Pastor Goforth

Convention Message 2021 – Commission to Culmination

June 22nd, 2021
Every year after I attend the SBC Annual Meeting I bring a message reporting what we are doing in the Southern Baptist Convention, based on the inspiration of the messages I heard, and the reports about our primary ministries.

Here is my message, it’s sort of long, but maybe NOT as controversial as you might think.

Convention Inspiration 2021

Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 7:9

From Commission to Culmination

IN December of 1975, two weeks before my 11^th, birthday God called me to preach. I heard it in my heart as clear as can be. But I waited. I didn’t tell anyone, not because I didn’t want to respond, not because I wasn’t sure, but because my dad was called to preach when he was 11 and I had heard that all my life, and when I heard that voice, I waited because I wanted to be 11. So, I waited two weeks and I felt guilty for two weeks because I wanted to be 11.,,

That call has shaped my life. It has taken me to 4 continents, it has taken me to concerts, and preaching engagements, revivals, church staff positions. But it has also had me share my faith one on one with people on planes, and over lunch, and on street corners, in coffee shops. That call was to preach the Gospel. But that is NOT the first call for the Christian. The first call of a Christian is to share their faith, meet Jesus, share Jesus. It will be different for different people, but it is still an expectation.

What then is the Commission of the Church and When is the Culmination of that Mission

Mission should be measurable and attainable, so what is our mission and how do we know how we are doing and when we are finished?

The Southern Baptist Convention is 175 Years old. We didn’t start for ALL the right reasons. We split from Northern Baptists primarily over slavery. We have confessed that sin as a convention. But our focus has always been on people meeting Jesus.
1. What was Our Commission? – Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8
Read Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

Why Does Jesus have the Right to Commission Us? 28:18

Because he has the Authority. All the Authority has been given to him.

Why? Because Philippians 2 tells us he emptied himself of glory, took up the nature of a servant, was obedient to death on the cross. So that passage says

Philippians 2:9–10 (CSB)

⁹ For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

Ephesians 1:20–22 (CSB)

²⁰ He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—²¹ far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church,

The Father has given EVERYTHING to the Son. The Spirit is pointing everyone TO the Son. It is ALL his … and he says;

“THEREFORE”

– We are commissioned because he is the Boss. Because it is HIS Kingdom, not OUR Kingdom. It is his plan not our plan.

Because HE HAS ALL AUTHORITY. And Dr. Tony Evans preached from this passage and several speakers referred to it. Why because it is where we start. It is why we are here. It is why he left us on earth. He hasn’t left us here because he needs 2000 years to get Heaven Ready. He can SPEAK IT READY. But he left us here because he has a commission for us. Tony Evans reminded us that he has Authority ekousia = power in legitimate hands – authorized authority.

So, the authority IS his, legitimized by Father’s Will, and Spirit’s Power, but by HIS Obedience and Faithfulness to the Cross.

Therefore –

Make Disciples

Evans called that process a transformation of worldviews

Certainly, before we can disciple people from being lovers of self into being lovers of God, we have to lead them to Christ through Evangelism. But discipling is copying the Master. But not just discipling THE ONES WE LIKE or the ones like us…
- OF the Nations – ethnos
That’s the Kingdom work that Evans has been focusing on all of his books recently, Kingdom People, transformation of the people, the structures, the systems. Yes, we want to see worlds change, but that happens as we change people, and people engage with structures and systems and we change systems – discipling the nations

And right here we need to be careful. Because the question I asked myself in my notes was, “how can we do this without being trapped by Politics?” and I believe the answer is in WHOM we seek to glorify and WHY. It’s not about the Church being Political. It’s about the People of God sharing Jesus, Engaging in Society, Transforming Systems, with the Good News that though we are sinners, there is transformation and LIFE in Jesus Christ.

Our hope is NOT in ANY Political System – One speaker this week reminded us that Christ is “not riding any donkeys or elephants.”

And our Outgoing President J.D. Greer, Pastor of The Summit Church Durham, happens to be sending Pastor to our Children now on the Mission Field, he said, when the Church gets into bed with Politics it always gets pregnant and the offspring never looks like our Heavenly Father”

But we are to Go and Disciple the Nations

How? By going to where they are!

Dr. Evans had been using a football game as a metaphor and said there three teams in every conflict, home, away, and the kingdom representative, the referees. But he said, that the offense gets into the Huddle … but no one came to watch the Huddle. You don’t MIND the Huddle, but you came to watch them break the Huddle and play the game. The question is DID THEY SCORE? Or Did they Stop them? So, we have to GO. And honestly if you go to the book of Acts, they had been commissioned, and they had been given clear instructions. And the instructions weren’t to build a Huge Jerusalem Church. It was to GO, empowered, to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the Church.

And so, what happened?

Before Saul became Paul. Before he became the great Preacher of the Gospel, I think you could say he became the greatest SENDER of the Gospel. Because there he is at the stoning of the deacon Stephen. And in the CHAOS of Persecution, the Church is forced to DO what they were called to.
- Go – Baptist, Teach to Observe
Baptizing them, who, the Nations

Baptism is how we identify with Christ and with the Church

And Tony Evans said that our Identity as a Christian is MORE than any other identifier we have. He said God went to SAVE the NATIONS and commissioned us to do that. He says God is NOT Colorblind. Still in Heaven they were every race, tribe, color, and tongue – God is NOT Color Blind, but he is also not Blinded by Color.

Baptizing the Nations in the name of Father, Son, and Spirit

Teaching Them (the nations) to OBSERVE

It is NOT in the Knowing but in the Doing that we truly identify AS Christians. Doing doesn’t MAKE us Christians, but it DOES Identify us as Christians.

It’s about Transformation. Our job is to evangelize but to share the accountability to BE Like Christ. And if WE will Observe all that he is Commanded … THEN as Kingdom People, we can see Kingdom Impact in the World.

Tony Evans said, we can’t expect God to “Skip the church house, to fix the White House”

And then as Evans closed, he reminded us that the I am with you always – literally I even I am with you always to the end of the age … he was NOT talking about salvation, he was talking about how he is WITH us, accompanies us. And that God only Accompanies us, is with us as we are with HIM. As we are doing what we’ve been told to do, THEN he is WITH Us.

As we are Kingdom people, living with Kingdom Authority, For Kingdom Glory … THEN he is with us. In John 2:21-25 Jesus preached and many believe in his name … Jesus, however would not entrust himself to them,

There is and can be a time, when we believe, have faith, but we are on our own Agenda and he is not WITH us.

2. Why Is Our Commission? – Acts 1:3-8

If Jesus only has 40 days on earth what is going to focus on? What is most important. He taught them about the Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God NOW is in our hearts surrendered to God. The Kingdom of God to COME is the Eternal Rule of God over all things – Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength, in a Unified Universe of Surrendered Creation and Creature. And he had spent 40 days teaching them about the Kingdom of God.

And the commands them NOT TO LEAVE Jerusalem but to WAIT for the Father’s promise … What was the promise? John 14 don’t let your hearts be troubled… believe in me… I am going to prepare a place for you… I will come again and take you to myself… but then he says in v16, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor… I will not leave you as orphans… the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send me my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. Peace I leave with you… don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful and in John 15:25 he continues, he will testify about me. You also will testify… chapter 16 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father… I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

So, he has told them he is leaving. Now the time is here. He is leaving. He has also promised them that he will return. But In the Meantime, we have a Person, we have Power, and we have a Purpose. Oh wow that sounds like a sermon doesn’t it.

The Person we have is the representative of Jesus Christ, the Person, 3^rd Person of the Trinity, The Holy Spirit. He is NOT the Father, He is NOT the Son, He is the Spirit, and He is GOD! His purpose is to teach us, to convict us, he will encourage us, and he will empower us.

The Power – Jesus says he is leaving. We are going to be wondering what to do. But peace comes in realizing that when Jesus left, he was sending all the power we need. There is power in knowledge. There is power in a message, there is power in purpose.

I have been running 3-4 times a week since I started focusing on running, back in August. It’s been a different thing for me. It has stretched my endurance, my perseverance. There is a trainer that I have been using via video, Tommy Rivers Puzey. And he will be ramping things up and he often says, “come on, you can do anything for a minute”. And so, we would press on and push forward at this new rate, for a minute. We can make it for a minute. And by breaking it down, my endurance increases. What the training is doing is increasing my power, but also increasing my mental, and even spiritual power to continue.

