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Time for a Great Picture: STUCK?

  Wouldn’t you love to have been animal control and have gotten this call?

I wonder how they got the little fellow out.

But we get stuck like that sometimes, don’t we?  We make choices and our choices seem to capture us and hold us hostage.

As you make your choices today, might I suggest that you begin with something like the following prayer?

“Lord Jesus, You’ve given me great power to make hundreds of choices today.  Please help me to make the ones that please You.   I want freedom, Lord, but not from You or Your will for me this day.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

 
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Posted by on April 1, 2018 in stuck

 

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STUCK! Ten Areas That Will Bury You as a Believer and How to Dig Your Way Out! (Area #1- Salvation, continued)

Sometimes Christians get STUCK on the issue of SALVATION.  Really.  Getting saved in the Bible seems pretty straightforward.  Living out one’s salvation (“continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling“, Phil. 2:12) is another matter.

In this series of messages for Crossroads Fellowship Church I am focusing on ten areas which bog down the believer.  Let’s look at our text on salvation one more time:

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3)

As a result of His saving work in our lives, we have become HEIRS and ought to DEVOTE OURSELVES to doing what is good (v. 8).  So often the Christian’s life is a bunch of words!  In the Broadway play “My Fair Lady,” the main character sings the following:  “Words, words, words!
  I’m so sick of words.  
I get words all day through
.  First from him, now from you
!  Is that all you blighters can do?”  Then she sings, “Sing me no song, read me no rhyme
, Don’t waste my time, show me!
  Don’t talk of June, don’t talk of fall
, Don’t talk at all!
 Show me!”  [There is one more stanza which reads:  “Haven’t your arms, hungered for mine?  Please don’t ‘explain,’ show me, show me!  Don’t wait until wrinkles and lines, Pop our all over my brow, show me now!”]!  We must SHOW our salvation by the DEEDS that we do!


 
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Posted by on September 16, 2017 in christian life

 

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STUCK! Ten Areas That Will Bury You as a Believer and How to Dig Your Way Out! (Area #1- Salvation, continued)

This new series of sermons at Crossroads Fellowship Church where I serve as part-time interim preaching pastor will focus on ten themes that are critical to the Christian life.

The first area, SALVATION, often raises questions such as: How do I know I am saved?  Can I lose my salvation?  What is the role of my works in salvation?  Let’s look once more at our main text in Titus 3:

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3)

We’ve seen our BC (“Before Christ”) condition (verse 3) which Paul describes using awful adjectives and words about our abominable actions.  Our IN CHRIST reality (“He saved us”) was brought into existence by His mercy, kindness, and love (not our righteous works) (verses 4-5).  Our salvation is described as “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”  What powerful words!  WASHED! REBORN! RENEWED!  (to be continued)

 
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Posted by on September 15, 2017 in christian growth

 

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STUCK! Ten Areas That Will Bury You as a Believer and How to Dig Your Way Out! (Area #1: Salvation)

We are beginning a new series of sermons at Crossroads Fellowship Church where I am serving as part-time interim preaching pastor.  These posts (probably about ten or so in number) will allow me to think through the subjects that often seem to slow down or even halt the Jesus-follower in his or her life of faith.

The first area that sometimes sinks the believer is that of SALVATION.  One would think that “being saved” is a simple concept readily understandable.

However, I’m convinced that many Jesus-followers are actually trying to “pay God back” for their salvation, instead of living in the joy of having their sins forgiven.  Here’s the main passage I will be preaching on this Sunday:

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3)

Please notice —

First, our BC (“Before Christ”) condition:  We were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures (v. 3).  I call these the awful adjectives describing our spiritual state before conversion.  We then see our abominable actions also in verse 3:  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  Wow!  We did not merit God’s love or forgiveness.  (to be continued)

 
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Posted by on September 14, 2017 in christian growth

 

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Time for a Great Cartoon! (writer’s block)

Screen Shot 2014-10-12 at 3.49.10 PMFriends:

Some of you might want to know what I’m working on these days in terms of writing.

I recently wrote Saved! Rescued from God, by God, and for God.  A free copy is yours if you will post a comment on my blog and email me your shipping address.

Presently, I’m working on a short book called STUCK!  Five Truths to Get You Moving in Your Christian Life.  If you’ve read my posts on “Back to Basics” (my study of Titus 2), you’ve pretty much got the gist of STUCK!

I want to revise and Screen Shot 2015-09-03 at 6.26.29 AMexpand my first novel, Abandon All Hope.  I need to do much more character development in that project.

Over the years I’ve been intrigued by the story of the man born blind in John 9.  So I’m working on a short manuscript tentatively entitled Insight from a Blind Man.  My wife Linda is encouraging me to develop a series of Sunday School lessons on doctrine.

I sure appreciate your prayers for me as I continue my seminary teaching and preaching in conferences and retreats over the next few months.  Please let me know what ministries you are involved in — and how I can pray for you!

 
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Posted by on September 12, 2015 in writing projects

 

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Psalms of My Life (Psalm 105)

Psalm 105

1 Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 6.35.10 AM
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.

5
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6
you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

8Screen Shot 2015-04-14 at 6.25.33 AM
He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11
“To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you Screen Shot 2015-08-01 at 8.08.42 AMwill inherit.”

12
When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
13
they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14
He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
15
“Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”

16
He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17
and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
18
They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
19
till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the Lord proved him true.
20
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
21
He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
22
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.

23
Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24
The Lord made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,
25
whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.
26
He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27
They performed his signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against his words?
29
He turned their waters into blood,
causing their fish to die.
30
Their land teemed with frogs,
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.
32
He turned their rain into hail,
with lightning throughout their land;
33
he struck down their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34
He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number;
35
they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.
36
Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37
He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38
Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

39
He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
40
They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.

42
For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43
He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44
he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45
that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord.[a]

 
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Posted by on August 6, 2015 in the book of Psalms

 

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