“According to my convictions!” – Part 1

“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart” – Joshua 14:7 (NASB)

The NIV says that Caleb brought back a report according to his conviction.  Would to God that we would get some of that!  In Kadesh Barnea, twelve men were sent out for one purpose : to spy out the land that God had given (Numbers 13:1).  I emphasize that last phrase because it seems that ten of the twelve seem to have forgotten it, and it would seem that their error diverted an untold number of God’s people from receiving God’s promise (cf Josh 14:8).  The Bible says that they caused the hearts of the people to melt with fear.  Think of it-as a result they turned the people away from the testimony of God!

Caleb, however, came back with a report “according to his conviction.”  Praise God, it was not according to his fear of danger or according to his personal aspirations.  He didn’t even bring back the report according to his observations about the land.  No-his report was according to his conviction.  It was according to the closely held belief in his heart that God would be faithful to His own promise.  And as the result he served God with his whole heart for forty years inside the promised land before entreating Joshua to give him the mountain that God said would be his with the testimony on his lips that he was as strong in the end as he had been in the beginning.

Kadesh Barnea means “Wilderness Wanderings.”  It represents aimlessness and the failure to attain to God’s promises.  It’s as though the spies went out from a place of many opinions to choose one and bring it back.  Caleb’s decision was to follow the living God with his whole heart.  Matthew 12:35 says that each man brings forth treasure from his heart according to the nature of his heart.  If his heart is evil, his treasure will be evil; if his heart is good, then his treasure will be good.  So it was with the spies.  Each went in with a certain treasure in his heart, and each brought back that treasure for his kinsmen.  Consequently, each reaped the benefit (or detriment) of that treasure.

Today I just want to ask you question: Where are your convictions?  Right now is a time when opinions are legion.  Everybody has not just one but many, and they don’t mind sharing them.  But where in the world can I find some conviction?

Look: talk is cheap.  You can say anything you want anytime you want-all you need are lips.  It really does not require very much of you.  Revival is not cheap.  If you are going to live for Jesus, you need some convictions.  More importantly, you need to come into the place that your convictions line up with God’s Word.  When the Church gets ahold of some of that type of conviction (or perhaps when she allows it to get ahold of her), we will see revival.

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Proceed to part two.

This series is inspired by the No More Wandering and To Do and To Say sermons.

To Do and To Say – sermon added

Description:

Paul said to the Philippians “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9). He was confident that the life he was living was so reflective of Christ that others could be come into the knowledge of God by emulating him. So many these days want to say “Do as I say, not as I do.” The message seems to be that Christianity is a good idea in the marketplace of ideas, but we Christians are not its representatives.

Contrarily, the testimony of Paul’s life was the same as the testimony of his lips because of his firm convictions. Like Joshua when Joshua spied out the land, Paul was utterly convinced of the Truth, and his life consequently shouted that Truth from the mountaintops. We who name the name of Christ need to give ourselves to Him fully so that both our words and our lives will bear testimony to His Truth.

You can find the whole sermon on the sermon page.

This sermon is also closely related to the No More Wandering sermon.

No More Wandering – Sermon Added

A New Sermon has been added to the sermon page.

Description: In I Cor 4, Paul said that he would come and see not only what the arrogant among them had to say, but what power they had.  The question of Christianity is not in the profession, but in the living.  As James said, faith without works is dead.  So we see that genuine faith causes the lives of believers to change.

Caleb was a man who served God fully, with his whole heart.  His faith was deep-seated, and it did not move even though he spent many years serving God without realizing the promise that had been given to him.  So, too, we should live with the promise of eternity ever before us.  This type of faith will not just change our words, but our actions.  Indeed, we will be transformed to the very nature of Christ.

No Surprise – Elijah Series Pt 5

“At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.  Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this peple may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”  -I Ki 18:36-37

What a scene.  After three years, Elijah has returned to a land parched from a lack of rain.  All day long baal worshippers have been performing satanic rituals in the hopes of dashing this man’s faith (and his God) to the ground.  Those people who have gathered are probably hungry, thirsty, and frustrated.  They have watched their crops an animals, and maybe even loved ones, die.  The simmering discontent of a nation at war with itself and with God has come to a boil as government ordained devil worshippers have raved about the place of sacrifice gushing blood and screaming for fire.  Imagine the spiritual intensity as Elijah prepared his sacrifice.  Now it sits, soaking with water and blood, with an entire nation watching–not to mention the entire heavenly host and the horde of hell.

Elijah stands now, doing what?  It should come as no surprise.  He is praying.

