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The Comfortable Cross (title is link to sermon)

This is part four of the "Not a Fan" series by Kyle Idleman.

Have you made the cross comfortable in your life?

Fans have a comfortable cross.  Followers don’t.

If you got to choose between a Tempur-Pedic mattress and a box-spring, what would you choose?  

What about having to choose between your favorite pair of tennis shoes and some wooden clogs?

If you could choose between a weekend at a spa clinic with unlimited massages or a weekend camping in the desert at the hottest time of the year, what would you choose?

I know, I know, these are all pretty obvious on what we would all answer.

But the point I am trying to make is their common denominator.

The common denominator is Comfort.  

Our society places pretty high value on comfort.  

We’ve also become Christians used to comfort.  We come to our buildings that are warm in the winter and air conditioned in the summer.  Our pews and chairs are padded. Even our Bibles are mostly soft, leather bound books, easy on the hands.  
And before you know it, it’s not just the pews that are padded. The messages are padded with easy teaching.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

So, what do comfort-craving fans do with something like the cross?  I mean, it’s pretty hard to avoid the cross when you’re a Christian, right?  What can you do with a phrase like, “take up your cross”?  

Many fans eventually find a way to even make the cross comfortable.  They create a comfortable idea of the cross and what it means for us today to take up our crosses.  So, the phrase, “We all have our crosses to bear” gets thrown around loosely, referring to even the most menial or everyday tasks and inconveniences.

For those living in the first century the cross was the ultimate symbol of weakness.  I mean why would God use a symbol of torture, of death, of weakness to save the world?  

I suppose the idea of the cross seems more appealing to us because it’s no longer used to execute people and we’ve dressed it up.  We are used to seeing the cross as an ornament, decoration, or a piece of jewelry.  But, can you imagine a first century Jew coming into our sanctuary and seeing an illuminated cross hanging from our walls? They would think we were sick!

Imagine people walking around with a guillotine hanging around their neck or an electric chair dangling from their ears.  

For the Jews, the cross meant weakness.  And I think that’s God’s point.  That’s what makes the cross so beautiful.  God takes what from a human perspective is foolish.  He chooses what has no glory and carries no honor.  He finds the least likely symbol for love and life and says, “I’ll use that.”

God takes what the world says is foolish, demeaning, and shameful, and says “Watch this” and turns it into the power of salvation. Amen?

Don’t miss this..

What God Did For the Cross, He Can Do for You. Amen?

That’s when you are the weakest – you are exactly where you need to be for God to be the strongest.  The upside-down truth of the cross is that when you are weak – you are strong.  

The Bible is a long list of imperfect misfits who discovered that weakness is strength.  

Though it seems backward to us, God teaches us that when we think we’re strong we’re really weak – but when we acknowledge our weakness and humble ourselves before the Lord we put ourselves in a position to receive His strength.  

Let me give a short true story for illustration:

When we were traveling one time, Ethan had packed some toys and books into a backpack and insisted on hauling that thing around himself.  (He was probably not even three yet.)  I volunteered several times to carry it for him.  But he wanted to do it himself.  It was clear that he wanted us to notice and he would point out how strong he was.   He would say to us repeatedly “look how strong I am.” 

But on one occasion we parked in a hotel parking lot late just before dark and we weren’t very close to the entrance.  I knew Ethan was tired and he started off strong but soon was struggling.  With a heavy sigh he stopped, and he didn’t really say anything…he just turned and looked at me and dropped his backpack on the ground…his shoulders drooped with a sense of failure as he watched me pick it up. 

We walked a few more steps and he stopped again…another heavy sigh…this time he reached up with both arms. I reached down and I scooped him up in my arms, Happy to carry not only my son’s weight but to also carry him.  Amen?

We can all learn a lesson from that story – We need to admit our weakness – We need to ask God to show his strength in our lives.  God will stop and pick up our load and he will also carry us through too!

To do for me what he did for the cross.  

It’s part of my pride that I want to carry my own load – and I refuse to admit my weakness.  

