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  What if we have all been wrong when it comes to our understanding on this false premise that the apostle Paul continued... to live as a struggling ‘sinner’, or as in his words...as the ‘worst’ or ‘chief’ of sinners? Just hear me out on this as I circle back once again and address this grossly misleading notion that the one who wrote nearly two thirds of the New Testament...continued to struggle with overcoming sin. There are two specific passages that we’ve always been taught and reminded of when it comes to Paul’s writings and his ‘apparent admission’, and they are found in Romans 7:13-25 and 1 Timothy 1:15. And let’s be honest here - if this notorious converted Pharisee who was once imprisoning and overseeing the execution of new Christians back in the early days of the church’s inception...continued to live as a ‘sinner saved by grace’, who are we to think we could fare any better and actually ‘go and sin no more’? I mean, this talk about ‘those who abide in Jesus no longer si...
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  Being deceived, (or in deep confusion) and ‘in the dark’, not knowing in which direction you are headed...can be a horrific place of torment to find yourself in; trust me...I’ve been in such places on more than one occasion. Years ago, I read an article about something that pilots have been known to experience called ‘spatial disorientation’. This phenomenon occurs when they are flying ‘blind’, maybe in heavy fog or cloud cover, and their body misperceives its position and motion relative to the earth, conflicting with their instrument panel on the plane. The lack of visual references messes with their sensory inputs, like the inner ear, and gives false sensations often leading to fatal accidents. In other words, when they couldn’t see clearly, they ‘trusted their gut’ despite what the facts on their instrument panel were telling them...and they crashed into the side of a mountain or the ground, ending their life in a burst of flames. Many deceived people today...are heading fo...
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  “Oh...God wouldn’t let that happen to me, be deceived like that; He loves me and promised to never forsake me.” (Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave and forsake Him- John 6:66.) If you don’t think you can’t be deceived...well...you are deceived already. (Might want to catch up and read yesterday’s message first in case you missed it) We humans are pretty good when it comes to trying to convince ourselves of something, whether it is ‘true’ or not; go figure. There was good reason why God likens us to ‘sheep’, and it’s not because they are soft and cuddly. I actually began a lesson here on Saturday using Romans 8:13 as a ‘springboard’ to what it means to truly follow God’s Spirit, and what God is most interested in doing in us, especially in those early days after we have repented and began to follow Him. His primary focus is centered around ‘putting to death the deeds of this flesh nature’. I also realized how easy it is for us to gloss over various passages in our Bibl...
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  Deceived people don’t know they are deceived. And what was the one thing Jesus warned for us to be on guard against at the ‘end of the age’ prior to His return? “Take heed...that no one deceives you...for many will come in My name, saying...I am the Christ and will deceive many.” (Matt. 24:3-5,24). I hope you have your Bible close by for this study today and that you use it to look up these verses. When James wrote: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (1:16), do you think he intended to suggest that ‘brethren’ could actually be...’deceived’? Would you turn to and read 1 Cor. 6:9-11 right now? Why would Paul have felt a need to make such a strong point here regarding who will ‘inherit the kingdom of God’...and who won’t? Does it sound as if people might be ‘deceived’ on such matters? And what about those folks we read about in Matt. 7:21-23 who had clearly been quite active doing ‘great things in the name of the Lord’, yet were told by Jesus that He ‘never knew them’ ......
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  It is considered to be inhumane to bury someone alive, be it a human or even an animal, a pet perhaps. That’s because we tend to only bury things that have died and don’t expect to see them anymore; in this lifetime...at least. I’ve presided over many funerals in the past 35 years. I’ve watched the painful agony as grieving loved ones are literally peeled off the caskets where their deceased spouse or child or parent lay in, just prior to seeing them lowered six feet into the ground. When all the final words are spoken and/or sung, and tears and hugs are exchanged, that casket is covered in soil and that is it; another life has ended...and people move on with their own lives; some slower than others. And may I tell you that in all those years I have taken part in this ritual, I have yet to ever see a person who was laid to rest...show back up out of the blue, weeks or months later where I ran into them at a local coffee shop or Home Depot or Walmart. Which leads me to believe th...
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  “If you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will live forever.” (Rom. 8:13 Amp) Speaking from personal experience now...I know how easy it is for us to faithfully read our Bibles, and at the same time...just glide right over so many significant verses without taking them to heart. We can highlight them, quote them, write them out on a ‘sticky note’ and post somewhere as a reminder, and yet still not ‘get it’, and even worse...not apply it to our lives, which then creates other issues for us (James 1:22). We can be taking part in a small group Bible study and come across certain passages like the one I began with here today (Rom. 8:13), and find ourselves nodding our heads in agreement and wanting to ‘discuss’ that verse in greater detail. We might take turns sharing what that verse means to us as we ‘ooh’ and ‘aah...
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  Clearly...not everyone in the world bought, or buys in...to the message of the kingdom Jesus came preaching, even though His message was for the whole world (John 1:10-12; 3:16; Acts 17:30). And even at that...many who started out following Him, decided the path was too steep and demanded too much of them, so they turned and walked away...no longer following Him (John 6:60-66). That is still happening today. (2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim.4:3-4) But to those who did ‘receive Him...to them He gave the opportunity, the right or capacity to ‘become...children of God’ (John 1:12). The first important nugget of truth we should glean from that passage is this: We are not all children of God! You might look at John 8:42-44 and 1 John 3:10 for further reference. Care to guess who the true ‘children of God’ are? If you read that verse I ended on yesterday, you should know already: “Those who are led by His Spirit” (Rom. 8:14). And if you did read yesterday’s message, it focused on wh...
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