Tag Archives: sin

Don’t Bow

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Daniel 3

So, King Nebuchadnezzar had a huge statue built, as high as the lighthouse on Saint Simons Island. You couldn’t miss it! Then, the decree went out – you WILL bow down to this idol, or die.

You probably know the story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow. When everyone else hit the ground when the music played, those three young men stood tall. They must have stood out like those brave athletes who refuse to bend a knee during the National Anthem. Kind of hard to miss.

Got me to thinking about other formidable idols being erected today: transgenderism, homosexual marriage, pronouns, abortion, climate change, COVID, socialism, progressive Christianity, wokeness…

Lots of idols there!

In fact, there are so many it seems people are walking on their knees, bowing here, bowing there. They exist in a constant state of surrender to this idol, and to that. Less and less people are standing tall.

The threat of punishment is real. And getting more real every day. So what’s a person to do?

Look at this portion of Scripture. You’ll find the answer. Those brave young men were able to stand strong because they truly trusted God. They trusted God whether they lived or died. They trusted God whether they were heading for hardship, or whether God would deliver them. They trusted God.

The result was, they were thrown into the fire with the intent it would kill them. But the fire didn’t kill them, did it? In fact, the fire didn’t even touch them even though they were walking right in it. And… the most amazing part of it… Jesus was right there walking in the fire with them. The king and his men actually saw Jesus in the fire with them. They saw Jesus.

So many of us don’t let Jesus do that for us. And sadly, we don’t allow Jesus to be seen by those who want us to surrender to their idols.

We surrender to the idol of transgenderism when we call a woman “him” because she mutilates her body and pretends to be male. We bow to the idol of progressive Christianity when we sing the songs that glorify our own feelings, when we accept the downplaying of sin in favor of “love.” We bow at the feet of government when we allow ourselves to be manipulated into closing the doors of our churches, keeping ourselves quarantined and isolated, wearing masks that do nothing but make us fall into line, and putting untested chemicals in our bodies because someone erects the idol of “science.”

We’ve all done it. We bow, and keep bowing to idols unseen, yet as real as Nebuchadnezzar’s giant idol in ancient Babylon where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow. Can we join together, support one another, and change that?

Let’s stand on the Truth God has revealed in His Word, exactly as He has revealed it in His Word. Let’s not fear those who would have us bow to the prince of this world, because…

greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

You’ve Got My Attention

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Ezekiel 22

God compares His children to a whore. I know, not a gentle comparison, is it? His wording is graphic and coarse. What He describes is disgusting and crude. It’s hard to imagine these words coming out of the mouth of God.

As shocking as this portion of Scripture is, I have to ask myself why? Why would God be so explicit as He expresses His disgust with the behavior of His children as they adopt the worship of their neighbors’ gods?

Well, for one, He certainly got my attention. And two, I don’t have to guess at what God thinks about my own inclination to put someone or something ahead of Him in my love and adoration. I don’t have to guess what God thinks about my own disobedience. And I don’t have to guess where my rejection of Him is heading.

So today I hear you, Lord. Forgive my whoring. Cleanse me. I don’t want to disgust you, or hurt you. Thank you for grace. Thank you for the cross. I pray that neither Oholah nor Oholibah will describe me ever again.

You’ve got my attention.

When God Becomes The Enemy

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Lamenations 1-2

A popular view of God makes Him out to be milk toast, a wet noodle, a doting Grandpa, a weak parent who can’t say “No” to His self-centered children. That is NOT the God of the Bible.

Yes, God is love. But not without His holiness. I’m not sure we really get that.

The truth about God is that He loves people. In fact He loves people so much He went to the cross to provide the only way sinful people can be in the presence of Holy God. We can try to figure out our own way to Him, look for a back door or loophole. But if we want to be accepted by God and enjoy the love He has for us, we gotta play by His rules.

He’s not asking us to approve of His plan. He’s demanding we accept it. And honestly, it’s not that hard. Quite the contrary. It’s an amazing plan!

Warning: if you don’t accept His plan, if you reject the Gospel of Jesus, hear Him say He is NOT your friend. He is your enemy. And I’m not sure you are ready for that reality, no matter what you’re telling yourself at the moment.

When God becomes the enemy, we are in serious trouble.

How Much Clearer?

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Jeremiah 18-22

If you turn from wickedness. If you obey. If you humble yourselves. All of these “ifs” are followed by God’s promise to bless and not curse, to restore and not destroy.