But the cross makes it clear that when I am weak – He is strong.

And that’s a test for followers.

Will you, like Christ did before us, trust God enough to let your weakness be His strength?

It’s then that God does in our hearts what He did for the cross.

He takes followers who are all but defeated and He turns their testimonies into life-giving messages of truth and hope, all to His glory.

Be a follower and surrender to Jesus your weaknesses today!

Choosing Intimacy (title is link to sermon)

This is part three of the "Not a Fan" series by Kyle Idleman.

What path are we on?  

So many people think they are on the right path and to their credit believe it to be the right path because that is the way they were taught.  

In Luke Chapter 7, we read about two people who encounter Jesus on very different paths.  

In Luke 7:36 Jesus is invited to eat at Simon the Pharisee’s house.  

Simon doesn’t give Jesus a kiss when He walks in, though that was the custom—at least on the hand.  Typically the custom would’ve been to wash the feet of your guest or to have a servant do it.  Jesus’ feet go unwashed.  Oftentimes when you had a guest, especially a distinguished guest, you would give them some inexpensive olive oil to anoint their head.  That was their custom.  None of this happened for Jesus.

Then we see in verse 38 a woman walks into this house and she is weeping and she is crying, and she falls at the feet of Jesus and the tears now are dripping off her cheeks and onto the dirty, muddy feet of Jesus that should’ve been washed by the Pharisee.  

And she sees that they’re not washed; she sees how her tears are making the dirt run off of His feet and she undoes her hair.  I don’t think she planned this.  She would’ve assumed His feet would be cleaned, but they’re dirty.  So with her tears she washes His feet and with her hair she dries His feet.  She begins to kiss them, crying, broken.  She pulls out a jar of very expensive perfume and she pours it on His feet.

In a picture, that’s intimacy.  And until you’ve witnessed or been in that kind of relationship, you won’t know what intimacy is.  

I could read you the definition, explain where the word comes from or how the word is used, but you wouldn’t really know what intimacy is.  You would just know about intimacy.

One Hebrew scholar calls it, “A mingling of the souls.”

Honestly, intimacy can be pretty scary, because it involves allowing yourself to be vulnerable.  And many people fear intimacy with others and with God because they know that vulnerability and pain go hand in hand.  So many people have experienced a betrayal, or a crushing blow from someone close to them.   They opened up, they made themselves vulnerable, and then someone let them down.

And when we make ourselves vulnerable to God, we know He’s going to find some things that we’re not proud of.  

Think of the sinful woman in Luke 7.  

A woman of ill repute, she knew she had sin in her life that made her unworthy to touch the Messiah.  

And because we’ve all fallen short, we know that God’s going to look into our lives and find things that He doesn’t condone.  So it kind of makes sense that many people would be afraid of that vulnerability.

But followers know that there’s so much more gained from intimacy with God, because then we know that He’s there with us through any pain we endure.  

That comfort, knowing that God’s with you, can only come through intimacy.  Amen?

Simon sees all this woman does for Jesus, her embarrassing actions, and the Bible tells us in Luke chapter 7, verse 39…it says, “When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.’”

But Jesus, who knew Simon’s thoughts, answered him, “Look, I came in the house.  You did not give me a kiss, not even on my hand.   She hasn’t stopped kissing my feet.   You gave me nothing to wash my feet with, and she is washing my feet with her tears.  You gave me no olive oil for my head; she has poured perfume on my feet.”  

And people can just see the brokenness of this woman, and then Jesus turns to this woman and He says, “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”

Simon brought Jesus to the meal, but all he wanted was knowledge.  He wanted to keep things shallow, and he defined his relationship by not washing Christ’s feet, not caring to kiss him, not being willing to anoint his head, but this woman was willing to open up to Jesus.  

She made herself vulnerable, being totally willing to open up and let Jesus know her.

So, I ask you today, will you let Jesus know you?

Will you embrace the close and intimate relationship He wants to have with you?

