Bad news / Good news!

Capital Punishment of Sin

I don’t recall the source of this illustration in some old notes, but it’s good none the less…

Thinking of the analogy of execution (of sin), killing them, here are some thoughts about treating our sins to capital punishment. First, you have to pronounce them guilty. This is important. Denying that something is sin only increases its power over us and decreases our joy and usefulness to God. Call it what it is. That bad attitude, that bitterness, that griping, those thoughts… if the Bible calls it sin, so should you.

So now that you’ve declared the sins as guilty, you need to take care of them. You have to starve them. They’ll fight, they’ll be nasty, they’ll scream and holler. But you need to starve the sources. Whatever tempts you, stay away from it. Whatever leads you to argue with someone in your head, get away from it. Sin needs to be fed to be dangerous. The battle for sin is first won or lost in the mind before it’s ever acted out. Learn to control your thoughts.

Now, you have to practice corporal punishment. That is, be prepared to suffer. Some cave in at withdrawal. Some can’t picture their lives victorious, so it never happens. Sometimes living without sin hurts. Of course, living with it hurts more. Be willing to suffer. Hebrews 12: 4 says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” It’s a battle, but the victory is promised to us.

Next, to treat sin like a prisoner on death row, neglect your sins. Don’t dwell on them. Don’t treat them like they deserve some special place in your life. You’ve already starved them, now just pay no attention to them. Don’t remind yourself of their supposed power. Understand they are forgiven and in the past. Understand that you are forgiven. They don’t need to be in your life or in your thoughts. Let them wither away by neglect.

And lastly, replace them. It’s not enough just to be so concentrated on your sins that you forget Who forgave them. Some people are so bogged down by the thoughts of their sins. I think of Martin Luther before he was converted. He was so overwhelmed with guilt, that he continually went to his bishop for confession. The issues were things like, having too comfortable a chair or getting too good a night’s sleep. Well, the bishop grew so tired of his whinings that he said, “Look, Luther, I don’t want to hear your sins anymore until you do something worth confessing.”

Clearly, God has better things for you than to dwell on things that need forgiving, and things that don’t. Focus on Him. Set your mind on things above. Fix your eyes on Jesus, not always on yourself. Spend time with Him. Yes, ask Him about what needs to change in your life, most certainly. But replace thoughts of your sin or guilt with thoughts of the Lord.

Declare them guilty! Starve them! Make them suffer! Neglect them! Replace them. This is how to live as Christians with circumcised hearts. Yes, every person has an appointment with death. Well, so do your sins. Deal with them. Put them to death. Then you will live.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

3 simple rules to keep from backsliding...

When Billy Sunday (former baseball player) was converted to Christ, a Christian man put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Billy, there are three simple rules I can give you, and if you hold to them, no one will ever write BACKSLIDER after your name.

1. Take 15 minutes a day to listen to God talking to you.
2. Take 15 minutes each day to talk to God.
3. Take 15 minutes each day to talk to others about God."

Not bad advice, try it today.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Captain’s meditation on Exodus, Pharaoh’s offer of compromise.

Egypt and Pharaoh in the bible (although a factual place and people) are “types and references” to captivity, bondage, and the devil.

Exodus 8:25,28 & 10:11, 24-26 (go ahead and look it up…) Pharaoh is reaching the end of his rope and is ready now to obey God, but suggest a compromise so that Moses will feel he has won some victory, while not fully getting what God intends for His people.

God intends that all His children be freed from their captivity and slavery, and that they can worship the Lord, and be taken to the promised land. See if the devil has ever tried this same old offer of compromise with you.

Here are the compromises that Pharaoh offered, and the devil still offers today…
1. (8:25) Go and sacrifice but don't leave, worship God, but stay in captivity here in Egypt.
2. (8:28) Go and sacrifice in the desert, but you must not go very far, worship but don't get carried away.
3. (10:11) Go but leave your families (women and children) behind.
4. (10:24-26) Go but leave your “stuff” (your livestock or things that could be used for worshiping God.

Moses’ response was they would be going, going all the way, taking their families, and taking their “stuff” because until they get to where God is taking them who knows what God might have them use to worship Him.

Determine today to be saved, set free, living holy, and going as far with God as He can take you, but also be 100% determined to take your family with you (let’s leave no one behind), and let’s even take our “stuff”. Who knows what God might have us use to worship and glorify Him today.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Captain's meditation on Exodus 8:20-24

IS YOUR LIFE ONE OF DISCTINTION, OR ONE OF FLIES?

Look up Exodus 8:20-24 (go ahead and take the time… a “bible gateway” link is just on the left of the screen if your Bible isn’t handy….)

Going again through Exodus in my personal Bible reading, as I read this portion I heard the question, “Is your life one of distinction or one of flies?”

Moses again tells Pharaoh God’s command to let His people go so they can worship Him or there will be a plague of flies, but God promises that although the houses will be “full” of swarms flies, God said he would deal differently with the land of Goshen (where His people lived). God declared there will be no swarms of flies in the land of His people, WHY?, “so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.” God said he would make distinction (or one translation was God would put a deliverance) between His people.

The purpose of a people who where delivered and distinctly different from the world swarming with flies, was in order to show the fly filled world that the Lord was there in the land.

We as believers have a God given deliverance and distinction, we must stand starkly different from the fly filled world as a proclimation to the world that the Lord is in the land, and that they too can choose to leave a world of flies for one that is uncongested and uncontaminated by the swarms.

In Hebrews 12:14 God’s Word says, “make every effort to … to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

We are called to live in a state of deliverance and distinction, SO LIVE HOLY TODAY.

IS YOUR LIFE ONE OF DISCTINTION, OR ONE OF FLIES?

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Sunday's Sermon - An Illustration of Separation

To listen to this past Sunday's sermon, just click the play arrow here for audio or download options. For sermon notes see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this page - next to today's title is a PDF for notes.
God bless your study!

To listen to past sermons see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this blog page. Note it may several seconds to start below.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

This is the Lord's day, don't be so busy that you miss it.

A blessed Sunday to you all, especially those of you having to miss worship at your Corps (or church) due to work or other obligations (whatever those might be).

Here is a scripture thought for you today from Exodus 5 (feel free to look it up right now). Under God's direction Moses tells Pharaoh to let His people go so they can worship Him.

Pharaoh's response was to tell the slave drivers to no longer supply straw for making bricks, make them collect their own supplies, but to keep the quota the same. Pharaoh's thought was to make the work harder for the men so they would keep working and pay no attention to the "so-called lies" that they would ever be free from slavery, and free to worship God.

There are many reasons you may have missed a time of worship today, or maybe you were at the Corps (or church) and were so busy "doing ministry", or distracted with other things, that you never really encountered God yourself. A great tool of the devil is to increase the work so there is no time for God. Don't fall into the trap!

Take time this day to worship your God, read His word for yourself, spend some time in prayer, seek His face and a new touch of His Spirit. God Himself wants you to take time to worship Him today. Who knows, you might just find that today is the day He will free you from something you're enslaved to.

Live holy, preach Jesus!