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Galatians 3:1-14

Paul goes on to explain how believers are justified by faith, and continue to live by faith. He wonders how anyone can look at Jesus on the cross and think they could do more.

How can anyone look at the Mona Lisa and think they could take a paintbrush and add a little color around the eyes. To do so would cheapen the finished work – or worse – reduce its value to $0.

Jesus’ work on the cross is enough. He said, “It is finished,” not “I’ve done my part so now it’s your turn.” Our good deeds are unable to change our sin to righteousness. A sinner can’t just one day declare himself not a sinner.

The curators at the Louvre in Paris care for Da Vinci’s finished work. They protect it, treat it with utmost respect and honor, they share its beauty with the world. But none of those deeds painted the picture or add to its worth.

I was at the hairdresser’s yesterday and, you know how those women can talk! They were speaking about the wife of a man who had just left, how kind and sweet and good this woman is. One of the ladies said, “If Sue ain’t gonna go to heaven ain’t no body gonna go.”

What a tragic belief. When Sue faces God she will be judged exactly the same way the rest of us will be judged. Did she live by works, or by faith in Jesus for her righteousness? Sadly, if she is counting on her own goodness instead of wearing the righteousness of Jesus, she ain’t gonna go to heaven.

We who have been entrusted with the Gospel are like the curators of the Mona Lisa. We love the Gospel, protect it, share it. But those deeds add nothing to the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

It is finished. And it is enough.

Wonder No More

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Gal 2:11-21

To anyone who wonders if, or hopes they’ve done enough good to go to heaven – READ THESE VERSES! Paul answers your questions clearly:

You are not good enough!

No amount of law-abiding behavior, no matter how loving or compassionate you are, no matter how many times you go to church, or how well you are thought of at work – you aren’t good enough to earn your way to heaven. Good people go to hell the same as bad people.

The fact is, Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty for sinners. We all have sinned. Even you. What Jesus did there on the cross is the difference between heaven and hell. You can’t come close to equalling that.

If we could somehow pay the death penalty for our sin then live again, or if we could do enough good to erase the sins we’ve committed, Jesus should have just stayed in heaven. His painful death would be worthless.

Paul tells us he was crucified with Christ. We know he wasn’t put on that cross with Jesus. But Paul often talks about the surrender he made to Jesus that changed his life. He calls it dying to self. Paul doesn’t live on his own anymore. It’s Jesus living in him! I hope you can say the same.

Do you wonder if you’re going to heaven? Answer this: have you repented of your sin and accepted the work of Christ on the cross as the payment for your sin? Have you surrendered to God and is Christ living in you in the person of the Holy Spirit? Are you, like Paul, allowing God to live through you?

If you can’t say yes to those questions then Scripture tells us you aren’t going to heaven. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one goes to the Father except through Jesus. There is no room for, “well he’s such a good person. Certainly God will accept him.”

My prayer is that you can honestly say yes to those questions. I pray that Jesus is your Savior, that you have surrendered to Him and accepted His grace, the forgiveness of your sins. Heaven awaits you.

If you wonder if you are going to heaven, wonder no more. The answer is as plain as day.

Grace and Peace

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Galatians 1:1-5

I finished my study of Genesis with Warren Wiersbe, and decided to go to the New Testament for my next personal time in God’s Word. Howard F. Vox wrote a commentary on Galatians entitled, A Call to Christian Liberty as part of the “Everyman’s Bible Commentary” published by Moody Bible Institute in 1971. I’m going to consider his opinions as I look at this letter of Paul for the next few days.

Vox says that “grace” was a common Greek greeting among Gentiles, while “peace” or Shalom was a Hebrew greeting. He thinks Paul purposely combined the two greetings as a demonstration of the joining together of Jews and Greeks as equals in God’s kingdom, the veil being destroyed by Jesus’ death, so that now there is no difference between the two.

And, Vox points out, Paul always used “grace” before “peace” in his greeting. That is the experience of all believers. First, God pours out His grace upon repentant sinners, applies Jesus’ blood to our account and saves us from the punishment we deserve. What follows is the peace that passes all understanding. No one can have the peace of God without first receiving His grace. So it is fitting that Paul would use these two words in this particular order whenever writing to the churches.

Jesus sacrificed Himself to rescue us, to pluck us out of the grip of evil in this world. And because we can contribute nothing to our salvation (Jesus’ death was enough) God gets all the glory, both now and forever! Amen!

