Feb 26

Will You Stand In The Gap?

I’m so excited for the new sermon series beginning this Sunday at Westlake. I’ve often said it is a series eight months in the making. Every week the question, who’s your one, has been asked. Now, we as a church are going to embark on a five week journey studying the power of one in the hands of God. We have an aquarium in the foyer that says, who’s your one? We are going to use three different color ping pong balls to fill this aquarium. The ones that we are specifically praying for by name will have their first name written on a white ping pong ball. When we share the Gospel with someone, we will write their first name on a yellow ping pong ball. And when God in His grace saves someone, we will write their first name on a red/pink ping pong ball. It is to be a visual reminder of our responsibility and God’s faithfulness. The white and yellow balls remind us of our responsibility to pray for the lost and to share the Gospel. The red/pink balls are a reminder of God’s grace and His commitment to His plan of redeeming lost sinners to Himself for His glory. I’m grateful to the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention for making this an emphasis, and for producing materials to help churches in this endeavor. But I want to share in the remainder of this post what is really driving this emphasis for me, and why it is at this time that we are going to do it, because again, I have asked this question every week for the last eight months.

The impetus for this comes out of Ezekiel 22:23-31. God in speaking to and through the prophet Ezekiel is explaining why Judah (southern kingdom of Israel) is experiencing the judgment they are. It is a powerful, yet sad indictment against the people. The Lord says that their are false prophets who are lying and taking advantage of the people, the government officials are corrupt by shedding innocent blood and taking advantage of the people, abusing their authority, and the people themselves are living no differently than the other nations around them even though they had been called by God to live a holy life. They are killing innocent people, they are taking advantage of the poor and needy, neglected the widows, neglecting and taking advantage of the foreigners in their nation (what we would call today the immigrants), and they were robbing one another. I have to be honest, as I look at that list, I can’t help but take Judah’s name out of there and put in its place the United States of America. I am not saying that the USA has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. That is a dangerous and frankly a false teaching that should be condemned from every pulpit in America. However, America has been blessed by God, and our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian values. Since our nation’s inception, we have enjoyed religious freedom which has allowed the Bible to be taught, and churches to minister freely in the nation. Yet, we are a nation of corrupt government which sheds innocent blood through abortion in the name of choice and convenience. We have a government that has redefined marriage from what God calls holy to something that is not only unholy but condemned by God. We have overlooked the poor, the needy, and the immigrant within our borders. Just yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 5, the so called Equality Act. This is a very dangerous piece of legislation that need to be defeated. It is so dangerous and such an overstep by the government that something I don’t ever think has happened before is happening, feminist groups and Christian groups are aligning to condemn this bill. H.R. 5 will not only redefine our understanding of sex or gender, but it will put the lives of our daughters in danger. I have much more to say on H.R. 5, but that will be another post at another time. The point is, our current government is following in the same footsteps of the government in Israel in Ezekiel’s day. But this isn’t just a government issue. Churches are full of false prophets and false teachers that are tickling the ears of hundreds of thousands of people each week, and lulling them to sleep with self-help, moralistic teaching that will not lead to salvation but rather condemnation of those who hear these messages. In many Christian circles, conspiracy theories about the government are spread faster and more often than the Gospel is shared. We are so busy trying to get the officials we feel should be in office in there, we have completely ignored our calling as the church. While we fight over elections, we are allowing people to go to hell without ever hearing the Gospel. Yes, we need to be involved in politics as Christians. Yes, we need men and women who loves Jesus and use a biblical worldview to make decisions in governing this nation. However, we cannot lose sight of our primary calling, to make disciples of all nations. This includes not just those who have been born in America, but also those who have come to America from other places. While illegal immigration is, well, illegal, it doesn’t mean that those people aren’t image bearers of God who are separated from God by sin, and in need of hearing the Gospel that God in His grace might save them. Hopefully I have been able to prove my point about where our nation is right now, and how it relates to Israel in Ezekiel’s day. But there is more.