He stands as an iconoclast with his face like flint.  Single-handedly, he has shaken a nation whoring after false gods.  Without campaign, without a following, without reputation, without even knowing where his next meal would come from, he tears down the stronghold of the devil.  And without one other thing–without flinching.  He wages a one-man war against powers and principalities; he holds back the forces of nature, he rebuilds the altar of the Lord.  He is a prophet, a visionary a warrior.

How?

He has only one weapon.  How can a man shake the very foundations of his nation?  How can he bring about a national revival?  How can he destroy the works of darkness and build up the Kingdom of God?

It should come as no surprise…

The thief and the Life – Ripped Off Part 2

“The thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy; but I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” -John 10:10

Let’s face it : we have been ripped off.  The reality of it is that we can either pretend that what we have is abundant life or we can admit that we have been robbed.  If we have abundant life, that’s wonderful.  My purpose is not to accuse you of anything.  I just want to honestly evaluate the lives we live.

Erlo Stegen in his book “Revival Among the Zulus” discusses reaching the point where he and his congregation in Mapumulo, South Africa faced John 7:38 with an honest heart (“He who believes in me as the scripture has said, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water”).  They did not consider themselves to be highly intelligent or educated people; neither did they have a great theological background to pull on.  However, they knew the power of a river–even a very small river could provide life-giving sustenance for an agricultural community, but Jesus did not mention only one small river.  He said “from His innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”  They asked themselves “Are there such rivers of living water flowing out of our lives” and had to answer “No! (p15).

Of revival, Stegen said, “When I speak of revival, I’m not talking about revival meetings. I’m talking about when God Himself rends the heavens and comes down into our midst, and every person there is conscious of the presence of the living God.”

Honestly, are we experiencing this?  Or have we been ripped off?

And if we have been ripped off, why?  What can we do about it?  We may accuse Jesus of not really having given us the abundant life that he claims to have given us.  We may accuse Him of lying when He said “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”  Perhaps we can point at the thief and say “He took it.  It is his fault I am not living the abundant life.  He stole it from me.”  We might be right, but we will not make any progress by doing so.

In part one, I pointed out that Israel was ripped off because though they had been granted physical freedom, they were not free from Egypt in their hearts.  God had to take them to a place called Pi-Ha Hi’Roth, hemmed in by rock walls between the advancing Egyptian army and the Red Sea so that he could deliver them from that bondage.  Only in facing their areas of bondage and completely eliminating the ties to the past that kept them from complete surrender to the Living God could they come free.

And there’s the rub.

Once again, it boils down to this: repent!  We may hate that we are being robbed but the plain truth of the matter is that we are keeping the thief in our lives on purpose.  If we have any beloved sin that we will not renounce, we keep a door open for the devil to come in to our lives and destroy our Christian freedom.  When we hold on to old mindsets we may as well be giving him the keys to our house.  The thief comes ONLY to steal, kill, and destroy!  Compromise is not an option.  It can never be an option!  Any concession given to the devil is a sinkhole under your foundation.

Stegen also had to come to the place where he would allow God to work on his own life before Revival could come to his people.  He wrote: “Then God began working on the greatest sinner in that congregation. It was the preacher, it was I!”  The Holy Ghost is always after the hidden sins in our lives.  He is always after us first.  He takes us by the hand and says “It is you that I am after.  If you will give me yourself, I can use you to reach others, but first you must give up what you are holding onto and surrender.”

There is good news!  Though the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly.  If we will come to Him, He is willing and able to end the destruction.  We can trade in the counterfeit for a vibrant reality, if we will humble ourselves and repent.

Let us do so.

Pi-Ha Hi’Roth – Sermon Added

A new sermon has been added to the Sermon Page.

While there is yet the thought of returning to Egypt within Israel, they are not free.  Thus, God leads them to a place called Pi-Ha Hi’Roth where they absolutely must be totally separated from Egypt to survive.  Though they face what appear to be terrible circumstances and imminent death, God’s greater purpose is their total freedom.

In the same way, believers in Christ are ripped off by the devil because they still harbor the thought of returning to the old ways.  As long as they are not totally separated from their old ways of thinking and patterns of sin they do not experience the fullness of God’s salvation.  Christians must abandon all else and submit themselves to God in faith and obedience in order to stop being ripped off.

The primary passage is Exodus 14.

This sermon, although complete in itself, is a follow up to the Ripped Off sermon.

You have been ripped off – Part 1

These are some reflections after listening to the Ripped Off sermon.

“Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness” -Exodus 14:11

As Israel stood before the Red Sea in Exodus 14, they faced the possibility of death by the hands of Pharoah and the fact that they did not have faith in the God that saves.  Although they had witnessed numerous powerful, demonstrative miracles, their fear was much greater than their faith.  The truth of the matter was that God had already granted them freedom.  They were saved from the moment God said “I have heard their cries.  I will answer.”  But their salvation was not salvation, because in their own hearts Egypt was still much greater than deliverance.