I have read the book of Galatians many times, heard I don’t know how many sermons and lessons on it, and most of the time I’ve skimmed over the greeting to get to the meat. But today I am so blessed by having stopped and considered these five verses as penned by Paul.

I am saved by grace alone. It’s not a “I hope I’m saved,” or “I hope I’m good enough” kind of a thing. I am saved because I have put my faith in the only One who can save me. That’s why today, with all the trouble in this world, I can go with peace in my heart, fully trusting that the One who saved me can also keep me.

“Grace and peace from God our Father,” is my greeting to you all. Have you accepted His grace or are you still trying do earn you salvation? I pray that you will stop, listen, humble yourself and accept what Jesus died to give you… complete forgiveness. I promise you, when you experience His grace you will have His peace.

Then, let’s continue together through this book of Galatians and discover more about what that all means to each of us. May God teach us, grow us, and prepare us to be used by Him to reach those who don’t yet know the wonder of a relationship with Almighty God.

Find Us Faithful

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Genesis 50

G. Campbell Morgan once said that a believer’s work in the world is not finished when they put him in the ground. Think about that for a minute.

Joseph was a faithful and productive servant of God during his 110 years on this earth, and continued to be used by God for the next 400 years after his death. He was probably embalmed and placed in a sarcophagus since he was an Egyptian ruler. But the Israelites held onto the remains even after they were forced into slavery.

What did that coffin represent to the generations after Joseph? Salvation!

Joseph’s last words to his family was when – not if – God comes to your aid and takes you back to Canaan, take my bones with you and bury me there. Joseph’s remains were a constant reminder of God’s promises to Israel, and the hope of His salvation.

Years ago Steve Green wrote a song entitled “Find Us Faithful.” It is my prayer. The chorus says:

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.

Google the lyrics, or better yet go to You Tube and hear Steve Green sing it. It will make you stop and think.

What is it you want the memory of you to inspire? When your children think of you after you’re gone, what do you hope comes to mind? Your money will be spent, your belongings will be discarded. But your influence will live on.

Understanding that truth, there might be some changes you (and I) might want to make while we still have a chance. The footprints we leave will lead somewhere. Do you care where? Will they lead our loved ones to God, or away from Him?

May all who come behind us find us faithful.

When I Die

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Genesis 47:28-48:22

I suppose the older you get the more you think about dying. In truth, our bodies begin to fail, reminding us that we won’t live forever. So we tend to sit more and have more time to consider what’s ahead. We write our wills to assure our children are cared for when we’re gone. Jacob did that.

Jacob didn’t write down his wishes and have it notarized. His word was as binding as any contract as he spelled out what he intended for each of his and Joseph’s sons. Warren Wiersbe in his study on the Psalms entitled Be Authentic (David C Cook publisher) points out that Jacob went a step further than merely planning ahead for his children. He even planned his own funeral.

Jacob did not want to give the wrong impression by being buried like an Egyptian in Egypt. Even though he most likely would have had an impressive send-off, Jacob did not want anyone to question where his heart was. He insisted on being buried with his family like a believer in Holy God. Make no mistake, Jacob was saying he rejected the gods of Egypt, and wanted that to be a plain message even after he died.

I’ve told my family I really don’t care if they have a public funeral service for me or not. I won’t be there, so whatever they need is fine with me. But if there is a service at all, I do want it to glorify God. I want the Gospel clearly and powerfully proclaimed. I want hymns sung – especially “And Can It Be” (all the verses) and the song “Find Us Faithful.” I want my send-off to be less about me and more about the God I love, the God I serve, the God who loved me and loves everyone who would attend my funeral enough to die for us. I want it made known that with my final act, I invite them to give their lives to Jesus so that my funeral will not be, “Good-bye,” but “See you later.”

Maybe I should write this down.

Protecting Sin

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Genesis 44

Joseph’s brothers had changed. Twenty years earlier they didn’t give one thought to their father when they walked away from Joseph in that pit, then sat down to dinner. Now, they couldn’t walk away from Benjamin for fear of what losing him would do to their father. Judah was the spokesman, but all the brothers tore their clothes at the thought of their father’s reaction should Benjamin be forced to stay in Egypt.

But sorrow and regret are not the same as repentance. They had lived with the guilt of their sin for twenty years. They’d gotten pretty good at carrying that load while living life. They needed to repent.

And so do we. We, too, can become comfortable carrying around the guilt of a sin we’re protecting. We tell ourselves we deserve to be happy, or that we’re not hurting anyone, or that no one knows. We might have to lie to protect the sin, but even that gets easier with practice.