In Ezekiel 22:30 it says, “And I (God) sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” (bold for emphasis). God sought someone, anyone, who would stand up and stand in that gap. Someone who would take to God on behalf of men, and then go talk to people on behalf of God. Someone who would stand up and say ,”This isn’t right, we are going in the wrong direction.” And that last phrase is so painful to read, “but I found none.” In verse 31 God says that is why He destroyed the land and sent the people into captivity. This is the impetus for the series, Who’s Your One, now. Our nation is in a dangerous place. While we as Christians might often blame the lost for where we are as a nation, I believe that is wrong of us. I believe it is something we should confess and repent of immediately. We are in the position we are in, because we as Christians and churches have not stood in that gap. We have not prayed for our government enough. We have misplaced priorities which has led to misaligned worship. Instead of seeking to please God by making disciples and living holy lives, we have been too busy trying to live a comfortable life. We do everything we can to protect religious freedom, yet we do nothing with it while we have it. We act as though as Christians we must have freedom to do the Lord’s work. Yet, I would challenge you to go and study the Bible, especially the New Testament, and tell me where you see freedom of religion in there. Find that passage that says Christians will have an easy time while on earth. I will save you some trouble, you won’t find those concepts. What we will find is Jesus repeatedly telling His disciples to expect persecution, to expect living in danger, and expect to lose freedom and in some cases even your life for the sake of the Gospel. Maybe what we have been protecting is what is actually keeping us from fulfilling God’s mission for our lives.

I have been very bold and blunt in this post. Maybe too bold and blunt. If so, I sincerely and humbly ask for your forgiveness. My heart and I know the hearts of others are breaking for this nation, for this world, and for the condition of the church. This seems like such a monumental and insurmountable task. Yet, God has given us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and to work through us. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we have everything we need. He will give us the grace, the power, the mercy, the love, and the grace to fulfill His calling on our lives and on our churches. The only question that remains is this, will be make ourselves available to God so that He can accomplish His plan in us and through us? A clergyman by the name of Edward Hale, who I do not agree with His theology, said, “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” It starts where you are. It starts right now. Will you start today?

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Jan 27

Words Matter

James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” He then goes on to talk even more about our tongue. He says it is like a rudder of a ship, and that it is like a small spark that blazes a forrest fire. I think we can all agree that we have seen the truth of these words play out on our television screens and in our social media feeds over the last several weeks. Whether you believe the former President incited a mob or not, that really isn’t the point. The point is, our words carry meaning and power. As James says, our words can bless or curse, but they shouldn’t do both. But this isn’t just about a politician, this is about your words and my words. No, we may not have a podium with a seal and a national audience, but there are still people who listen to us, and that we influence. We have to know that there is a time for fiery rhetoric or exaggeration, and there is a time to be measured and straightforward. I will admit, that I sometimes forget that line, and I step across the line. Sometimes, I allow the events of the day to shape my interactions with my family when I get home. Then, there are times in which I feel like I need to say something, when in fact it would be best if I just stayed silent. I try to remind myself of Proverbs 10:19, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” Solomon there is reminding us that the more we talk, the more likely we are to sin. However, when we show restraint and don’t constantly keep our mouth open, we are less likely to do lasting damage. I think of the parent who constantly yells at their child or is constantly critical of them. While they may believe they are helping the child, they are in fact doing the exact opposite. There are times in which someone has hurt us, and in our hurt we want to lash back at them. In those times may we remember Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” I forget where I read it, but I saw something that said, “when the heart is hurting it is best to keep the mouth closed.” There is a lot of wisdom in that. Of course, one thing that has been very prevalent over the last couple of weeks are conspiracy theories. Again, Scripture has something to say to this, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour our folly” (Prov. 15:2). There are other verses that speak of not telling and re-telling “fables and wives tales.” It doesn’t mean don’t read stories, it means to watch what you accept as fact and repeat as fact. This has greatly concerned me the most in the church. I have watched with a saddened heart over the last couple of weeks, people of a strong faith spouting off various conspiracy theories or repeating predictions from a supposed “prophet.” What happens when we give in to this is we weaken our witness to a lost world. When we follow a false prophet or repeat their dubious claims, we call into question the truthfulness of Scripture in people’s minds. When we spend more time debating politics on social media than we do praying for and looking for ways to share the Gospel with people in person or on social media, we are allowing Satan to distract us from our mission. It’s not wrong to speak up when politics intersects the Bible and our faith. However, we must ask ourselves, do people know who we are for or just what we are against? Have they heard the truth about their eternal reality without Jesus, or have they just heard my thoughts on the politics of the day? The truth is, we only have so much time in our life to speak truth into people’s lives, and we can’t afford to waste that time. A person can go to heaven if they disagree with us politically, but they have truly surrendered to King Jesus. However, they can’t go to heaven if they haven’t surrendered to King Jesus. Therefore, which do you think is more important for us to share?

