Episodes
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
CROSSING GOD’S DEADLINE PART II (Proverbs 29:1)
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
The Bible teaches that in front of every unsaved man there is a deadline. It teaches that if he crosses that deadline, he is just as lost, just as certainly doomed, just as destined for hell as though he were already there and as though the iron gates of hell had already clanged shut behind him. It is possible for a man to commit a sin in this life; it is possible for a person to come in this life to a point which, if he commits that sin and transgresses and goes beyond that point, he can never; no, never; no, never be saved. He will cross God’s deadline. Now, just to be clear, this is not about any so-called unpardonable sin, it is about you rejecting God more times than God is willing to let you pass, and God makes the sovereign decision to turn His patience to wrath.
Now, make no mistake, God’s Spirit does strive with us, and God is infinitely patient with us in that He often reproves us. Time and time and time and time again, God speaks, and God woos, and God warns, and God pleads, and God instructs, and God reproves. But there comes a time when the Holy Spirit can be so insulted, so sinned against, that you cross a deadline that God has set for you, and God’s gentle precious Holy Spirit no longer speaks to your heart.
Now, here is the most chilling part of this spiritual desertion. Did you know that you cannot be saved unless the Holy Spirit of God draws you to Jesus Christ? That is true, and if you cross God’s deadline, that in His omniscience He has sovereignly set for you, and the Holy Spirit stops speaking to you, then you will never be saved.
Click on the link below to hear a message on what God’s Word says about Crossing God’s Deadline.
Amen.
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
CROSSING GOD’S DEADLINE (Proverbs 29:1)
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
The subject of today’s lesson is a very serious and somber matter. It is one that we don’t like to think about, and it is something that is hard to reconcile in our mind, because we have the misconception that every person can put off getting saved until the moment right before they die and then rush to get saved so they can go to heaven. The Bible says that is not true and that is what we will talk about today.
There is in the mysteries of God’s omniscience a certain point in your life, a certain place in your life, where God has placed a deadline for you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This is one of those lessons that if you have family members, or friends, that are lost, then you will want to get this in front of them, because the stakes are eternal, and they know not where God’s deadline is in their life.
Prov 29:1
1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
KJV
The Bible teaches that in front of every unsaved man there is a deadline. It teaches that if he crosses that deadline, he is just as lost, just as certainly doomed, just as destined for hell as though he were already there and as though the iron gates of hell had already clanged shut behind him. It is possible for a man to commit a sin in this life; it is possible for a person to come in this life to a point which, if he commits that sin and transgresses and goes beyond that point, he can never; no, never; no, never be saved. He will cross God’s deadline. Now, just to be clear, this is not about any so-called unpardonable sin, it is about you rejecting God more times than God is willing to let you pass, and God makes the sovereign decision to turn His patience to wrath.
Click on the link below to hear a message on what God’s Word says about Crossing God’s Deadline.
Amen.
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
THE PROBLEM OF IMMORALITY-PART II (Proverbs 7:16-27)
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
I believe that God wants us to understand this problem because of the devastating impact the sins of immorality will have on our lives. God loves us, and He wants what is best for us, and so in His Word He warns us about the dangers of immorality. He then commands us to not commit those sins. Then, He follows that up with the story of the flood, and of Sodom and Gomorrah, where He shows us the consequences of His judgment on those who ignore His warnings, ignore His commandments, and choose to commit the sins of immorality.
Now, the wonderful thing about God is that He doesn’t just command us not to do something without providing us the wisdom that we need to avoid committing those sins. God tells us in His Word,
Prov 7:1-2
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
KJV
Our news media never tires of exposing the scandals of mighty men. The headlines tell of the fall of religious leaders, politicians, and celebrities, and it doesn’t matter if happened yesterday or 20 years ago. We also see that most people have a double standard. They expect a much higher moral profile in those they elect to public office than they expect from themselves, and woe betide the person who lets them down. Many a promising career has suddenly been shipwrecked because of a past immorality.