So, Peter said, to the Lord, a day is “like 1000 years.” So, a day is 24 hours right. So, if 1000 years is a day, then 41 years is an hour. So, I’m going to live to 100 at least. That would simply be living 2 ½ HOURS. And if 41 years is an hour then 8 months is a minute, and 4 days is a second. Tommy Rivs says, “you can do anything for a minute”

And Jesus said, “for a little while you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.” If your whole life is TROUBLE – it’s just a couple of hours. But in those HOURS – we can make it because we have the Power of the Holy Spirit.

But IN THOSE HOURS … let’s focus on the RIGHT THINGS

The Purpose – I’m giving you the Holy Spirit to work on the KINGDOM. Now there in Acts 1 the disciples are trying to get the verbiage right. And He has just again promised them that they would be BAPTIZED with the Holy Spirit with Power for the Purpose, IN A FEW DAYS … and the disciples ask, Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?

Oh my they got the word right, but not the concept. We ARE Kingdom People in Christ Jesus, but it’s NOT that kind of Kingdom. Some of us step into the voting booth trying to bring the Kingdom and that’s NOT the place. OH YES. THAT Kingdom is Coming. And that Promise will be fulfilled, but Jesus isn’t asking for our help with THAT Kingdom, but he DOES want to USE us in the Advancement of the Kingdom of God here on earth IN the Heart of All who Would Believe.

And Jesus gently answers their question by saying, it’s not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority …

… BUT you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

So, if that’s our Commission, WHEN will we know we are finished?

3. When Is the Culmination? – Revelation 7:9

Until we get to Heaven and see Revelation 5:9 and 7:9 become a reality, we have work to do.

What does that look like?

Revelation 7:9 (CSB)

⁹ After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.

This is the vision that Great Commission Baptists are Committed to. Yes, we are still the Southern Baptist Convention. We are not all “southern”, but we are all Great Commission Baptists. We adopted this moniker 10 years ago as a way to refer to us. That is our Mission, that is our Focus, to fulfill the great commission. And we put our money where our mission is.

SBC Budget 2021/22 – $190,000,000.

We can do that because we are 48,000 churches cooperating together for the Great Commission. Some might expect that to be a bloating of facilitation and administration, but that’s the beautify of the SBC.

Of the $190Million only 2.99% is spent on Facilitating Ministries, that is the Executive Committee which operates for the SBC between Annual Meetings, and the overall Operations of the SBC.

1.65% is spent on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission which works with Culture and Engagement of Issues. It assists churches in moral and ethical issues, engagement and education. They work with faith-based adoption issues, human rights issues, and religious liberty engagement.

22% is spent on our 6 Seminaries, training the next generation of Pastors and Staff.

Then 73% of our Budget is Spent on World Missions Ministries!

That includes $43,000,000 on the North American Mission Board. The North American Mission Board is focused in the USA and Canada in Compassion Ministry, Evangelism, Church Planting, and Chaplains (Hospitals and Military)

The IMB and NAMB work together on www.sendrelief.org When there is a tragedy worldwide, if you want to give to a specific need, go to send relief. You can give directly to them and know that in addition to meeting needs they will share the gospel. You can also know that they will work WITH Salvation Army and many others on the field to make the most of the opportunity, not compete.

The NAMB is focused heavily on Church Planting and Replanting of existing churches struggling and ready to reengage. Church planting is the strategy to spread the gospel, respond to brokenness, and bring spiritual, emotional, economic and social healing.

Look at this.

Notice the church plants in 2010.

Now SINCE 2011, look at this.

In 2020 we have truly LIT up the Continent with the gospel. 7,300 churches planted in 10 years. 80% are still thriving after 4 years. 18% of the baptisms in our 48,000 churches come from church plants. And notice a little but exciting thing. Down there on the bottom right in Puerto Rico. 16 New Church Plants. No new churches had been planted there in 25 years previously. That’s Great Commission Baptists at Work. http://www.namb.net

Then our Biggest Focus on Revelation 7:9 is the International Mission Board. And we allocate $95.6 Million or 50% of our budget to the IMB, and that does NOT include the $159Million given to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, in spite of COVID, that was the 2^nd largest Offering every. And with that investment, there are more than 3,500 missionaries and their 2500 children on the field right now. The world becomes more hostile to the Gospel daily and so they have to be creative and create jobs that allow them to work and connect overseas. Companies like www.kingdomgrowers.com in Forney Texas. I’m not a coffee drinker, but you can order online. Check it out. And you can buy plants that go overseas to farmers in need. The IMB is a Partner for the Gospel with Kingdom Growers so you get great Coffee and people learn about Jesus. I could go on and on. But what happens with that money and those missionaries. And with the thousands of short-term missionaries that partner?

http://www.imb.org

Well, last year in spite of covid 422 new missionaries went to their fields. 18,000 local pastors received training. 127,000 received leadership and theological training. In Healthy Church Formation 35,000 groups are meeting intending to BECOME a church. 15,000 groups were just started with the intention of becoming a church. 18,380 New Churches were formed 57,888 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, Generation churches are meeting with only 670 churches that have stopped meeting. Then the Big Winning Numbers. 769,494 people heard a Gospel Witness by our 3552 missionaries and partners. OF those 576,395 had an opportunity to respond to Christ. 144,322 became New Believers. One of those new believers was a young man who met our son and the went through the Gospel of John and He said, “I can’t believe what they did to Jesus”. He is a brother now. Then of those new believers 86,587 baptisms. You realize that is equal to nearly Two Mission Baptism for EACH of our Churches.

That brings us to ONE other Focus. $200,000 has been allocated for a new effort from our Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd.

We are Great Commission Baptist. The Great Commission Compels us to Go. Why? Because Matthew 25:46 says that without Christ, they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. What’s common, ETERNAL. What’s different is the address. If we want to take the Gospel to the Nations, leading to faith, baptizing for declaration, teaching to live according to the truth of the Kingdom, We have work to do.

So, we have been presented with Vision 2025 with 5 Initiatives. It was amended to include a 6th initiative.
- Increase the total number of Missionaries by 500. That will account for 100 lost annually.
- Add 5,000 new Church Plants taking us over 50,000 churches.
- Calling Out the Call – each church taking their role in calling on students, adults even retirees or career change new Pastors and Staff Ministers.
- Turn Around Current Reduction in Baptisms by focusing on children and students between the ages of 5 and 17. The numbers have dropped dramatically in the last 10 years
- Increase % giving, and Numbers given to the CP to 500,000,000
Then from the Floor came a recommendation for an addition to this task, of these important things:
- Prayerfully Endeavor to eliminate all incidents of sexual abuse, and racial discrimination, in our churches – those two atrocities’ damage people and damage the work of the church. We will seek to END their incidence, and end churches being silent when it happens. We must protect the next church after you put that pastor out. We have a responsibility to protect one another. And there is no place for hatred of any kind in the Church of Jesus Christ.
I read Francis Bacon – he said that what gives rise to Atheism is primarily 3 things, 1) divisions in religions. When we fight, the world doesn’t believe. 2) Scandal among the preachers of the gospel. 3) Profane Scoffing in Holy matters, which he says defaces the reverence for God. He then added a 4) learned times especially in peace and prosperity. When times are GOOD, and we are “smart”, we forget God.

We can combat Atheism, not by ARGUING truth, but by Living the Gospel we Speak of

David Jeremiah says “Preach the Gospel with Word, Picture the Gospel with Life, Practice the Gospel with Love.”

The Prayer is to engage the 331million Americans, and 7.9 Billion worldwide, with the Gospel.

But until we stand around the throne, we have work to do.

What does that mean for us? There is a Message for Everyone. Oh, you might say, “well, there are mostly white people around us.” If that’s TRUE. I would still say the word “mostly”. Reach the rest. But Revelation says, “every tribe and people”. Are there people you don’t reach out to because they are of a different “tribe” or a different “people”? “Oh they aren’t LIKE US”. Praise God … go get them! Different Tribe. Is there a place for Republicans here? How about Democrats? How about Independents? What about other Tribes? You name the divider do they need Jesus? Will we allow Jesus to be the only definer? Will we allow his WORD to be our only Teacher? We still have work to do.

And so, the Call for you and for me is to Go

Go To friends

…To family

…To hard places

…To near places

…To far places

Give to facilitate the work of others

Pray for the advancement of the gospel

Cooperate with others on the same mission

You may not be called to be a preacher, or a missionary

But you have a Commission to Share your faith, from home, across the street, into the hard places to the ends of the Earth.

Are you A Great Commission Baptist? I am, We are, There’s room for you.
Martyr Complex

June 16th, 2021

WebMd says :

A martyr complex is a recognized psychological pattern. It’s marked by self-sacrifice and service to others at your own expense. Identifying martyr traits and tendencies can prevent burnout and stress on your relationships

It goes on to make the connection then to a Victim Complex and Victim mentality that doesn’t have to take responsibility for our actions because we are victims.