Let’s use our words to encourage and to build one another up. Let’s use our words to speak truth into people’s lives. Let’s use our words to tell them about the Gospel and King Jesus. As Paul said in Ephesians 5, “let us redeem the time, because the days are evil.”

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Jan 19

The Right Fear

Tomorrow something major is happening in our nation’s capital. The transition of power will officially take place as the 46th President of the United States of America will be sworn in. I will not get into a political debate, I do not want to listen to or argue over conspiracy theories, or any of those things. For the last 10 days I have to admit that I have been worn out mentally and emotionally with everything going on in our nation. My heart is broken for our nation. However you feel about the incoming administration, the reality is, there will be a new administration by lunchtime tomorrow. I will say that I do have hesitations and reservations about this incoming administration. Not because of who they are, but rather what they stand for. I will also admit that the current Republican Party has its own demons, and is far from perfect. I am a Christian first and an American citizen second. My allegiance is first and foremost to the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Because of this, I can face uncertain days and times with absolute confidence that it is going to be ok. It doesn’t meant that it will be easy, but I know that in the end it will all work out for God’s glory and my good. I know this because Jesus settled the outcome and my eternity long ago, when He died on the cross for my sins, and rose from the dead three days later. To my brothers and sisters in Christ who are panicking right now about the incoming administration, I want to say two things to you. First, I understand your apprehension. As I said, I have some angst over some policies that will be enacted. However, and this is the biggest one for me, do not be afraid; instead, let this be a time in which our faith and trust in Jesus Christ shines through. Jesus in talking to His disciples said this in Luke 12:4-5, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

Jesus is telling us some important truths in these verses. First, Jesus is warning His disciples that they will face persecution. Let there be no doubt that if we are to live for the glory of God and the kingdom of God, we will be aliens in this world. Regardless of who is in the White House, Christians will stand out and be opposed by all who are against King Jesus. Second, Jesus is telling us that man’s judgment is temporary. Yes, they could beat us. Yes, they could imprison us. Yes, they could take our life from us. They can do all of that only if Jesus allows them to do that. But when they have done it to us, then it is over. They can harm our body, but they cannot touch our soul because that belongs to God. Which leads to the last, and most important truth as we face uncertain days, Jesus is calling on us to be ready to die for Him and to trust that He has it all under control. For a Christian, death is not to be feared. Death for a Christian isn’t the absence of life, instead it is the beginning of experiencing true, eternal life. We should not be afraid of what man could temporarily do to us. Rather, we should be in awe of what an eternal God could do, and will do to those who die having rejected Him. Therefore, the question we must answer is this, are we prepared to meet Jesus? If we are, then we have no reason to fear what may or may not happen in this life. Therefore, let us pray for this incoming President, whether we agree with him or not. Let us pray that God would graciously convict his heart, and save him. Let us pray that God would give him wisdom in how to govern. Let us pray that we as Christians will not ruin our testimony by spewing hatred towards those we disagree with. Let us be faithful to share the Gospel with those we encounter in life. And let us praise God, that by His grace we are ready to stand before Him whenever that day comes.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Jan 13

