreciate everyone who prayed for me and the service. As a hipster Christian might say “God showed up big time.” 😉

Feel free to listen here:

The Eyes of God

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When the Bible says “God saw” or refers to “God’s eyes” what do you think that means? Is God like we are. I had an opportunity for a short devotion this Sunday at my church and decide to look into the “Eyes of God.”

Notably, I posted about Habakkuk 1:13 years ago here. That is one of the verses I teach about in the above audio.

If you enjoyed “The Eyes of God,” – check out “The Eyes of Man.”

3 John 1:4

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3 John 4 – I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

What is truth? (John 18:38) If we are looking for a scriptural basis for the answer to this question (and, by the way, we are), then my mind immediately takes me to John 17:17: ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.’ Jesus is speaking to the Father in Heaven in this passage. He is not saying, “your word is a truth.” He was declaring God’s Word to be truth. Literally.

Here’s another scripture to contemplate concerning truth:

Psalms 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

John is advanced in age at this point. He is leaving his final legacy, for the Christians that remain in the world, through his letters. He has spent the final 5 or 6 decades of his life waiting for the return of the Savior. I can only guess that in his old age, even though he certainly awaited the imminent return of Christ, he must have started to believe he would taste death.

Put yourself in his place for a moment. You spent a few years of your young adulthood walking with Jesus. You witnessed the miracles, the teaching and the compassion He had. You spent countless hours of alone time with him. You are so confident of His love for you, a love you know you do not deserve, that you call yourself the disciple that Jesus loved throughout the biography you wrote.

Aware of the hopeless state of the world and sinners without Christ, you’ve now spent your life spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and discipling others: “teaching them to obey all that [He] has commanded.” Matt 28:20

Ultimately, let me put it this way. The apostle John must have understood the ravaging effects of sin better than almost anyone who ever lived. Seeing firsthand the power of God in Christ to heal, the transfiguration, the crucifixion and the resurrection could not have allowed John to be lazy in his Christianity. This is my opinion, but I do not believe John could have been lackadaisical in his Christian life. I cannot imagine a John with besetting sins. I do not imagine John indulging in his Christian liberty so he could ‘enjoy sin for a season.’

No, my dear Christian reader. John desired holiness. He longed for the holiness of Jesus Christ until his death and was utterly aware at all times that Jesus paid for the sins of those who would believe. No Christian who believes that Jesus paid for every sin should want to enjoy the pleasure of sin. This is called grace-abuse and is condemned by Paul. (Romans 6:1-2)

So John is looking at his children in the faith, those men (and women) who he has led to the Lord or has been teaching the apostle’s doctrine. John sees them walking in the truth. There are two components to this I find striking: walking and truth.

James says to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. James 1:22-23 It is important to understand that justification by grace through faith is not an excuse to act any way we want. The regenerate man will have an aversion to sin. A forgiven creature will walk in obedience…not to produce salvation, but as the fruit of salvation. So first of all, it is important to know that John’s spiritual children are walking. They are doing the work of God. They are working. They have energy and are putting forth effort to please the Lord and fulfill His commands.

Secondly, they are walking in truth. Back to the earlier paragraphs, “thy Word is truth.” John 17:17 God’s Word is truth. It is the only basis for truth. Denial of God’s Word has been the source for more heresies, false scientific beliefs and pain and suffering in this world than any other single event. Ignoring God’s Word is as dangerous as denying it, by the way; look at Eve in the garden…she chose to believe things outside of God’s Word, contradictory to God’s Word…and the result was disastrous. You cannot be indifferent about the bible any more than you ought to be contrary to it; you must believe it.

So John has NO GREATER JOY than to hear that his children walk in the truth. He is HAPPY because he knows these believers are actually doing the work of God. They are really being obedient to God’s desires. They are worshiping in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24

This is a vital point. There are many today who are worshiping God in spirit. People who are emotional about God. People who really want to serve something outside themselves. A good example is the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this program, men and women are encouraged to rely on the god of their own understanding in order to quit drinking. Tens of thousands of people have found hope for their life. They’ve gotten jobs and families back, and they’ve started to be productive members of society, especially compared to their old selves. But at what cost? By being taught to trust the god of their own understanding, these men and women have been led into idolatry: sin they readily enjoy as the fulfillment of the lust of their own heart…but this is quite contradictory to the biblical gospel which commands people to repent and believe the gospel.