As Christians sometimes we are busy trying to be martyrs for the cause of Christ, we say, we think, and somehow that excuses our actions that are less than attractive and less than effective in what we are here to do.

I will confess that I am willing to die for Jesus if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. However God has not called most of us to DIE for him but to LIVE for him. John 15:13 says “greater love has no one than this than he lay down his life for his friends”.

Live Live Live

You remember Jesus saying “you will do greater things than I have done”? Could it be that he is saying that a life Given as a LiViNG Witness for 60, 70, 80, 100 years is a greater thing? Oh yes, not in the soteriological sense, but there is a greatness in living for Jesus, not for my sake but the sake of others. There is a greatness in a LiFE living as a faithful, attractive, useful, loving Witness

Be a living witness today friend, lay your life down for a friend or a friend to be.

We have been given the ministry of reconciliation so be reconciled to your world that they might be reconciled to Christ

Yes yes yes
Surrender To The Glory

June 1st, 2021

https://twitter.com/i/status/1399157803189686277

I saw this beautiful image today taken from Hubble Telescope and immediately my mind went to Psalm 19.

Can you imagine the songs David writes today? The Technology he has access to I’m sure is wonderful and supercedes the use of a shepherds flute and lyre. But more than that, ages in the presence of God. But here he writes:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech, night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world …

The Glory of God. Oh it is one of my favorite thoughts and concepts in scripture. In John 1:14, the aged apostle writing at the close of the first century, I see him in my mind’s eye, thinking back on his walk with the Lord. And in perhaps some of the most beautiful text ever written, he talks about the coming of Jesus. And he says the word became flesh and dwelt among us … and then can see him pause, and perhaps take a long breath of remembrance and he says and we beheld his glory, the glory of the one and only of the Father, full of grace and truth. OH My My My – the glory. The word in the NT Greek is doxa. That’s the word also used when the Old Testament was translated into Greek from Hebrew and the word here the heavens declare the glory of God. That word at its root means “heaviness” or “weighty” and describes the worth. The concept is the Weight of the Reputation of God. There are times, when I come home at night to our house away from city lights. And the clouds have been swept away, and I look into the beauty of the sky and see all those Lights Proclaiming God’s Glory, the moon and the stars, and I often just stop and stand there staring into the sky.

Paul wrote in the first chapter of Romans that God has been revealed through creation so we are without excuse if we do not embrace the revelation of the glory of God in creation.

David sings here that the Sun going from East to West is like a fully adorned Bridegroom traveling from his home. It’s like a well conditioned athlete running perfectly their course.

And then David makes a shift in his song. He transitions from praise to revelation – the instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy… the precepts are right, making the heart glad… the fear of the Lord is pure… the ordinances of the Lord are reliable… desirable… sweeter than honey… Just as sure as the stars shine, so the words of God, tell the glory of God, the weight of God’s reputation, the truth of his being. Just as true as the sun rises and sets, so God’s teaching follow his path and accomplish his purposes.

And then in the final transition from revelation to application – oh when the sun rises we can see the world as it is. Sometimes the night hides things in the darkness, but the sun rising gives us light to see reality. And so the glory of God reveals to us not only the right path but the reality that we stray from the path. And faced with the grace and truth glory of God, David sings, cleanse me… keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me… then I will be blameless and cleansed…

And from the Glory of God revealed, David, in the light of truth, surrenders to the Glory and closes: may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

When all around me and even with in me, seems to be falling apart and unstable, God is my Rock

When the cost of sin is greater than I can bear, HE is My Redeemer, purchasing my soul from sin’s ransom.

The Heavens declare the glory of God

The Scripture reveal the glory of God

God’s Spirit with me reminds of the glory of God

And Jesus Christ, my rock and my Redeemer, brings ME, a sinner, INTO the Glory of God as I Surrender All
Walking With God

May 25th, 2021
God Created All Things

I know God loves the beauty of his creation. He loves a sunrise and sunset. He loves the way his stars are arranged. I’m sure he loves hearing the song of a whale singing in the ocean, a dolphin rising and falling on the surface of the waves. Oh, I’m sure he loves seeing the Eagle Soar, hearing a cardinal or mockingbird sing. Everything God made, he spoke into existence, and oh it was good.

But then, He formed Adam, out of the dust of the earth, with his own hand. He took Adam and breathed the breath of life into him and Adam became a living being. It was very good

The Lord planted a garden, a place for man to live and a place where God could walk with him.

Sadly, rather than walk in obedience and love, Adam and Eve sinned. And in Genesis 3:8, the Lord came walking in the garden, in the cool evening breeze, but Adam was hiding, and the Lord called out, where are you?

God wants to walk with us.

Enoch walked with God

Noah it seems was the ONLY man on earth who walked with God

Abraham walked before the Lord

The 12 Disciples were able to walk with him daily for 3 years. Along the most of his miracles and his teaching was while he walked with them.

Psalm 81:13 (CSB) – ¹³ If only my people would listen to me and… follow my ways,

From Genesis to the Revelation God wants us to walk with Him.

Henry Ford said, those who walk with God always reach their destination.

I’ve been preaching through Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. The Series is “Only Jesus”. We learn that Jesus

He created all things

He sustains all things

He rules all things

He died to pay the debt for our sin

He is shaping us, changing us, and he will present us holy and blameless in glory

And Therefore, we are living a new way. We are seeking to make every part of our lives an act of Worship

I define Worship as An Expression of Adoration to the Object of our Affection

So, ANYTHING For Him, for His Glory Can be Worship.

A.W. Tozar says our goal should be lives of “unbroken worship”.

What does God want? He wants us to Walk with Him.

IN Colossians 3:24 Paul says, ” You Serve The Lord.” and this transition in 4:1 tells leaders and influencers to Act Justly, and Fairly since you too have a Master in Heaven

And We are invited to…

Walk With The Master

There is more to this than just “be a good boss”. There is an underlying principle for Life, walk with Jesus.

Adam and Eve got us ALL “off track”, because when we stopped obeying God we rejected that we had a Master in Heaven who simply wants To WALK WITH US.

Does this instruction sound like an Old Testament Foundationally Familiar Instruction? It did to me and I couldn’t get away from it.

How do we make life “unbroken worship”?

We WALK WITH THE LORD

Why did God bless David, even though he was flawed and often failed? It was that David Walked with the Lord. Yes, he fell down, but he Got Up.

When Solomon became King, God told him in 1 Kings 3:14 “If you walk in my ways and keep my statues and commands just as your father David did, I will give you long life”

Even the “boss” has a Boss – the kyrios has a Kyrios, capital K

He is telling us to act justly, faithful, not overly impressed with our position, humble before our master… Look Up… Our MASTER is in Heaven

A leader joins God in his Work… so here’s where that took me…

Micah 6:6–7 (CSB)

⁶ What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? ⁷ Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin?

What is the worship that God requires?

Offerings, Sacrifices? When is Enough, Enough?

God wants us to walk with him, it’s all he has EVER wanted.

Sin separated us from our WALK with the Master in the breeze of the evening, the dew of the morning, the heat of the day.

Jesus left Heaven and came to earth to walk with US.

should I give my firstborn for my transgressions?

NO, God gave HIS Only SON for our sin. As his child, his servant, redeemed by the one and only son of God, what does God want?

Micah 6:8 (CSB)

⁸ Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

“Mankind” – Y’all, Everybody – that word is “adam”

When did he tell us?

Deuteronomy 10:12–13 (CSB)

¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? ¹³ Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.

Deuteronomy 30:15–16 (CSB)

¹⁵ See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. ¹⁶ For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

This is the way to a successful society, to a life pleasing to the Lord
- To Act Justly
ACT = manufacture, make – He isn’t asking if we FEEL it, but telling us to DO it.

Isaiah 56:1 (CSB)

¹ This is what the Lord says: Preserve justice and do what is right, for my salvation is coming soon, and my righteousness will be revealed.

Walk with me

Jeremiah 22:3 (CSB)

³ This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from his oppressor. Don’t exploit or brutalize the resident alien, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.

Oh my goodness, let’s turn off the news feeds, stop following the political pundits and walk with God, hear and do

Jesus told the Pharisees, and ANY “religious folks” in Matthew 23.23 – be careful, there is hypocrisy when we do our religious expression to the Nth degree, but we neglect the more important matters Jesus said. What was more important he said justice, mercy, and faithfulness

Praise God, he gives us Grace, but guess what? He expects us to be people that DO RIGHT, walk with him in the fields of Grace, the ways of mercy.

