Sheep Food

  If ‘judgment is to begin first at the house of God’, as Peter indicates...(1 Pet. 4:17), it might not be a bad idea to have a better grasp as to what this ‘judgment of God’ looks like, and how it plays out. And if you are of the ‘school of thought’ that ever since Jesus died on a cross...that God no longer deals with sin in the church because Jesus took all that ‘punishment’...can you explain what happened to Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5; or maybe elaborate on Paul’s counsel in dealing with sexual immorality in 1 Cor. 5:5. What I have laid out here the past few days is a study of OT examples where God brought judgment on the world, and even more specifically, on His people. That’s as good a place to begin studying where we can better understand what God’s wrath is, why it’s ‘poured’ out, and what it looks like in the process. I say this can be beneficial given what God told Jeremiah how ‘His people don’t know His judgements’ (8:7; 5:4). And let’s not forget we are told to be ...

  It’s one of those passages that is nestled deep in the Book of Acts that is easy to miss, or just skim over and really give no thought to, which we tend to do with so many portions of scripture. We are all guilty of doing so...until the Holy Spirit gets involved with our studies. Take a look at Acts 13:40-41, then make a notation of the reference it gives in regards to the OT prophet Paul is quoting from there- Habakkuk, chapter 1. I’ve touched on this before and felt compelled to revisit it again with this current study we are on. Paul begins with a word of caution: “Beware...”. Take heed that what was spoken by Habakkuk does not happen to you, church...and for you scoffers and skeptics... you better marvel and sit up and take notice. What I (God) am about to do will be so off anyone’s radar that they would have a hard time believing any of this...even if it was spelled out for them before it ever happens. Maybe we should go back and read in more detail what Habakkuk had to ...

  We humans, especially those who profess to follow Jesus, can oftentimes fall into that trap of thinking too highly of ourselves, especially when it comes to our claims of having a good handle on what ‘truth’ is. That’s probably why Paul cautions us if we think we are standing firm’ ...to ‘take heed lest we fall’ (1 Cor. 10:12) Pontius Pilate, who was neither Jewish or a follower of Jesus... asked Jesus ‘What is truth’?, when ‘The Truth’ was standing right in front of him. (John 18:38) The Pharisees, who were the leading (supposedly) standard bearers and teachers of truth certainly didn’t recognize the ‘Truth’ when confronted by Him (John 14:6). We read of those two disciples who spent a few hours walking with the resurrected Truth on the road to Emmaus and certainly did not recognize the ‘Truth’ until after Jesus ‘opened their eyes’ (Luke 24:31). And even one of His most devoted followers, Mary Magdalene, mistook Him to be a gardener on the morning of the resurrection (John 20...

  It’s pretty mind boggling how you can read through this Bible for years, and think...you have a ‘handle’ on a good portion of it; then, one day some ‘light’ gets turned on for you and it becomes a whole new book of ‘revelation’ and understanding. Granted, there are many who are convinced they already know what it says, and when the Holy Spirit tries to give more understanding, they reject it. That is what the Pharisees did with Jesus, you know. (John 1:1,14,11; Mark 7:8-9,13) But as we discussed yesterday, Jesus has this way of ‘revealing’...the ‘inside scoop’ on God’s word...to His disciples. (Luke 24:31-32,45). And when He does this...all bets are off and your walk with Jesus begins to take on a whole new life that is marked with a peace, a joy, and a freedom unlike anything you may have ever known in the past. Well, it did for me, at least, which was just over five years ago and my life has never been the same since. I think I understand more clearly now, what Paul’s prayer w...

  Not everyone will ‘get’ this. And please believe me when I tell you that I don’t say this, where I see myself as being in a place of possessing great wisdom, intellect, or ‘spiritual enlightenment’. It’s just how I have come to understand the fact that much of God’s truth, truth that brings genuine freedom and transformation...is ‘buried’ in His word. And we don’t find or discover it on our own. He has to ‘reveal’ it to us. I can’t tell you either, why God chose to operate this way; so you’ll have to ask Him why if that is a point of contention for you.(Acts 15:8; 16:14) There is a familiar story recorded in three of the four gospels, known as the ‘Parable of the Sower’ (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8) Great multitudes or crowds had begun to gather around Jesus as His fame was spreading, primarily because of all the miracles of healing and deliverance He had been performing, along with some ‘new’ and profound teachings (Mark 2:12). And on this particular day, the crowds were so lar...

  Welcome back to our lovely ‘puzzle’ we are constructing as it paints a comforting picture on the subject of God’s ‘wrath’. Yes, a little hint of ‘holy sarcasm’ intended, along with a suggestion that you read yesterday’s lesson first in case you missed it. Why spend so much time studying a topic that sounds so unappealing, and in which many sincere believers today think they are immune to? I would submit to you that we have not fully understood what God’s ‘wrath’ is and is all about, not to mention how it applies to us NT ‘believers’ today. For starters...how about the fact that it is the ‘wrath’ of God that Jesus came to ‘save’ us from (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 5:9; John 3:17). And I’m just going to tell you now there’s a little bit more to this ‘being saved from the wrath of God’ than simply reciting some nice words in a prayer that suggest you ‘believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins’. (Matt.7:21; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 3:22-23; 2 Pet. 3:9) We finished up yesterday’s mes...