The Danger of Distraction

Happy New Year! After a small break and recovery from writing so much in 2020, we are back and excited for 2021. Since I last posted here there has been a lot going on in the world, and certainly here in our nation. I am going to refrain from talking about what is going on in America for the most part. There are several reasons, but one of the biggest is why I am writing this post today, the danger of distractions. One thing that the devil loves to do is to distract Christians from our calling. He is a good sleight of hand magician. He wants you looking over here while he does something with the other hand over there. What the world needs now is an undivided, unafraid church boldly living and proclaiming the Gospel. In Luke 9, Jesus tells His disciples about counting the cost of being a disciple. Towards the end of the chapter, Jesus says something that seems harsh and something that sounds weird to the modern-day reader. Jesus says in Luke 9:60-62, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'”

At first glance, it seems as though Jesus is trying to talk people out of following Him. Is He really doing that? Well, yes and no. No, Jesus doesn’t want someone to not be saved. But, yes, He doesn’t want them being half-hearted in their commitment to Him and the kingdom. He wants them to understand what it means to be His disciple. My guess is you have a friend or maybe even a boss who says they will do something, but then seldom actually follows through with it. That is incredibly frustrating isn’t it? Not only does it seem like Jesus is trying to talk people out of following Him, but it also seems as though Jesus is uncaring. He tells one guy who wants to bury his father, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” However, this man wasn’t asking to attend his father’s funeral or to have a time of mourning for his father. Instead, he is wanting to delay his obedience to Jesus’ call. If Jesus is truly the Lord of our life, when He tells us something, the only appropriate response is “Yes, Lord.” Jesus was telling this man that to be His disciple means that his commitment to Jesus is deeper and more important in his life than all other relationships and commitments. What about the last one who said he would follow Jesus? What is Jesus getting at when He talks about “looking back” and “not being fit for the kingdom of God”? It is similar to the previous one. Jesus knew that if this man delayed in obedience, he would never obey. The pull of our old life would be too strong. While we all know that things change, the reality is that we like the way things are. They are comfortable, and we like comfort. We will even admit that things are not ideal, and that things need to change. So, why don’t they change? Because we like comfort, and there is comfort in the familiar. Jesus uses an agricultural illustration, because this would have made sense to His audience. Jesus is saying that when someone is plowing a garden to get ready to plant crops, they need to plow straight lines. However, if they are holding on to the plow, and they look back, they won’t plow straight lines. Try this, and you will see Jesus’ point, put a straight line down on the floor, start walking, and then look back and try to keep walking a straight line. I’ll save you the time, you won’t be able to to do it. Jesus is saying, if we allow our old, familiar, and comfortable life to continue to influence us, we will never follow Jesus as His disciple. There has to be a break from the old, and a commitment to the new. By the way, this same illustration is applied to marriage back in Genesis 2, Matthew 19, and Ephesians 5. But what does this have to do with our situation today?

Satan is distracting many Christians with politics, and it is diverting our attention away from the kingdom of God. Regardless of your political persuasion, you want what you want. You are convinced that your political party’s platform and plans are the best for everyone. You believe that if your party is in power, then everything will be better. It is a belief that the good of the world rises and falls with America. It is what is referred to as nationalism, a term you have probably heard many, many times over the past year. For what it is worth, it is not just a one party issue, both parties suffer from it. Here is the danger for Christians, when we are more concerned with the well-being of America, temporary politics overpower our allegiance to the kingdom of God. The world, including America, rises and falls according to the plan and purposes of God. Neither political party will save this nation, nor will one party destroy this nation. Why do I say this? Because, no one can save themselves, let alone a political party. And both parties are made up of fallen, sinful people in need of a Savior. Do Christians need to be a part of the political process? Absolutely! They should pray for the nation and its leaders every day (1 Tim. 2:1-2), we should seek the good of the nation (Jer. 29:7), and we should participate in the process every four years. However, our allegiance must be solely to the kingdom of God, and neither political party has the market cornered on that. Christians must not lose our voice in the public square by pandering to either party. We must call sin out on both sides, and we must boldly, and unapologetically proclaim the Gospel as the only hope for politics, the nation, and the world. Satan is ok if we continue to play partisan politics and get caught up in crazy conspiracy theories. And is Satan is ok with it, that should tell you something right there. It should tell you that God is not ok with it. Christians, the world is in a dark place right now. There are many problems. The world does not need a distracted church. The world needs a Gospel living and Gospel declaring church. So, let’s be that!

