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  We all know what it is to come up on some road construction where they have one lane shut down for a stretch of distance, which means you have only one lane open for 2-way traffic to get through. And oftentimes, that open lane is ‘blind’ to you because it may curve or have dips and hills and you have no clear vision to the other end where traffic resumes to a normal two lane road. So a construction worker is assigned on both ends with a sign on a pole, with one side saying ‘STOP’, and the other side usually reads: ‘SLOW’. I kid you not, every time I see one of those people out there, with a lunch box and water bottle close by and usually a two-way radio in hand, I think to myself: “Gosh...how boring would that be to stand there all day long and flip that sign back and forth?” And yet...what an incredibly important job they have. Imagine coming up on such a scene in a mountain pass with sharp curves and steep drop offs where some of those passes might not even have guard rails; ...
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  [Kleptomaniac] - a person with a rare, chronic mental health disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to steal items that are generally of little value or not needed. It is classified as an ‘impulse control disorder’, where individuals experience intense tension before the theft, followed by relief or pleasure during it. ‘Shoplifting’ might be the term we are most familiar with; and because it’s such a prevalent ‘crime’ today, the price of goods are increased to offset the cost of security and preventative measures that many small and large businesses alike incur to fight against those losses. There are multiple reasons as to why people are ‘compelled’ to steal things that are not theirs, taking things they have not paid for; but the key word here is ‘steal’. I believe the 8th commandment addresses this area of sin that God takes great exception to; and yes, stealing is a ‘crime’ in our secular society as well. Charges vary depending on the value of that which was taken i...
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  “Now on that very occasion there were some present who reported to Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus responded and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse sinners than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5) Jesus was not issuing ‘threats’ here to those in attendance; He was pleading with them by warning them. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”. You should note that He repeated Himself twice there, and whenever God repeats Himself...it’s usually for good reason. Something else we should all know about the Lord...He is ‘longsuffering toward us, not willing that an...
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  It made for a great ad-campaign used by Alka-Seltzer years ago and quickly became a popular catchphrase, as many slogans do in our culture today; but can I just state for the record here...that ‘trying out Jesus’ is not recommended. He’s not some sports car you take out for a spin on a Sunday afternoon to see how you ‘like the feel’ in case you want to purchase it. Here’s why: ‘trying something out’...does not require any commitment. There’s a reason Jesus advised us to ‘count the cost’ before you decide to actually follow Him (Luke 14:25-33). Yes...many have been coaxed and encouraged to ‘try Jesus’ and may have ‘come forward’ or ‘raised a hand’ at some point in time, perhaps ‘walked an aisle’ to repeat some ‘prayer’...but many indicators would suggest those actions or attempts at giving Jesus a try...don’t last long. And I point you to the story of the parable of the sower to make my case. (Matt. 13:3-9,18-23) Yes, it was evident that many people back in the day who saw Jes...
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  Simple question for any professing ‘believer’: If we have been set free from sin, as Paul mentions twice in Rom. 6:18,22...why do we continue to ‘sin’, or break God’s laws? And if you feel compelled to just ‘try harder to not sin’, can I just tell you as humbly as I can... you have it backwards. It has nothing to do with ‘trying harder to do better’. Yes, it has taken me awhile to get to this place in my understanding what has been laying there in all of our Bibles for us to read ever since it was printed; but Jesus came to set us free where we could actually ‘go and sin no more’ (John 5:14; 8:11). And those who actually ‘abide in Him’...who have been ‘born again’ or ‘born of God’...do just that (1 John 3:6,9; 5:18). Because those who ‘know the truth’...and whom the ‘Son has set free’...they are ‘free indeed’! (John 8:32-36). I do remember early on though, as I was studying and walking this out and trying to share and communicate what I firmly believe the Holy Spirit was teachin...
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  When God made it known to Adam and Eve early on that ‘in the day that you eat off that one tree in the garden...you shall surely die...’ (Gen. 2:17) ...who was the first one on the scene to cast doubt on what God said and then actually twisted it around to say just the opposite in order to deceive Eve? It was the ‘crafty serpent’ who appeared asking: “Did God really say this...?’ (Gen. 3:1). Then, after some subtle twisting of what God said, the serpent flat out told Eve...’you shall surely not die!’ (2-4). Yes, that would be the same ‘serpent’ John wrote about in Revelation 12:7-9, who was cast down from heaven, a.k.a. ‘Satan’ and the ‘Devil...who deceives the whole earth’. So when both Adam and Eve ate off that tree, we are told: “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked...” (Gen. 3:7). Prior to this ‘incident’, they knew no shame (Gen. 2:25), but now ...when they heard God’s voice as He walked through the cool of the day there in the garden, they...
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  One of the many things we can give God credit for...is the fact that when He begins to deal with ‘sin and sinners’, He usually starts with His own people first. Before He pours out His wrath on all those ‘wordily sinners’, He first begins by calling out the sin in His own ‘camp’ (Joshua 7). When Israel continued to rebel against God’s law, they crossed a threshold and suffered the consequences for it, as the prophets of old warned would happen (Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel). God brought Babylon in to destroy the city and the temple before the people were taken into ‘captivity’ for 70 years. (Did you catch yesterday’s message, by chance?). Then, after those 70 years passed, God called His people out of Babylon because next on the list was Babylon itself who was going to suffer God’s wrath (Jer. 50-51). Interesting historical side note here- but less than 5% of those exiles in Babylon heeded God’s call to ‘come out’. I only share that because we read in Revelation 18:1-5 where Go...
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