Choose Intimacy today.

Be blessed

The Open Invitation (Title is link to sermon)

This is part two of the "Not a Fan" series by Kyle Idleman.

Have you ever seen one of those car dealership commercials that says, “Anyone can buy a car here!” 

But then you look at the fine print at the bottom of the screen and see that “Anyone” really means the people who pass their credit check? Even when the ad said, "No credit check."

Have you ever tried to get a special deal on a cell phone plan you saw a commercial for, and the commercial claimed this new deal was for anyone, only to be told that discount only applies to a new customer?

There’s always a catch, isn’t there?

In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

When making the invitation to potential followers, Jesus invites “Anyone.”

Anyone Is Welcome

But over the years, we’ve gotten to the point that even when we hear Jesus say anyone we think, “Yeah right. What’s the catch?”

There’s no catch. No small print. No hidden fees. It’s all laid out in that verse, and it’s open to “Anyone.”

And when Jesus said “Anyone,” the crowds would have looked at his disciples and known that He meant it!

You see, Jesus changed the system, especially when he invited a tax collector to be a follower! That was unheard of during those times.

So when word gets out about a new rabbi who is picking out followers at random, people start to wonder what’s up.  

They come to hear from this incredible teacher named Jesus, but when they look at his disciples, they must have been confused.  

They must have shaken their heads and thought, “These are his students?  

They are nobodies!  

Praise the Lord, I AM A NOBODY! Amen?

But then Jesus makes the invitation, and when people hear that anyone can come learn from this incredible rabbi, I’m sure they started to entertain the idea.

He really means ANYONE!

But even though He makes his invitation to anyone, He also guarantees that it will cost you everything.

Are you ready to take up your cross?

Are you willing to follow Jesus?

The invitation is open to ANYONE!

Are You a Fan or a Follower? (Part One)

This sermon is part of a "Not a Fan" series from Kyle Idleman and City on the Hill Productions. It is an awesome Bible Study!

Whose kid actually ends up going into the professional lemonade stand business?

Lets just say that your child was doing so well and that the business had grown to the point that it could become a full time thing, there is one thing that has to happen for that child to decide to make it a profession.

And in that pivotal moment of his life, he had to make a choice.  Is this going to become a career?  Is he going to hire a few employees to share the load?  What will he choose?  

These kinds of moments are NOT unique to the business world. I think a much more common experience lies in the realm of our relationships.

You know, at some point in our relationships we reach a point where we have to have that DTR talk! 

You know what that DTR talk is?

That is DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP talk.

We need to define the relationship and find out where we stand with Jesus.

And to look at Christ’s invitation, we’ll be using a verse that clearly lays out what it means to be a follower of Christ.

It’s Luke 9:23, and it reads, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

So today, I am asking you, Are you a fan or a follower of Jesus?

The word fan is defined as “an enthusiastic admirer.” We’re all fans of different things, right? Many of us are sports fans. We watch the games. We cheer on the team. Some of us own the jerseys of our favorite players or teams. We understand the concept of being a fan of sports. Right? Amen?

And my concern is that our church has the potential to very easily become a stadium full of fans of Jesus. And Jesus never cared about having fans. If you define a fan as an enthusiastic admirer, then fans were not important to Him.

See, I think we have a tendency to come together once a week and be fans of Jesus. We sit down in our seats and we open up our programs. We say our amens at certain times and we leave somehow thinking that, as the fans, it was all done for us. We get in the car and we evaluate the sermon, and we kind of give the service and song selection a thumbs up or thumbs down. And we come back and do it again the next week.

Some that are reading this may think they are followers but are actually just fans.

Ask yourself three questions and be honest with your answers to find out which you are.

First, Why Are You Here (going to church)?

Is it for the praise and worship style? Is it the style of preaching that you like? Is it the comfortable pews?

You see, the main reason the crowds were showing up around Jesus was because of the spectacle. They didn’t care as much about the teaching, about the life changing lesson. They were there for the show.

The second question, Are You All In?

