I was thinking about forgiveness today and how so many people allow themselves to buy into the lies of the enemy that you can be too far gone for God to forgive you.  I've met many people over the years who think their sins...and they've run the gamut...are too much for even God to forgive.  It's especially hard when someone had been a professing believer and active for the Kingdom and then fell away because of some incident, addiction or struggle.

It's understandable when someone feels that way because we as humans tend to think there are something that are unforgivable.  It can be something considered horrible by many like a rape or murder down to someone cheating on a spouse or stealing tools from someone else's garage.  Eventually there's something out there that you think you just can't forgive. 

Yet, look at the example God gives to us in Christ:

"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?"  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." - Matthew 18:21-22 (ESV)

Now, someone could get picky and count to 491 and say "that's it" but the point Jesus is making is that forgiveness is a process that we are not to end.  Jesus himself is the example of it!  If Jesus himself forgives us every time we sin and repent of our sin then there's no way we can not forgive others.

The best part?  He always forgives us if we repent AND He rejoices when we repent!

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." - Luke 15:7 (ESV)

So the next time you feel the weight of the world on you and feel like there's nowhere to go because of your sins remember that Jesus set the example and that example is forgiveness for the repentant every time.

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Being a little sarcastic by nature, I see the biting satire that is contained within the pages of the Bible.  There are many places where if you stop to really look at it you have to laugh at the word choices used and the lessons that come through them.

For example:

"They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass." - Psalms 106:19-20 (ESV)

If you look on the surface it seems like a straightforward description of what was happening at the time.  If you look deeper, you can see a whole level of sarcastic wit coming through by pointing out the absurdity of man throwing away the God of creation for an animal (created by God) that eats grass (also created by God.)  You have to ask yourself how anyone could really take God and put Him behind an animal in that manner.

Then you stop and look at all the things we today put ahead of God.  Television.  Music.  Video Games.  Church commitments.  Pedicures.  Gossiping with neighbors.  Bingo. 

Are we any more absurd today?

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I know I normally only post Monday through Friday but I felt God tell me to write this today.  So I hope some of you check in during the weekend!

This verse just jumped off the page to me after God said to look for "life" inside His book...

"And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." - 1 John 5:11 (ESV)

I've been around some people professing to be Christians who are trying to make people believe that everyone goes to heaven and that a profession of Christ while on Earth isn't necessary to get there.  As I read that verse, it just reaffirms to me that God made it very clear that unless you are in Jesus...in other words, unless you've professed your faith in Him and made Him your Lord...you cannot have eternal life.  (In this passage, eternal life is referring to eternity in heaven.)

Eternal life is in Jesus.  Jesus only.

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I was remembering the old joke about the pastor who moves to a new town.  He goes visiting neighbors and came to the house of a young widow.  He knocks on the door three times and finally leaves his card with a notation of "Revelation 3:20"...

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock." (ESV)

That Sunday the young widow comes up to the pastor after the service and hands him a note.  The pastor reads it after everyone had left and laughs because all the note says is "Genesis 3:10."  That verse is...

"And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”" (ESV)

As I was laughing, I had a thought about that last verse when Adam was hiding from God.  God knew everything but Adam was afraid because he was left with nothing to hide behind and God could see everything.  Adam's response?  Run from God and hide.

How often in our lives do we do the same thing?  We have some sin that we've committed that we know is wrong and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  God already knows what we've done and there's nowhere we can run and hide.  Yet like the widow when the Pastor came knocking we want to run and hide because we're left completely exposed in front of God.

I think we should get to the point where we can rejoice in being naked in front of God.  The ultimate fellowship we can have with the Lord is to have no secrets and to know beyond any doubt that He knows we're going to stumble in our lives but that He loves us and will never leave us or forsake us.  There is no reason to be like Adam and run.  It sounds a little silly but I think we all should strive to be naked for God.

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The temptation to try and smear someone you don't like is always around you.  The Bible, of course, is very clear about what God's position is concerning spreading lies and rumors and innuendos about brothers and sisters in Christ.

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish." - Proverbs 19:9 (ESV)

The problem is that sometimes we think we're not bearing false witness because we're not "telling lies" about someone.  False witness can be more than just telling a straightforward lie about someone. 