Wait, did you hear what Jeremiah said back there? Rescue the victim… from the oppressor… don’t exploit the alien… fatherless… widow

The people of God were always intended to be a safe place for “aliens”.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, a place for people to run and be safe, and we bear the NAME of the LORD. Are we a place of safety for people in need of direction, provision, protection?

Act Justly and…
- Love Faithfulness
It says LOVE – that’s action, a verb

Love Faithfulness – hesed = deeds of kindness, a joint obligation, a covenant of love

We have an obligation to PEOPLE, because of our obligation to the Master in Heaven

Romans 13:8 (CSB)

⁸ Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

This is an obligation

So…
- Walk Humbly with your God
Ephesians 4:1 (CSB)

¹ Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

Paul, from confinement, tells us to ALWAYS Continue to walk with the Lord

Colossians 1:10 (CSB)

¹⁰ …walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,

Walk Humbly WITH… YOUR – This is about God, and it isn’t a mystery

Isaiah 66:2 (CSB)

² My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 57:15 (CSB)

¹⁵ For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.

Yes, our Lord is exalted, holy, eternal… but he has come down to the oppressed and lowly… to Lift Up, Revive, and Renew our Hearts

There are HOT Issues right now, and whether it is “alien” at the border, or homeless, abandoned women and children, or race issues, we, the church, need to focus on CHURCH, PEOPLE of God issues. We are NOT a political group we are the people of God. Yes, VOTE, YES hold our political leaders accountable, be personally involved in politics if the Lord so calls, BUT these are Gospel Opportunities and we need to seize these moments.

Sadly, we are often caught up defending politics and fearful of losing some “ground” or perceived territory, and we lose sight of the basic, “mankind” expectations of God. If we would focus on what GOD requires then we would…

Act Justly

Love Faithfulness

And Guess what happens when we DO those basic things?

We will look up and realize … “wait, I have God’s Hand, I am walking with God”

Well, let me leave you with something very practical.

You might ask, how do I hear his voice, and take his hand and walk with him?
1. Pray and Listen – prayer isn’t conversation if we aren’t talking and listening. And what did your momma tell you? Two ears, One mouth, listen twice as much as you talk
2. Read His Word, Read His Word, and Read His Word – one of the most important principles for discerning God’s leading, is knowing what he has said, what he has done, what he has promised, and knowing his Character. Then when you think you are hearing God, if it doesn’t match up with his Word and his Character, if you can’t find it in his past or his promises, chances are you are not hearing God.
3. Do What He Does – If we are praying, learning, and then doing the deeds of God, we are WALKING With God.
We have sons, and we taught them to walk. I taught them to play sports. We taught them to love the things we love. We taught them to love people and love ministry. We took them with me on mission trips and ministering to the needy. And you know what, our sons, learned to “walk that way.”

Now they are grown, and away from us, but they are still “walking with me”. Along the way, walking with me, they became my friends.

When we Walk with God, in Justice, Faithfulness, and Love, we find God’s pleasure and the purpose of being what God always intended, that we would be his friends.

God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham joined God walking by Faith and James 2:23 says

Abraham was a Friend of God
Therefore

April 20th, 2021

I’m preaching through Colossians. I don’t often post my sermon manuscript but this was from last week, thought it might encourage you today

Only Jesus #9

Colossians 2:16-23

Only One Measure

Therefore – I’ve been thinking about that word a lot this week.

Actually, I’ve had that word on my mind for the last month. That’s where we left off in Colossians. And so as we finished by talking about the Cross. And then we moved into the Mount of Transfiguration …Therefore…

And then Luke 9:23 if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me …Therefore…

And then Jesus coming down the Mount of Olives, entering Jerusalem by the Eastern Gate, on the back of a donkey, they asked “who is this” and the answer “This is Jesus” …Therefore…

And we hear the words, “It is Finished” on the cross, paid in full, mission accomplished, and “he is not here”, leave the dead places … “He has Risen, just as he said” …Therefore…

It means, “for that reason, consequently”.

It’s just a little conjunction in the Greek, oun – but you perhaps have heard the saying, “if you see, ‘therefore’ stop and look to see what is it there fore.”

And Unknown Poet wrote these words:

THEREFORE

The tragedy of life is not death,

But what we let die inside us.

THEREFORE,

Decide to be happy,

Render others happy,

Proclaim your joy.

Love passionately your miraculous life:

Do not listen to promises;

Do not wait for a better world;

Be grateful for every moment of life.

Switch on the positive buttons in yourself;

Those marked optimum, serenity,

Confidence, positive thinking.

Love, pray, and thank God every day.

Meditate, smile, laugh, whistle, sing

And dance.

Look with fascination at everything.

Fill your lungs and heart with liberty.

Be yourself, fully and immensely.

Act like a (king or) queen unto death.

Feel God in your body, and mind,

Heart and soul, and be

Convinced of eternal life.

-unknown-

Therefore…

It is such a common word, though rather small, in the Greek, but it is NOT insignificant.

There are many wonderful “therefore” verses in scripture.

One of my favorite ones is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 which reminds that Christians don’t grieve like those without hope, because we believe that Jesus died and rose, and so we believe that those who die in the Lord will come with him one day… when the trumpet sounds and the Lord comes, we will be caught up together meeting them in the sky, and that we will ALWAYS be WITH the Lord.

“Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”

“Therefore” means we Look Back to what WAS, and Look Forward to what WILL be…

THEREFORE …

So, going back to Colossians what we have already seen?

Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

Everything was created by him – Everything

By Him all things hold together – ALL Things

He is the Head of the Church.

He is the Firstborn from the dead.

He has made peace for us with God, by the blood shed on the cross.

We were alienated from God, but IN Christ, we are reconciled.

And we will be presented Holy and Blameless to God.

Then in Chapter 2, Paul says that the cross marked us as belonging to him. The cross erased our debt, and Disarmed our Spiritual Enemies, stole their weapons, and disgraced them publicly. He has triumphed over our enemies and leads us in a victory procession …

THEREFORE

READ Colossians 2:16-23

The rest of this letter is all about the “Therefore”

– How THEREFORE shall we live?

For that reason –

There are many things we do “for a reason”. There are plenty of things we do in the church, or in our religious expression, the decisions we make, “for a reason”. The question is, is it for a GODLY Reason – does it MATTER? It is for the Right Reason.

Because of the Cross

Because of the Sacrifice

Because of the Cost

Because of the LOVE – given and returned …

1. Be Judged By Substance

Remember our title is ONLY ONE MEASURE

– in the church we are often using measures with no substance. Oh, they are traditions, or preferences, even personal convictions, but is there TRUE SUBSTANCE?

Only One Measure

Don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink, by festivals, new moons, or sabbath.

These battles were going on in the church. There were Jews, now Christian, but they wanted the Gentiles to follow their Old Covenant traditions. They wanted them to follow food laws, or festivals, or worship on the Sabbath as well as the new practice of worshiping on “The Lord’s Day.”

But those things weren’t normal for the Gentiles. Nor were they commanded by Christ. The Jews were offended if the Gentiles bought meat in their markets that often had been sacrificed to idols. It created tension and troubles.

This wasn’t unique to Colossae, just like it isn’t unique today to one church or region.

Romans 14:3 (CSB)

³ One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.

Romans 14:17 (CSB)

¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

WHY are we NOT judged by these traditions?

V17 – those things were shadows –

Hebrews 10:1 (CSB)

¹ Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.

Shadows … form but no substance. Action but no power

Shadows don’t have cheering sections

Shadows shouldn’t be worshiped

Tradition is wonderful, in its place; but we must keep our eyes set on the SUBSTANCE

Traditions don’t make us perfect, they just tell a story.

What did Paul say in Romans 14:3? It’s not about food and drink, “because God has Accepted You.” Do you see the underlying thing? Often times we are busy checking someone else’s boxes, what THEY call substance.

Don’t do that, because In Christ, we are already accepted.

The CROSS makes us acceptable, NOT the songs we sing, or the Bible translation we use, or the service schedule.

No, Jesus makes us acceptable.

Romans 14:17 says the Kingdom… is NOT eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy…

I have news for us … When we All Get To Heaven … there won’t be hymnals, or bulletins. There won’t be video projectors either…

But there WILL be:

Righteousness – given by Christ…

Peace with God – acquired by Christ…

And Joy

– and that joy will flow into authentic worship, new songs as well as old, silence, shouting, celebration, and great gratitude. The only tears will be tears of Joy and Gratitude.

Paul is saying, “Don’t let anyone steal your Joy” by judging you without substance.

You’ve heard me say, “happiness is about what happens to you, but Joy is about what is INSIDE.” And someone recently asked me, “then what’s inside, where’s the Joy?”

