Category Archives: Love of God

by | March 22, 2017 · 10:01 am

What Are You Worth?

What would you die for?

What is so valuable that you would risk or even sacrifice your own life? Have you ever stopped to think about that? You should.

The typical things in life that are considered so valuable, when put in perspective, aren’t really worth that much. Even the most “priceless” treasures are not worth your life – or are they? Would you fight a thief for your purse or car? If so, you are saying those things are more valuable than your life, for you are willing to risk your life to keep them. It is how people die every day in the pursuit of, and the keeping of earthly possessions. Pretty foolish.

What about non-concrete items, such as pride? Some people are willing to fight to the death, or kill others, when insulted or “dissed.” Perception is NOT reality, just as integrity is not determined by opinion; yet, some would rather risk death than be wrongly perceived.

Is family worth risking your life?

As close to a recent family photo that I have. But hey, we escaped in time!

Really, there is no argument against this one. But on the other hand, society has a difficult time determining the value of life; one life is not as valuable as another if convenience or personal pleasure is at stake.

I would risk my life to protect my family, and if you doubt it, try to hurt them – I carry more than a big stick.

Many, however, kill their own children before birth.  It seems to me that society values gold more consistently than life itself.

Are you willing to die for what you believe?

Now this, I know, could open up a whole can of worms; but that’s OK. Just stop and think about it for a moment. Do you believe in anything so much that it is worth more than your own life? When your life is on the line, knowing the difference between what you believe and what is only opinion is of key importance. A martyr is one who would rather die for what he believes than deny it.

Is your faith worth dying for?  If not, then how much do you really believe?

How much is YOUR life worth?

Value is determined by what someone is willing to give for it, right? That’s typically the way it goes. So, if nothing on earth is more valuable than your life, does that make your life valuable? Well, maybe to you.

Think about it, to someone else your life might not be as valuable as their own. Would you value the life of a total stranger so much that you would offer your own in exchange? I mean, really? Someone may even be willing to give all of the world’s riches in order to obtain your life, but are you worth it? Who would even have that kind of wealth? That leaves you with nothing more than your sense of value compared to another’s; your worth against theirs.

Value is relative to the thing for which the buyer will exchange.  That’s a disturbing thought, isn’t it?

On the other hand, what if the Creator of the universe offered to die for you?

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Rom 5:8 NIV

That would make your worth INCALCULABLE! The King of Heaven, the Son of God, gave His own life in exchange for yours, even accepting your guilt and failures as His own, and payed the death penalty for sin on your behalf.

For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. – 2Corinthians 5:21 KJV

That makes you valuable; Jesus unique. How many others have done what He did for you? Most of us would die for our children or spouse.  Some of us would die for a friend or maybe a good person.  But how many of us would give our own life to purchase the life of a stranger, much less a convict, drug dealer, murderer, etc?  Jesus did.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Rom 5:6-8 NIV

That’s the whole reason for Christmas, you know.  Jesus had to come to earth as a baby to grow into the Man that would willingly go to a cruel cross.  The gift of Christmas is the gift of life, purchased with the life of the Giver of Life. How ironic is that? How wonderful?

Let’s Review

  • Jesus Christ suffered the most excruciating death Rome could conceive, crucifixion…for you.
  • The Prince of Peace was shredded by a “cat of nine tails”…for you.
  • The King of Kings wore a crown of 4″ thorns…for you.
  • God became flesh so the world could know Him…including you.

Don’t believe the lies told to you by Satan, the culture, or your depressed emotions. Your life is of immeasurable worth because of the immeasurable price offered for it.

If you are worth that much, and if that kind of price was paid, don’t you think giving your life to Jesus is a fair exchange?

If you would like to know more about Jesus, and how he loves you and died for you, then call this number, 1-800-NEED-HIM. Or, if you would like to talk with me, just send me an email.  Your life is worth it.

 

This article was first posted 6/13/2014 and has been edited

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Living, General Observations, Love of God, salvation, self-worth, World View

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

by | March 11, 2017 · 5:20 pm

“My Jesus I Love Thee:” Sermon In Song

Song Sermons

One thing I love doing is taking old hymns and turning them into sermon outlines. Frankly, many of the old songs of the church were nothing more than condensed sermons put to music. They were not only meant to give us a means to sing praise to God, but to learn of His character, of his goodness and grace.