Being a follower of Jesus requires complete commitment. 

A follower of Jesus will do whatever it takes to follow Jesus. They’re absolutely loyal, completely committed.

Oftentimes, we look at our relationship with Jesus and say, “I’m going to follow Jesus, but I’m going to kind of pick and choose the areas in which I will follow Him.”

We might say, “Well, I’ll follow Jesus, but don’t ask me to forgive the person that hurt me.

Or maybe, “I’ll follow Jesus, but don’t talk to me about my money. I work hard for that money.”

You see, with Jesus we have to be ALL IN! Amen?

And thirdly, Have You Made It Your Own?

Many of us started going to church because of a parent.

Mom made you.

Dad said you had to.

There wasn’t an option.

Or maybe you started coming because of a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a spouse. You came because they like it when you come. You came because it appeases them.

That can happen to us in church. We keep coming to appease someone else, and pretty soon we get into the flow of things. We know most of the songs, and we even recognize the stories or the teachings, and we’re kind of fans of Jesus. But that can be the most dangerous situation to be in.

If your faith isn’t your own, if you aren’t pursuing a relationship with Jesus, and you keep coming week after week and begin to create a “faith” that was someone else’s in the first place, you’re just numbing yourself to the real thing.

You have to make your faith your own. Jesus isn’t looking for a relationship between you, your mom, and Him.

He’s not looking for a relationship between you, your spouse, and Him.

He’s looking for a relationship with you.

He wants you to be a Follower Today!

Be blessed

HE HAS RISEN!

We are having a sunrise service this morning celebrating the SONRISE!

HE HAS RISEN INDEED!

After the SONRISE service we are going to have communion.

Then some fellowship breakfast!

Have a Happy Easter.

HE HAS RISEN!

Have a Blessed Day!

Good morning! 

Today I am just relaxing and sipping on coffee and thanking God for another beautiful day that he has blessed me with.

I said “ME” because I have to wonder is it “US?”

You see, today is what you make of it, period.

I have chosen to get up and spend time with the Lord.

I have realized that every time I relax and sip on some coffee and dwell on my relationship with Jesus, he shows up!

I pray that you also have decided to spend some time with the Lord. He is just waiting for you to “count your blessings.”

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord! 

Spend some time today meditating on what Jesus went through for you and me.

As you do, Jesus will show up.

Until then, I leave you with this....

Numbers 6:24-26 NIV (24) "'"The LORD bless you and keep you; (25) the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; (26) the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

Have a Blessed Day!

It’s Time To Kill Agag (Title is link to sermon)

The scripture tells us that King Saul spared King Agag. He slew the women, the children, the infants and all the men, but he spared Agag, why?

1 Sam 15:8-11 (8) And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. (9) But Saul and the people spared Agag , and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. (10) Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, (11) It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

I believe that many people have saved back something that God has commanded them to kill in their lives! 

1 Sam 15:12-19 (12) And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. (13) And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. (14) And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? (15) And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. (16) Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. (17) And Samuel said, “When thou wast little in thine own sight, was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” (18) And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. (19) Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

Why do people hang on to just enough to cause them problems?  

Just enough sin that it will cause us to be disobedient to God?

What this chapter represents is not a cruel God destroying women and children, but it speaks to us about the separation from the world.  

If Israel had been obedient to God, they wouldn’t have the problems they have to day.

If America would just be obedient to God, we wouldn’t be having all the problems we are having today! Amen?

Unless you destroy the enemy in your life he will be there for you to fight every day.

If you don’t destroy an addiction you will always fight with it until it finally destroys you.

You can’t keep it around, you can’t taper off a little at a time you must destroy it once and for all or you will become its slave forever.

Saul was to cleanse the land of the Amalekites and their false Gods so that Israel wouldn’t fall victim to false worship.

Israel was no different than we are today, people fail to separate themselves completely from sin, holding on to just enough to cause god to be angry with them.

1 Sam 15:20-23 (20) And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. (21) But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. (22) And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

This scripture tells us that God demands our complete obedience to His word!