For example, I know recently of someone who was trying to create the impression that a fellow believer was causing dissension among the body of believers to which they both belonged.  They would say things to make people question whether or not there was a problem involving this fellow believer whom they did not like.  The person making the innuendo felt justified because they never actually came out and said anything false but instead just created an atmosphere where people started to question the situation when there was nothing to question.

That's as much being a false witness as if this person had just come out and said "there are five hundred people with a problem over this."  Leaving a false impression to discredit a brother or sister in Christ is as much a sinful activity as straightforward bearing of false witness.

Ultimately, the fruit of that labor will return to the person who is bearing any kind of false witness.  The light of truth will shine through and people will realize what is going on and then accountability will come to bear.  So why put yourself in the situation where you have to later make excuses for your actions or try to bluff out of a situation where you've been caught making things look different than reality? 

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When it comes to our walk with Christ, do you allow yourself to be weighed down by laws that aren't where we are to walk with the Spirit of God? 

"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit." - Romans 7:6 (ESV)

Sometimes it's so easy for a Christian or a church to get so wrapped up in the law that we forget we live under grace.  All of Jesus' teachings to clarify the law did nothing but reinforce how we cannot meet all the obligations of the law.  Only one person walked this Earth who could meet all the law...Jesus himself. 

Now that Jesus paid the price for our sins, we don't have to focus on the law and the prophets because Jesus covered that for us.  We're to focus on Him and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into righteousness and fellowship with Christ.  If we do that, the sin that comes in through the law becomes even more distasteful to us and we find ourselves falling more into line with the law than when we are focused on the law and not Jesus.

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I know that a lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea of spiritual warfare and try to do their best to avoid the whole subject.  The idea that we are in a war with the prince of this world is usually colored by our distaste for war on the Earth and all the unpleasant circumstances that surround it.  We think of families who lose their sons and daughters or have them return from war wounded physically or emotionally. 

We don't want to think that we are in that kind of situation.  We are.

The difference between a war on this Earth and the war between believers and Satan's minions is that in the end, we win.  It may hurt, we may face pain like betrayal of friends or people who are claiming to be Christians who seem focused on only hurting others for their own gain or other similar situation.  Still, in the end, we win.

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:57 (ESV)

Not a chance at victory...but victory.  So when you're facing hard times realize at the end of the day those who are persecuting you under the hand of Satan or who are working to cause pain because they're more interested in their own personal gain or easing their own personal demons will not win and will answer to God.  Take some peace and heart knowing that in the end you win.

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One of the things as believers we need to keep in mind is that we have false teachers and false doctrine and false beliefs that are all around us.  Sometimes these false teachings will be wrapped up in pretty paper that seems like it's based in solid Biblical fact when in reality it conflicts with the Word of God.  I'm not talking about gray areas where a Scripture might be debatable...I'm talking about places where people profess Christ and then say that everyone's going to get into heaven regardless if they accept Christ as Lord or not.  If we're not careful, we'll end up flying blind into deception.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already." - 1 John 4:1-3 (ESV)

Remember that the basis for our faith as Christians is a belief that CHRIST is the only way to eternal life with God.  If you reject Him then you are rejecting the only atonement for your sins and you will not be seen as blameless on the day of judgment because Jesus won't step in and tell the Father to look on Him.

So if you're dealing with someone who is trying to teach about Jesus and the Christian faith a good first place to start is to ask them about salvation through Jesus alone.  If they can't accept this...

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

...then you need to question what you are being taught by that teacher.

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We spend so much time talking about Jesus and what he did in the Bible that I wonder if we can truly grasp the awesome majesty that surrounded Him during his time on Earth.  We know of the raising of the dead, the water to wine and bringing sight to the blind.  We see little incidents here and there which taken as a whole are so amazing that they leave you stunned.

However....

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." - John 21:25 (ESV)

Think about that for a minute.  John is saying that beyond the miracles written in the Gospels that we hear about on Sunday mornings or take the time to read that Jesus performed so many more that the world couldn't handle the number of books that could be written.  This also means that there were many situations that Jesus faced and dealt with that we will never know about and could cover a wide range of issues that some say "Jesus never talked about."