Last week I explained to the congregation at the church where I pastor that the songs we sing should be known and understood. I mean, how profitable is it if we stand as a group and sing something that makes no sense? What kind of corporate praise can we offer to our God if we cannot relate to the lyrics? It is so much better when we can all stand and sing from the bottom of our hearts the words of a hymn that means something vital to our soul!

An Outline

The following is an outline which I will be using soon, maybe even this Sunday. The outline is based on the song “My Jesus I Love Thee” by William Featherston (1864).

Please note, Featherston wrote this poem when he was between the ages 11 and 16 (he died age 27, long before the song became well-known). Adoniram Judson Gordon (founder of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) added the melody. How many teens do you know these days who could write something like this?

On a different note, how many teens could God use if they would only let Him?

“My Jesus I Love Thee”

  1. My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine; (Jn 21:15-17)
    For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; (2 Tim. 2:19)
    My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou; (Ruth 2:10)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Regeneration)
  2. I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me, (1 John 4:19)
    And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; (1 Peter 1:18-19)
    I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow; (Mt 27, Mk 15, Jn 19:2)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Realization)
  3. I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, (Job 13:15)
    And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; (Job 33:4)
    And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow, (Ps. 116:15)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Resignation)
  4. In mansions of glory and endless delight, (Jn 14:2)
    I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; (Rev 21:23)
    I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, (2 Tim 4:8)
    If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. (The Place of Revelation)

I would love to know what you think of this, especially after you read the biblical references.

What do you think of topical sermons like this? Expository preaching is something I regularly do, but I also think we need to mix up the delivery styles every so often. Doing it this way – a song sermon – is not only a good way to explain a song, but doing so with Scripture helps reinforce the truth the next time the song is sung.

Head’s up, South Soddy Baptist! You might be hearing this sermon tomorrow morning 🙂

3 Comments

Filed under Bible Study, God, Jesus, Love of God, music, poetry, Preaching, worship

Tagged as , , ,

by | September 10, 2016 · 8:00 am

A Flirting God?

The following is Part 3 of a 3-Part series of controversial posts first published in Sept. of 2013. I hope this one’s a blessing.

Don’t Be Shocked

I know that the title may come as a shock to many of you, but don’t be too shocked, at least not yet. I have been talking about men and women flirting over the last couple of days, but as I told you, there was a method to my madness.

You might be saying, “And if you say God is a flirt, then you are truly mad, you crazy fool!” But please, hear me (or read me) out. “Flirting” might not be the best word, but what about “wooing”? If not a flirting God, surely He woos us all the time.

Background

Now, just in case you think I am crazy, let me share with you one of my favorite verses from one of my favorite books in the Bible, Hosea.

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” – Hosea 11:4 KJV

With metaphor God explains to the prophet Hosea how He has gone the extra mile to win over His people’s love. That, after all, is the message portrayed by Hosea’s pursuit of Gomer (that’s his wife’s name) as she runs from lover to lover. God would much rather win our love than divorce (judge) us.

When I think of the first part of that verse, the words “cords of a man” become “heart strings.” In other words, in order to win our affections, God is doing everything He can to “pull our strings,” or at least the emotional strings of our hearts. Cool, huh?

Signs of Wooing

As with the last two posts, I’d like to consider some ways in which God might “flirt” with us. In other words, God might be wooing you if…

  • You wake up earlier than you wanted, but see the most beautiful sunrise of your life.
  • You decide to give up on life, only to have an email pop up showing someone worse off than you.
  • It seems that there is no meaning in life, but then you hear a baby cry, or your child says, “I wuv you.”
  • In the dark, late at night, you find yourself crying, but a warmth you can’t explain wraps around you, cradling you to sleep.
  • You find yourself feeling like a failure, worthless and dirty, then from out of nowhere comes a verse you learned in Sunday School: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son…”

Do I need to go on? Is He pulling the strings of your heart? Will you respond to His advances?

He does love you!

