THE PROFILE OF A LEADER – II Timothy 2:1-7

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, equipping others to teach, God, Jesus, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

William Sangster, a popular preacher and writer of the 1950’s, said this: “The church is painfully in need of leaders.” In the Scriptures God is frequently described as searching for a man of a certain type; not “men”, but “a man”; not a group, but an individual. I Samuel 13:14 says, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart.” In Ezekiel 22:30 God says, “I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap . . . but I found no one.” Are you such a person? What kind of a person is it that God is looking for? In II Timothy 2:1-7, the apostle Paul, after telling Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”, describes such a person by using four images:

I. A TEACHER (verse 2)

In verse 2, the first image Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of a teacher. A college student was having difficulty with his studies so he finally decided to talk to his professor. He complained, “I’m studying hard. I’m doing my best, but I just can’t retain what I read or try to memorize. Do you think it would help if I hired a tutor?”

Clearly understanding the young man’s problem, the instructor replied, “No, I wouldn’t recommend that at all. You don’t need a teacher, you need a pupil!” He knew that learning is increased when we share our knowledge with others.

This professor’s advice reminds us of believers who know many Bible facts but still have a poor understanding of scriptural truths. They attend church every Sunday, listen faithfully to religious broadcasts, and study the Scriptures personally; yet they seem to lack a working knowledge of the Bible. What’s the problem? They never do anything with that information! They don”t need to be taught more; they need to tell others what they have learned. As they put it into practice, they will begin to understand it more fully. That is what Paul said to Timothy in verse 2. The things Paul said were confirmed by many witnesses as being the truth of God. There are many teachers today who compromise the Scriptures so that they are acceptable to the mentality of this age in which we live. Paul is telling Timothy to “entrust” the things he’s learned from him to faithful men. The word “entrust” gives the picture of a precious treasure being placed in the safekeeping of another person. We each have things that we treasure, either because they are expensive or because they have sentimental value. If you were going on a trip, would you hand these items over to a total stranger? No! You would give them to a trusted friend with information on how to care for and protect them. The Gospel is a precious treasure and should be given to “faithful men” who won’t misuse it or abandon it.

The teacher is described in verse 2 as equipping others to teach, not satisfied with just communicating the message. The nature of the Gospel message demands that it be propagated or reproduced in the lives of others. The ultimate goal of the teacher is to see God’s Word passed on to others, and through them to still others. That is the key to reaching this world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

II. A SOLDIER (verses 3-4)

The second image that Paul uses is that of a soldier. You could say that if any apostle was an authority on soldiers, it was the apostle Paul. He had been in prison and chained to soldiers during much of his Christian life. What comes to your minds when you think of a soldier’s life? In verse 3, Paul describes a soldier as one who is willing to suffer hardship. The apostle Paul was a good soldier of Jesus Christ because he suffered for the cause of Christ, and had the scars to prove it. There was a popular saying during World War II: people would often say to each other, “there’s a war on!” It was a reminder to them that hardships were to be expected and accepted.

Fellow Christians, there IS a war on! We, as Christians, are in a war against the world, against our own sinful flesh, and against Satan. Are we willing to accept all the hardship that comes as a result of identifying with the cause of Christ? As modern-day believers, we may not all experience great persecution for our faith, but we do face hardships and trials. Our faith in Christ is not an escape from them, but it does give us the strength to endure them.

In verse 4, Paul says that a soldier is obedient and loyal. The words “on active duty” describe the life of a soldier of Christ as a constant battle. There are no “furloughs” or “vacations” from the Christian life. Constant and complete dedication is needed. A soldier also does not “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life”. A Roman soldier was forbidden to engage in civilian occupations and was told to avoid becoming overly involved in the affairs of the market-place. He was a soldier first and his loyalty was to be to his commander.

The Christian is also to be single-minded. This may mean laying aside certain habits, amusements, pursuits, and maybe even certain relationships, not necessarily because they may be wrong in themselves, but because they may be an entanglement, keeping us from performing our primary responsibilities as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

III. AN ATHLETE (verse 5)

In verse 5, Paul uses the image of an athlete to describe the Christian. The word “competes” comes from two Greek words which were used together to describe a “professional” as opposed to an “amateur” athlete. It was a full-time dedication of one’s life to excellence in the athletic event or events he had chosen. Paul says that the goal of the athlete is to win the prize by “competing according to the rules”. Several athletes in the 1976 olympic games were discovered to have taken prohibited drugs. Their medals were taken away from them. All those years of preparation and hard work were for nothing!

As a Christian leader, the standard is God’s Word, and we have several umpires observing what we do and how we do it. We have the divine umpire, and He doesn’t miss a thing. But we also have the Christians and non-Christians around us. I’ve personally found that some non-Christians will tempt you, test you, argue with you, and antagonize you, but inwardly many of them want you to succeed, to pass their tests, because they want something worth believing, and worth giving themselves to. God is looking for faithful Christians, faithful to Him and to His Word, whatever the cost. And some day we will win the prize when God rewards our faithfulness to Him.

IV. THE FARMER (verses 6 and 7)

The fourth image that Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of the farmer. In verse 6, he describes the farmer as being “hardworking”. The word means working to the point of weariness and exhaustion. As a kid, I remember spending a week with a friend on his parents’ farm. We went to bed early every night and got up really early every morning. His mother made the biggest breakfasts that I have ever seen! There were eggs, pancakes, potatoes, meat, rolls, fruit, and hot cereal. I soon found out why there was so much food. We worked hard after breakfast gathering the eggs, feeding the chickens, cows, horses, and pigs, spraying the weeds, and picking the ripe fruit and vegetables. By lunch time, and also at supper time, I was famished and ate lots of food. After the week was over, I can remember coming home exhausted. Now I knew why their son liked to spend a week with us once in a while!

The farmer must be content to keep working hard, and also to keep waiting. More than any other worker, the farmer has to learn that there is no such thing as quick results. It takes months after the seed is sown and the ground is continually watered and cultivated, that the fruit, vegetables, and grain finally begin to ripen and can be harvested. But all that hard work will finally pay off.

