The Crowning Proof of Christianity!

You don’t have to watch television for very long to discover that Americans are seemingly obsessed with crime solving shows. The investigative techniques in these crime shows almost always lead to a desperate search to match the DNA at the crime scene with the DNA of the perpetrator. When that is done, case closed, we’ve got a fix on the guilty party.

In Matthew 28 we have documented what some unbelievers would no doubt call the crime of all crimes throughout all time. Of course the “crime” I’m referring to is the empty tomb of the One who claimed to be the Savior of all mankind: Jesus. You see the genuineness of Christianity hinges on the outcome of this so-called “crime” story. If the critics can prove that indeed what happened on that weekend was the crime of all time then Christianity, which has stood for some 2,000 years, would be turned on its head and proven to be the lie of all lies. Can you imagine the multitudes of people throughout history who have staked their very lives on the claims of Jesus Christ proven to have been duped? Many of whom had even laid down their lives in the face of the decision to either renounce their faith or die. Talk about a scandal!!

Of course, history tells us that despite the greatest efforts of many, Christianity and its crowning proof, the resurrection of Jesus, still stands today. Oh, the cynics have their stories. The religious leaders paid off the guards and told them to tell the people that the disciples had come and stolen the body of Jesus (Matt. 28:13). Others have claimed that Jesus faked His death; that he really didn’t die but simply fainted. Others have tried to reason that the women and the disciples simply went to wrong grave. The logical question then is where is the body of Jesus? Why didn’t Christ’s opponents simply produce the body or show the disciples where the true grave was? There are other questions that beg to be answered. How do the critics explain the multitudes that saw the resurrected Jesus? Were they all mental cases? Seeing ghosts? How do the cynics explain the sudden change in the followers of Jesus, namely his closest disciples, who on the night of his arrest denied him and fled? What came over them when we find them preaching to thousands in the face of persecution and eventual death? Are we to believe these men who were not willing to die with Jesus are all of sudden willing to die for a lie they had some how fabricated? You see the DNA of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus! It is the evidence that links Jesus to his claim that he is the Son of God and the Savior of the world! Case closed! We’ve found our Savior!

The real “crime” in this case is not with the comparatively few throughout history who have placed their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The real “crime” is found in the vast and overwhelming majority throughout history who have been deceived, in spite of the clear evidence, and chosen to die in their sins rather than to humble themselves, confess their sins, and place their faith in Jesus the Christ. That, in the end, is THE crime we believers ought to be fighting against: exposing the lies of Satan and making a sure attempt to rescue those we cross paths with everyday.

Pastor Jeff

Can You Tell the Difference?

Read Matthew 24:23-28

Which way is the right way to go? Do we know where each road will lead us in the end? Who determines what is the "right" way? This picture illustrates situations that you and I face every single day. With every decision we are faced with we have a choice to make. Which choice is the right choice? Maybe both choices are "right" however one choice will be the best choice. How we make these decisions in our lives will determine the path we travel throughout the rest of our lives.

This brings me to a word that I believe has become nearly obsolete: the word is 'discernment.' To be a discerning person means that we will be able to "tell the difference." Let's face it, most of us Christians want things to be spelled out in black and white. For instance, some will say, "all hymns are sacred and holy and any music that is contemporary (new) is evil and unholy." While that kind of statement paints the picture in black and white terms when we examine it in the light of God's Word is simply isn't true. My contention is that statements like these promote mental laziness and biblical illiteracy because we never have to discern. We never learn to hold things up to the light of Scripture. We simply pigeon hole everything until it all fits very nicely into our neat little box.

In the Sr. High Sunday school class we've been discussing modern day cults and their teachings. I hope for those who have been in class it has become clear that we need to be discerning. We need to know what we believe and what we believe must be based on the solid foundation of God's Word, the Bible. We also need to know why we believe what we believe. Discernment is vital to any believers survival in a day where the subtlety of Satan's lies are increasing everywhere around us. In Matthew 24, Jesus says that in the Tribulation many will come claiming to be the Christ and they will do great signs and wonders to prove it. Talk about the need to be discerning! Well, I will simply submit to you that the need for discernment today is just as great. Let's learn to think Biblically! Let's learn to hold all of our preconceived convictions up to the light of Scripture and ask the question: What does the Bible say about this?

Pastor Jeff

What Are You Afraid Of?

After our message on fear last night and the prayer request from Josh about God saving us from Hillary, I thought this picture would be appropriate for today's blog. Very Scary! In all seriousness though, fear is something that ALL of us deal with everyday whether we realize it or not. In the Psalms we find repeatedly that David is running to God in the face of fear. This is a good habit for you and I to practice in our lives. I don't know how it is with you, but I do know how it is with me. Usually in the face of fear my first inclination is to lean on my own understanding and my own ways of escape rather than running to God. In Psalm 27:1 David writes, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" We referenced Proverbs 29:25 last night as well: "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."

If you could think of anyone in the Bible who consistently faced the fear of man King David would have to be at the top of the list. He was always facing opposition of some kind seemingly at every moment of his life. King Saul sought to kill him, then there were the armies of the enemy Philistines, then there was opposition from within his own family. One principle we can take from the life of David is that when we are on the frontlines in the ministry, battling for the Lord we WILL face opposition. David's faith was tried through the fires of opposition and was purified as a result.

We need to come to the point in our lives where the fear of man no longer ensnares us or traps us because our faith in God is so strong and we are conditioned to run to him in the face of opposition. As I said last night, I don't believe there is some magic switch that you and I can flip to make this a reality. I do believe that it will become a reality in our lives first, by putting ourselves on the frontlines in ministry and presenting ourselves everyday as a living sacrifice. Secondly, it will become a reality as our faith is tried through the fires of opposition and we learn through those experiences to trust our God more fully. So today as you face your fears, run to God! Start cultivating this habit. Ask the Lord to strengthen your faith and to give you an eternal perspective on life. I believe that eternal perspective will make all the difference in this life and in the life to come.

Pastor Jeff

Face EVERY DAY with great ANTICIPATION!

Do you approach every new day with anticipation of what God is going to do in your life? Our furry friend to the right approaches a lot of situations in life with great anticipation. If you say sit, he'll likely do it because he anticipates the treat that follows. In fact, everytime he obeys he'll do so with great anticipation of what you're going to do.

Anticipation is one of the greatest reasons to have a daily quiet time with God. David writes the following in Psalm 5:3: "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." What an awesome verse that ends with David in great anticipation. David said to God that in the morning He would hear his voice. Does God hear your voice every morning? Do you wake up praying and praising God?

The other thing David says that he is faithful to do is to prepare a sacrifice for God. What an incredible challenge for each of us! We should wake up every morning not only lifting our hearts to God but also presenting our lives as a living sacrifice in service for our awesome God! How can God use me today? That's a powerful question to have on your heart as you begin each day.

Now my last question is: What does David do next? After he prays and praises God and prepares his life a living sacrifice to God for that day he simply says that he watches. He looks up! Talk about anticipation! David says, "I'm gonna watch what God does through me today! I'm gonna look up and fix my eyes on God and see what He does!" Are you and I watching everyday to see how God can and will use us as we present ourselves a living sacrifice and offer up to Him the sacrifice of praise? Let me encourage you today to live with great anticipation in God!!

Pastor Jeff