Related articles

Leave a comment

Filed under God, Love of God, salvation, self-worth

Tagged as , , ,

by | August 12, 2016 · 8:00 am

We Are Family

Friends, all I know to tell you is that I have now had the privilege to meet one glittering jewel of a young blogger. Courtney’s blog is called 1 Timothy 4:12 Girl, and she is certainly “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation…” I’m excited to have her write a guest post for me. And in case you didn’t get it, she’s still a teenager!!

What does it mean to be a family?

Ask ten different people and you’ll get ten different answers.

To some, it’s the parents and siblings that they were raised with. To others, it’s their current family unit that they’ve created for themselves, through marriage and procreation. Still to others, it’s a grandparent or relative who raised them.

familypic.jpgFamily is a concept that is embedded deep within the human heart. We all long for a place to belong and feel at home.

A place to kick off our shoes after a long day.

A place where we can be fully ourselves—quirks and all.

A place to love and be loved.

Society tells us that family is limited to those related to us through blood or marriage.

The Bible on the other hand, tells a different story. When ­asked about His brothers and mother in the book of Matthew, Jesus turns previously held assumptions about family upside-down.

“Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” (Matthew 12:48-50)

Jesus broadens the definition of family to include every believer who has been washed in the blood of Christ and saved by God’s amazing grace.

You are my brother. I am your sister. We are one giant family connected through the blood of Christ. Whatever your experience with your biological family, you have the guarantee of a family in Christ. This concept is reinforced throughout the New Testament, as familial language is repetitively used (1 Timothy 5:1-2, Hebrews 13:1, Philemon 1:15-16). The Bible even goes into detail about how to live this out, instructing us time and time again to love one and other and walk with fellow believers through times of trouble.

We live in a world that is starving for love. Look no further than the local news station to find that divisions between people are running rampant. This should not be so among believers. If we want to love a broken world, we must start by loving each other. Despite our many differences, we are one in Christ. This point is presented beautifully in Galatians 3:28. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Imagine how amazing our witness for Christ would be if we truly lived out Jesus’ vision for believers. I have seen the concept of family practiced vividly in the Christian blogging world and pray that this becomes a reality worldwide. No one should ever feel left out in the body of Christ. The first thing that a person should know when the walk through the doors of our churches is that they are loved. When Jesus hung on the cross, His arms were spread wide open, embracing everyone willing to come and follow Him. We are called to live as a reflection of that, and live out God’s radical love here on earth as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Connected as one big, crazy, awesome, beautiful family of believers. 

4 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, Christian Unity, Christianity, community, Love of God, Relationships and Family

Tagged as , , ,

by | June 21, 2016 · 11:20 am

Crimson-Colored Mercy

Don’t ask me why He loved me so; I’ll never understand.

He picked me up and held me close with a gentle nail-scarred hand.

He suffered what was meant for me and after all I put Him through,

Told His Father I was “worth the nails“!

It’s amazing, but it’s true!

With crimson-colored mercy He washed away my shame.

Worthless and unworthy, a broken life He made brand new.

But before He changed a think, He loved me anyway!

It’s amazing, but it’s true!

 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

 

 – adapted from “It’s Amazing, But It’s True,” by Anthony C. Baker

4 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Faith, God, Love of God

Tagged as , , , ,

by | February 14, 2016 · 9:30 am

Just a Loving Reminder

 

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Love of God

Tagged as , ,

by | December 4, 2015 · 1:22 pm

Leftovers and Sermons

Sandwiches

What do you think of leftovers? Do you like them? Hate them? Some people never eat them, while others save every crumb to make meals for days to come. Personally, it really all depends on what is being saved, like turkey.

Believe it or not, I am planning to be enjoying Thanksgiving turkey well into the week before Christmas! I froze just enough of the leftover meat so that I could have leftover turkey sandwiches whenever I wanted for weeks to come! Brilliant!

Sermons

The Sunday morning after Thanksgiving I preached an unusual topical sermon about “Leftovers,” one even the most died-in-the-wool expositionalist should enjoy. I would love for you to listen to it, so I am including it in this post (and posting a link in the Sermon Archive page).