RIGHT there in Romans 14:17 – Joy in the Holy Spirit

When you gave your heart to Christ, hearing the gospel, believing, you were then given the Holy Spirit. (Eph.1:13-14)

What did Jesus say The Spirit would do, John 16:13-15?

He declares what is to come…

Glorifies Jesus…

He takes from Jesus and gives to us…

He reminds us that Jesus Christ died to make us righteous, to give us peace with God, and Jesus is going to come again and will fulfill every promise…

Therefore – Be Joyful, Be Faithful to Substantive Worship v18

Let no one condemn you because they delighting in ascetic worship practices and visions etc.

You see while we have the traditionalist that wants to pull you into their tradition; we also have the experiential worshipper that feels they are more spiritual than you because they have special experiences.

Sometimes our “therefore” is that we have an image of the way it used to be, when it was best, or that special “high”, and we long for THAT experience.

Oh, it’s fine to look back, but we don’t need to try and recreate the past, or even the special, not even the great move of God …

ONLY ONE MEASURE…

Therefore, remember the past and consequently move toward the future

What is our future? A vast multitude around the throne of God from every people group, worshiping in Heaven. Revelation 5, 7, 9

Therefore, I want our worship, our service, our church today, our judgment of authentic to be People coming to know Jesus, made right with God, on the way to Glory.

Notice there in vv18-19 … when we hold to tradition or to special experience, we take our eyes off Christ, we hold on to the empty and not to the substance. We get puffed up with empty notions of what is spiritual, and so we have in essence taken the Head, Christ, Off the Body. And we end up with a Headless Church. That’s a monster, a freak, with no power and no life.

Judge by Substance and be

2. Free from Bondage

Paul shifts from talking about those who judge us, to those of us who ALLOW ourselves to stay bound to that empty judgment.

Why do you submit V20 if you died with Christ?

Romans 6 talks about what the Cross did for us.

Romans 6:4 Therefore … wait – backup…

Romans 6 paints this picture.

6:1 – should we continue bound to enlarge grace?

6:2 – absolutely not!

6:3 – we were baptized into Christ, baptized into death

6:4 – Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death … raised to Life … so we may walk in the newness of life

6:17-18 – thank Godthat you used to be a slave to sin, but you have been SET FREE

Romans 6:22–23 (CSB)

²² But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Free from Sin, a gift of grace … free from The Law …

Therefore, don’t live as if you belong to the world.

Don’t think that you can set rules, “don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”

Why?

V22 all of these will perish

Human commands and doctrines will die WITH us

V23 self-made religions, false humility, not of any value.

And in all of this is the implied “therefore”

Judged by Substance

Free from Bondage

Therefore, we have

3. ONE MEASURE – Only Jesus

Live to Christ

Romans 6:8–11 (CSB)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, ⁹ because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In Christ we didn’t die to be covered in dirt … we die to Rise to LIFE and GLORY

1 Peter 2:24 (CSB)

²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Oh my my my … when I typed in that verse the other day, tears welled in my eyes.

ONE MEASURE … ONE GOAL

Jesus, Beaten, Mocked, Beard Plucked, Cross carried through the streets of Jerusalem, Arms stretched wide, Thorn-crowned head, Nailed to THE CROSS – but that wasn’t the hardest. The hardest was He BORE my sin, he became sin …

SO THAT – YES – SO THAT – WE MIGHT LIVE – FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I like the KJV – I am crucified with Christ – NEVERTHELESS

But The YLT – says, with Christ I have been crucified, and live no more do I, and Christ doth live in me; and that which I now live in the flesh – in the faith I live of the Son of God, who did love me and did give himself for me

Oh that’s Beautiful … because he DID die for me … because he did LOVE me …

I Live To Him

I LIVE IN Christ

Christ IN ME

I Live FOR Christ

That is … we live with our eyes set on the KINGDOM of God – the Kingdom that HAS Come, the Kingdom that IS Coming.

What was Jesus’ first message?

Repent for the Kingdom has come NEAR

– Stop going that way, turn around – Here It IS

Seeing what he has done for us, and what will be given TO us

Therefore We…

Live For His Glory

How did he teach us to pray?

Our Father your name is Honored and Holy

Your Kingdom come, your will be done

On earth AS it is IN Heaven

The “Therefore” in this life is living like a Citizen of Heaven, while we are foreigners, aliens, on earth.

Let go of the temporary stuff, live toward glory

Live for His Passion

– what’s his passion?

God so loved the world … that he gave his son … that WHOSOEVER

Let LOVE Govern our Lives … We are not driven by Tradition. We are not driven by Rules. We are not hunting some spiritual feeling, some great spiritual high we had or even heard about. No, Loved… We Love in Grateful Obedience. Remembering what he HAS done, Realizing what WILL be… We Love toward the glory that is to come.

Ana Draper wrote …

I Was Loved, Therefore I Am

I was loved, therefore I am

And in being loved, I am treasured

When I pealed away my layers,

And all that was left was my essence,

The bareness of me,

I am STILL loved.

I was loved, therefore I am,

And in being loved, I was able to grow.

In my mistakes, held

In my successes, celebrated,

I was always loved

I was loved, therefore I am,

And in being loved, I learned to love.

In the sun-filled day,

In the ecstasy of the night,

I was loved and loved others.

To be loved is all you need.

I was loved, and so will I always be.

– Ana Draper –

God so loved the world – he gave his only son … that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life – John 3:16

This is how we know what love is, Jesus laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers … 1 John 3:16

I was loved … THEREFORE

I was loved … Therefore – LOVE is my Only Measure

You were loved

You ARE loved

You WILL BE loved

Jesus died on the cross to defeat the sin that destroys … because he loved you

He is preparing a place for all who will receive that love and live in it.

Therefore – Receive it, and Love him in Return, Live according to it, TODAY

I look Back, Yesterday, the cross gave us a reason for Hope

I Look Forward, Tomorrow, Jesus will come Just as God has promised and Provided.

Therefore, Right now … we are Living In the “THEREFORE”

We call it today …
God Articulated

April 13th, 2021

I had my mind go back today to John 1. I have preached from this passage 1:1-14 so many times. It is in my sermon book available at Written In Flesh: A Series of Expositional Sermons in John’s Gospel: Volume 1 – Chapters 1-3 (To Believe and Have Life) – Kindle edition by Goforth Jr, James L. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

This isn’t intended to be a commercial post, but just wanted you to know where youc an get the rest of this idea. I was thinking about it today and reading again and I wanted to just include a little bit of it, sort of an outline of it. I wanted to just give you an encouragement today

John 1:1-4 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. in him was life and that life was the light of men (CSB)

John wrote his gospel toward the end of the first century, long after all the other 11 who walked with Jesus had died. He wrote it from Ephesus where he had been pastor of what had become a large metropolitan church. John wrote 20:31 that you may believe … and have life.

Heraclitus had been a Greek Philosopher, also from Ephesus about 600 years before John 500BC. and he described the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. He called that divine reason – the logos = word. Heraclitus believed, 500 years before Jesus walked the earth, that there was something behind everything.

And John writes perhaps the most beautiful words in literature these words we just read. John was saying, “Heraclitus is right, and I know WHO he is, I walked with him, talked with him, saw him die, saw him alive, I KNOW HIM!” and he writes these words.

Go back and read them again – go ahead, I’ll wait.

John says the WORD isn’t a concept, he is a person. And he uses that same word LOGOS to show us Jesus.

He says

1.He is an Ancient Word

When the beginning had a beginning, Jesus was already there. Whatever you are facing, whatever the challenges, Jesus was before it. Your generational problem, your current circumstance, success, failure, Jesus was there BEFORE

And he WAS the Word. He has an infinite past. Matthew, Mark, Luke, all put Jesus rightfully in his place in History. But John starts by placing him outside history

in the beginning was the word

Whatever you face, take it back to the beginning when there was nothing but God, and know that before everything, before you even knew him, Jesus loved you.

And Jesus is

2.An Associated Word

was WITH God

They say you can be defined by whom you associate with. John Associated Jesus with GOD. That word means in the company of

John says anyone who has seen me has seen God – John 14:9

Hebrews 1 says he is the radiance of God’s glory … the exact representation of his being

And so that means he is also associated with the Holy Spirit. In the beginning was God … let US make man in OUR own image

Jesus was fully equal to and associated with the Trinity, the fullness of God.

But then the amazing becomes true John 1:14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us

Jesus became fully associated with US, with People.

When Solomon built his Temple he thought in 1 Kings 8:27 will God really dwell on earth? The heavens … cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.