The Christian life is also hard work The Christian too must learn to work hard and also to wait. Often he will sow the seed of God’s Word into the hearts of others and see no immediate results. Sometimes it takes years of sowing and watering before some people respond to the Gospel message and are saved. But we must, like the farmer, keep on working and waiting. The pastor and author, John R.W. Stott, said: “This notion that Christian service is hard work is so unpopular in some happy-go-lucky Christian circles today.”

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Let me summarize the qualities of a good Chrtistian leader. As a teacher, he should be characterized by faithfulness to uphold the truth of God’s Word, and a zeal to see it reproduced in the lives of faithful people, and then passed on to others. As a soldier, he is to be undistracted from his calling and willing to endure anything for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. As an athlete, he is to be above reproach in his actions, attitudes, and methods, both before the eyes of the world and the eyes of God. And as a farmer, he is to work long and hard, trusting God for the harvest to come.

Will you be such a person: the kind of person that God and His church seeks after; the kind of person that this world needs? Will you be able to say confidently to those you are teaching and helping to grow spiritually, what the apostle Paul said in verse 7: “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything”?

A New Year’s Committment

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, discipline, God, habits, Jesus Christ, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve

INTRODUCTION:

If you were to make a list of everything throughout your life that you decided you were going to do but didn’t do it, how long would your list be? Just deciding to do something doesn’t necessarily get it done, does it? There is another necessary ingredient, and that ingredient is mentioned in the Bible in I Timothy 4:7 and other Scripture passages.

I. DISCIPLINE

In I Timothy 4:7-8 the apostle Paul says these words to Timothy: “. . . discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness: for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” The word “discipline” is the Greek word “gymnazo” or “gymnasia”. We get our English word “gymnasium” from that Greek word. The word means “sustained daily effort”. It was a term often used in athletics to refer to a training program or exercise program.

I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, have watched parts of the Olympic games on T.V. We admired those athletes and marveled at their ability to stick to a rigorous training program for years in the hope of winning a medal. Paul is saying here that God wants each of us to apply that same dedication and daily discipline to the goal of “spiritual fitness” or “godliness”. God wants our schedules and our whole lives to be organized around and focused toward the goal of godliness, that is, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that’s a tall order, but whenever God gives a command He also provides the means necessary for us to accomplish it.

II. THE PRACTICE OF DISCIPLINE

So how can we discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness? Two other verses that use the term “gymnazo” give us the key. The first verse uses it in a negative sense, and the second in a positive sense. II Peter 2:14 speaks of a “heart trained in greed”, and Hebrews 5:14 talks about “having your senses trained to discern good and evil”. What do these two passages have in common? They are both talking about habits, the first bad, and the second good. God gave us an amazing capacity that we call a habit. Whenever we do something long enough it becomes a part of us. For example, when you buttoned your shirt or blouse this morning, did you button it from the bottom up or from the top down? Did it take you a moment to remember? Maybe you still don’t remember. That’s because you don’t consciously think about where to begin anymore. It has become a habit. Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have this capacity to form habits? If we had to consciously think through every step of putting on our clothes, eating our food, brushing our teeth, and combing our hair, we would be mentally exhausted before the morning was over!

The bad habits are easy, aren’t they? But good habits take time and consistent effort. Too many people give up because they want change to occur too soon. We live in an age that has instant coffee, instant pudding, instant breakfast, instant messages, and instant just about everything. But there is no such thing as “instant godliness”. Studies have found that it normally takes at least three weeks of daily repetition before a person feels comfortable performing a new task. But many of us don’t continue for even three days. If we don’t receive instant success we often get discouraged and quit. There seem to be two basic philosophies of religion or morality in the world today. One says, “I will live according to my feelings. I will do what I feel like doing”. And the other philosophy says, “I will live as God says”.

III. THE EXAMPLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

That was the apostle Paul’s goal in life. Would you like to be able to honestly say, at the end of your life, what Paul says in II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”? Well, God provides another means necessary for godliness, and I’ve saved it for last so that, hopefully, we’ll remember it if we remember nothing else from this message. It’s found in Philippians 2:12-13. Verse 12 says, “work out your own salvation in fear and trembling”. It doesn’t say, “work for your salvation”, but “live out that daily process of sanctification, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ”. Verse 13 is the key: “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”. The principle here is this: God must work in us before He can work through us. God wants us to obey His command to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness, but at the same time, we must realize that God will increase our desire to become more godly, and He will enable us to accomplish our spiritual growth objectives if we rely on His power.

CONCLUSION: Do you want to be a godly person? Do you want God to use you to accomplish the work He has for you this new year? There are no shortcuts. It comes down to this: the daily prayerful study of God’s Word and consistent obedience to it, applying its principles to all the situations and decisions of our daily lives, and growing in the knowledge of God. May the Lord be with you this new year.

THE RIGHT KIND OF FAITH – James 2:14-26

Bible sermon, dead faith, demonic faith, demons - do they have faith?, Epistle of James sermon, evidence of your saving faith, evidence that you are a Christian, Evidence that you are going to heaven, Faith - which kind do you have?, God's' Word explained and illustrated, good works - why are they necessary?, hell, James 2:14-26, kinds of faith, resurrection of Christ, saving faith - what is it?, sermon on James, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

Someone has said that faith is not “believing in spite of the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences”. When we read Hebrews 11, we meet men and women who acted upon God’s Word, no matter what the price they had to pay. Faith is not some kind of feeling that we work up, but a confidence that God’s Word is true, and that obeying it will bring God’s blessing. What kind of faith really saves a person? Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved? How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith? James answers these questions by explaining to us that there are three kinds of faith, and only one of them is true saving faith.

I. DEAD FAITH (verses 14-17)

In verses 14-17, James talks about dead faith. People with dead faith substitute words for actions. They know all the right words to say during times of prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the Bible, but their actions do not measure up to their talk.

James gives a simple illustration: a poor believer came into a fellowship without proper clothing and in need of food. The person with dead faith noticed the visitor and saw his needs, but he did not do anything to meet those needs. All he did was say a few pious words: “Go in peace, be warm and be filled.” But the visitor went out just as hungry and unclothed as he came in!

In verse 14, James is saying, “Can that kind of faith save him?” What kind? The kind of faith that is never seen in practical works. The answer is “No”! Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. What kind of faith is dead faith? In verse 17, James says “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” True saving faith can never be by itself. It always brings life, and life produces good works.