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 28

The Time Is Now

Well, we made it! Here it is, the final post in our yearlong series, Blogging Through The Bible in 2020. I feel both a sense of relief but also sadness as this series comes to an end. I have tried to remain faithful in posting here five days a week over the last year. Some days it was easier to do than others. However, I am sad to see this come to an end because through this series we have been able to learn and converse together about what God is teaching us in His Word. As I announced earlier, 2021 here on the blog is going to be different. I will be posting one to three times a week in the new year. It will be on various topics as they relate to the Bible including some stories of what I and my family went through in 2020, and what God taught us through them. I hope you will continue to follow this blog, and above all I hope that I am faithful to God and glorify Him with what is written here. I will also tell you that in 2021 we will have some guest bloggers from time to time as well, as it is good to hear from other people. However, without further delay, here is the last blog of 2020.

Few topics generate as much conversation, and sometimes disagreement as the end of time. How will it end? When will it end? Is the church going to be taken out of the world before the last seven years leading up to Jesus’ return or will the church go through the last seven years along with the rest of the world? Those are just some of the questions I get asked surrounding end times events. Some of those questions have straight forward answers, and they are clearly articulated in the Bible. Others are a little less clear. My method of understanding and teaching on the end times is this, where the Bible is clear, I will be authoritative; where the Bible is less clear, I will leave space and give grace for discussion. While we often focus on when things will end, I believe what we should be focusing on is being prepared for when it does end. The Bible is crystal clear that all of humanity is on a collision course with the end. It is equally as clear on the fact that only God knows when the end will come. What the Bible is the clearest on however is that we need to be prepared for when it comes, and how we can be prepared. The only way to be prepared for Jesus’ return is to have surrendered to Jesus in faith before you die or He returns. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is the sole message of salvation throughout the Bible. So, let me ask you right here and right now, are you ready to meet Jesus whenever that day comes? If not, God in His grace is giving you another opportunity to surrender to Him. I would be more than willing to talk with you, and let you know how you can begin walking with God today. Reach out to me at pastorjustin@westlakebaptist.org.

When it comes to the book of Revelation, most people focus on trying to figure out what all the signs and symbols mean. They try to apply them into our current context. One of the problems with this approach is that by doing that, you are ripping the book out of its proper context. As my professors drilled into me, a verse, chapter, or book of the Bible cannot mean today what it didn’t mean then. While the book of Revelation is a book of prophecy, it was just as important in John’s day as it is in our day. How do we know this? We know this by what it written in Revelation 22:10, “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.'” This is an angel talking with John as the final vision of Revelation has been given. The angel tells John that this message that has been given to him was not just for the future, it was for now. The churches and Christians of John’s day needed to read and understand the message of this book. That is one of the hallmarks of prophetical writing. It has both an immediate fulfillment, but it is pointing towards the ultimate fulfillment. Much of what John wrote about occurred on a smaller scale in his day or shortly after. However, there is a larger more complete fulfillment that is still to come. Why did God give this message to John? We can find that answer in the theme of Revelation 22. Much of Revelation 22 is recording a conversation between John and an angel. However, Jesus interjects three times, and each of those times Jesus gives the same message, “I am coming quickly.” This doesn’t mean it was going to be a short time before Jesus’ return. Rather, it speaks of the immediacy and the unexpectedness of Jesus’ return. This is something that Jesus spoke of in the Gospels, specifically in Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus said that He would return at a time in which people weren’t expecting. It will be sudden. That was His message here in Revelation 22 as well. He was telling John to get the message of this book out to the Christians and churches of his day so that they would be looking for and expecting Jesus’ return. This is why churches should not avoid the book of Revelation even today, because the message Jesus gave John then is still equally true and needed today. We must be prepared. Therefore, let me ask one more time, are you prepared for your own death or Jesus’ return? If not, will you surrender to Jesus today. He has already done all the work necessary for you to be saved. You must simply submit to Him in the faith He gives you and trust that Jesus is the only way to be saved. If you would like to talk more about it, if you have questions, or you would like to surrender to Jesus today; please reach out to me at pastorjustin@westlakebaptist.org.