And yet that word, ancient and associated with God, became associated with us!

Why? so that our FIRST word doesn’t have to be the LAST Word.

Words seem to define us – winner, loser, big, small, accepted, rejected, sinner, saint, but because Jesus is the First Word and He is the FINAL Word, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End; it doesn’t matter what your current word is, it doesn’t have to define you if you surrender to Jesus.

He is an

3.An Almighty Word

So Fear Him. Psalm 34:8-9 taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints for those who fear him lack nothing.

Almighty Creator – Fear Him

Favor Him. that means to show him love, and to show him preference.

Who do you love and give preference to? Jesus is the one that deserves to be over all of that.

Follow Him – it’s not enough to think Jesus is nice, or a good teacher, he is either LORD, or Lunatic, or he was a Liar. That’s what C.S.Lewis famously said. If he is NOT Lord, then don’t follow him, but if he IS – he deserves ALL our lives fully given and devoted to him. Lewis said you can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him for a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.

Oh my how the WORD can change our Word

From Abuse to Adore, Bankrupt to Bless, Cancer to Cured, Divorce to Anniversary Date, Empty to Exuberant, Famine to Feast, Grief to Given Comfort, Hate to Heart of Love, Irreconcilable to intercession. He can change us from Justice to Justification, Kicked out to Kicking up your heals, Lay-off to Labor in a New beginning. Oh can you hear me? From Materialist to Minister of God’s Gifts, Naysayers to Number one Fan, Ostracized to Open door. Oh I like the Word of God, Jesus changes us from Picked last to Picked FIRST by the Lord of Creation. He changes our word from Unqualified to Qualified, Ridicule to Resounding praise, Suffering to Strength, Termination to Threshold of opportunity. Oh when Word is our Word we can go from Uneducated to Understanding, Victim to Victor. When X-rays are fearful, we can have EXpectation of God’s move. If Yielding to God is fearful, the word of Jesus is A Yield of Great harvest, and Zero hope becomes a Zephyr of God’s Blessing blowing …

Oh Somebody … are you with me today

Whatever the words are playing in your heart and life today, Jesus is the Word BEFORE and will be the WORD after, and He IS the Word here with us today, willing to change our world.

Will you turn to him today. Say “Jesus, you are my word, you are my hope, you are my life, my trust is in you all day long.”
It’s Not the “What”, it’s the “THAT”

February 12th, 2021

I got a text from a friend today. It’s not unusual for us to text each other with a thought or a question as we study the word, or think through the issues we face. The question today was, “Joshua 6 – Jericho, shouts and the walls came down. Scripture just says they shouted. Shouted what? Shouts of praise?”

And I had one of those clarifying moments. Profound? Well you decide. The thought that went through my heart was,

“The Key is never the WHAT but the THAT!”

And I texted that then continued, “It’s about Faith and Obedience. Think about all the things in that incident alone. The marching didn’t do it. The shouting didn’t do it. The walking around the city did not do it. The walls didn’t start to erode or crumble days 1-6. They didn’t shake on revolutions 1-6 on day 7. No, it was THAT they believed and obeyed. And Joshua 6 says, ‘When they heard the rams horns and they troops gave a great shout, the walls collapsed.”

And then my thought continued, “and what was left standing when the dust settled? It was Rahab’s section of the wall, where she was in her ‘apartment’ with her family in obedience to the instruction given. Red cord hanging from her window. Was the red cord magic? No. Oh the red cord is a beautiful picture of salvation, but it was THAT she believed and obeyed.”

And then I texted one other example from that story, from the flip side. “When Achan stole a robe, a little silver, and a little gold; it wasn’t WHAT he took, it was THAT he didn’t trust God and obey. He took God’s part.”

Then the final observation, “It’s always about Faith and Obedience. It’s interesting how many times God did something UNIQUE in the circumstance. Whether Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Daniel, many manifestations of God’s power, but every time the action is unique. The uniqueness was that there wasn’t a ‘magic incantation’ or a ‘rain dance’, it was always about Faith and Obedience.

It’s not about the WHAT, its always about the THAT – Faith and Obedience.
Later – John 13:36

January 5th, 2021

There’s a word I don’t like, “Later” – Read John 13:36 –

I/We usually want what we want, NOW. That’s why we have microwaves. We’d rather have it NOW, even if it is rubbery, and less flavorful, we want it NOW, not later. But that brings up some questions

1.Who is Saying – Later?

If a parent or authority says, “Later” – If the Lord God says, “Later” – that’s the ANSWER. Or at least it SHOULD be. Jesus says to Peter, v36 “where I am going you cannot follow me NOW but LATER you will. (Emphasis mine) Remember these are the words of our Omniscient, Omnisapient, Omnibenevolent Lord. And He is saying, “Following me in THIS THING”, his death – burial – resurrection – ascension, “is NOT for NOW, but for LATER”, KJV says afterward. If the Lord says it, receive it.

If a parent, if our boss, if the Lord, says, “Later”, it is a command, it is loving, it is right.

On the contrary, if a child, a subordinate, a servant of the Lord, responds to the voice of instruction with, “no I want it NOW”, or “I’ll do that later”, that is disrespectful, distrustful, disobedience.

Then the next question

2. What Does it Mean – “Later”?

It means, you have OTHER things to do NOW. You will NOT do that now, you will do that later, because NOW you have something else to do, THIS.

What is it, NOW, we are to be doing? Well put this verse in its context. Go back to v31. Jesus says to the disciples,

NOW the Son is glorified and God is glorified

We don’t understand it all because we are little children v33. So, right NOW, we need to make the most of the opportunity we have NOW, v34 a new command I give you, LOVE ONE ANOTHER v35 by this (LOVE) everyone will know … if you love.

That is the command of the Lord, but Peter is distracted by Jesus saying in v33 that he is going somewhere, and so he’s not listening.

Oh we ARE such little children. And Peter says, “I want to go with you”, but Jesus says, “Not now, later”. And of course, little Peter says, “why can’t I follow you now, I’m committed” v37. But for Peter to follow in Death at THAT time, a) wasn’t his job and b) wouldn’t accomplish HIS task OR the Kingdom task.

So, not NOW but Later, there is something else for NOW

Brings up another question then,

3. When Is It?

When Jesus says it is best, when he deems appropriate, when everything is prepared.

Jesus is saying, “Peter, you aren’t as committed as you think” v38 “you are going to deny 3 times TONIGHT, so stick with the plan I am giving you. Let’s focus on the Loving and the Living, the glorifying me with your life, and death will come soon enough”

4. So –

v14.1 Let not your heart be troubled –

Oh isn’t that instruction beautiful in context?

“Peter, you want to do MY job, you want to go where I must go, you are Troubled about the wrong things.” And I hearken to Matthew 6:33 seek first the Kingdom of Heaven … everything else will fall into place.

Don’t be troubled – not by your coming failure – you will deny me 3 times tonight

Don’t be troubled – not by your coming struggles in service

Don’t be troubled – not in the frustrations of waiting for later

Believe in God, Believe in Me – Trust me little children

NOW – v14:2-3 – I’m preparing a place for you in Heaven, with me, by the cross, by my resurrection, after my ascension, I will return and take you there, LATER.

So, NOW – Love one another. NOW – Display my glory. NOW – Tell my story. NOW – LIVE for me. Oh child, you WILL follow me, later, after you do this, NOW.
Redemption – A Sermon

November 2nd, 2020
This is the manuscript for 11/1/20

READ John 19:15b-30

When Jesus received the sour wine, he said “it is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

Can you see this moment of death for the Son of God, Son of Man?

And here he is, dying, innocent.

Is this just a tragic day? It is an ugly, unfortunate accident, injustice? Is it an awesome example of faith, devotion, and love?

Can you let me “hit rewind” from that moment in History?

His head lifts

You see Mary at the cross on Golgotha. John, the Apostle is given charge of her. The soldiers gamble, without concern, for his clothing as a souvenir.

He is placed on the cross with a sign overhead in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek saying ‘Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews’.

He had been handed over to this brutality because the people cried, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’

They had put a crown of thorns on his head, mocked his role and reign, after beating him 39 times with a ‘cat of nine tales’, a brutal torture device that tears flesh to the bone.

Before that, he was questioned by Pilate, rejected by Caiaphas, the High Priest, laughed at by Herod

Peter had denied him 3 times in the later night, early morning hours

In the Garden of Gethsemane he was arrested while praying in anguish, anguish over what he knew was coming, yet he desired the will of God, the completion of his plan.

He had prayed for US, “sanctify them, Father, protect them, give them unity, so that the world may believe.”