In a Decision Magazine article, missionary Patrick Harris tells of his son David, who was brain-damaged. When David was very young and his family was home on furlough, many people told them, “We are praying for David.” Patrick and his wife were grateful. But one woman said, “I have Wednesday off. Give me the privilege of taking David out that day to relieve you.” Harris said, “That was what was needed – not only prayer but practical help!” An important part of praying is a willingness to be part of the answer.

II. DEMONIC FAITH (verses 18-19)

Only God can see “faith” in the heart of a person. People see our faith only by our works. Faith is like a seed planted in the ground. It is hidden from view, but if it is a living seed it will soon manifest itself by pushing its stalk up through the soil for all to see. Out of the war comes a story of faith in action. A godly chaplain in the army found a dying soldier on the battlefield, and being anxious about his salvation, he took out his Bible and said, “Shall I read a portion of Scripture for you?” But the soldier replied, “No sir, I am thirsty and need a drink of water.” At the risk of his own life, amid bursting shells, the chaplain went in search of water, and having found some, gave it to the wounded man. Then he asked again, “Shall I read some Scripture to you?” But the man replied, “No thank you, I am so cold. I am almost freezing,” The chaplain removed his own coat and wrapped it around about him, and once more asked with shivering and chattering teeth, “Now may I read to you?” Again the reply was, “No sir, I am too uncomfortable on this rough ground.” The chaplain gently lifted him up and placed him across his knees with his head in his arms and once more asked the same question. “Yes sir”, he replied, “for if what you are going to read can make a man willing to risk his own life like this to ease a dying stranger, I want to hear about it!” And there on the battlefield, he was told about Jesus who died that he might live. This is the gospel in action! This is what the world is looking for today!

Then James says in verse 19, “the demons also believe and shudder.” It comes as a shock to many people that demons have faith! What do they believe? For one thing, they believe in the existence of God. They are not atheists. They also believe in the deity of Christ. Whenever they met Christ when He was on this earth, they bore witness that He was the Son of God. They also believe in the existence of a place of punishment. They live there! Not only that, but they also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge, and they submit to the power of His Word. Yet, knowing all that, they still rebelled against God and were condemned to hell.

In verse 19, the word “shudder” or “tremble” meant to be “rough on the surface”, “to bristle”. It has the idea of making your hair stand on end and goosebumps to appear. That’s the way the demons respond to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ!

III. GENUINE FAITH (verses 20-26)

Dead faith touches only the mind; demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions, but genuine faith also involves the will. The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth, the emotions desire the truth, and the will acts upon the truth. Faith and works go together.

Pastor John MacArthur says it very clearly in his sermon entitled “Living Faith”. Preaching about James 2:21-26, Pastor MacArthur says: “There is a faith in God, there is a faith in Christ, there is a belief of Scripture, there is a belief of the gospel that does not save from hell. . . . It is possible to believe in God, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to even believe that what Christ did He actually did, to affirm the cross and the resurrection and never be delivered from sin and never be given eternal life. This is what James would call ‘dead faith’.” That’s what he called it in verse 17, and now he says it again in verse 20 and again in verse 26.

In verse 20, James responds to the unwillingness of his readers to recognize the connection between faith and works. He says: “You foolish fellow”. The Greek word can be translated “empty” in the sense that they are “without spiritual life”. James goes on to say, “Can’t you see that faith without works is useless”? The Greek word “arge” means “barren”, “unproductive”. Faith that fails to produce genuine works motivated by willing obedience from the heart is a dead faith. It demonstrates that it has never been alive because there has been no external evidence sufficient to remove any doubt. Righteous behavior is an inevitable result of genuine faith.

In verses 21-25 James proves his point by giving two examples of true living faith from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab, described as “our father” and “the harlot”. The evidence for Abraham’s genuine faith was his willing obedience to God’s command to offer up his own son, Isaac, on the altar. Because of his obedience, Galatians, chapter 3, teaches that Abraham is the spiritual father of all true believers..

James 2:22 reads, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.” The Berkeley version says it this way: “You see how his faith cooperated with his works and how faith reached its supreme expression through his works.” Abraham’s works made his faith complete. In verse 23 Abraham is called “the friend of God”

On the opposite end of the social and moral spectrum, James now chooses Rahab as an example of true living faith. Even though Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute, James says “Likewise also”, telling us that the illustration of Rahab teaches the same lesson about faith as the illustration of Abraham: “God saves, not because of one’s righteousness, but because of one’s faith.” Remember: only God can actually see our faith. We see genuine saving faith only by works. Rahab demonstrated her saving faith by her words to the spies in Joshua 2 saying, “… the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below”, and by her willingness to hide the spies at the risk of her own life and the lives of her family members. Joshua 6:25 and Matthew 1:5 tell us how God blessed Rahab. She was grafted into the nation of Israel, became the wife of Salmon, and was an ancestor in the line of David and the Lord Jesus Christ. She is also mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a woman of faith.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION:

In verse 25, the apostle James states his conclusion one more time: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” Do you have living faith? Do you have saving faith? Is it evident to those around you? Is it evident to you? You may have been baptized, you may have made a public or private profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may be attending a church at the present time. You may be in the choir or teaching a Sunday School Class. You may be on the deacon or elder board. You could even be a pastor and not have a saving faith that manifests itself in a deepening walk with Jesus Christ and increasing joy in serving Him and obeying his Word. I’m not saying this to point the finger at anyone or embarrass anyone. I just want you to be sure if there might be any doubt. Good works are the proof that Jesus Christ is living and reigning in your life. As Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

May our faith be genuine and evident to the world around us, and may we enjoy the privilege of being children of God through faith evidenced by works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

OVERCOMING PREJUDICE – James 2:1-13

Adolf Hitler, Bible sermon, black vs. white, class distinctions, discrimination, Epistle of James, Epistle of James sermon, favoritism, James, Mahatma Ghandi, partiality, prejudice, religion, sermon: James chapter 1, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

It is impossible to judge another person’s motives. And yet we have a tendency to do just that. We also cannot determine the heart of a person in a first-time encounter. Initial impressions may not always be right because we all have some built-in prejudices.