One of the biggest problems in the world today is that most people will not follow instructions.

Samuel gave the command to Saul, he obeyed some of the command but not all, and he saved Agag.

Saul was motivated by the love of money, they kept all the best animals, they kept all the best possessions, collected the spoils of victory.

They spared the king. Why? Why would Saul be so blatantly disobedient?

Well, it wasn't just materialism; in this case it was pride.

Here was a vicious terrorizing monarch of this tribe who was known to everybody as the greatest fighter and warrior and victor before whom others crumbled.

Saul was going to show his great mighty power, his great force by holding up the trophy Agag and saying,
"Look what I have, look who I defeated." It was pride and materialism.

It was just an evil heart on Saul's part to flatly and blatantly disobey God.

1 Samuel 15:32- Samuel said, "Bring me Agag the king of the Amalekites." And Agag thinking all is going too well, Saul is off the throne, everything is forgiven, comes in cheerfully.

And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is passed." Well, that's all over. 

And Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless so shall your mother be childless among women."

Which is another way of saying, "I'm going to kill you and Samuel hued, or hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal."

Before I close: As I said, this is a tremendous insight into God's attitude toward sinners and His holiness and wrath against sin.

But I want to use it just as an analogy; it is an illustration of the sin that remains in the believer's life.  When you were saved, and I was saved there was at that moment a crushing defeat of sin.   Amen?

From one end to the other, east to west, north to south our sin was crushed.  Amen?

But we still have remaining sins. There are some Amalekites running around loose in everybody's life.  

We all have our Agags!

And the problem in our Christian lives is not that sin has not been defeated, it has, but there is still remaining sin.

There are some loose Amalekites in some.  And though there was a great and glorious and triumphant defeat at the time of our salvation, there is the necessity that the remaining sins be hacked to pieces or they will revive, they will plunder our hearts and zap our spiritual strength.

We cannot be merciful with the Agags of our life.  

We cannot be merciful with the remaining sins in our life or they will turn and create an insurrection and a rebellion to attempt to destroy us.

It Is Time to Kill Agag! Kill your Agag today!

Are you Focused?

First what do I mean when I say Focus?  

I am talking about what has your attention!  

What are you spending your time and effort on?  

You see, what you continuously find yourself focusing on is or is becoming your God!  

What you find yourself continuously focusing on indicates what your faith is!

There are everyday short term focus opportunities that we mess up on too.

For instance, short term focus is when you try to ask someone something while they are reading!  

That is when you are focused on what you are reading, and you didn’t hear (but you nodded yes) the kids ask if they could take all their clothes off while they play in the water in the front yard on main street.  

You may still be focused on this great article you were reading when the police knock on your door!

We need to diligently focus on God and what he wants us to do to mature in HIM Amen?

One of my favorite cartoons to date is one I brought back from Iraq with me.  It is a young boy named Calvin at the front door screaming, “MOM!”.  Then he yells again, “MOM!”  She finally yells back at him, “Quit yelling in the house, if you want to talk to me come in here where I am at!”  He has this bewildered look on his face and finally walks through the entire house to the other end.  He finds his mother in front of the television!  He looks at here and says, “Mom, I was wondering where the garden hose is because I stepped in some dog doo-doo!”

A simple Calvin Cartoon can gives us a message, Amen?  

Like the mother in the cartoon we get attracted and become focused on something that is really of no value compared to God!  Amen?

Haven’t you ever allowed something really worthless to seduce your focus away from something else much more important?

This lack of focus infection grows and grows like the disease that it is, to the point that God and Family takes a second seat to what has become your focus!

You see, as bikers our focus is what keeps us on the road!  Bikers know that the last thing they should do is take their eyes off of where they want to go!  

The standard rule of thumb for a biker is that you go where you look.  So especially in a turn it would be really stupid for us to look anywhere else but where we want to get to, Amen?  

If you lose your focus you could go down!  