In a little while he said you will not see me, and then for a little while I’m sending a Comforter, an encourager, to strengthen and give you wisdom, The Holy Spirit.

He said, I am the vine, you are the branches, abide fruitfully in me

I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life

I AM the Resurrection and the Life

My sheep hear my voice and follow me, and I know them and I lay down my life for them, they follow me and I give them eternal life.

He called us to take up the cross and follow him

He heals blind, lame, and sick as he went

Before Abraham, I AM

I AM the Light of the World

He forgives a woman caught in adultery

I AM the Bread of Life sent from the Father, you must confusme me to have life

He who believes in me, streams of living water overflow

Going to the land of the Samaritans to offer life to everyone

You must be born again, but don’t worry, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes has Eternal Life.

Still moving backwards,

The Word became flesh and lived among us to show us God’s Grace and Truth.

And here is Jesus the man, God with US, one of us.

Yet He was there in the Beginning, God, and With God.

He was there when Israel was captive in Babylon

He was there when Isaiah saw him, high and lifted up

He was there when David wrote songs of his glory.

He was there with Israel in the wilderness

He gave Moses the Law

He revealed himself to Moses, the Existing One, in a Burning Bush on Mt. Sinai

He was with Abraham, leading to a new Land, promising offspring and afuture.

He was with Noah through the Flood.

He reached down and formed man and women of the dust of the earth.

He spoke the world into Existence – Let there be, his product, his plan, his purpose.

And before all of that, God is in Eternity and in his plans, the Holy Trinitarian decision was to create a people, and a place, a people to be the object of his affection. But God in omniscience knows that the object of his affection, will disobey, and sin, and they will prove unworthy of the presence of God, and in the immediacy of the knowledge of God, only one thing can be done.

Jesus, the Son of God, 2^nd Person of the Trinity, says, I will have to DIE, in order to take away that sin, so that all who will believe may enter in to the goodness of our affection.”

“I Will Redeem Our Creation”

And so, he was slain from the foundation of the earth …

Why?

Because a debt must be paid.

So then, we fast forward back to the Cross

And in John 19:30 Jesus says, “IT Is Finished!” – “Paid in Full”

IT – this thing known and planned from Eternity, NOW it is a moment in the History of God’s Creation.

Now, the Object of his Affection can find their debt forgiven, a Holy Debt paid, by a Holy Perfect Sacrifice.

Found here is a picture of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. In Verse 30 there is our outline:

Received the sour wine, Bowed his head, Gave up his Spirit

The Doctrine of Redemption

Redemption = to buy back, release from bondage

In Eden, God told Adam, if you eat of that tree you will die. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil”, and they reaped the fruit of disobedience

James 1:14-15 reminds us that they were not, and we are not ever tempted by God but each person is tempted / drawn away / enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death

And so it was that day, Adam and Eve, perhaps had been tempted every day by the “what if” of sin. That day they gave in, and desire conceived and gave birth to sin, and sin, fully grown gave way to death.

John 8:34 (CSB) ³⁴ Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.

Romans 6:16 (CSB) ¹⁶ Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

And Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death

Now today we are explaining a Grand Story

We are about to run through Scripture, so see the Redemptive work of God in Christ.

You might take notes, or you might just open your heart and receive it, then go back later work through it. I will post my manuscript on my blog.

For now, Glory in Jesus with Me – Jesus Our Redeemer

1. Receiving The Sour Wine

In John 13, Jesus was sharing Passover with his disciples.

None of them had humbled themselves and washed the feet of the others.

In v4, Jesus “got up from the supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel … poured water in a basin and began to wash their feet. v12 says when Jesus had washed their feet … He …put on the outher clothing, he reclined again and said to them ‘do you know what I have done for you?”

Jesus came, lived, served, died, and returned to heaven,

Do You Know what he has done for you?

There on the cross, Jesus is receiving the most bitter, pungent, astringent of the “sour wine”, as he dies an awful death. It is a death he died in eternity past, and now in our History.

Philippians 2:5-8 says he Existed in the form of God … equal with God … bue he did not exploit his rights … he didn’t flaunt his glory …

Jesus bid the praises be silenced and he …
- Emptied Himself (Philippians 2:6)
He laid aside his outer garment of Divine Glory

2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “though he was rich, for your sake, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich”

And he
- Became a Servant – 2:7
He washed us, he came as a man. Matthew 20:28 says the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

How many? John 1:12 – all who believe … all who receive

God knows the number, but we determine the number by faith or rejection.

Peter said, Lord don’t wash me … in John 13 and Jesus said, if I don’t wash you have no part in me

And the in Philippians 2:8, Paul says
- He Humbled Himself / Obedient to Death
Sure obedience is easy when it is pleasant. It’s simple when it is joyful, but this is SOUR WINE

To the point of death, even death on a cross

Death was The Point, and the Cross was the Path to Redemption

Slain from the foundation of the earth

1 Peter 1:18–20 (CSB) ¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

Receiving the Sour Wine …

2. Bowing His Head

He was obedient, he submitted to death for us, greater love has no one than this …

1 John 3:16 says this is how we know what love is, Jesus laid down his life for us

If receiving the sour wine is what Jesus did in leaving heaven, coming, serving, dying, and returning … then bowing his head, is the Why.

Peter preached it at Pentecost

Acts 2:22–24 (CSB) ²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. ²³ Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. ²⁴ God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.

He came to us, lived among us, that he might
- Die as ONE of Us
Matthew 1:21 (CSB) ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Isaiah 53:12 (CSB) ¹² … he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.

Why? That he might …
- Die in PLACE of us
Romans 5:6–8 (CSB) ⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In a powerless situation, came a powerful demonstration, to bring about a personal transformation

Galatians 3:13–14 (CSB) ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. ¹⁴ The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.

And the blessing of Abraham was available to us. That blessing was not land, or prosperity, it was the SEED, Jesus, for us.

Death as one of us, in place of us …
- To Die a Complete and Perfect Sacrifice
2 Corinthians 5:18–19, 21 (CSB) ¹⁸ Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹ That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

²¹ He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God could not ignore or overlook our debt, but our account had to be reconciled so

Hebrews 9:12 (CSB) ¹² he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

And 9:15 says he is the mediator of a new covenant that we … might receive the promise of an eternal redemption from the transgressions committed

So, slain from the foundation of the earth

Living in holiness and obedience

Paying our debt …

3. He Gave Up His Spirit

He didn’t die beaten

He didn’t die failing

He said IT IS FINISHED!

This is the redemptive work of Christ, the Cup of Sour Wine

In the Garden, Jesus asked if there was any way, let the cup pass, but not my will but yours be done. Then on Golgotha he drank the cup to the last drop, saying

It is Finished

– Tetelestai – had several meanings
1. a servant would say to his Master “tetelestai” or “I have finished the work you assigned me”
  John 17:4 (CSB) I have glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
2. When the Priest looked at an animal for sacrifice and found it perfect / faultless, he would say, “tetelestai” – Jesus knew his sacrifice was perfect and as both priest and lamb he said, “It is Finished”
3. when an artist or an author finished their work, they would say, “tetelestai” and here the beautiful picture of salvation that was begun in the Garden of Eden, went to Abraham and Isaac, through The Law’s sacrificial system, shadowed what was coming; but then in Christ the details and the final strokes of his brush, stained red on the cross … Jesus said “Tetelestai” and held it up for the World to admire. The Author and Finisher of our Faith put down the final words of his Story of Salvation and said “It Is Finished”
4. But the greatest, is that countless accounting books contained these words stamped across the bill, “tetelestai”, meaning “Paid In Full”. For all who will believe and receive – a debt satisfied
Psalm 49:5–15 (CSB) ⁵ Why should I fear in times of trouble? … ⁶ … wealth and … riches. ⁷ … cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God— ⁸ since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying— ⁹ so that he may live forever and not see the Pit. ¹⁰ … the wise die; the foolish and stupid also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others. ¹¹ Their graves are their permanent homes, their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. ¹² But despite his assets, mankind will not last; he is like the animals that perish. ¹³ This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. ¹⁴ Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. ¹⁵ But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me.

Like sheep heading to slaughter

BUT God

But GOD

BUT GOD will redeem me from the power of the grave

Revelation 5:9 (CSB) ⁹ And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.

He paid a debt he did not owe, a debt I could not pay, and in doing that Our Redeemer Gave us things only he could give us …
- Forgiveness
Colossians 1:13–14 (CSB) ¹³ He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

And
- Citizenship
Titus 2:14 (CSB) ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.

And in Christ we become part of those people

But more than just people … Children of God

John 1:12 says that when we believe and receive we attain the RIGHT to be God’s children. We are all God’s creation, but only in Christ do we become his Children. But in their economy, only Adult Sons had full rights … and so in Christ Jesus we all have
- Sonship
Galatians 4:4–7 (CSB)

⁴ When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.