If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing (it is unedited and includes all my misspoken words, flubs, etc.), then at least fast forward till you get to the “Personal Context” part – that’s my favorite 🙂

Click on the photo to listen :-)

Click on the photo to listen 🙂

If you’d like, you can follow along while looking at the actual outline I used as I preached (it’s not much, but it was a guide – I don’t normally use outlines).

 

III. Personal Context – For those who feel like leftovers.

For those who may feel they’ve already given away the best & freshest, good news! God loves you! And if we’ve learned anything from the feeding of the thousands, the Lord hates letting things go to waste. As a matter of fact:

  • God loves to SAVE!
    • He will save YOU! 2 Peter 3:9 “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” In Luke 19:10 Jesus said the reason He came was to seek and to save the lost. I personally believe that if you were created, you’re not meant to be wasted.
    • He even saves your SORROWS! Psalm 56:8 NLT – “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
  • What God SAVES, He SEALS! 1:13; 4:30
  • God is a SPECIALIST in making new recipes out of leftovers!
    • God can’t use me… Really? “There are no leftovers with God. Adam plunged the human race into sin. Moses was a murderer. Jacob was a liar. Samson lusted after heathen women. Rahab was a harlot. Peter denied the Saviour. God used them all.” If He used these people, even Paul, then he can use us.
    • 21:5 “…I make all things new…”
    • 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV – “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Remember, our God wastes nothing, including our tears! 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Depression, Food, God, Love of God, Preaching, self-worth, Thanksgiving

Tagged as , , , ,

by | November 17, 2015 · 11:50 pm

Hopeful Sandwich

Sandwiches

photo (35)I love sandwiches! Don’t you? I do, and let me tell you some of my favorites.

First, there’s peanut butter and jelly (preferably Concord grape or strawberry). Next, there’s the quintessential grilled cheese. Bologna (pronounced by me as “baloney”) and cheese is always good, too. And then of course, especially around this time of year, there’s the unequaled left-over turkey sandwich made after Thanksgiving!  All of these are favorite sandwiches of mine.

What makes a good sandwich? Well, what’s between the bread, of course. But that’s not to say the bread isn’t important; the best sandwiches couldn’t even exist without the bread. As a matter of fact, there are times when the bread is all that gets notices, while what’s between is barely tasted.

1 Peter 5:7 is like that. Let me explain.

Popular Bread

Like the bread that gets more attention than the meat, 1 Peter 5:6 and 8 are slices of Scripture about which everyone raves. I’ve heard far more sermons about them than I have verse seven.

For example, if you are at all familiar with a fighter named Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey, then 1 Peter 5:6 will make perfect sense to you. As a matter of fact, I would bet verse 6 was quoted from a lot of pulpits the Sunday after Holly Holm stunned the martial art world when she forced Rousey to get un-scheduled plastic surgery after a kick to the head.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” – 1 Peter 5:6

And then there’s 1 Peter 5:8. This is the popular slice of Bread most often preached to those who forget we have a spiritual enemy who wants to knock our heads off.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” – 1 Peter 5:8

These two verses are famous, oft-quoted, oft-referenced slices of Bread which form a sandwich around verse seven, the “meat” that gives us reason for hope.

He Cares

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) reads, “Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you.” Aside from the fact that we should be humble under the hand of God and watch out for an enemy who wants to devour us, did you ever stop to think that Jesus cares about what you’re going through? That’s the meat.

But if you can keep reading for just a little while longer, I will show you why this sandwich tastes sooooo good 🙂

Casting. There are three little words which are critical to a deeper understanding of verse seven. The first one is “casting.”

The Greek word translated as “casting” is ἐπιρίπτω (epiriptō). Beside 1 Peter 5:7, the only other times it’s used is in Luke 19:35. In that case it’s used in reference to how the Jews threw their coats and Jesus upon the donkey colt that would carry Him into Jerusalem. Can you picture it?