I. THE PRINCIPLE (Verse 1)

In James 2:1, James is saying, “Faith in God and partiality are incompatible.” They don’t go together. The term “favoritism”‘ in verse 1 comes from two Greek words, combined to mean “to receive by face”, and has the thought of accepting or welcoming someone by face value alone. The term, “favoritism”, is found in only three other New Testament passages, and in each instance, it is made clear that God does not respect faces. He judges by the heart. The Lord Jesus wasn’t prejudiced. In Luke 14:12 it says of Jesus, “And He went on to say to the one who had invited Him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment comes to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ ” Even Jesus’ enemies knew that Jesus was not prejudiced. In Matthew 22:16 the Herodians said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one, for you are not partial to any.” Prejudice can run so deep that it sometimes takes a tragedy to make one see how wrong it is to discriminate on the basis of physical differences. An article in the newspaper several years ago told of a truck driver who learned the hard way how bigoted he was. He had no use for blacks – until one saved his life. It was shortly after l a.m. when his tanker truck flipped over and burst into flames. A week later he lay in his hospital bed crying openly, for he was looking into the face of a black man who had used his own coat and his bare hands to smother the flames of what had been a human torch. Needless to say, this was one white man who, with tears of appreciation, learned to see through skin color.

II. THE PRINCIPLE ILLUSTRATED (verses 2-4)

In verse 2, James is talking about two people: one rich and the other poor. The words “gold ring” literally mean “gold-fingered”, suggesting that this man was wearing many gold rings. Also, his clothes were made of the finest materials. The usher was faced with a choice: where should he seat these two people. Matthew 23:6 helps us better understand this situation by telling us that there were “chief seats” in the synagogues, The Pharisees loved these chief seats which must have been located down in front because they could enter the synagogue in their elegant robes and march toward the front, calling attention to themselves. Faced with this decision, the usher based his decision on externals only. James says in verse 4 that this is discrimination, and their motives are evil. If there is one place where class distinctions should break down, it is in a place of worship. Distinctions such as age, color, money, status, rank, size, and clothing should mean nothing. Jesus said to the multitude in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

III. THE PRINCIPLE EXPLAINED (verses 5-11)

In verses 5-11, James gives three arguments why prejudice is wrong. First, prejudice is not true of God. He says in verse 5, “Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” Whether we are physically rich or poor, unless we recognize our spiritual poverty and our need for a Savior, we will never experience the riches of faith in Christ, and receive an eternal inheritance from God. Secondly, God isn’t concerned about wealth or poverty, but about the condition of a person’s soul. The people James is writing to were exalting the rich, and yet it was these rich people who were the very ones who were causing their pain and injury. Thirdly, in verses 8-11, James is saying that prejudice is sinful because it is against the Scriptures. One of the laws God gave to Moses was, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Showing partiality is a violation of that law.

Children in England used to play a game called “Saints and Sinners”. A hoop was set up at a certain distance, and the children were given ten arrows each. The object of the game was to aim them at the hoop. If anyone shot ALL of the arrows through the hoop, he was proclaimed a “saint”. If he missed just once, he was called a “sinner”. If he missed with all ten arrows, he was no greater sinner than if he missed with only one! One error was as bad as ten! That was the rule of the game. The same is true spiritually. The Lord Jesus never “missed the mark”, but kept God’s law perfectly. All others have sinned and come short of God’s standard. Therefore there is no excuse for prejudice because we are all equally sinners.

Let me share with you two stories about what has happened in the lives of two people as a result of the prejudice they experienced from Christians. A little boy named Joseph had polio. Someone finally took him to Sunday school, but the teacher neglected him. Later the young people ridiculed him and then avoided him because of his crippled condition. As a result, he dropped out of the class with a hatred for the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. He did, however, continue his studies in school. When he finally earned his doctorate from Heidelberg University, a man slipped his arm around him, saying, “Joseph, I think a lot of you; you and I could do much together. The young man responded warmly to this attention and encouragement, and in time Joseph Goebbels became the propaganda minister for that man: Adolf Hitler! Many wondered afterward what would have happened if that Sunday school teacher had shown love to this apparently unwanted individual, and had led him to the Lord. If the young people had befriended this needy person instead of ridiculing him, he might have become a minister for Christ instead of the Nazis.

Another case is a terrible incident that occurred in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. This man, who later gained world attention, says in his autobiography that in his student days he was truly interested in the Bible. Deeply touched by reading the gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert. Christianity seemed to offer the real solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. One Sunday he went to a nearby church to attend services. He decided to see the minister and ask for instruction in the way of salvation, and enlightenment on other doctrines. But when he entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go and worship with his own people. He left and never came back. “If Christians have cast differences also”, he said to himself, “I might as well remain a Hindu”. He became one of the most famous people in the history of India and was a champion for the civil rights movement there, but he was never given the opportunity to experience the freedom of becoming a child of God because of the prejudice of a man who claimed to be a minister of Christ.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE APPLIED (verses 12-13)

One of the tests of the genuineness of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is how we treat other people. Can we pass the test? We all show prejudice at times, don’t we? Are there people you won’t talk to, or even acknowledge their presence, because of racial, social, economic, or educational factors? Are there others who treat you that way, and you are following their example?

Are we obeying the Scriptures and following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ in our treatment of others? I’m closing with a short prayer that Billy Graham offers in one of his devotionals: “Heavenly Father, fill me with that supernatural love of Jesus that enables me to reach out to the myriads of people who, in and of myself, would be impossible to love.”

Pi Sermon for Pi Approximation Day

7/22, Bible sermon, Bible sermons, circle, geometry, God, how many decimal points is significant?, I Kings 7:23-26, July 22, math, mathematics, pi, pi - I may know some things you might not know, pi - it's in the Bible, pi day article, pi message, pi's approximation, Psalm 19:1, rainbow, rainbow's arc, sea of cast metal, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

I’m betraying my age, but when I was in high school, pi was 22/7 or 3.1416, and the answers to the geometry problems were to be rounded off to two decimal places. We had our slide rules, but most of the problems had to be done “the long way”. Calculators were not allowed to be used on tests or exams. I can think of two good reasons: most of us students couldn’t afford the expensive calculators, and the teacher wanted to make sure that we knew how to “do the math”.