I have a friend that only has one leg because he wasn’t focused!  He pulled out in front of a car!

Bikers have to look where they want to be going NOT where they DON’T want to be at!   If you drive your car and look to the right, you will steer to the right!  

I have had two accidents, and BOTH was because I wasn’t focused!

That is how we should live our lives!  Always looking where we want to be!  Amen?

Stay focused on GOD straight ahead!  Amen?

Colossians 3:1-2 (GNB)  You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. (2) Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.

Why or how do we lose our focus?  

We quit looking at where we need to be going!  GOD!!!!

We quit reading the word of God!

We quit praying to God!

We quit communing with like minded Christians!

It takes focusing diligently to accomplish the work God has set before us!

Noah was focused when he worked for a hundred plus years building an Ark!

Abraham was focused when he spent three days traveling to sacrifice his son!

Lot stayed focused albeit his wife did not when they fled from Sodom and Gomorrah!

Jacob was focused as he worked diligently to have his wives

Joseph was focused as he refused Potifiers wife and later became 2nd in command.

Moses was focused as he led the Israelites out of Egypt!

Joshua was focused as he led the Israelites across the Jordan into the promise land!

Caleb was focused when he was 85 years old and asked for the mountain where the giants were!

Are you focused?  Or are things of this world still distracting you?

Stay focused on things of the Lord, starting today.

What About The Grapes? (Title is link to sermon)

Please read the entire chapter Numbers 13

Moses sends 12 spies in to spy out the land and bring back some fruit of the land. They go into the land, they spy out the land, and they bring back figs, pomegranates and grapes, (the grapes were so big that it took two men to carry one cluster on a staff between them).

The Bible doesn't say who these two men were, but I like to think they were Joshua and Caleb, because they were the only two who agreed upon the promises of God and who believed that they could possess their inheritance.

Now once they returned, all 12 spies, announced: it truly is a land flowing with milk and honey and showed the fruit for all to see.

Then 10 spies went on to say (nevertheless) or in our modern language. What they said was, (but).

Oh man. As soon as I see that (but) I know trouble is brewing! 

That one little word has robbed people of their faith. Stolen their health robbed them of their dreams, kept them from their miracle and slammed the door shut to the promises of God.

I know God can heal, but.

I know God can deliver, but.

I know God can save, but.

I know God can open the door, but.

How many times have we stood on the border of our promised land, and failed to take possession?   Just because we couldn’t believe God was able.

Every time you add a (but) to the promises of God.  You limit God and disqualify yourself from his promise and from his provision.

These 10 spies all had the same problem: (They had giants in their eyes).

At some point in your life as a believer.  You have to make up your mind what you want in life. Is it the giants or grapes?

Grapes = the promises, blessings, provisions of God.

Giants = the enemies and the adversaries to the promises and the provisions of God.

Giants are employed by the devil to resist you, frustrate you and steal the promises of God for your life.

There are all kinds of giants: fear, insecurity, inferiority, sickness, debt, depression, worry, anxiety, stress, PRIDE (and the list goes on and on). But whatever name you put on them. Their mission is to keep you out of your blessing, and to keep you from enjoying the promises of God for your life.

Are you allowing the Giants to rob you?

Listen, once you taste the grapes. The Giants will not matter anymore, giants are just something you must deal with to get the grapes.

Giants are problems.

Grapes are promises!

There is a whole generation coming behind you that is depending on you to show them how to deal with the Giants and enjoy the grapes.

What heritage, are you going to pass down to your children and to your grandchildren?

Is it your Giants or your Grapes?

Grab your grapes today!

No Lines, No Waiting

Many of you may already know or have heard that by nature I am a very impatient person.   I don’t like to wait around with nothing to do.  I don’t like to sit around if there is something that needs to be done.  In fact, one of my spiritual gifts is impatience. LOL.

With this in mind let me say that I always pick the worst line to get in no matter where I might be.

If I’m in traffic I get in the slowest moving lane. And then if I move to another lane that one all of the sudden slows down and the one I was in speeds up.