Cares. The next word is “cares.” We are told to cast our “cares” upon Jesus. Well, what are our cares? The Greek word here is μέριμνα (merimna), which means “care” or “anxiety.”* But what is really interesting to me is the meaning of the word on which this word is based, μερίζω (merizō). Merizō is used to describe something separated into parts or cut into pieces.**

Careth. The third word, μέλει (melei), is the Greek word that means what we think of when we read “he careth for you.” I simply means that somebody cares.***

In other words, as I like to describe it, our “cares” are those things which make us anxious, cause us to worry, and literally tear us apart. But Jesus wants us to “cast” them upon Him! Why? Because He cares!

Yes, Jesus cares about the things that worry you; the things that weigh heavy on your heart; the things that seem to be tearing you apart. Jesus really does care!

Why is it, then, that we let things get us down? Why don’t we just take the things that tear us apart, whether big or small, singular or multiple, and throw them on Jesus just like the Jews did with their coats upon that colt.

Jesus cares about our “cares!” That’s the hopeful meat of this “sandwich.” It means we don’t have to go through the tough times alone; we can rest in the mighty hand of God; and we can resist the devil who’s seeking our destruction…because Jesus cares!

Pretty tasty, eh? I thought you’d like it 😉 !

 

 

*“Greek Lexicon :: G3308 (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible.

**“Greek Lexicon :: G3307 (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible.

***“Greek Lexicon :: G3199 (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. 

 

2 Comments

Filed under Bible Study, Depression, Food, Love of God

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | September 15, 2015 · 6:02 pm

ALL Lives Matter (the sermon)

This past Sunday morning I preached a sermon. The title of the message was “All Lives Matter,” and it was based on a story found in Acts 8, the one about the Ethiopian eunuch (probably the first gender-neutral Christian, incidentally).

I don’t claim to be the best preacher in the world. As a matter of fact, I was sick this last weekend, so my voice and my energy level left much to be desired. However, people were surely praying for me, for I had all the energy I needed for the moment, then collapsed in exhaustion 5 minutes after the sermon was over. A few people even came up to me and thanked me for what I preached.

Would you take a listen? (That’s Southern for: Please, would you listen?) There’s a lot of stuff still being said about whose lives matter, but if the truth be known – as I hope this message will lovingly explain – all lives matter, and John 3:16 proves it.

Just click on the picture or the link to listen. http://riversidesermons.sermon.net/main/main/20490920

photo (64)

1 Comment

Filed under current events, General Observations, Love of God

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | September 5, 2015 · 2:37 pm

I Love My Wife

Lifeway

Here I sit in a large Lifeway book store, a Bible and notebook in my lap, a cup of coffee (from Dunkin Donuts) beside me, my phone in my hand, studying, waiting on my daughter to get out of a meeting, and thinking of my wife. 

Lifeway is a Christian bookstore chain. Believe it or not, my wife and I actually spent one of our anniversary date nights strolling through and shopping in a Lifeway store. Why? Because it’s our kind of place – it’s all about the Lord and Saviour we love, Jesus. It’s where we feel like kids in a candy store, but without the risk of overexposure to calories. 

Likes 

In a recent marriage counseling session (yes, we go to one now and then), we discussed life changes and the risk of growing apart. One of the ways couple risk growing apart is by losing interest in the same things, not enjoying the same things together as a couple. 

We used to like some things we don’t like anymore. There are some things one likes, but the other doesn’t. However, Lifeway is one if those things /places we certainly enjoy together. That will never change, because we are both in love with the store’s purpose – Jesus. 

Loves

I don’t say it enough, especially for the whole world to read, but I love my wife! I love Valerie. I will love her with emotion and with action till the day we part in death, maybe longer. 

But the reason our love, our marriage, has survived over 21 years is because we are both in love with Someone else – Jesus. 

Picture a triangle. At the top of the triangle, the single Point, is Jesus, the Son of God.  At the bottom left and right are Valerie and me. The closer we get to Him, the closer we get to each other. Because of Jesus, no matter the likes and dislikes that change with times and seasons, our love for each other can grow and grow without limitation – because we can never get close enough to Him. 

I just wanted to tell the world how much I love my wife. And the closer we both grow, I hope you can tell it, especially in our mutual love for God. 

Love Jesus; love each other. Simple. 

3 Comments

Filed under Defending Traditional Marriage, Love of God, Marriage, Relationships and Family

Tagged as , , , ,