Thank you again for following along with this series this year. I hope it has been an encouragement and a help to you in your walk with Jesus. May we all truly be prepared to meet Him whenever that time comes. Until that time comes may we love Him supremely and follow Him completely.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 25

The Night Before

As I sit here and write this, it is Christmas Eve. The night before the “big”day. I can’t help but try and think of what it must have been like the night before Mary gave birth to Jesus. Yes, I am aware that Jesus more than likely wasn’t born on December 25th. Yes, I am aware of why December 25th was chosen to be the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. So, I’m not talking about December 24th as the day before, I’m talking about the actual night before His birth. I wonder if Mary knew that the next day would be the day she would give birth? My guess is probably not. I can clearly remember the days leading up to the birth of our oldest son, Andrew. Diana and I had excitement and anticipation, but we had no idea when it was going to happen. She would go through an entire day heading to Bethlehem, and before the night was over, she would experience the pain of childbirth and the joy of motherhood. Not only would that night change Mary and Joseph’s life, it would change the world.

I can’t help but think about some parallels to that night and 2020. As we were celebrating Christmas in 2019, many people were talking about how they couldn’t wait until 2020. 2020 came in normal enough. But no one knew what was coming in March of 2020, except God of course. While we certainly didn’t have anticipation of a pandemic, COVID-19 took our nation by surprise just as the labor pains took Mary by surprise. Just like the pain Mary went through the night she birthed Jesus, our nation and the world has suffered great pain during this pandemic. Yet, once Mary delivered Jesus, the pain seemingly disappeared and it was replaced by joy. This is why the Bible speaks of how a woman is in pain during childbirth, but as soon as the child is delivered forgets the pain because the child has been born. Yes, we have suffered as a nation. Yes, we have experienced great loss over the last nine months. But it is also true that some good has come out of this pandemic. Families have been around the table more having meals together, schedules have been cleared up to allow margin in our lives, and at least for a while there was a desire in people to understand what was going on and how God is a part of it. Over the past couple of days, a church in Tennessee, Long Hollow Baptist, has seen over 100 people baptized. Long Hollow’s pastor, Robby Gallaty, has described it as something he has never seen, and that it is clear that God is answering the prayers that have been prayed. Mary was pregnant for nine months before delivering Jesus. We have been in this pandemic for nine months. Is there a clearing of the pain and joy coming soon? I don’t know. But what I do know is that no matter what comes in the end of 2020 and into 2021, God is fully in control. There is a plan and a purpose behind all of this. As Psalm 30:5 says, “There may be weeping for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

On behalf of Westlake Baptist Church, Diana, our children, and myself, Merry Christmas. May God bless you and your family not only during this Christmas season, but in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead as you seek Him. One final “programming” note, I will write the final entry for our series, Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 on Monday, December 28th. I hope you will read it, and I hope that this yearlong series has been a blessing and encouragement to you. Merry Christmas and God bless.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 24

Things Not In Heaven

I love Christmas time. It is a time of hope, because it points us back to Jesus. I love the lights, the sounds, and the festive colors of this time of year. It’s something about all of it that can often times take me out of a grumpy mood and put a smile on my face. I know this year is different. People have been talking about how Christmas is going to be different this year. Obviously, I understand they are talking about restrictions and things dealing with COVID-19. I think it is going to be a little different for another reason. I think because of all the events of this year, people are going to not take time with family and friends for granted as we tend to do. In a normal year, we often complain about all of the places we have to go during the Christmas season. We have office Christmas parties, extra church events and services, and multiple family gatherings we need to get to. It can be stressful and yes a little frustrating at times. Yet, I believe it will probably be a little different this year, or at least I hope it will be. All of it makes me long for what John saw in a vision in Revelation 21. John wrote, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with Him, and they shall be His people. God Himself will dwell with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away.'”