This warning may sound overly dramatic, especially in the times that we live in today, with its acceptance of all things evil as good. But, this is God’s warning, and it is a warning that is to be taken literally. God will judge those who commit the sin of immorality.
There is also a spiritual application in these words for us. So far, we have been talking about committing physical adultery and immorality. However, the Scriptures also have a great deal to say about spiritual adultery. That is what God called it when His people left Him and went after idols. They departed from the living and true God. They were to be joined to Him, but they had separated from Him. They were actually playing the harlot; they were being unfaithful and untrue to Him. That is spiritual adultery.
Today we have many cults and “isms” and all types of false religions around us. For example, someone will say that “You don’t need to follow Christ any longer as you are following Him. There are many ways to heaven. What you need to do is join our group and do what we do, act as we act, and worship who we worship, and you can earn your way to salvation.”
Yet, the Bible is clear that we are saved by the grace of God alone.
Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
KJV
Paul is telling us that “Faith plus nothing equals salvation.” We are to be absolutely, utterly cast upon Jesus Christ as our Savior. Yet, many people cannot accept a salvation that they did not earn.
God’s answer to this is that the believer is joined to Christ. A person who has been saved by grace, and grace alone, is joined to Christ. Then, once saved, Christ has said that we are to keep His commandments if we love Him, and His commandments are not grievous. We are to love one another. We are to be filled with the spirit of God. We are to witness to the world. Those are His commandments today. We are joined to a living Christ; we live on a higher plane. The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in our hearts and lives.
Today there are isms and cults all dressed up like a woman of the street. They are flattering and they are calling men and women. Yet, God tells us that to follow them is like an ox going to slaughter. It is like a fool going to the correction of the stocks. God is reminding us that we cannot settle for anything less than the person of Jesus Christ!
Amen.
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
THE PROBLEM OF IMMORALITY (Proverbs 7:1-15)
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Here are a couple of questions for you. What type of sin caused God to destroy the world with the flood? Immorality. What type of sin caused God to bring fire from heaven to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Immorality. So, some of the most dramatic and seriously devastating judgements from God have been caused when man allowed immorality to consume their lives.
Gen 6:5
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
KJV
When we think of the sin of immorality, we often think of the sins of pornography, adultery, fornication, or any sexual act that takes place outside of the bonds of Holy Matrimony as it is defined by God. However, immorality is more than just sexual sins, it includes those sins, but it also includes sins that violate the moral standards established by God as right and wrong. Words like evil, wickedness, promiscuity, sexual deviation, are all associated with the sin of immorality. But make no mistake about it, sexual sins are the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about immorality as it is discussed in the Bible.
The fact that God has reserved some of His most severe judgments upon man because of the sins of immorality should tell us a great deal about how God feels about the sins of immorality. I believe it is important to God because of the devastating impact the sins of immorality will have on our lives. God loves us, and He wants what is best for us, and so in His Word He warns us about the dangers of immorality. He then commands us to not commit those sins. Then, through the story of the flood, and of Sodom and Gomorrah, He shows us the consequences of His judgment on those who ignore His warnings, ignore His commandments, and choose to commit the sins of immorality.
God is speaking to His children, to you and I as believers, and the overriding message that He repeats over, and over, and over again is to keep His commandments and to bind them in our hearts. God’s wisdom is found in His commandments, and the solution to every problem that we have in our lives can be found right here in God’s Word. All we have to do is follow them and bind them in our hearts. Amen?
Click on the link below if you want to hear a message on how to stop immorality in your life. There is only one way, you have to deal with it in your heart using God’s Word. Although the irresistible logic of God’s Word may be clearly understood and accepted in the head, the irrepressible love of God’s Word in the heart is what holds tight the fortress walls of the soul against the full force of the foe.
Amen.