When you have worship with spirit, but without truth, you have idolatry. When you have worship with truth but no spirit you have cold orthodoxy… or nothing but religious ritual.

As well as doing the correct work of God, walking in truth includes a description of what you are NOT doing. As a Christian walking in truth, you ought NOT be sinning. You ought NOT be violating the very commandments of God, the violation of which put Jesus on the cross. Yes, walking in truth is not just doing God’s work part of the week and enjoying secret sin the rest. It requires a life dedicated to Christ-likeness, self-denial and sin eradication!

Are you walking in the truth? Do you walk in the Word of God? Do you test your actions and your thoughts against the Word of God? Or do you worship the way you want to worship? Do you choose your activities and trust that God will approve of you because you are sincere?

I’m afraid this is a problem for many Christians as well as non-Christians. We don’t expect non-Christians to walk in truth, but if you are saved by grace through faith today, you do not have an excuse. You’ve been given revelation from God in the bible, the Holy Spirit to guide you and teachers to help you. Do not be like the world. Worship God the way He wants. Walk in the truth.

Trust me, if you do, you will be the cause of much rejoicing.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Peter 3:15

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1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

I think this verse can best be broken down into three parts. The first part, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” I want to note that the word “but” may not be the best translation, in fact it is a different Greek word than in 1 Peter 3:14. You could use moreover or and just as easily and I think it makes more sense in the English.

What does it mean to sanctify something? The word for sanctify comes from the same root word that is used to describe the spirit of God. ‘Holy Ghost’ is a common description in scripture, or Holy Spirit ; the idea behind this modifier is that God’s spirit is set apart, clean, chaste, and pure. It is the same word translated saints in the New Testament. You are a saint today if you’ve been set apart by God for His purpose. Many accuse us Christians as being holier than thou ! I believe there is good reason for this, WE ARE. It is a verifiable fact that the saints of God are holier than those that are outside the fold of the body of Christ. In fact, when someone senses that you are holier than they are, it is not a bad thing, necessarily. What we want to avoid is having an arrogant attitude as the result. We should direct all praise and honor to Christ, for it is His imputed righteousness that we have that makes us holy. And it is only by His grace that we are made pure in His eyes and have the discernment to talk to others about sin and holiness.

Next, I’ll focus on the last part of the verse, “with meekness and fear.” Or in the ESV, “with gentleness and respect.” It is our self-abasing humility and God-exalting preaching, teaching and exhortation that will protect us from the sin of pride. Follow me for a minute:

Imagine you are drowning, you’ve ventured far enough from the shore that you cannot survive…there are others with you. You, as well as most of the others, are a very good swimmer. You all believe if you just keep swimming, you’ll eventually reach safety. You’re not even tired.

Then a boat appears in sight. You look and see ‘those people.’ You know the type: the ones that cannot swim. They always need a crutch, because they are not as strong and intelligent as you. Then one of them declares to you that you are drowning. That the shore you believe you will reach is too far for anyone to swim to! You’re not sure exactly how he knows, or why you’ve started to believe him, but you do. He throws you a life preserver and you grab hold with all your life and are pulled onto the boat safely. Suddenly it hits you: all your old swimming partners are not in the boat! Quickly, desperately you call to them with this new knowledge! Your goal isn’t triumph or pride, but rather, an earnest desire that others know the truth that has been revealed to you! You don’t stand on the boat in haughtiness, lording it over swimmers that you were so smart to get on the boat. You realize your own intelligence was keeping you in the water! Your own strength wasn’t enough, even though you proudly relied upon it previously. No; you are nothing but a garden-variety swimmer, destined for self-destruction until another reached out to save you. You plead with your old friends and colleagues because you care. You are so confident that you are in the ‘right’ boat that it doesn’t bother you when they say you are weak and stupid; that the ship you are safely being carried in is nothing but a crutch upon which you lean.

Of course this little allegory was meant to prove a point. True followers of Jesus Christ: those with a God-exalting theology, will be unable to evangelize without meekness and fear. Christians who personally identify with ‘garden-variety’ sinners of this world must be kept from pride. Keep an eye on Jesus at all times (Sanctify Him in your heart): this will make you humble as you accept His grace daily and try to pass it on to others! Gentleness, meekness, respect and humility…quite possibly the most mocked characteristics of our day. Not the qualities you would expect to hear uttered about a world leader or a successful businessman in the 21st century…but qualities of the king of kinds and lord of lords!