We can go to church, maybe even serve God with a smile on our face. And we can put the matter out of our minds as we live life, just like Joseph’s brothers.

We can feel guilty. We can tell God we’re sorry. But until we submit that sin to God and walk away from it, we have not repented. And true reconciliation is dependent on repentance.

God prompted Joseph to test his brother. It wasn’t just for Joseph’s sake. His brothers needed to know for themselves how deep the change in them ran in their own hearts.

Are you protecting a sin in your life? Don’t just be sorry. Don’t just get used to carrying the guilt. Repent. Submit to God and walk away from that sin. The reconciliation we’re going to read about in the next few chapters of Genesis could not have happened without repentance.

And reconciliation between you and God can’t happen without repentance, either.

Guilt is Not Just A Feeling

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Genesis 43

In his book Be Authentic (David C. Cook Publisher), Warren Wiersbe points out that the brothers were relieved when they were invited to a banquet at Joseph’s house instead of being thrown into prison for the confusion over the silver the last time they were in Egypt. But, as Wiersbe says, “it’s one thing to be relieved and quite something else to be forgiven and reconciled.” The brothers had not confessed their sin from twenty years earlier, and they were not reconciled with Joseph.

Recently I heard of a newly retired man who shared that there were certain pieces of equipment he had used on the job that he wanted to keep for himself. The thing was, he was required to turn in everything on his last day. So, he went to the warehouse where the company kept old equipment that would eventually be sold or trashed, and found pieces of equipment like the ones he wanted. On his last day, he turned in the equipment he’d stolen from the warehouse, and took home the things he had used for years on his job. He rationalized that the company wasn’t using those things and they would eventually get rid of them anyway. He said that he didn’t feel guilty about what he’d done.

I thought of that as I read about the brothers in Genesis 43. They thought they were in trouble, and felt relieved, safe, maybe even thankful that they weren’t going to jail. But how they felt didn’t change the fact that they were unrepentant sinners.

The man I told you about might not feel guilty. But he is. Feelings aside.

How easily we all are to rationalize our own sin. We might tell ourselves it’s no big deal, no one is getting hurt, or everybody does it. We most likely convince ourselves we deserve whatever it is we’re doing because it makes us happy. And we can harden our hearts and not feel guilty.

Dear ones, every sin is serious. Every sin is a slap in the fact to God. Every sin comes with a death sentence – no matter how good you feel about yourself.

But God Can

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Genesis 41:1-45

“I am not able to.” That’s not easy for anyone to admit. Especially if you are standing in front a king who has authority over your life and death as in the case of Joseph. Pharaoh had just asked him to do something and Joseph said, “I can’t.”

But Joseph had a realistic view of his abilities, and God’s greater ability. “I can’t, Pharaoh. But God can!”

It’s not wrong or weak to admit you’re facing something beyond your ability to handle. We are human. We all have our weaknesses. Yet sometimes there are things that are truly beyond our ability to handle on our own. So what do you do in that case?

Do you repeat a mantra? “I am capable,” I am worthy,” “I am strong,” I am powerful?” You might take a deep breath and try to do the impossible.

But it’s impossible.

The truth is there are just some things that are really beyond our capabilities. There are things we cannot do no matter how hard we try.

I think that’s why there is so much anxiety and depression in our world today. It’s an epidemic even among our children, which is so sad because the acceptable answer for many is to medicate. What are we doing?

Shame on us for making our children believe a lie. We are telling them we are giving them self-confidence, when in reality we are taking away their lifeline. We are telling them they can do anything they set their minds to. But in reality that is giving them false hope.

Even in the secular world we need help. We need each other. Yet we are telling our children to need is to be weak. That’s awful!

There is a greater problem, because we are also teaching children they don’t need God. They are to believe God is a crutch for weak people. Shame on us.

I know in my heart that the answer to most anxiety and depression is submission. It’s admitting that we aren’t “all that.” I think saying “I can’t” is often the most powerful words you can say… especially when it’s followed by, “But God can.”

Have you ever played tug-of-war? You pull with every ounce of strength, and keep pulling. Muscles ache. Breathing becomes difficult. You have laser focus.

But when you let go you can actually feel the tension leave your aching muscles. You can breathe. It’s a tangible relief.

That’s what submitting to God is like. It is so freeing to finally admit that you are weak, that you need God’s help. That’s the way it’s supposed to be! That’s the way we were created. That’s what God WANTS to be in our lives. If you are His child through the blood of Jesus, then when you are weak He is strong!!