At this point in the book of Revelation, sin has fully and finally been dealt with. God is revealing His new creation in all of its beauty. All of the pain and suffering that has been brought on because of sin will be no more. Everything will be just as God intended for it to be. The greatest part of it is found in the opening of verse 3, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men.” This isn’t talking about a building. Rather, it is talking about a Person. It is talking about Jesus. In the presence of Jesus there will be no death, sorrow, crying, or pain. Can you imagine a day in which we don’t talk about COVID-19, cancer, death, suffering, injustice, or anything bad? A day in which the most beautiful sunrise or sunset now would pale in comparison. A day in which we walk and talk with Jesus all day with uninterrupted fellowship and communion with Him. All of this and more is awaiting the person who surrenders in faith to Jesus, believing that His death and resurrection are the means by which you are saved. The person who understands that no amount of good works or good intentions could outweigh the ugliness of the sin that is in us. The person who lives in daily dependence upon God and His power to live for Him. 2020 has been hard, and we have no idea what 2021 will bring; but child of God, lift up your eyes and your voice, praise your Savior fully knowing that there is a better day coming. Until that day arrives, let’s not cease telling those around us about the goodness and the glory of God, and how they too can be saved and look forward to this day. Merry Christmas Eve!

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 23

The Worship of the Redeemed

2020 has been an interesting year for sure. We have asked the question, how long is this going to last, about a lot of things and situations. Have you ever noticed that when something good is going on it seems to pass really fast, but when we aren’t enjoying something it seems to drag on? We know that there are only 24 hours in a day, but some days just feel longer don’t they? Yet, as a child of God, we know that God is moving everything towards the end and that is a good thing. How will it end? It will end with the redeemed worshipping the Lord, and later even restoring all of creation to the way it was designed to be. We see this aspect of worship in Revelation 19:6, “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!'”

Our worship will focus on who Jesus is. In this case, we are praising Him because He is all-powerful. Despite everything that has happened, all the times when things have seemed out of control, and the times we have felt hopeless, there has been an all-powerful God on His throne the whole time. It will be this day in which God puts an end to the sinful systems of man. The plan that was formed by God before the foundation of the world, that began at Bethlehem, and the victory that was secured outside of Jerusalem with an empty tomb, will finally and fully be realized for the children of God! This worship precedes the bodily return of Jesus to earth to set up His kingdom on earth. On this day, the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6 when He said, “Your kingdom come, You will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, will be reality. The resurrection of Jesus makes this possible, and it makes it a certainty. But it all started back in Bethlehem. That is why we can’t celebrate Christmas without also looking forward to Easter. And the truth of Jesus’ resurrection is why we must also be prepared for His return, because it will be a day of reckoning for some, but it will also be a rejoicing for those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to close this edition of Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 with a challenge. When you gather for worship, worship the Lord as you will when He returns! Don’t make it about you, but remember that we worship is about Jesus. Sing as loud as you can to the all-powerful God who will one day put an end not only to COVID-19, but all sickness, pain, suffering, and death. Prepare for His return more diligently than you are preparing to celebrate His first coming!

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 22

Evidence of Love

I’m sure we all remember growing up, when our parents went to discipline us they would say, “this is going to hurt me, more than it is going to hurt you.” I remember thinking that was the biggest lie ever told. Now, as a parent, I realize there is a lot of truth in that statement. Some question if it is going to cause some form of pain to everyone involved, why do it? The Bible is clear on that answer, we discipline because we love. How do we know this? There are several places in the Bible that we can see it, but Jesus plainly says it in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

This admonition from Jesus is given to the church at Laodicea. This is known as the “lukewarm” church. John uses the reality of the aqueduct system near Laodicea to teach a spiritual truth about this church. What was the problem in the church? We may not know the exact problem that drew this swift rebuke from Jesus, but we can certainly see the attitude they had. Jesus told them to be zealous. The word zealous means to be full of, devoted to, or diligent. We can think of it in terms of being passionate or fervent for someone or something. The opposite of zealous is apathy or indifference. Therefore, when Jesus tells them to be zealous, He is telling them to no longer be indifferent towards Him. This was a church that was just going through the motions. Has there ever been a time in which you just went through the motions of your walk with God? I think this is a warning to all churches, it is easy to put things on cruise control or just hit play on our programs in the ministry. That is one thing that I am grateful for in 2020. As hard has this year has been, and as tough as the pandemic has been to navigate at times, it has forced me as a pastor to reexamine things. We couldn’t just continue ministry as usual, because this is a very unusual year. I believe for many this will be a defining moment in which we either woke up or we will die out.