Finally, the middle portion of the verse: “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you.”

There are two aspects to “being ready.” One aspect is the idea of simply being available. You must plan that you may need to ‘defend your faith’ each day so that you are mentally prepared to do so. There’s nothing quite like going to a doctor’s appointment, thinking about your own ‘stuff’ and then someone asking you a question that requires an answer from your faith. Or being at a party or soccer practice or at work and the topic of religion or evolution or death arises. Do you become a deer in the headlights at those times? Dear Christian, you must pray the Lord will prepare your heart; as well, you must be striving for holiness.

The second aspect of being ready has to do with actually being prepared to explain the scriptures. Read the following two scriptures to encourage you to the importance of being able to do this:

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

I believe God has called us to study the scriptures so that we can answer some of the hard questions that might arise. We preach Christ crucified, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have explanations for things that we know the world will protest! Shall we be prepared to explain (as least basically) why we do not believe in evolution? Should we be able to tell people why there is disease and suffering? Can you? Are you able to tell people why you trust Christ? Are you prepared to explain to someone why you don’t believe a Christian needs to, nor can do any works in order to obtain salvation? Do you know enough about other religions like Catholicism, Islam and Mormonism, for example, to be able to take someone of those faiths through the differences in your beliefs?

Study to show yourself approved, so that you may be prepared to lead others toward Christ. We are already perceived as fools for believing the gospel and the Word of God; let’s not give our detractors more ammunition by not being able to answer their protests intelligently. We may not impress those that are still in the flesh, but God is always your audience, and He deserves our best effort at getting to know Him! Keep with it; He is always with you and His spirit will guide you.

Luke 23:34 – Forgiveness

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Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

What is forgiveness? When Jesus utters this phrase, what is he saying? In other words, what exactly is Jesus asking his Father to do? And how does that apply to us? Some would say that because Jesus prayed for those who persecuted him to be forgiven, we should all forgive all offenses against us. Others have said that since God doesn’t forgive everyone, that means we don’t have to either. I’ll try to lead you to an answer to these questions as we develop thoughts surrounding forgiveness.

What is the nature of forgiveness? That is, what does forgiveness “tell us” about the parties involved in the act? I think we all know what forgiveness is but let me offer a general working definition: to forgive is to no longer hold someone accountable for an offense. In other words, when someone is forgiven, he or she who had been offended by that person now becomes willing to send their offense away (that is the literal meaning in the Greek), the forgiver decides that the person who did the wrong will not be penalized any more than they already have for the act that was committed. A trite example would be the idea of forgiving an actual monetary debt. No one would say they forgave a $100 debt then still collect. But still, the forgiver would remember what had transpired to cause the debt, and may tread carefully with that person in the future.

Next, we need to decide, “Is forgiveness ever deserved?” Looking at the very nature of forgiveness, it is implied that there is a sin that has been committed. Someone has offended someone else by violating them in some way or other. It could be stealing, adultery, gossip…it doesn’t matter. When you think of sin against God, it must be punished. God is Holy and just and His character would be tarnished if He could allow sin to go unpunished. Does anyone merit God’s forgiveness? No. Unfortunately for the religious, the self-righteous and the pious, there is no one who merit’s God’s favor. We are all unclean; we are all stained by sin. Holiness and unholiness cannot mix and create holiness; that combination only stains the holiness. No, God forgives sinners by His grace alone; His wrath poured out on His undeserving Son; He is pleased to grant remission of sins to those who trust in Him by faith.

So does any human ever deserve forgiveness from another human? What a tough thought! I’m not sure. I wouldn’t try to prove this dogmatically, but I’d say the answer is “no.” When we sin against other people, we are sinning against people made in the image of our Creator. I’m open to correction, but I see very little biblical reason that a person “deserves” forgiveness from another person. If the person pays back the debt…they are not truly forgiven, they’ve paid it back. Therefore, forgiveness is always unmerited.