A lot of new technology has been invented since my high school days, but circles will always be an important part of mathematics and its application to our lives. God must like circles because He sure made a lot of them! Psalm 19:1 in the Bible says: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God”. I invite you to go to a nearby park or even take a close look at your own backyard (if you have one). I’ll bet you run out of time or give up before you count everything that is circular or spherical in its shape. Look inside your house and you will find man-made circular objects galore. Why? Symmetry, beauty, efficiency, and order, to name a few reasons.

I believe I’m correct when I say that pi is a real, irrational, transcendental, infinite, non-repeating, constant, prime number. It’s the only one of its kind. Correct me if I’m wrong.

National Geographic did an article with pictures of “almost” perfect circles in nature and in the universe. Such examples as the rings of Saturn, the pupil of the human eye, the arc of a rainbow, tissues in the cross-section of a plant stem, a ripple, “fairy circles” in the desert grasslands. I believe they show eight pictures and descriptions in all. Type “almost perfect circles in nature” in your web browser and it will direct you to the site. You’ll be amazed!

A question that is often asked: Is Pi in the Bible? Yes, it is! In the Old Testament, in First Kings chapter 7, and verses 23-26, where God gave to king Solomon the instructions for constructing the sea of cast metal. If we divide the circumference of the cast metal sea (“thirty cubits”) by its diameter (“ten cubits from brim to brim”), pi is 3. It may be pi to the “zeroeth” decimal place, but it’s still pi. Solomon’s craftsmen weren’t building a spaceship to the moon so they didn’t need “pinpoint accuracy”. Also, their measuring devices were the “cubit” (the distance from the elbow to the middle finger) and the “span” (the distance from the thumb to the little finger of a wide-open hand). So a pi of 3 was all that was needed to get the job done. I’m not a mathematician, but Roy A. Reinhold gives a picture and description of this huge sea of water and does some mathematical calculations that result in a more accurate approximation of pi. Please check it out. It’s a short and easy-to-read article. If you type “biblical math mystery solution for pi” into your web browser, it will take you directly to that site.

By the way, isn’t pi always an approximation? You can calculate pi to a million decimal places, but you still haven’t come to the exact number. There is more calculation to be done, isn’t there? Frustrating, but amazing! Recently pi was calculated to 33 trillion decimal places and there is still no end in sight!

I hope this short message has given you an opportunity to think about the myriad of applications of pi in nature, how these shapes came into being, and the One who put it all together. I hope it has also caused you to think for a moment about infinity/eternity.

Happy Pi Day [March 14] or Pi Approximation Day [July 22] to you this year, and may all your approximations be sufficient for their applications!

TRUE FREEDOM – 4th of July message

Bible sermon, Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July sermon, freedom, freedom from slavery, freedoms, Garden of Eden, God, greed, independence, inner freedom, liberty, sermon for you today, sermon with illustrations, true freedom, true freedom - how to experience it to the fullest, Uncategorized

Americans celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July as a public holiday with fireworks, barbecues, flags, and expressions of gratitude for the freedom we have as Americans. Most celebrations of national independence mark the day of “final victory” in the struggle for freedom. Perhaps it’s a mark of our American pride and boldness that we celebrate, on July 4th, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which occurred seven years before the final treaty ending the Revolutionary War on September 3, 1783. That Declaration’s adoption on July 4, 1776, burned the final bridges of England’s authority over America. The signers of this Declaration of Independence recognized that liberty could not be preserved unless this new nation recognized its dependence on God. The brave men who initiated and signed it realized that genuine freedom comes only through reliance on the Almighty. Do you consider yourself to be truly free? Whether you live in a free country or not, are you free on the inside? Are you free from guilt and fears? Are you free from the fear of death, and from the eternal consequences of your actions? Are you free from greed and other “sinful” passions that have become beyond your control? The sad thing is that the world often describes sin as the essence of freedom. “I can do what I please because it’s my life, and I am the master of my fate.” This is also what Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden when he said, in effect, “Don’t be bound by God’s command! Be free! Eat the fruit and become as God, knowing good and evil!” When Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and also gave some to Adam, and he ate it, what happened? They died! They immediately died spiritually because their fellowship with God was broken and they hid from God. Their personalities also began to decay because they began to lie and shift the blame to one another. And eventually their bodies died. They certainly weren’t the masters of their fate, were they? The Bible teaches that true freedom can only be found through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He set us free at the cost of His own life.

ILLUSTRATIONS: TWO ACTUAL RESPONSES TO ONE’S FREEDOM

A heathen girl was bought at a slave auction for a large sum of money. The Christian man who purchased her did so in order to set her free. When he came to get her the next day, she said simply, “Master, I am ready to serve you.” He replied, “While it is true that I bought you, I did so only to relieve you of the bonds of slavery.” Then, with a smile he handed the surprised girl her freedom papers. She looked at him for a moment in sheer astonishment. Then, seeing that he meant what he said, she cried out, “Am I truly free? Am I my own? May I go where I wish?” “Yes”, he said. “That’s why I bought you, so that you could be freed from the restrictions of slavery. “Sir”, she said as she fell at his feet in heartfelt devotion, “my greatest joy will be to dwell with you and go wherever you direct me.”

I’m closing with another true story that made a tremendous impression on me. A young convert on the west coast of Africa, who was saved out of the most horrible savagery, came on Christmas Day into the little chapel on the mission compound to offer her sacrifice of praise in the form of a gift of money. As a rule, the natives in that area were so poor that only a handful of vegetables was considered a generous offering. Some, in fact, could only bring a bunch of wildflowers to show their goodwill. If anyone ever managed to bring a coin worth a penny or two, it was considered as a tremendous gift. This girl of sixteen, however, drew from under her tattered outer garments a silver coin worth about a dollar! The missionary was so amazed at the amount of the offering that he refused, at first, to accept it, for he thought she must have gotten it dishonestly. In order to avoid confusion and embarrassment, he finally agreed to accept it. But at the end of the service, he called her aside to ask her where she obtained such a fortune. She explained very simply that, in order to present to the Lord Jesus Christ an offering that satisfied her own heart’s love for Him, she had gone to a neighbouring plantation and sold herself to the plantation owner as a slave to him for the rest of her life! She had, in effect, brought the whole financial equivalent of her life and laid it down in a single gift at the feet of her Savior and spiritual Liberator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This Fourth of July, may we celebrate with joy the freedoms and privileges we possess, both as citizens of this great nation and, hopefully also, as citizens of heaven. If you are not sure whether or not you are a citizen of heaven, please read the ABOUT PAGE on this blog site, and the section entitled “Question”. In John’s Gospel, chapter 8,. and verses 31 and 32, Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