So on this Friday take a moment and look at Jesus through John's lens.  A Jesus that did so many miracles and miraculous things that enough books couldn't be written to get them all down for later reading.  If Jesus was that awesome then He is just as awesome now.

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One of the favorite excuses I hear when someone is challenged on a sin in their life for which they refuse to repent is "well, everyone sins and this is just the thorn in my flesh."  They seem to think that just because all of us are human and therefore will sin through our day it means we shouldn't try to avoid sin in all circumstances.

"Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." - 1 John 2:4 (ESV)

Now, God knows it's impossible for us to keep all the commandments otherwise there would have been no need for Jesus to die for our sins.  However, we are to strive to do exactly that to which we've been called and in this verse it's a reminded to keep His commandments. 

There is no way we can say we know the truth of Christ if we willingly avoid the commands that Christ has given us to live our lives. 

Now, to be clear, that's not saying that we don't know truth because we sin.  I'm referring to intentional sinning.  Knowing that you're doing the wrong thing, feeling the conviction of it but still going forward and doing it.  If you truly love Christ and believe He is the way, the truth and the life then you cannot willingly continue in a state of sin.

So are you a liar?

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In a follow up to my "Hell?  Yes." blog, I wanted to clarify for some that hell is eternal.

"the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." - Revelation 20:10 (ESV)

So we have a clear picture from the Lord of a lake of fire and sulfur where we have the beast and false prophet being tormented for eternity.  Have you ever taken a drink of a hot beverage that was freshly poured and had it scald your mouth?  The pain of that feeling?  Well, this fire the beast and false prophet will be facing is a thousand times as intense and continual over all their bodies. 

As humans if we faced fire like that we'd mercifully have death take the pain away quickly...unless we ended up facing eternity there.  Some would have you believe this isn't the case but we'll get to that later.

"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:14 (ESV)

So now death is thrown into the fire and this is the second death...a final death. 

Now, we're all probably in favor of Satan, the false prophet, Death and Hades being thrown into that fire.  They're all bad folks.  However, the next verse spells something out very clear that certain individuals are trying to distort and hide in any way possible.

"And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:15 (ESV)

How do you get your name in the book of life?  By accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, professing Him as Lord and seeking to serve Him with all your heart.  This is something you have to do while you are still alive and breathing and able to cognatively recognize Jesus as Lord.  It's not something that can happen after you're already dead because at that point it's too late.  You're taken to judgment and if your name isn't in the book of life on Judgment Day then you're thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his minions.  Do you want to be there?

So while it's hip and trendy to claim that everyone goes to heaven and it certainly will win you a lot of friends versus telling them there is only one way to eternal life and that's through faith in Christ it's also not a Biblically solid ground upon which to stand.  Hell is real, it is eternal and it is waiting for those who do not accept Christ as their Savior while on this Earth. 

So now that we know this...can you really sit by and let those you love go there? 

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Recently, I've run across someone trying to make the claim that no one is going to hell because Jesus loves everyone regardless of whether they accept Him or not.  He's very adamant in his beliefs and takes every possible opportunity to push that belief on others despite the fact there is no Biblical basis for it.

Jesus speaks clearly of hell in Matthew 25:41:

"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (ESV)

So Jesus tells of the place prepared for the devil and his angels...a cursed place full of eternal fire.  Eternal means forever...it's not a temporary location. 

"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:46 (ESV)

So Jesus spoke of eternal torment for those who are not righteous (i.e. those who have accepted Christ as Savior.)  If Jesus was going to "save everyone" as some are professing then there would be no need for Jesus to speak of those who would be spending eternity in punishment.

Fortunately, Jesus paid the price for us so that we do not spend eternity in torment.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 (ESV)

The key that you have to realize is that it says "whoever believes in" Jesus.  So if you don't believe, you go to hell.  I wish I could say that everyone goes to heaven but it's just not Scriptural to do it. 

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" - John 8:32 (ESV)

I love that verse.

So many people take that verse and apply it to people telling the truth in their own lives and because they finally admit long hidden secrets they can move on from them.  Sometimes those truths coming to light cause more pain and struggle than you would think it's worth but there is a kind of freedom that comes from having no secrets.