If you continue to sin. If you turn your back on God and refuse to repent. If you insist on being your own god, then brace yourselves. God’s judgment will come without mercy.

How much clearer does God have to be?

Come on, Christian. What is it going to be? The choice you make today will bless or curse your life both now and in eternity. But it will also impact your family, your church, and collectively our communities, nation, and the world. Your decision, my decision, the decision of all of us who call ourselves Christians is that important.

How much clearer does God have to be?

God’s Enemies

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Isaiah 63

Sometimes I read Scripture and am struck by the fact that God considers people who reject Him His enemies. I know He is loving and patient and kind. What He is not is accepting of disobedience. He’s not playing around.

The thing is, He Himself died to make a way for HIs enemies to become His dearly loved children. But in order to move from the enemy category to the family category, we have to go through the cross. There is no other way.

God loves His enemies. God is patient with His enemies. But they are still His enemies.

Yes, it’s a spiritual battle we are in. Satan is the leader of the opposition. We humans align ourselves with one or the other. The question is: are you God’s enemy or are You His child?

I pray you are His child.

Arms Open Wide

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Isaiah 54-65

Have you ever bent down and opened your arms, expecting the embrace of a child running toward you, only to have them veer away and jump into the arms of someone behind you who also has arms stretched out to receive them?

That’s the picture I get when I read 65:1-2. It’s a picture of God, saying to a rebellious people, “Here I am! Here I am!” Arms outstretched to receive them, coming up empty. How many times can God be rejected before He responds?

I will not keep silent, but I will repay. (verse 6a)

God’s not talking only about people who have never known Him. He’s talking about His children. Earlier, God inspired Isaiah to tell us what He thinks about His children’s religious activities.

In chapter 58 He talks about false fasting. They go through the motions in order to feel good about themselves. They think God owes them something because they fast. But even in their fasting, their hearts are unrepentant, and God’s not having it!

When I read Scripture I see our God who is not willing that anyone die without Him. I see our God who goes to great lengths to draw everyone to Himself. I see His anger toward sin, and His desire to save us from the devastating consequences of our sin.

I see God stretch out His arms on that cross and say, “Here I am! Here I am!” knowing that whoever calls on His name will be saved.

It’s not about religious activity. You can go to church and be as disobedient and lost as an atheist. It’s about surrender. It’s about humility and repentance.

In these chapters I read today in the book of Isaiah, there is also a picture of what God intends for those of us who don’t veer away, but who jump into His saving arms and experience His grace and mercy. It’s what He wants for all of us.

I hope you’ll take time to read these chapters and hear God say to you, “Here I am! Here I am!” Whether you’ve never repented, or if you call yourself a Christian yet hold onto sin, run into the open arms of your Savior and let Him do what He died to do.

Right now, God is bending down and opening His arms to you. Arms open wide! Run! Jump! You won’t be sorry.

By His Stripes We Are Healed

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Isaiah 53

First let me say God is the Great Physician. If there is healing of any kind, it comes from God. From that hangnail that annoys us, to broken bones, to cancer, when healing occurs it’s because God heals.

But Jesus didn’t suffer and die to heal our physical ailments. There was no need. God was and continues to be the Healer.

Isaiah 53:5 is often quoted out of context to say our physical bodies ought to be healthy because Jesus took a beating. But that is NOT what God is saying here. Read it for yourself. Start with verse one and read through to the end of the chapter. It clearly says Jesus suffered and died for our sin, our iniquity, transgressions, our griefs and sorrows. He was crushed when his soul made an offering for our guilt. He bore our iniquities so we can receive His righteousness.

There is no mention of any physical ailment. None. Jesus didn’t go to the cross so He could knit our bones back together or shrink that tumor. He has been doing those things from the beginning. He continues to do those things today.

What He did on that cross was so much more important than healing these bodies of ours that will one day die. Jesus died once and for all so that our sins can be forgiven, so that our sin-sick hearts can be healed. By his stripes, those wounds that he incurred at the hands of his captors, we are healed from the fatal disease of sin.

Let’s praise God for taking care of our physical bodies. But let’s not claim that the cross was anything less than the price you and I deserved to pay for our sin. The cross, and everything that Jesus endured to get there, was about our need of a Savior. By His stripes we are indeed healed, the eternal healing of our souls.