Say it. Repeat it. Believe it. Count on it.

“I cannot. But God can.”

Hold Your Horses

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Genesis 39:1-6

If you wonder why God would allow Joseph to go through the hardships he faced, wonder no more. Warren Wiersbe in his study, Be Authentic suggests that if Joseph had been allowed to remain at home, the favored and pampered son, hated by his brothers he would not have been fit to fulfill the responsibilities of leading a nation. Joseph had to learn humility, service, hard work, and faith before God could use him in such a significant way.

Think about it. Even Jesus, after being baptized, took forty days in the wilderness before jumping into ministry. Paul didn’t get up from the dirty road to Damascus and start preaching. In fact, it seems he spent time in Arabia being taught by Jesus Himself (Galatians 1), then three years being an apprentice preaching in Damascus before he went to Jerusalem.

Remember John Mark? As a young man he failed completely in ministry alongside Paul and Barnabas. Years later, Mark became an important help to Paul. But he had to mature first.

I think churches make a mistake when they take a new believer and put him or her in positions of authority before they’ve had time to mature in their new-found faith. Sure, they are on fire for the Lord and it’s tempting to think that’s just what the Church needs. But the Church does NOT need ministry based on feelings. In fact, I would suggest that harms the Church more than it helps.

When Jesus gave us His last command, He told us to go and make disciples. He didn’t tell us to go and make converts. Making disciples takes time and effort. But without it a new believer stays an infant.

You don’t put a newborn baby behind the wheel of a car. Why? The same applies to putting a new believer in front of a classroom, or on the elder board, or making him pastor of your church. A baby doesn’t have what it takes to drive the car, and a new Christian doesn’t have what it takes to drive the ministry.

It took years of hardship, forced labor, tough lessons and a growing faith for Joseph to be ready to be used by God. Let’s, as mature Christians, have discernment enough to do the same for the new believer.

They may be excited about their salvation, all in, totally committed to Jesus. But sometimes you gotta say: Hold your horses! There are no shortcuts to maturity. The thing about growing in faith and knowledge of our Lord is that it doesn’t put out the flame, it feeds it. If you are afraid this excited young Christian will lose that excitement if you take time to nurture him, you either are not trusting God, or you don’t really trust the truth of their salvation.

If you are a new Christian, welcome to the family. Let me encourage you to find a mature Christian to come along side you, to hold you accountable, to teach you, mentor you, challenge and encourage you as you learn what being a Christian is all about.

If you are a seasoned Christian, be that person to a new believer. Seek them out. Spend time praying with and for them. Read the Bible with them. Ask and answer questions. Watch them grow.

Then watch them be used by God at just the right time. One day that “Hold your horses” will be “Giddy-up!”

Doing the Unthinkable

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Genesis 37

We can read about Joseph’s brothers and see where their jealousy and hatred led. Their actions against Joseph have no rational explanation and cannot be justified. Joseph was innocent. There is no excuse for what his brothers did to him.

In fact, most of us can’t imagine the heartless actions of the brothers, from plotting to kill him, throwing him into a pit then sitting down to enjoy a meal together as if nothing had happened, to selling Joseph into slavery. It’s unthinkable that someone could treat a brother with such contempt.

But Warren Wiersbe in his book entitled Be Authentic (David C Cook publisher; Second Edition 2020; p98) warns us that all of us are potentially capable of doing what the brothers did. He cites Jeremiah 17:9 that says we have hearts that are deceitful and desperately wicked. We all do.

Newton’s first law of inertia says once an object is set in motion it will continue moving until acted upon by an external force. I think that applies to jealousy, or any sinful thought and feeling.

Once it is put into motion it will continue moving. But like a snowball rolling down a hill, it won’t just keep moving, though; it will grow, it will get faster and move with more power until is gets out of control…

Until!

At any point an outside force can step in front of it and bring it to a complete stop, destroy it, get rid of it.

I think the lesson here is never put that thought in motion in the first place. Recognize it as sin. Repent of it. Allow Jesus to step in front of it and destroy it while it’s still the size of a snowflake. If you don’t, you could be dealing with an avalanche somewhere down the road.

Never underestimate those sinful thoughts of jealousy, hatred, pride, lust, revenge, etc. Put any of those in motion and you will find yourself doing the unthinkable – just like Joseph’s brothers.

Don’t tell yourself that can’t happen to you. That thought might be pride speaking, and that’s something you don’t want to put in motion.