THE REMOVAL AND BURIAL OF JESUS – John 19:31-42

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, burial of Jesus, crucifixion, death, Jesus' birth, New Testament sermon, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

When the Lord Jesus came into this world as an infant, there were also miraculous signs that accompanied His birth. Luke 2 tells us of the angel who suddenly appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. After the angel made the announcement of the Savior’s birth, a whole multitude of angels appeared in the sky singing, “Glory to God in the highest . . . “. Then there was a star that pointed the way for the Magi from the East to find Jesus.

Jesus’ death was also followed by some amazing events. Matthew 27 tells us that immediately after Jesus said “It is finished!”, the earth shook and the rocks were split apart. Also, tombs opened up and bodies of the saints were raised and entered the holy city of Jerusalem. When the centurion who was guarding Jesus saw these things happening, he said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”. The Lord Jesus revealed His deity to a few people both at His birth and at His death.

I. REMOVAL FROM THE CROSS (verses 31-37)

As we read in verse 31, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate that the legs of those crucified should be broken so that they would soon die, and then could be taken off their crosses before the Passover Sabbath began. Breaking their legs would result in a quick death because the crucified person would no longer be able to lift himself up to exhale, and would soon die from asphyxiation.

Pilate granted their request, and the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but they didn’t break Jesus’ legs because they could see that He was already dead. So in verse 34 it says that “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear”. The middle of the spear’s head was a hand-breadth wide. Out of Jesus’ side flowed blood and water. It’s believed that the sword pierced the membrane surrounded the heart, and the serum with clots of blood in it was proof that Jesus had already died.

These events fulfilled two Old Testament prophesies. The first was the instructions for cooking and eating the Passover lamb. Exodus, chapter 12, says that as you eat the lamb, you are not to break any bone of it. This command not to break any of the bones of the Passover lamb is repeated in Numbers 9:12 as they celebrate this feast day each year. Secondly, the piercing of Jesus’ side fulfills the prophesy in Zechariah 12:10, which is quoted here in verse 37: “They shall look on Him whom they pierced”.

II. THE BURIAL (verses 38-42)

The Romans had made an exception by taking Jesus and the two thieves down from the cross. Normally the Romans left those who were crucified on their crosses until their flesh was eaten by birds of prey. Guards kept watch over the bodies in order to keep friends and family members from taking them away. But Pilate made an exception in this case.

Up until now, Joseph of Arimathea had been a secret believer for fear of the Jews. Now, in verse 38, he boldly comes forward to claim the Lord’s body for burial. Why did Pilate hand over the body of Jesus to Joseph? Joseph wasn’t even related to Jesus, and that was against Roman law. Perhaps it was because Pilate was convinced that Jesus wasn’t guilty.

In verse 39 Nicodemus joins Joseph, bringing with him a hundred pounds of spices. Why so great an amount of spices to prepare one man’s body for burial? That’s’ enough spices for a king’s burial! That’s exactly what they wanted to do for Jesus – give Him a king’s burial! The spices were probably in a powdered form, or a paste. They put some of the spices directly on Jesus’ body, wound strips of linen cloth around His body from His feet to His shoulders, and put more spices between each layer of cloth.

Verse 41 says that “in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb.” Matthew 27 tells us that it was Joseph’s new tomb, which he had hewn in a rock. This hill called “Golgotha”, on the edge of town was considered a God-forsaken place. No expensive tombs were constructed by the Jews in this area. Most wealthy Jews had burial places on the property where they lived. It’s very possible that when Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death, Joseph of Arimathea hurriedly bought that piece of land in the garden and hired a crew of laborers to cut that tomb in the rock so that Jesus could be buried there. There wasn’t time to take the body of Jesus very far because it was almost time to prepare for the Passover meal. Matthew 27 tells us that they rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb after they put Jesus inside, and the chief priests and Pharisees put a guard there. They didn’t believe Jesus’ prophesy that He would rise from the dead in three days, but they wanted to make sure no one could steal the body and start a rumor that Jesus rose from the dead.

As you’ve read this sermon, have the events surrounding the death and burial of Christ made an impression on you? The centurion who observed these events was amazed and afraid, and his attitude toward Jesus Christ changed.

ILLUSTRATION: One day two non-Christians were riding along on a railroad train discussing Christ’s wonderful life. One of them said, “I think an interesting romance could be written about Him”. The other man replied, “Yes, and you are just the man to do it, setting forth the correct views of His life and character. I advise you to tear down the idea of His divine nature, and paint Him and He was – just a man living among men.” The recommendation was acted upon and the novel was written. The man who made the suggestion was Colonel Ingersoll, and the author was General Lew Wallace. The book was entitled “Ben Hur”. I imagine that many of you have read the book or seen the movie.

In the process of writing that book, Wallace learned some amazing truths. The more he studied Jesus’ life and character, the more he become convinced that Jesus was more than just a great teacher. Like the centurion in Matthew’s Gospel, he became persuaded that “Truly, this was the Son of God”! I pray that you might also reach that conclusion, act upon it, and enjoy the privileges of being a “child of God”.

THE SUFFERING AND DEATH OF CHRIST – Mark 15:15-39

Bible sermon, crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Good Friday sermon, suffering and death of Jesus

Crucifixion was invented by the Phoenicians as a method of maximum torture. It was later adopted by the Romans as their method of capital punishment. Crucifixion was a shameful and agonizing form of death reserved for slaves and the worst criminals. In order for us to fully understand why Christ died, it may be helpful for us, first of all, to think about how He died, and what He experienced on the cross.