However, that verse isn't really talking about exposing the secrets in your own life as much as it's talking about knowing the truth of Jesus Christ.  We face so many burdens during the living of our lives that without something to give us hope for the future it can seem like there is nothing worth living.  We end up chasing "stuff" and seeking to find pleasure in any way without realizing there is something more to this life and reason for us to be created.  Once we find out that truth, we are truly set free of the bonds of "stuff" and sin and death. 

Today, take the time to look at that freedom in Christ.  Realize who you are and what it really means to be forgiven as we have been forgiven.  If you take the time to think deeply about the real truth you will see freedom beyond your imagination.

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A quick hit on a Friday...

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22 (ESV)

So what have you done today?

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There is a man who lives in a town about an hour from me who in the eyes of the world is wealthy in ways many people would dream of attaining.  He had a very successful business and when he sold it make tens of millions of dollars which he promptly put into the bank.  What shocks people when they find out he's "so loaded" is that he lives in a modest two-bedroom house and doesn't drive a fancy new car.  If you didn't know he had a bank account with nine digits to the left of the decimal point you'd never guess it.

I know another woman who wants you to think she's making the big dough.  She lives in a house close to 4,000 square feet.  She has a new vehicle and always has new clothes freshly bought from Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug.  She struts around town and acts as if she's the hottest thing since fire and puts off the atmosphere that everything is wonderful.  If you looked closely, you would see that she is in debt up to her eyeballs and she's barely keeping that life going and facing stress like you cannot imagine.

"One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." - Proverbs 13:7 (ESV)

On the surface, it may seem like the major difference between the two is the size of their bank accounts and how they live their lives.  However, it goes much deeper and brings a double meaning to that passage from Proverbs.  The rich man has spent the last twenty years of his life taking his wealth to build churches, fund mission trips and quietly help people in need throughout his community.  The woman who's doing all she can to appear rich in the eyes of the world rarely attends church, never gives back to her community and takes as much as possible.

While that Proverb can be taken literally when it comes to money and the way we try to present our financial state to world, I hope you can see how it applies to our spiritual life as well.  How often have you seen someone running around pretending to be a spiritual leader or a Christian who has it all together but in reality they haven't spent a minute praying alone in years?  At the same time, how often have you seen a man or woman who quietly does things to help neighbors in their community without putting the spotlight on themselves?

Being a Christian is more than having people notice that you're a Christian.  Being a Christian is the things you do when the eyes of the world are looking in another direction.  It's better to be seen as poor in the eyes of the world but be storing up riches in heaven.

So how does the world view you?

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I saw a picture on the internet today of Jesus kneeling before Osama Bin Laden, Hillary Clinton and others who are or perceived to be by some groups enemies of Christianity.  Jesus was washing their feet while the caption asked if we could handle having a Savior who would serve others in that manner.

"To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”" - Romans 12:20 (ESV)

As a Christian, we have no choice but to believe our Savior would do that exact thing because He commands us to do it.  The problem is that way too many Christians equate showing compassion on your "enemy" with giving into someone else's beliefs or not standing up for Christ because you're afraid of offending them. 

Let me be clear...if someone's in need you help them.  It doesn't matter if they're Billy Graham or the biggest, drug-infested, AIDS-infected prostitute to ever work the south side of Chicago.  If someone is in need of the love of Christ through our hands and feet then we go.  If someone is cursing the name of God to your face but they fall to the ground in need of medical help then you help them.  As a Christian, we have no other choice in the matter.

Jesus never said that being a Christian was easy.  He just said the yoke would be light.  Serving someone in need is very light.  Serving our enemies in need is just as light.

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When you were a child and a letter would arrive in the mailbox from the school for mom and dad...what did you do?  If you were like many kids you'd try to see what was inside it without opening it up so the folks didn't know that's what you were doing.  Usually this meant going into the bathroom, standing on the sink and holding the letter against a light bulb so you could try to read the words inside the envelope.

Why did we do that?  It's because in the intense light all things became clear to us.  We knew what was about to come and what things we would have to do to prepare us for it.  We would know which way to go.

