A few weeks ago I had a shift in what I was called preach;
in the past I was being led to teach love of our fellow man, the unsaved in our
world who need desperately to hear of God’s Love before it is too late. I was saddened by how many who have turned
away from God because of the harsh treatment they have received from those who
call themselves loving Christians. That view still stands – we must represent
God, Jesus so they will be drawn to us.
A few months ago, while away on a training exercise I had
extra time to spend in prayer and commune with God. I am seeing a drastic shift in our country, a
shift further and further away from the Truth – the Truth of Christ and sadly
it is those who have chosen to call themselves Christians who are allowing it
to happen. We are more vocal about the
threat of losing our right to bear arms than we are about the fact that God is
almost gone from our country, the true reason for all that is wrong. In those
quiet times I had with God while in the high desert of Washington State it
became apparent that I must pick up the "Staff" of my role as Pastor and speak
Truth to those who feel comfortable in their faith rather than truly being a
follower of Christ. For some that faith
that you have will kill you
You see one of the marks of our church is the sole satisfaction
found in a relationship with God – anything else does not satisfy. In fact if God is not the center of your
life, your pleasure, your happiness, your relationships then I ask that you
question your true faith - is it in Him or yourself. The Biblical Truth is that God is most
glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. The basis for this is deep,
and the implications are as high as heaven and as long as eternity (salvation and death).
It is like what Paul writes in Philippians 1:20-21; his “eager expectation and hope is that I (he) will not be ashamed about anything,
but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my
body, whether by life or by death”. His passion is that Christ be magnified in
his death. Paul’s explanation is that for him “death is gain.” The reason death
is gain is that to die is “to depart and be with Christ” (verse 23). You cannot have that kind of faith if you do not find full
satisfaction in Christ alone. In believing that Christ is magnified by your being
so satisfied in Him that leaving everything else behind in death is not loss
but gain. So Paul says in Philippians 3:8, “I count everything as loss because
of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
The implications of this are extreme; that we should pursue
our joy in God - Should! Not may. The main business of our hearts is maximizing
our satisfaction in God. Not our satisfaction in his gifts, no matter how good,
but in him.
Some Scripture and principles as to why this shift in our
daily lives is necessary
We are commanded to pursue satisfaction - Psalm 100:2: “Serve
the Lord with gladness!” Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Psalm
37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord.”
We are threatened if we don’t pursue satisfaction in God - Deuteronomy
28:47-48: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and
gladness of heart . . . therefore you shall serve your enemies.”
The nature of faith teaches the pursuit of satisfaction in
God; Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever
would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who seek him.”
The nature of evil teaches the pursuit of satisfaction in
God - Jeremiah 2:12-13: “Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly
desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have
forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for
themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
The nature of conversion teaches the pursuit of satisfaction
in God - Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a
field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field.”
The call for self-denial teaches the pursuit of satisfaction
in God - Mark 8:34-36: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what
does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
The demand to love people teaches the pursuit of
satisfaction in God - Hebrews 12:2: “For the joy that was set before him [Jesus]
endured the cross.” Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
The demand to glorify God teaches the pursuit of
satisfaction in God - Philippians 1:20-21: “It is my eager expectation and hope
that . . . Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (final and total satisfaction
in him).
This is why my last sermon was offensive to some;
To have your faith,
your eternal salvation questioned is only offensive to those who hold closer
their personal pursuits and personal satisfaction over satisfaction that only
comes from God.
I must also admit that my current and future teachings have a
personal eternity at stake, you see the Bible says that the “Teacher” will
answer to a higher standard in the end (James 3:1). If I do not call upon you to repent and turn
solely to God then I will also answer for it, and my heart will break for those
of you who do not and perish rather than spend eternity in Heaven with our Lord
Over the course of this series – and it may be a series that
lasts the rest of my life – I will expand on the many areas of our lives that
we must make HIS. Many of these posts
will be my sermon for the week, many will be extra. But I am in prayer that God will give me all
of them and that you, family, friends, will hear and make sure your salvation
is secure.
Perhaps if we all become more
stalwart in our Faith then maybe there will be shift in our country and America
will remain “One Nation Under God” – perhaps even God will give us more time to
draw more people to Him before the end (the end for those who do not KNOW Him).
God Bless
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