I. HOW JESUS DIED

Before His crucifixion, we read in verse 15 that Jesus was scourged. The scourge whip consisted of several leather strips that had sharp pieces of bone, metal, and stone sewn into them. Jesus’ skin was literally stripped off His back in gouges, while His whole body went into spasms. It was not uncommon for a person to die as a result of the scourging alone. When the scourging was over, it says in verses 17-20 that the soldiers dressed Him in purple, put a crown of thorns on His head and mocked Him, and spat on Him. Luke and John’s Gospels also tell us that the soldiers punched him in the face and beat him on the head with a reed. When Jesus was crucified, historians tell us that 7-inch spikes were hammered into his hands and feet to secure Him to the cross. On the cross, Jesus could breathe air into His lungs, but He couldn’t exhale because His pectoral muscles couldn’t function in His stretched-out position. Jesus had to raise and lower His body again and again with each breath, and each time He experienced excruciating pain. For six hours Jesus hung there in agony on that cross.

II. WHY JESUS DIED

But despite all the intense physical suffering and the mental and emotional strain because of the jeering crowd, Jesus’ greatest agony was not physical, mental, or emotional, but spiritual. Verses 33 and 34 tell us that for three hours, beginning at noon, there was darkness over the whole land. The darkness signified that God had turned away from His Son. Jesus experienced the fullness of God’s wrath for sin in our place. In verse 34 Jesus said in His loneliness, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Notice that Jesus did not say, “My Father” because He was experiencing a complete loss of fellowship with His Father as He became sin for us. Isaiah 53:9 says, “He was pierced through for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities.” Sin is so awful and so terrible in God’s sight that He would not and could not accept any other payment than the death of His own perfect Son. Jesus satisfied God’s wrath by willingly taking our place. The hymn writer said, “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood. Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah, what a Savior!” A Christian American Indian was once asked the question, “What did Jesus Christ do for you?” He squatted, and with his hands gathered some leaves into a pile. He picked up a worm and put it in the center of the pile of leaves and, striking a match, he lit the outer edges of the pile of leaves. As the flames were about to engulf the worm, he quickly reached in, grabbed the worm with his hand, and put it in a safe place. Then, looking up at the person, he said, “That’s what Jesus Christ did for me!” In verse 37 Jesus “uttered a loud cry”. John 19:30 tells us that, with His last breath Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” This was not a cry of defeat but of victory. It is the word an artist would use after putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece. Verse 37 also says, He “breathed His last.” Jesus did not die from the crucifixion. He gave up His spirit when the Father was satisfied that He had paid the price for the sins of the world. At that moment, verse 38 says, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”. This was no ordinary veil. It was made of tightly-woven fabric and was six inches thick. The tearing of this veil didn’t happen by accident. God was demonstrating that the way into His presence was now open to all who believed in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The choice is yours. You can place yourself either under God’s wrath or under God’s mercy. You can choose either eternal life or eternal separation from God. You can choose to live for God or for yourself. It’s your choice. You will be held responsible for your choice, and there are no other alternatives and no excuses. Respond to His love and to the price He paid for your sins. Sing with the hymn writer, Isaac Watts: “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be? That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!”

If you would like to see a visual depiction of the suffering and death of Christ, go to YouTube.com and type: “The Life of Jesus” film in the search engine. The film is based on the Gospel of John. It is very graphic and follows the Gospel of John closely. Move the grey timeline at the bottom of the picture to 2:28:00 where the scourging begins. I hope that watching the scenes from the movie will increase your understanding of what Jesus Christ suffered to pay the penalty for our sins.

IT’S A NEW YEAR!

Bible sermon, death, heaven, hedonism, Joy, Matthew 5, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, old age, overworked?, People, Worried?

Are you in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions? One dictionary defines a resolution as “a firm decision to do or not to do something”. Another dictionary says: “a serious decision to do something.” From those definitions, I get the impression that resolutions are choices that we commit ourselves to do. What are you looking forward to in this new year? What are you dreading? What do you hope to find? What choices did you make last year? Are you satisfied with those choices? The search engine Google put a short film on U-Tube entitled “What Did The World Search For This Year.” It focused on personal and world events that made life worth living in 2013. At the end of the film are written these words: “Search On“. I hope that you have come to this site to gain an eternal perspective on life, and to seek God’s wisdom to guide you on your continuing search for answers and meaning to life. The Bible tells us that there are only two things in this world that are going to last forever: God’s Word and people. In Matthew 24:35 the Lord Jesus told the parable of the fig tree, and said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” In I Peter 1:24-25 the apostle Peter quotes from Isaiah 40 when he says: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever.” The other entity that lasts forever is people. They will live forever in one of two places: heaven or hell. In John 5:24 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My words, and believes in Him who sent Me, has eternal life. He will not come to judgment, but has passed from death to life.” By contrast, the apostle John records in Revelation 20 what he saw in a vision: “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it. . . . And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” The wonderful and exciting thing about heaven is that it lasts forever. The terrible and terrifying thing about hell is that it lasts forever. Each year brings you closer to death, and also to eternity. May you choose to have a joyful eternity by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Savior and Lord. Then every day and every year until eternity will be filled with joy, inner peace, and unfading hope.

Thank you for visiting, and a happy New Year to you!

RIGHT THINKING – Philippians 4:8

Bible sermon, Joy, Peace of mind

INTRODUCTION:

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks within himself, so is he.” Our thoughts are the clearest test of our character. When compared with our actions and our speech, our thoughts are the hardest things to control. Evil thoughts, impure desires, and temptations are constantly knocking at the door of our minds. We cannot always avoid them or shut them out, but we can keep from entertaining them and making them feel at home. The best way to keep evil thoughts out is to bring good thoughts into our minds. What you and I read, look at, and listen to, will to a great extent determine our thoughts and our outlook.

The best way to keep evil ideas and worry out of our minds is to concentrate on things that are good and pure and beautiful. The mind is not a blank slate, and is never totally at rest. Also, our thoughts are real and powerful, even though our thoughts cannot be seen, weighed, or measured. In verse 8 the apostle Paul tells us in detail what things we ought to think about as Christians. He gives us eight things to dwell upon.