It concludes that forgiveness is an action on the part of the forgiver, and a passive act on the part of the forgiven. Anytime an act of forgiveness occurs, it tells you more about the forgiver than the forgiven. The most we can understand about a forgiven person is that they must have committed some violation. This is not flattering; nor is it anything to boast about. Let this be a reminder to you who have been forgiven of all your sins by God, all this says about you is that you are a sinner. There is no room to boast. It is also interesting to note that forgiveness cannot be “denied,” that is to say, the forgiven has no authority to reject forgiveness once it is established. (This is called irresistible grace when it comes from God)

But the forgiver, oh what a beautiful picture this paints of the forgiver’s character. Let’s take the case of God forgiving sinners: what does His divine forgiveness tell us about His character? First of all, it reveals His amazing grace. The mere fact that no forgiven being ever earned it or deserved it reveals an astounding amount of love and grace in the character of God. He is altogether just if He would forgive NO ONE, yet he delights in the sacrifice of His son and the remission of sins that was bought. Secondly, God’s forgiveness exhibits His mercy. It is divine mercy which restrains our angry God from exacting punishment upon sinners. God’s mercy demands no ritual or penance to atone for sins. God, in His mercy has chosen to forgive sinful souls on the basis of another’s merit, His own. He has shown that mercy extends grace. God’s mercy forbears punishment, sending our sin away from His thoughts. Not only are we forgiven, our sin is ‘forgotten.’ You must understand this; if you are saved today, your position before God is as if you had never sinned!

So the nature of forgiveness is that it is an act that reveals a Godly character in the forgiver. Forgiveness never needs to be dependent upon the merit of the offender. It follows logically that there can be no act on the part of the forgiven which must precipitate forgiveness. Sure, someone may ask for forgiveness and repent of sin…but the actual forgiveness is endowed based solely on the desire of the forgiver.

Next, let’s look at the result of forgiveness. What is the ultimate effect of forgiveness; what happens when someone is forgiven? As far as forgiveness of sins before God is concerned, the result, is not only an avoidance of divine punishment, but reconciliation. We are reconciled to God through Christ. Our relationship with God that we had in Adam is restored. We now have fellowship with God and can enter His presence. He is no longer set apart from us in the sense that He has folded us into Himself. As creatures, we are certainly always different from God. But as adopted sons and daughters of God, we can enjoy fellowship with Him. A lot of people say Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. The accuracy in that statement derives from the fact that fruit of forgiveness is a restored relationship to God through Christ!

So what happens to the parties in a relationship with God based in forgiveness? Well, the forgiven, (at least in my case), feels an even greater debt to the Forgiver than he or she had felt before. I want to serve my Forgiver out of a thankful heart and a real love for Him. Acknowledging my lack of any right to having been forgiven, I am wholeheartedly dedicated to doing all I can to show my real gratitude as well as an understanding of the enormous debt I’ve had wiped away: a debt I could never had paid myself. How does forgiveness affect God? First of all, let’s remember that God Himself is unchanging (Mal 3:6), but His relationship with us does change (at least in the temporal sense, since the elect have been chosen from eternity past, in a sense our salvation has never been in question). God, prior to our coming to faith in Him, was somewhat bound by His perfect unchanging character. In His sovereignty, He never violates His perfect attributes. So prior to my salvation, God unwaveringly hated me. I was loathsome to Him by my very sinful thoughts, even those that never saw birth as action. After forgiving me of ALL MY SINS, God can now allow me in His presence. He provides me access to His throne to make requests of Him and has even provided me with His Holy Spirit, to indwell my heart and bear witness to me that I am His own. The same God who would not listen to my heathen prayers (Proverbs 28:9) now hears every one of my prayers, and even helps me by his grace to pray according to His will. God hasn’t changed, but our relationship has. In fact, the relationship changed before I even changed much. God’s forgiveness and love toward me, while I was undeserving was an irresistible force which cause me, thankfully, to love Him in return. (1 John 4:19)

So what’s the point of all this? Why am I going into so much detail about forgiveness? Is forgiveness really special? That is, don’t non-Christians forgive people all the time too? Let me go back to an original point that I brought up. I have heard people ask if Christians should really forgive EVERYBODY. The basis of the argument posed is that God doesn’t forgive everybody, and it isn’t necessarily unconditional. God forgives only some people, and only people who repent of their sin and place their faith in Christ alone.

I disagree with a few points above, so I’ll take them one at a time.

1. God unconditionally forgives those whom He chooses to forgive. As God chose His elect before the foundations of the world were laid, He de facto chose those whom He would forgive before they repented. In fact, it is His regenerating effect which is the cause of repentance, so to imply that God’s forgiveness is dependent at all upon the sinner is irrational. By His irresistible grace, God calls those whom He will forgive to Himself.