As adult sons we have …
- An Inheritance
1 Peter 1:3–4 (CSB) ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

And he gave us …
- His Spirit
Oh my, 2 Corinthians 5 says we groan while in this body, in these days of difficulty and dying, we groan for relief, but God is going to swallow up this mortality with LIFE … the reason for which we were created …

2 Corinthians 5:5 (CSB) ⁵ Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

Heaven IS coming, Glory awaits, and in the meantime, we have God the Holy Spirit within us, a gift of grace. And with the Holy Spirit, Our Redeemer, redeeming us, has the most critical thing for us …
- Freedom
John 8:36 (CSB) ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.

Galatians 5:1 (CSB) ¹ For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.

We have been freed at the Cross. We are being led into a life of Freedom

And so, in obedience, as Psalm 119:44-45 I will obey and walk about in freedom

Forgiveness, Citizenship, Sonship, Inheritance, His Spirit, and Freedom – that is the Redemptive Work and Gift of God in Christ at the Cross.

And so Peter preached from Psalm 16 as he preached at Pentecost saying

Acts 2:25-28, my heart is glad … my tongue rejoices … my flesh will rest in hope … because you will not abandon me to hades or allow me to see decay … you have revealed the path of life

vv32-33 he says, God has raised this Jesus … he has been exalted to the right hand of the Father … because Peter says Jesus, you crucified is both Lord and Messiah

And they asked, What should we Do Acts 2:37

That is the right question today – What Should We Do?

And Peter answers, “Turn around” – Repent – because in the name of Jesus is Forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that Promise is for all, even those far off

Yes … The Wages of sin is Death … But the Gift of God is Eternal Life in Jesus Christ our Lord

Because Hebrews 9:12 says, He entered the most holy place ONCE FOR ALL TIME … by His Own Blood … and Also 9:28 proclaims Christ … offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time … to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him

COME to the Cross

Come Lord Jesus

Tetelestai – Paid In Full
Reprint: Election Message – Who To Vote For

October 27th, 2020
I’ve published this before so let me give you the Highlights

Psalm 20:7

Who To Vote For

“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote… that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” – Samuel Adams

I Particularly like this next quote from the greatest president:

“Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” – Abraham Lincoln

Psalm 20:7(NIV84) says: Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God

Psalm 20:1–9 (CSB)

¹ May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob’s God protect you. ² May he send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion. ³ May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah ⁴ May he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. ⁵ Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests. ⁶ Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories from his right hand. ⁷ Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God. ⁸ They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm. ⁹ Lord, give victory to the king! May he answer us on the day that we call.

1. Some Trust in Chariots

Some Trust in War Machines

Some Trust in a Vehicle

How will you Vote?

Some … Trust in Chariots

2. Some Trust In Horses

But David says,

“some trust in chariots and some trust in horses …”

Interestingly Some trust in ONE party the “Chariot Party”, and Some Trust in Another Party the “Horse Party” …

David said “some trust in Chariots, others in Horses but WE WILL TRUST …”

3. In the Name of the Lord Our God

We Will Trust in a NAME … authority and power.

Oh, Gabriel came to Mary and Joseph and said that Mary was going to conceive, and bear and child and his name would be “JESUS”, because he will save his people from their sins

Peter preached in Acts 4:12 that, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

THERE is a Name

Philippians 2:10–11 (CSB)

¹⁰ at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— ¹¹ and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 13:1b says “there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”

So that begs an interesting question.

How Would Jesus Vote?

I am NOT speaking for Jesus! I am telling you what I believe are some things that scripture teaches us about God that we can see in the issues we face. I believe he would be:
- Pro-Life — Jesus Created all life, he sustains life, he is the giver of life, and is the only one who can take it away. Job 1:21 said, the Lord gives and the lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord. Oh my but that means ALL life.
- Pro Morality — we live in a world where the distinguishing marks between right and wrong has been removed in most cases. Perversion and Greed seem to run unchecked in the name of freedom and capitalism. Right is RIGHT … and Wrong on Top of Wrong doesn’t equal a right.
- Pro Family – the oldest ceremony in the history of humans is the ceremony of marriage. Marriage is a sacred thing. Marriage is also a picture of Christ and the Church. When we distort the family we distort a picture of Christ and the Church, God and his Children. Distortion like that confuses and distorts the very Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can vote that value, but remember we live in an ungodly world, and we are a church. Vote your values but don’t expect everyone to agree. But we are the Church and We can Live our Beliefs
- Pro God – We do not know what the future holds. It seems that we are closer every day to the end of all things. However, we don’t know that, and the only thing that we know to do is call our nation to repentance and turning toward God. Jesus came with a message “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus would call us to the Father
But you know folks those four things are not the only things that are important to Jesus. So, let me add that Jesus would also be:
- Pro Poor
- Pro Prisoner
- Pro Hungry
- Pro Thirsty
Matthew 25:35-36 “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat … thirsty and you gave me … drink … stranger … invited me in … needed clothes … you clothed me … sick and you looked after me … in prison … came to visit me … whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me”
- Pro Education – Proverbs 22:6 train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it
How Should I Vote?

“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” William Penn

“The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke,

Never be afraid to stand with the minority which is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority; always be afraid to stand with the majority which is wrong, for the majority which is wrong will one day be the minority. – William Jennings Bryan

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
John Quincy Adams

How should I Vote?
- Prayerfully – before you are shaped by political pundits or religious leaders, I need to Seek God’s Face. Our answers must come from the throne room before we make a decision …
- Carefully – don’t just go in and vote carelessly or without purpose. I personally never vote straight ticket … I vote what I know to be true and important to me. It takes longer, but if your vote matters, you should vote carefully
- Conscientiously – that is to vote with a consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions or character with a feeling of obligation
- Faithfully – VOTE, it is your right and your DUTY
Who Will I Trust?

“Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and such alone will overthrow the kingdom of Satan and build up the Kingdom of God on earth.” John Wesley

Our Hope is in God Alone. If you know him personally as your own Lord and God, then you need not Fear anything. If you have never given your heart to him, I offer you Jesus, he is our ONLY Hope. He is our ONLY Answer.

Where is our Hope?

If you counted all the verses and found the Center Verse of Scripture in the Bible, it would be Psalm 118:9 …

It is Better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man

Are you afraid? – Psalm 56:3 when I am afraid, I will trust in you

These are principles for voting. But I did Promise to tell you who to vote for. Well let me see if I can break it down to the important things, the things that we talk about and introduce you to the right candidate:
- Executive Experience?
Well … as an Entrepreneur, Creator, and Inventor, he left a lucrative position to begin a new venture. He handpicked a dozen leaders whom he developed and set them loose. They have transformed a regional venture into a multi-national organization servicing and including millions of employees and ambassadors, and this endeavor has continued for nearly 2000 years. Today he continues in the tri-unified Board of Directors of every facet of the Universe
- Economics?
Well it is said he owns the cattle on a thousand years, but more than that he developed, understands and implements the principles of planting, nurturing, and harvest. He can turn a sack lunch into a meal for thousands, so I think he can make sure you have enough to eat. He went fishing one day and came up with the tax money needed for he and his disciples.
- Social Programs?
He has taught his followers to Feed the Hungry, Visit the Prisoner, Give water to the Thirsty, Clothes to the Naked. His followers have been known to sell their goods and give to those in need. They have been known to meet the needs of strangers and friends alike
- Retirement Plan?
In his Father’s House are many Mansions, and He has gone to prepare a place for me so that where He is I can be as well.
- Suffering and Sacrifice?
The word is Expiation, it means atonement. He went into the teeth of the storm of accusation. He went through an illegal trial. He withstood a horrific beating. Then he was sentenced to die on a cross and suffered in dignity, grace, forgiveness, love, never uttering a word in his own defense. He sacrificed himself that those who would come after him would not have to die, and even if they do would be resurrected to live forever.
- Provision?
His Divine Power has Given us EVERYTHING we Need for Life and Godliness

So then,

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you the ONLY Candidate you ever Need, worthy of your pride, worthy of your trust, his is the banner we should fly …

Please Join me and Vote for the Lord Jesus Christ!

Place your Trust in Him

Vote Jesus

Vote with your Heart, give it to him. Vote with your Head, Surrender to him. Vote with your Feet, live in Obedience to Him. Love Him with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

He is the Same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever. He Is God. He IS Lord

You might as well follow all the rest of Creation; Vote Jesus Christ this Year and for Life.

Remember he said,

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me John 15:5