Monday Jul 05, 2021
THE COST OF ADULTERY (Proverbs 6:20-35)
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Our lesson today is about a sin that is destructive to the lives of so many people in our world today. It is the sin of adultery. Adultery destroys marriages, families, and our relationship with God. Adultery is a sin, like so many others, where the person puts their own lusts and desires ahead of the needs of their spouse, their family, and their duty to God. It is a self-centered sin, and it is a sin that will destroy your life, both physically and spiritually. If you repent of it, God will forgive you of the sin of adultery, but the consequences of that sin will spread far beyond your own life, and even God’s forgiveness does not usually change that.
Click on the link below to hear a message on the high cost of adultery. God reminds us of these consequences, and then, as always, He tells us how to avoid it.
Prov 6:20-21
20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
KJV
As the children of God, we are told to hear and to heed our parent’s commandments, and most of all, we are to hear and to heed God’s commandments.
Amen.
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
ARE YOU A LOST CHURCH MEMBER (1 Kings 2:1-6)
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Let me ask you a question, how particular is the devil in how he gets someone to go to hell? He is not particular at all, right? In fact, he would just as soon send you to hell from the church pew as he had from the gutter. It makes no difference to him. In fact, I think it gives him a sense of satisfaction when he can so easily deceive all of those church members into thinking they are going to heaven, just because they have their names on the membership role, and they go to church most Sundays.
Now, there are people today who believe in Christ, I mean, you believe it in your head. You believe the facts of the gospel. You believe that Jesus is the Savior. You believe that Jesus is Sovereign. And you believe that Jesus is Sufficient, and yet you are as lost as you can be. There is still something wrong with you, and that is you have a lack of genuine love for Jesus.
Now, let me give you the acid test for your salvation today. I want you to look down deep in your heart and ask yourself, Do you love Jesus, and thereby love those whom Jesus loves?
Let tell you something very important, there are great number of people who identify themselves as Christians, and they have their name written on the church roll, yet they do not have their names written down in glory. They have never been born again. Paul describes them as having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof. It is possible to be loyal but lost, religious but rejected. Many are going to go to hell surrounded by baptismal certificates and receipts for church offerings. Yet, at the end, Jesus is going to hand you over for judgment, because you have never been saved.
Now, I’m not trying to make you doubt your salvation, but the Bible says (1 Corinthians 11:28) “Let a man examine himself, whether he be in the faith.” So, I am asking you to examine yourself, and ask are you saved? I mean, are you saved? Have you fully surrendered yourself to the will of Jesus Christ? Please do not go away without Jesus. Don’t let pride keep you from coming to Jesus. Don’t worry about what people think. You obey the Lord, and you make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.
Click on the podcast below to hear a message on the tragedy of a person who can serve the Lord for their entire life, yet still be lost.
Amen.
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
WHO DO YOU TRUST IN? (1Chronicles 21:1-30)
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
The America that most of us grew up in, was a country where self-reliance was expected and taught. You worked to provide for you and your family’s needs. If that meant digging ditches, or working in a factory, or in an office, then that is what you did. You relied on your physical skills and your mind to provide for you needs. You did not rely on the government or others or to provide for your needs. However, that is not the world that we live in today. We are told by a corrupt media and educational system that we are to rely on an equally corrupt and all-powerful government to provide all of our needs. The government takes from those whom they deem to have too much and gives it to those who they choose to give it to. We are expected, and we are taught, to trust in our government.
That is what the world teaches. Yet, as Christians, we are taught to rely on God to provide for our needs. However, that does not mean that we are to sit on our backsides and wait on God to turn rocks into bread so that we may eat. The Bible tells us that if we choose to not work, then we will not eat.
2 Thess 3:10
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
KJV
So, the world teaches us to rely on the world, and the Bible teaches us to rely on God. The question that we have before us today is who and what do your actions, not your words, say that you trust in?