2. I do not believe that just because God doesn’t forgive everyone that we should not. Ephesians 4:32 is clear that we ought to forgive, just as we’ve been forgiven. Even if you want to say this verse is only talking about fellow believers, you must admit that everyone, even the vilest sinner who offends you, is a possible brother or sister whose name if written in the Lamb’s book of Life. It may be your forgiveness that God uses to draw them to Himself.

Dear Christian: do you desire to be like Christ? Is your earnest desire to be Godly? There is little you can do that is more Godly than forgiving your enemy! Did you get that? To hold onto the resentment, or even hate, keeps you bound in a prison. To forgive someone of wrongdoings committed is to free you of the chains to which YOU ARE ATTACHED in your relationship to them. You are not God; you do not know who is to be forgiven or not. You do not know the hearts of the people who’ve wronged you, but God does, and He may desire to use you as He used Stephen! In Acts 7:60, Stephen prays for the very people who would murder him. During the act, no less!

What did Christ tell Peter when Peter asked him how often to forgive his brother?

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

So does this mean that each time you forgive someone you should add it to a tally sheet? I believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, and when the language is clearly figurative based on the context or scripture’s own interpretation of itself, it is safe to understand symbolism.

Read the entire rest of Matthew 18. What do you see in Matthew 18:23? “Therefore” or “for this reason” is the transitional phrase between the thoughts in Matthew 18:21-22 and Matthew 18:23-35. The Greek literally can be translated, “because of this” in verse 23. Only a few versions, (including the Message), get it wrong. The following account is an analogy, comparing the forgiveness we are to provide each other to the servant in the story. The servant in the story, having been forgiven MUCH, is REQUIRED by his master to also forgive much. In fact, the implication is that we must be willing to forgive as much as we’ve been forgiven. I’m sorry for those of you who really like resentment, but this is an unending debt of which you’ve been forgiven. You’ve been forgiven for an infinite debt to God, you were undeserving and He forgave you anyway, all of it. Biblical love requires you to be forgiving, See 1 Corinthians 13:4-9.

So forgive everyone who offends you. For all of it. Don’t begin condoning sin; and you certainly do not have to put yourself in a position that is unwise, but forgive all that offend you. Allow God to take vengeance on those who persecute you or to have poured out the wrath He has for that person on Christ! What joy it would be in your life to find out that someone came to Christ and part of the reason was your exemplification of His character in your desire to take abuse and forgive the offense! What joy it will be to stand before your eternal Forgiver and be praised for your obedience to His command. Forgive 77 times, 7 times, 490 times? No, dear brother or sister. Forgive without counting. Forgive like your eternity depends upon it. Forgive like you could never forgive as much as you’ve been forgiven already. Forgive as if it were the only way to point people to Christ, as if the very perception of Godliness you’d like to have requires it!

Free yourself from the prison of self-righteousness, resentment and hatred that the servant in Matthew 18 was chained in. Allow yourself to be free of the wickedness associated with YOUR lack of grace and mercy. Yes, I believe we are called to forgive all offenses against us as we pray in the disciple’s prayer. Our trust in God above as a perfect judge would be false if we do not. If you believe God is a perfect judge, then let him handle others’ sin! He will do a better job with it than you ever would.

So pray like Jesus prayed. Pray to your Father to forgive them as well.

As this was a long post, I added three bonus thoughts for you to investigate yourself if you are interested in digging deeper.

Michael

Bonus #1: It’s always interesting to know that it was prophesied hundreds of years prior that they would cast lots for his clothing. Had it not been one piece, this wouldn’t have been necessary. God is so good to provide so much evidence to aid our little weak hearts to believe. (Ps 22:18, Mt 27:35, John 19:23-24)

Bonus #2: For whom did Jesus pray? Think about this: did Jesus pray for all those who were crucifying him? If so, can you explain why the Father did not answer that prayer? Assuming you are not a Universalist, God certainly doesn’t forgive everyone. How could Jesus have possibly NOT prayed according to His father’s will? If He did pray according to His Father’s will, and the prayer was answered…for whom did Jesus pray?

Bonus #3: Do not mistake forgiveness for approval of sin. Forgiveness is a desire to no longer hold someone indebted for their sin. True love: out of which forgiveness flows, will have a desire to see the person mended. I’ll maintain it could be the forgiveness offered by a perceived enemy that could be the seed which grows into the desire to change that people really need. What I am saying is you forgiving an undeserving, unrepentant enemy could be the catalyst God uses to change their heart!