Though they had been set free (delivered, saved, liberated!), they were not free.  They were still bound.

They were ripped off.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” -John 10:11

Don’t be deceived-there is a thief who desires nothing except to destroy everything you are.  The Israelites failed to realize that the God of Abraham was giving them liberty because they had been robbed.  The devil, though he could not keep them as slaves in physical bondage, was able to keep them enslaved in their hearts–and they did not even realize it.

Look around western Christendom for just a minute, and see if we haven’t been ripped off.

Revival once meant resurrection from the dead for people in shambles: the lost being saved; the bound being set free; communities being changed by the transforming Light of Christ.  Now what is revival?  Or better, where is revival?  I mean, some of what passes for “revival” these days has got to make your stomach turn.

Revival has been ripped off.

Grace used to teach men to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions-instructing them to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-12).  Now grace is the catchword for carnal christianity.  Drunkenness, unrighteousness, and ungodliness are all excused under the banner of what the has been called “grace.”

Grace has been ripped off.

Even salvation seems to have been cheapened in too many churches.  Where is the abundant life Jesus spoke of?  Yes we are “saved” but, but saved from what?  Saved from fear?  From worry?  Jealousy?  Are we saved from sin?  Are we saved from wrong mindsets?  Does salvation mean anything other than going to heaven someday?  Does Romans 5:10 mean anything?

Even salvation has been ripped off.

So it was with Israel, and so it is with us.  Liberty is not liberty; grace is not grace; and salvation is not salvation.  Where is our abundant Life?  Where is the fruit of the Spirit?  Where is the fullness of salvation?

We have been ripped off, and it’s time we changed it.

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Proceed to Part 2 – The Thief and the Life

Ripped Off – Sermon Added

A New Sermon has been added to the Sermon Page.

Israel was ripped off. Although their freedom had been granted by Pharoah, they were not free. Although deliverance had come, they were not delivered. Although the Lord had provided liberty, their hearts were still enslaved. Their salvation had been ripped off by the old mindsets that had gripped their hearts in Egypt. So, too, many Christians have been ripped off. Families, finances, spirituality, marriages, friendships, and spiritual health are all casualties as Christians are defeated in these and other areas because of entrenched wrong mindsets and because of their willingness to make concessions to the devil. But God has a proclamation and an answer-He has provided a full salvation for any who will obey the Scriptural mandate to repent and follow Him. “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His Name.”

Primary passages are Exodus 14 & 15.

The God Who Answers By Fire – Elijah Series Pt 4

“The God who answers by fire, He is God.”  -I Kings 18:24

Offerings mean nothing without Fire.  We can be a people entirely separate from the world, but until we are separated TO God, it means nothing.  Is your life clean, today?  Wonderful.  Now pray for fire.  The first requirement for sacrifice is that the subject of the sacrifice be pure.  Second, however, comes the fire.

In America, we are building armies of corpses.  Somehow we have swallowed the deception that the size of the army is more important than the size of the fight in the army.  I’d trade a whole brigade of these lifeless soldiers for one man with a torch.  Somewhere along the way we forgot that it only takes a spark to start a fire–but it does take a spark.  We have heaps and heaps of kindling, but no ignition.  Oh, for a flamethrower at a time like this….Or just a matchstick.

Radiant Reflections – Isaiah 55

Here are some notes from the Radiant Reflections Sermon.

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” -Isaiah 55:7

There are two categories of people identified in this verse who need to take action: ⁽¹⁾Those with unrighteous thoughts, and ⁽²⁾Those with wicked ways. There is one prescription for them both:

Forsake (verb):

1. to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert
2. to give up or renounce (a habit, way of life, etc.)

In a word: Repent!  Turn your back and never go back.  And do not be deceived, for unbelief, faithlessness, jealousy, spitefulness, and all the like are unrighteousness.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud…so shall my word be that goeth forth from My mouth” – Isaiah 55:9-11

God’s desire is to bring forth fruit in the lives of His people.  It is not His desire that our thoughts be so low-that is why He commands us to forsake our wicked ways and our unrighteous thoughts.  “For He will abundantly pardon!”  He sends forth His word to bring us into the place of agreement, that we might be like Him.  That our ways might become His ways, and that we would choose His thoughts.  He desires Revival.  That’s the whole point – true revival is forever entertwined with genuine repentance.

Because God wants a reflection of His glory in the lives of men and women who have been redeemed.