what HE said

You might ask me, "What do you think about religion" and I would answer . . .

 . . . what HE said.

You might ask me, "What do you think about sex" and I would answer . . .

. . . what HE said.

You might ask me, "What do you think about evil" and I would answer . . .

. . . what HE said.

You could ask me anything . . . and yes, I mean anything and I would first respond with, "what HE said".

I know that the greatest book ever written is the Bible.  It is not great because of it's age . . . but it is ancient. It is not great because of it's authorship . . . though it was written by more than 40 authors from every walk of life over a span of 1500 years . . . yet it contains one clear message from beginning to end.  It is not great because of it's popularity . . . but it is the best selling book in history.  IT IS GREAT because it is the very word of God.

When I encounter things in our world that stand against the clear teaching of the Bible it can be a little frustrating.  My emotions run from anger to frustration and finally to sorrow.  I wonder if this is God's response?  Does sin make God angry?  "Yes"  Does sin frustrate God?  "No" Does sin make God sad?  "Yes"  So I find in my humanity a response that I don't think we would find in God.  What do I do with that?  Well, I try to figure out what is frustrating me and what I conclude is that I am frustrated by a problem I can't fix.  God does not have this limitation. He solved the problem when He sent Jesus.

The ultimate problem with ignoring the Bible and doing things our own way is that it offends God and that sin earns His wrath.  Jesus went to the cross and allowed the righteous wrath of God to be poured out on Him so that in Him we could escape God's wrath.  Instead of believing in Jesus and trusting God, mankind's solution is to do away with the one true God and replace him with one of their own making.  Either they worship something in creation outside of themselves or fashion themselves as god (Romans 1).  Either way, they no longer have to be concerned with what God has to say.  That is why the world loves and praises a "church" that doesn't obey the Bible.  In other words they love religious people that have made up their own version of god just like everyone else.  They then praise this church for being tolerant.

The question that I then ask is, "what are they being tolerant of?"  Either you are going to be tolerant of all the shifting and changing opinions of the world or you are going to be "tolerant" of the Word of the one true God.  Your actions will either be acceptable in heaven or on earth.  If I say that homosexuality is a sin, I am saying so because HE says so.  This is acceptable to God but not to man.  If I define evil as any form of rebellion against God from the biggest to the smallest thus saying we are all evil, I do so because HE said so.  This is His truth which is rejected by man.  If I claim that only one religion is correct and all others are false, I claim this because, you guessed it, HE said so.  This is intolerant . . . but intolerant to WHO?

Perhaps my favorite quote from scripture is found in the book of Acts.  It is found in Chapter four and is spoken by Peter and John when they are put on trial for healing a man in Jesus name.  Here is the quote, "18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened."

I have seen the Word of God change lives.  I have heard the stories of those who have been rescued from the darkness of sin.  I know my savior and His name is Jesus!  I cannot, I will not, and I should not be silent.  So to answer your question, "what HE said".

He Forgave, We Forgive

Luke 23:32-34 says, “Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

 

In this glimpse from the cross we see Jesus being torturously killed at the hands of Roman soldiers as if he were a mere criminal.  I would guess that the words Jesus spoke were not familiar to the guard’s ears.  Jesus spoke these words in the least likely situation and they have resonated through history.

 As the disciples started the church they did not do so with sword and shield but with peace and love.  Sounds like the first hippie movement but in reality it was the movement of the Holy Spirit.  These men, chosen by Jesus, were filled by the Spirit and empowered to live a supernatural life.  They preached repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  They welcomed all people from every race and tongue.  There was no longer slave or free, Greek or Jew, but the good news of salvation through Jesus was open to all.  This message of forgiveness, which began at the cross, changed the world like nothing ever before or after.

If Jesus can forgive the men who had just mocked him, punched him, abused him, and now tortured him I think we can forgive those who wrong us.  If we are children of God we have been given the same Holy Spirit that filled Jesus and His disciples.  The same power that launched so great a forgiveness is ours in Jesus.  So what stops us from forgiving?  What causes us to hold grudges?  Where in scripture is it stated that we stand as higher judges than Jesus?

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25-32, “25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Verse 27 warns us to not give Satan an opportunity.  As we look at this passage we see things that can do just that: falsehood, sin motivated by anger, holding onto anger (hate, grudge), stealing, destructive speech, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice.  It is good to check our motives from time to time.  Without careful attention to our motives and thoughts these sins can creep in and give our enemy just the opportunity he needs to bring destruction.

Verse 32 gives us the solution to these sins and protection from the enemy.  Be kind . . . even to those who have not earned your kindness.  Be loving, understanding, and caring towards everyone, even those who are failing to do this for you.  FORGIVE!  How?  We are to forgive in the same way that Jesus forgave us.  This forgiveness is not based on merit, it is not based on prior repentance, and it is only given by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There was absolutely nothing that Satan could do in the face of Jesus love and forgiveness.  How aggravating it had to have been in Satan’s moment of perceived triumph to hear such words spoken.  Would you like to thwart the plans of the enemy?  Would you like to aggravate the schemes of demons?  Then live in the power of the Spirit.  Jesus didn’t taunt Satan or the demons but instead loved the Father and gave Himself for us.  If you love God, you have to let go of all of your bitterness and anger and in tenderness forgive those who have wronged you.  Without this forgiveness, there is no victory.

This is the victory that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is forgiveness of sins.  There is hope for a better life . . . an eternal life.  The life of Jesus has changed the world more than any other event in history and it wasn’t because of a great war or powerful philosophy . . . it was because of forgiveness.

Thankful for His Love

We live lives full of change. There is no recipe for change, no how to book, no magazine titled “CHANGE MONTHLY”. Change is never fair. Sometimes its good, like the birth of a new child. Sometimes its bad, like the loss of a loved one who shouldn’t have died. Sometimes its wrestling through character issues and sometimes its wrestling with health issues. We change jobs, careers, loves, tastes and even opinions. Change is always there. Even in the midst of change scripture teaches us that there is something else that is always there.

ROMANS: (8:35) Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (8:36) (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."° ) (8:37) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
(8:38) And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. (8:39) Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s Love? These verses answer is “No”! Even in death and pain we have Victory. There is nothing that can separate us from Jesus Love. --- BUT --- If we were to take a poll of everyone here, I bet, at least half of us have wondered, at one time or another, just where Jesus love went. Our lives are complex. Interwoven with change after change and some of those changes have been almost unbearable. We know that His love is not gone; it has not forgotten us, but it sure hard to be Thankful for it when we don’t feel it.

I am not here to say that it is our duty or responsibility to be thankful for Jesus love. I am here to say that it is our refuge. Jesus Love is that one thing that is always there to cling to. When my spirit is finally broken, when my strength is gone when I fall to the floor in tears, I have always landed in the embrace of his Love. It makes no sense that Jesus died for us, but He did. It makes no sense that he cares for us, but He does. His Love is always there.

Change and Jesus love go hand in hand. It is Jesus love that causes us to grow and change, but it is also Jesus love that gets us through the changes that make no sense to us.

Wherever we are in life, our lives are about to change. I know the love of Jesus will carry us through. I know that I am Thankful, not for change, but for what Jesus love is changing me into.