Unfortunately, for most of us, even Christians, the answer to that question depends on how things are going at the time. When things are going your way, who do you trust in, and what do you trust in? Is it yourself, your bank account, your skills, and your intellect? When things are going good, why should you bother God? He is very busy.
However, when things are going against you, and each bad event seems to just stack one upon the other, then who, and what, do you trust in? Is this the time that you choose to bother God?
If, when you search down deep for the truth in answering these questions, God only appears when the times are bad, then this lesson is for you. If God is only your 911 call when things go bad, then this lesson is for you.
Click on the podcast below to hear a message on one of the greatest sins that man can commit, the sin of unbelief.
Amen.
Sunday Nov 29, 2020
A FAMILY DIVIDED (2 Samuel 13 to 18)
Sunday Nov 29, 2020
Sunday Nov 29, 2020
One of the great privileges of being a Christian is the knowledge that even though we may sin against God, He is sure and just to forgive us of those sins if we will repent of them. This just means that we go to God and tell Him that we agree that what we did was wrong and commit in our heart to not do it again. If we do this, then God will restore our relationship and fellowship with Him. However, this does not mean that we will not face the earthly consequences of that sin. For example, if we commit adultery, we may still lose our marriage, or if we steal something, we may face time in prison. Our sins are forgiven in the eyes of God, but there are still consequences to that sin.
God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross so that we might have this privilege of redemption and grace. Yet, there are so many people who choose to rebel against God’s offer of forgiveness and eternal life. They resent the fact that God is sovereign, and it is God that decides what is right and what is wrong. They resent that they must go to God and ask for His forgiveness. Instead, they choose to rebel against the almighty God. They raise their fist, shake it at God, and tell Him no, they will not worship Him and make Him the Lord of their life. Instead of eternal life with God in heaven, they choose eternal death separated from God.
Click on the link below to hear a message on how a son can rise up against his father. How a person can hate God so much that they will tell God no, I will not accept your mercy and grace.
Amen.
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
THE TRAGIC COST OF SIN (2 Samuel 11:27 - 12:3)
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
The story of David and Bathsheba is a story that is a challenge to each of us as believers, for if a man as great as David could fall into sin, then so could each of us. It is also a tragic story, because of the tremendous cost of David’s sin. There will always be consequences when we sin against God. Not just on what we might call the “big” sins, but any sin. Too many times we get complacent with our sin, because we have rationalized them as “little” sins, or “socially acceptable sins,” and we do not realize the full extent of the cost of that sin in our relationship with God. There is always a tragic cost of our sin, and that is what I want us to see in our message today.
But there is also hope. We can have our relationship with God restored, and that is what I want you to know today, there is hope for us when we fail, even when we fail greatly.
If you’re living in sin and God is not dealing with you, then do you know what you need to do? You need to get saved. You need to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.
If you’re living in sin and God is dealing with you, then do you know what you need to do? You need to get right with God. You need to repent of the sin that is in your life and let God forgive you, and restore you.
God is serious about your life. He wants you to live a righteous and a holy life. God loves you and He wants you to be in fellowship with Him. What is the hope for the child of God who has sinned? God’s never-ending love for you. God told David, that “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” God tells you the same thing,
1 John 4:10
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
KJV
1 John 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
KJV
1 John 4:19
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
KJV
Do you want to restore your relationship with God? Do you want to once again “dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him?” Then you must repent of your sins and find forgiveness in God’s love for you.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
KJV
The promise that God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” is our hope as believers.
If this message is for you, if you are now walking in sin, it doesn’t even have to be a great big one, like adultery, but any sin, then that sin is impacting your relationship with God. You need to repent of that sin. This message is for people who want to live once again in the full love of God.
Click on the link below to hear a message on the cost of sin, and the hope that the believer has in restoring their relationship with God.
Amen.