Not Without You

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Isaiah 33-37

The King of Assyria’s representative stood before the people of Israel and threatened them using half-truths, mocking them for their faith in God. Assyria was a strong nation, a very real threat with the power to destroy nations. In fact, they had destroyed many cities and nations, now had set their sights on Jerusalem. The Assyrians believed they were unstoppable. In a sense, they were.

No other nation had been able to stand against them. On the other hand, no other nation had God on their side, either.

We, the Church, have what many think is an unstoppable enemy. So far this enemy has conquered academia, medicine, governments, banking, morality, churches, the media, parents and families. Our enemy’s representatives threaten us with half-truths and mock us for our faith in God. They believe they are unstoppable. And in a sense they are.

But their god of self will never defeat a people whose God is the Lord.

Hezekiah heard the threats and didn’t ignore them. He didn’t hide in the safety of his comfortable home. He took it to God, with humility and trust.

If my people, who are called by name, (that’s you who wear the Name of Christ by calling yourself a Christian) will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (1 Chronicles 7:14)

When you look at the state of our world, are you ready to cash it in? You’ve got your ticket to heaven. Are you praying God will just come back and end it all?

Or are you willing to humble yourself, repent of your sin, turn from your wickedness, and obey God by standing firm on the Truth that is Scripture, by voting, shopping, supporting causes that align with God’s Word? Will you quit being silent and start being His voice, His hands and feet, making disciples of people who need Him, in a world that is lost without Him?

God will save our land. But not without you.

Moving The Boundaries

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Hosea 1-6

God is condemning the Jews for their unfaithfulness. He paints a real-life object lesson through the prophet Hosea. So much of what God is accusing the Jews of, I see in our world today.

But God isn’t condemning the world here in Hosea. He’s condemning His own children. In today’s terms, He’s condemning the Church.

One of the things that spoke to me is found in 5:10. I believe God has established boundaries for the Church in the same way He established boundaries for the OT Jews. Are we as guilty as they of moving those boundaries? Haven’t we convinced ourselves we have to adjust the boundaries in order to be relevant to society in 2023?

Our pastor spoke about the dangers of compromise last Sunday. Maybe that’s what got me thinking about this today. I’m thinking we are moving boundaries when we compromise.

First of all, we need to survey the land so we know where the boundaries are set. We do that by reading God’s Word. Too many of us read what people say about God’s Word, and neglect our personal responsibility to read Scripture ourselves. Do you know where God has set the boundaries on marriage, parenting, obedience, sexuality, self, sin, and salvation? What are God’s boundaries around worship, Truth, Jesus, eternity? Get out your Bibles and survey the land.

Secondly, once we know those boundaries according to Scripture, we’d better let them be. The property line between you and your neighbor isn’t fluid. Infringing, or moving the boundaries because you’d be happier with a few more feet of land, is against the law and there are consequences to be paid for breaking the law.

Read what God says to us through Hosea. Moving the boundaries God has set invites His wrath to be poured out like water. Chew on that a minute. If you recognize your own tendency to push on a boundary or two, confess it and repent of it. If you recognize your church pushing on a boundary or two, speak up. Demand adherence to that boundary. Don’t just sit idly by and invite God’s wrath.

God has set boundaries, not to make life difficult for us, but to make life better, freer, blessed by Him. Life gets difficult when we try to move those boundaries. (by the way, God calls that sin).

Don’t have any part in moving the boundaries God has established, either in your personal life or in your family or in your church. He’s warning us today that moving the boundaries comes with serious consequences..

Shared Privilege

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2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16

They were all Jewish. Sure, they “identified” as either from Israel or from Judah, but they were all related by blood. They shared a history. They shared God. Yet these brothers were’t just estranged, they became bitter enemies.

As Christians, we are the Church. We “identify” as Baptist, Methodist, etc., but we are all related by the blood of our Savior Jesus. We share a history. We share God. Yet there are those who would make us enemies.

As Christians, we are the Church. Some of us “identify” as conservative, others progressive. Some call themselves traditional, others call themselves contemporary. And there are those who would like to see those differences render us bitter enemies.

If the Church ever needed to put aside certain preferences, I think it’s today. I’m not talking about compromising our stand on sin, or God’s holiness, or Biblical Truth, the cross or eternity. But maybe it’s time we quit fighting among ourselves, set aside pride or denominational allegiance, and pick up the cross – the Gospel – and follow Jesus loud and strong.

The world needs the Church. And as the Church, we have the privilege of being ambassadors for Christ, the bearers of the Good News, and the only hope for the world.

Let’s BE the Church!