"But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible" - Ephesians 5:13 (ESV)

As a Christian, we have a strong, vibrant, unblinking light in Jesus Christ.  Whatever we face in our lives we can just hold up to that light to see the truth of Christ shining through.  So no matter the situation, no matter what we think is unsurmountable or if we get surprised by life sending us a letter from school we can just hold it up to Jesus and have Him show us what's real and what's not.

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"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

Just a quick word for anyone who is feeling like they're too broken, too damaged, too "far gone" to be able to come back to God.  This is for you if you feel like you have sin hanging on you to the point that even if you turned back to God he would not accept you and tell you to just go to hell right now.

God will restore you.  He will confirm and strengthen you.  No matter how broken you are...no matter how many pieces into which you think your soul has splintered...God can take it all and restore you.

Let Him do it.

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We are in a society where the world tries to tell people they should set up their own sense of right and wrong, their own "wisdom" and that no one has the right to tell them that their views are wrong.  It doesn't matter whether or not the lifestyle choice being expounded upon is correct with the Scriptures of God...the person will say it's right because they feel it's right. 

If you try to talk to someone about their misconceptions, you will likely be met with hostile attitudes.  They'll likely smear you as a person, try to impugn your integrity and they won't stop because they are more interested in being right than looking at truth that might not line up with what they want to believe. 

"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet." - Proverbs 29:9 (ESV)

If you stand for the Word of God you will have people who will rage against what you say because they don't want to accept God's word for what it is.  Now, you would expect this response from someone who does not profess Christ as Lord but it also happens many times within the church as well.  Dogma and theology have reached the point that many put them as precedent ahead of the Word of God itself.

If you are standing for God's Word and making that foremost in what you do and believe then you need to not worry about a fool that wants to smear you or the truth which you are sharing with others.  Your role as a believer is to present the truth and if you've done that then you rest in the peace of knowing you told the truth of God.  It doesn't matter if whoever the fool is just won't let the matter drop or "agree to disagree" on the issue. 

I think of my friends at XXX Church on this issue.  They've gone out into the world to bring truth into some of the darkest places like porn conventions and shows.  They bring the love of God and pure truth into places where you have scoffers that reject Jesus outright.  However, did you realize that most of their biggest critics and enemies are within the church itself?   They mock XXX Church and try to claim they're taking scriptures out of context because they're uncomfortable with the unblinking truth X3 presents to the world.

So if you find yourself dealing with what the Bible calls a fool just stay focused on Christ.  Present the truth without compromise and if someone wants to try and smear you for it then just smile and move on.  Trying to correct them will only cause them to continue to rage harder.

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I was reading through 1 Peter and came across a part of Chapter 3 Verse 11:

"let him seek peace and pursue it." - 1 Peter 3:11 (ESV)

What caught me was that people usually define peace as something outward and having to do with conflict with other people.  Seeking peace can also be something we do internally because we as Christians spend more time wrestling with things inside ourselves than we ever do in conflict with others.

If we seek to be like Christ and to minimize the amount of sin in our lives then we reach a state of peace within ourselves through Christ.  That should be a major pursuit of our lives and not just the external peace with others.  If you have that peace within then you will be able to seek that peace with others. 

Today, seek to calm the storm within so you can ease the storms you see on the horizon.

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We've been discussing rebuking someone when they're in sin.  I've received some comments and nasty messages from some Christians who have taken it upon themselves to set up judgment that what I've written is harmful to the Kingdom and drives people away from Jesus.  They go on and on about how the Holy Spirit does the convicting and how we are to just focus on ourselves and stay out of the way.

Now, these people do not back their views up with Scripture or any kind of proof other than their "feelings."  My view has Scriptural basis and I've tried to lay out a case for people to understand what I've been writing. 

Today I'm doing one last post on the subject (for a while.)  It's going to be blunt, simple, to the point and based solidly in the Word. 

"But he [Jesus] turned and rebuked them." - Luke 9:55 (ESV)

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." - Luke 17:3 (ESV)

Jesus did it and Jesus told us to do it. 

"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." - 1 Peter 2:21 (ESV)

You are to be like Christ as much as possible.  Jesus rebuked in a loving manner but still rebuked people.

So do you want to be like Jesus or not?

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