I know this has been a tough year. But I believe we can also see many blessings of this year if we look for them. I believe that God, in His love for His children and His church, has shaken us to our foundation, and this is a good thing. As long as our foundation is built upon Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and the truths of Scripture, the foundation is still there and rebuilding can happen. Of course, there are those who were trying to build on another foundation, and that foundation has cracked out from under them. As difficult as that is, we still need to see that as a blessing from God. How terrible would it be to build a ministry on a foundation other than the one true foundation that can and will stand the test of time? It makes me think of Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” This leads me to ask you a question, what is the foundation of your life? Who or what are you building your life on? Jesus said in Matthew 7, we are either building on the Rock, which is Him, or we are building on life on sinking sand. As the verse in Revelation 3 says, God disciplines us because He loves us. Maybe God is tearing down the house of your life, so that you will build on the right foundation now and for all of eternity. No matter the difficulty, just remember, God does love you and He desires and knows what is best for us. Therefore, we can think of His discipline as Him correcting our course to get us heading in the right direction. He does it because He loves us. Praise God for His love, even if it brings a little pain into our life. It is better to have a little pain now and experience joy for all of eternity, than to have all joy now and experience pain in eternity.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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Dec 21

Do You Hear Me?

Every parent has had that moment in which they have been talking to their children, but it is as though the children aren’t listening, and in an exasperated tone you say, “are you listening to me?” The parent isn’t questioning whether or not the child can hear. Rather, they are questioning if they are comprehending what is being said. They are questioning it, because they expected some behavioral change or some action to take place and at this point it isn’t happening. However, in a way there is a deeper question being asked, even though it is unspoken. The unspoken question is, do you love me? I hope to unpack that a little more shortly. But there is a statement at the end of every message Jesus has for each of the churches. The statement is recorded seven times in Revelation 2 and Revelation 3. Here is one of them, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church” (Rev. 2:29).

That phrase is repeated seven times in these two chapters. It goes back to Jeremiah 5:21 in which God was looking for a righteous person and exclaimed that “having eyes they do not see, and having ears they do not hear.” God’s point to the nation of Israel and Jesus’ message to the church in Revelation is the same, proof that you understand what I am saying will be seen in what you do. How do we know that our children have heard what we are saying to them? They obey our words. Their obedience is at least in part an indication of their love for us. If we ask our children to do something, and they don’t do it, we are going to feel as though we have been rejected or that we simply don’t matter to our children. This translates to our relationship with God as well, because Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” In other words, proof of your love for Me is seen by you obeying Me. When we know what to do, but we don’t do it, it is a rejection of Jesus and it is showing a lack of love for Him. We can say all day long how much we love Jesus, just like our children tell us as their parents that they love us. However, when we don’t obey Jesus or our children don’t obey us, they are saying the exact opposite of love. A lot of people think that the opposite of love is hate. In reality, the opposite of love is apathy or indifference, just not caring.

Therefore, as we begin our final week in this series, I think we need to ask ourselves an important question, do my actions match the words I say about my feelings towards God? If I say that I love Him, is it evident by my obedience to Him? If not, take time to confess it, repent of it, and ask for God’s help. You will not be able to obey Jesus on your own. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit in you and working through you. The good news is if you have been saved, you already have the Holy Spirit, He is more than willing to do the work in you, but you have to surrender yourself to God every single day. Maybe 2020 hasn’t gone the way you wanted it to or thought it would. Nothing says you can’t end 2020 well. After all, it’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish. Therefore, let’s all strive to hear Jesus’ voice, and obey Him with our life from this day forward.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

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