  There are occasions when I have to touch on certain topics here, that I find myself hesitant, even reluctant to do so; and it has nothing to do with being concerned how people will perceive me, maybe thinking I’ve started to ‘lose it’. It’s the subject matter itself that I want them to fully understand in a balanced and biblical manner. Then I have to remind myself that I provide understanding to no one; that is the job of the Holy Spirit to do when it comes to God’s word. All I can do is share it with you...So....let’s dive in... We’ve all heard about those times when well-known celebrities, public figures, or politicians find themselves needing to hire PR experts to come in and assist on ‘repairing their public image’. This usually happens after some unfortunate blunder or moral failing on their part has occurred, which can spread like wildfire in this era of social media. But let’s be clear about one thing: God has never needed, nor will He ever need to change His image and/...

  I remember being asked years ago, when I was pastoring a church in NE Texas: “Are you a ‘fire and brimstone’ preacher? (The person who asked me had never heard me preach before) That gave me pause, because I don’t think I ever ‘fit that bill’ when it comes to how a lot of folks perceive what that even means...to be a ‘fire and brimstone’ preacher. And believe me, there are many in the body of Christ, usually older folks these days, who have ‘fond’ memories of growing up and 'appreciating a good fiery message on hell’. To be honest, I’m not sure if I can even fully understand people like that. I could be wrong, but it’s my understanding that using a lot of volume with borderline ‘theatrics’ to paint a horrifying scene where people are being cast in to an eternal lake of fire where they will be in torment forever, separated from God, may not really be that ‘effective’ ... in the long run. No doubt many have been scared into running to church altars in an emotional response to esc...

  When the doctor comes back into the room where you are waiting and has the test results from your lab work, they might ask: “So...do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?” Most people will opt for the bad news first, for all the reasons you might suspect. I would think that in many situations, it’s hard to really appreciate ‘good news’... until you have heard the ‘bad news’ first; am I right? Another example to illustrate this: You’re at home watching a ball game on TV and your neighbor calls to inform you that a fire truck just pulled up in front of your home. Your first thought or response might be to say: “Well that’s news!”; to which your neighbor says, no, that is ‘good news’. “Why’s that?”, you ask. “Because your house is on fire!”, your neighbor informs you. Again, it’s hard to appreciate ‘good news’ until you have first heard the ‘bad news’, as it gives you more perspective on the ‘bigger picture’. Does that make sense? Were you aware that the word ‘...

  *News-Flash* - God’s law still stands today. It has not been repealed, nor did Jesus do away with it, or ‘abolish it’, depending on the Bible translation you read. (Matt. 5:17). It is in fact the same law He handed down some 430 years after He established a covenant with Abraham (Gal. 3:17,19). And before you are tempted to ‘jump ship’ here, we are not talking about dietary restrictions and blood sacrifices which have been discontinued. Did you know Paul made a point to inform us that it is ‘not the hearers of the law who are just in the sight of God but the doers of the law who will be justified’? (Rom. 2:13) He also wrote that while circumcision was no longer ‘a thing’ to be concerned with, ‘keeping the commandments of God is what matters most’ (1 Cor. 7:19). He even said he still views the law to be ‘holy and the commandment holy and just and good’ (Rom. 7:12).  "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." (Ps. 19:7) We know that Jesus said it would be easy to ...

  If you are of the mindset that God’s ‘law’ was done away with, or is ‘irrelevant’ to us ‘Christian believers’ today, then I assume you would also believe that ‘sin’ has been done away with (or is nonexistent) as well, or no? I only suggest that because ‘sin’ is...the breaking or transgressing of God’s law. Sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4) And why would any student of the Bible believe the law has no bearing on them or relevancy to their walk of faith, when Paul makes it clear...that while ‘circumcision or uncircumcision is nothing...keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” (1 Cor. 7:19). John did so as well- 1 John 2:3-6. Oh...but you are a child of God now...and God does not expect you to ‘obey laws’ because to suggest one needs to be ‘obedient’ borders on ‘legalism’ you say? Or that obedience has nothing to do with our ‘salvation’? Then what is your take when you read Hebrews 5:9 that says Christ ‘became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him’? You kno...

  It’s a peculiar thing that happens when certain words from the Bible serve as a ‘trigger’ in the hearts of many sincere church members, who very well may have attached themselves to a ‘church doctrine’. They are usually words, or phrases, that fail to align with various teachings that we have been taught, depending on what church ‘denomination’ you have been raised in or are a part of today. If those words or phrases, which come right off the pages of our beloved Bibles, don’t fit with what we believe, it can cause us to ‘slam the door’ of even examining those very scriptures that we claim is God’s ‘holy word’. Friends...we need not fear God’s word, even when it doesn’t agree with what we have come to believe. You do realize the danger in automatically rejecting the ‘word’, yes? Who ‘is...the Word’? (John 1:1,14). And I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it is quite possible for a sincere ‘believer’ to actually love their church doctrine more...than they ‘love Jesus’. He...

  Jesus came to model for us...what it looks like to love the Father and to fulfill the law of God, which He summed up nicely by informing us that all of the law of God centered around loving God with all our heart and soul and mind, and to love others as ourselves, or as Christ loved us.. .(Matt. 5:17; John 13:34-35;14:31; Matt. 22:36-40; ). In order for us to ever be able to do the same, we would first have to ‘repent...and follow Him’, which means we’d have to walk according to the Spirit, and not the flesh, in order for all the righteous requirements of the law to be fulfilled in us. (Matt. 4:17,19; Rom. 8:4). It also helps to have His nature residing in us, which is what He came to duplicated in us (Rom. 8:13-14; 2 Pet. 1:2-4). Again...not something we can do on our own or in our own strength; which is why He commands us to ‘abide in Him’ (John 15:1-8). This would be the only way any fruit could be produced in us...proving to be His disciples. Yes, there would be some ‘suffer...