I. “WHATEVER IS TRUE“

Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were true concerns. The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved things that the people had no control over. In John 8:44 Jesus said that Satan “is a liar and the father of lies”. Whenever we choose to believe an obvious lie, Satan takes over. The word “true” means “real” instead of phony. It can also mean “unconcealed” or “undeniably true”. Two opposite examples of this kind of thinking are found in the New Testament. Barnabas decided to sell his property and donate the money to the church in Jerusalem. He responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit and did it. Ananias, on the other hand, had thoughts of personal glory. He said publicly that he would give all the money from the sale of a piece of property to the church at Jerusalem; but then he only gave a portion of the money, kept the rest, and lied about it. This attitude, and the actions that resulted, cost him and his wife their lives. You can read about this in Acts chapter 5.

II. “WHATEVER IS HONORABLE“

The word means whatever is “worthy of respect” and “serious”, rather than trivial and unimportant things. For example, while Moses was on the mountain, alone with God, and receiving God’s Law for his people, his brother Aaron was down in the valley having a party with the people of Israel, and they worshiping a golden calf. Later Aaron was ashamed. God wants us to fill our minds with things that are serious and noble, rather than things that are of little or no value.

The apostle Paul also uses this word when speaking to the deacons and elders of the church in I Timothy 3. He tells them to be honest and straightforward, not being gossipers nor slanderers. Paul is saying, “If it’s not true, don’t let it enter your mind.”

III. “WHATEVER IS JUST“

The apostle Paul is talking about focusing our thoughts on what is right rather than on what’s comfortable or what’s convenient. For example, Joseph of Arimathea was a just man, concerned about doing the right thing. He risked his life when he went and asked for the dead body of Jesus. Taking the body of Jesus and burying Jesus in his own tomb was no easy task, and Joseph became an enemy of the Jews for doing it. But it was the right thing to do and he did it. Pontius Pilate, on the other hand, tried to avoid the decision he was faced with, and he tried every trick in the book. But Jesus was still standing before him on trial for His life. Pilate knew what was right, and he knew what would happen if he did it. He chose what was convenient, washed his hands of the matter, and let the Jews put Jesus to death. Pilate went to his grave responsible for his thoughts and his actions. The word “just” here means “just in the eyes of God”, not merely in the eyes of men.

IV. “WHATEVER IS PURE“

This probably refers to moral purity. There will always be temptations to sexual impurity. There is so much in our world today that gets our minds focused on things that are immoral. In the Old Testament scriptures, David and Uriah are good examples of these two opposite thought patterns. King David sent his men to war and went to bed himself. He saw his neighbor’s wife and went to bed with her while her husband was fighting the enemy. He got the woman pregnant and called the husband home on a phony excuse hoping he would go to bed with his wife, but his plan failed. David then got him drunk but he still wouldn’t go home to his wife. So he sent Uriah back to the battlefield with instructions that he be killed. All of this was the result of David’s dirty mind. Uriah, on the other hand, was pure and blameless. He couldn’t go home to his wife for even one night when the soldiers under his leadership were risking their lives on the battlefield. Even when David got him drunk, Uriah had more moral stability than David did when he was sober.

What do you do when impure thoughts and desires start to enter your mind? Do you open the door and invite them in, or do you shut the door and move away from them? God wants our minds to be uncontaminated by sin and always prepared to worship Him.

V. “WHATEVER IS LOVELY“

It means to think about things that promote brotherly love rather than conflict and disharmony. Many things happen to bring misunderstanding and conflict, and often these things happen because they are made to happen by people who want them to happen. They are miserable people, and they want to make other people miserable too. For example, Demetrius, the silversmith in Acts 19, was trying to stir up trouble for the apostle Paul and cause a riot at Ephesus, but the town clerk, whose name we don’t know (so we’ll call him “anonymous”), calmed the crowd. What are you – a Demetrius or an “anonymous”? Do your thoughts focus on peace with others or conflict?

VI “WHATEVER IS OF GOOD REPUTE“

We get the word “euphemism” for this Greek word. It refers to what is praiseworthy, highly regarded, and of good reputation. The word is used to describe Cornelius in Acts 10:22. He was “well spoken of” by the entire nation of the Jews. Are we focusing on the good things we see in others, or do we dwell on their faults and shortcomings?

The following is a powerful lesson learned about negative thinking. In 1892, John Hyde boarded a ship in New York harbor and set out for India. His goal was to proclaim the gospel to people who had not heard about Jesus. During the next 20 years, he earned the nickname “praying Hyde” because he often spent hours and even many days in prayer for the salvation of nonbelievers and the renewal of Christ’s followers. On one occasion, Hyde was upset about the spiritual coldness of a pastor, so he began to pray, “O Father, you know how cold -” But it was as if a finger stopped his lips from uttering the man’s name. Hyde was horrified when he realized that he had judged the man harshly. He confessed his critical spirit and then determined not to focus on the shortcomings of others but to see them as individuals whom God loves. Let’s not be faultfinders in our thoughts, words, and prayers.

VII. “IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE“

The word means “helpful”, not critical. It also means “goodness” and “uprightness”. When Nehemiah and Ezra were trying to rebuild Jerusalem, Tobiah and Sanballat found fault with everything that was done. In contrast, in Mark 5, when Jesus healed the demon-possessed person, this man went through ten cities giving a helpful message to all who would listen, and great blessing resulted. What a wonderful demonstration of his joy and appreciation!

VIII. “IF THERE IS ANYTHING “WORTHY OF PRAISE”

This means thinking about the positive side rather than the negative side of a situation. When the twelve spies were sent out to look over the promised land and give their report, Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report and believed that God would give them the victory. The other ten spies saw some large problems and wanted to forget the whole thing. They disobeyed God’s command to conquer the land which He had already given to them. The result was that God allowed only Joshua and Caleb, from their generation, to enter the promised land.

As a thought enters your mind, ask yourself the question: “Would God praise me for that thought?” Then ask yourself: ” Do I want my thoughts to be worthy of His praise?

CONCLUSION:

These eight categories of thought can be found in their clearest form in the Bible, the Word of God, and also in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is described in God’s Word. The apostle Paul says, “consider these things” – memorize them, meditate on them, let your mind be constantly occupied with them. Remember, we are in a battle against the ways of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan, and that battle is won or lost in our minds. We give in first in our minds. We sin first in our minds. As II Corinthians 10:5 says, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Enjoy the victory as you fill your mind with the things God desires, and leave no room for the things He forbids. “Good thinking, my friends!”