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
TO HAVE KINGDOM AUTHORITY (1 Samuel 24:1-7)
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
We live in a world today that is full of rebellion, and it is not just the riots and chaos that we see in our streets. It is in our families, our churches, and in the places that we work. People are choosing to rebel against the authorities that God has placed over them. They stand up and say, “I will not wear a mask because my government tells me that I have to”, or “nobody can tell me I have to shut my business down.” Even far worse, they take the streets looting, rioting, and burning down the foundations of our country. The Bible is very clear about Christians who have a spirit of rebellion.
Rom 13:1-2
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
KJV
Now, you might say, "Wait a minute. You don't know the kind of government we have. It is full of a bunch God hating, progressive, socialists." Well, maybe you don't know the kind of government that existed when Paul wrote this, when Nero was on the throne. Nero was feeding Christians to the lions in his arenas, and he was setting Christians on fire to light the streets of the city.
But you say, "What if I have an unworthy authority? What if my parents are unworthy? What if my husband is unworthy? What if my president is unworthy? What if my mayor is unworthy? What if my councilman is unworthy? What if my teacher is unworthy? What do I do?" That's a wonderful question. The Bible says that one thing that you don't do, you do not have a spirit of rebellion. If you wish to live a victorious Christian life, then one of the most important lessons that we can learn is how to live under the authority of God. This includes those whom God has placed in authority over us.
Now the phrase kingdom authority means to be able to act with the authority of God in your Christian life. Let me assure you, it is not God's plan for you to be defeated by the world, the flesh, nor the devil. Because, when Jesus died and rose again, He gave to His children authority over these things. But, listen carefully to me now, we will never be over those things that God has put under us until we are willing to get under, and stay under, those things that God has put over us.
However, I want to be clear that to be under authority does not mean that we give in to wickedness. It does not mean that we approve error. It does not mean that we blindly obey an ungodly government. The prophets in God's Word preached against the wickedness in the kingdom. Nathan warned King David when he did wrong. Elijah warned Ahab. Eleazar spoke to Jehoshaphat, Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, Moses to Pharaoh, and God forbid that we should have pulpits today that are silent when little babies are being murdered and when wickedness prevails in so many ways.
One of the most disturbing and reprehensible rebellions that is taking place today is against our police officers, and it breaks my heart to see this occur. Pastor Adrian Rogers quoted this description of a policeman in one of his sermons, and he says the author is unknown. It is similar to what Paul Harvey once said about being a policeman, but it is not quite the same. Every time I read this it moves me.
"A policeman is many things. He is a son, a brother, a father, an uncle, and sometimes even a grandfather. He is a protector in time of need and a comforter in time of sorrow. His job calls for him to be a diplomat, a psychologist, a lawyer, a friend, and an inspiration. He suffers from an overdose of publicity about brutality and dishonesty. He suffers far more from the notoriety produced from unfounded charges.
Too often acts of heroism go unnoticed, and the truth is buried under all the criticism. The fact is that less than one-half of one percent of policemen ever discredit their uniform. That's a better average than you'll find among clergymen. A policeman is an ordinary guy who is called upon for extraordinary bravery for us. His job may sometimes seem routine, but the interruptions can be moments of stark terror. He is the man who faces a half-crazed gunman, who rescues a lost child, who challenges a mob, who risks his neck more often than we realize. He deserves our respect and profound thanks.
A policeman stands between the lawbreaker and the law abider. It's the prime reason your home hasn't been burned, your family abused, and your business looted. Try to imagine what might happen if there were no policemen around, then try to think of ways to make their job more rewarding. Show them the respect you really have for them. Offer them a smile and a kind word. See that they don't have to be magicians to raise their families on less-than-adequate salaries. We think policemen are great. We thank God for all the little boys who said they would be policemen and all who kept their promise. We hope you feel the same way, and we hope you will show it, so that there will always be enough good policemen to go around." That is a description of a hero that speaks to my heart.
Click on the link below to learn how to have kingdom authority in a world full of rebellion.
Amen.