Fast Food Restaurant – I get behind the guy ordering for his whole apartment building.

I like it when they open another line and the lady comes over and says I can help a few people over here. There are no lines, no waiting over here.

Did you know, when you’re coming to God there are no lines and no waiting.

You remember the story about Blind Bartimaeus? It’s in Mark 10.
(Mark 10:46) And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. (47) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (48) And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (49) And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. (50) And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. (51) And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. (52) And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

He was a beggar that sat on the road to Jericho

He cried out to Jesus

People said be quiet

Disciples said it’s not your time

Wait your turn (Get in Line!)

Jesus opened up another line for him and said NO LINES, NO WAITING!

Remember the woman with the issue of blood, also in Mark
(Mark 5:25) And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, (26) And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, (27) When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. (28) For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. (29) And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

She was sick for 12 years – in line, if you will, for 12 years

She tried every doctor

She used all her money

She was getting worse

She was not supposed to be there, the disciples tried to get her to "wait in line."

But she touched the hem of Jesus garment

Jesus opened up another line for her and said NO LINES, NO WAITING!

The list goes on and on. The man at the pool of Bethesda. Jesus shows up and announces, NO LINES, NO WAITING! Amen?

Let me close today with this:  If you need Jesus today there is no more waiting!  

NO LINES AND NO WAITING!

You may have been waiting 5 years, 12 years, 38 years, it doesn’t matter because Jesus can touch you today! He can…..

Heal your body!

Fix your messed up life!

Mend your broken heart!

Deal with your troubled marriage!

Deliver you from any addiction you may have!

Solve a financial problem!

Save your soul!

You don’t have to wait around in line for him to do it. 

He can do it right now. 

What the devil took years to mess up God can fix with just one touch. 

NO LINES AND NO WAITING! (Watch this old sermon at Dave's Sports Bar from 2012. Be blessed)

Have We Been Trained NOT to Win Souls?

Acts 1:8 (KJV) (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The word of God says we have the power to be witnesses, amen? Then why aren’t we?

The “Church body” that has been created is a result of unintended consequences.

What I mean is…

We have trained up boy scouts and sent them to do an infantryman's job.

We have trained up supply clerks and have asked them to jump from airplanes with paratroopers.

It was never the intent for the body to become so use to the padded pews that they would shun the streets in search of souls.

Unfortunately, the outcome of our sermons, our exhortations, our admonitions and pastoral counseling sessions have equipped our people to sing in the choir, teach Sunday school children, read the Bible and live cleanly and righteously before God and the world!

It has not prepared them to tackle the real world of lost souls.

Instead, we have a generation of “Christians” where:

Insulation (church house) has turned into isolation (Outside the walls).

Separation has become segregation.

Outreach looks more like in-reach.

Preaching the word sounds like preaching to the choir.

Sharing the gospel consists of joining hands with another person from the body and singing Kumbaya.

Instead of winning the lost we are continually trying to keep the saved, saved.

Our beacon of light has been confined to the sanctuary rather than placed in lighthouses along the shore.

Our worship seeks for applause from the church when it should be looking for its effect on the un-churched.

WHY????

Is our relationship with Christ so fragile that we cannot interact with unbelievers for fear that they will influence us away from God instead of the other way around?

Are the church walls our only source of protection physical or spiritual?

Are we so fearful that we refuse to sound off?  SPEAK OUT!!!!

Do we seek the shadows (to hide in) instead of the sunlight so we will avoid painful and embarrassing confrontations?

Who among us will break out of this bondage of fear?

Who among us will refuse to leave the witnessing to the door-knocking Jehovah's Witnesses, or the bicycle-riding missionaries of the Mormons?

I’m not saying that we need to go knocking from door to door telling everyone about Jesus!  

But we should be proclaiming HIS GLORY everywhere we go!  Amen?  

Our dedication to holiness and righteousness is not so fragile that it cannot be put on display for the world.  Amen?

We have a divine presence dwelling within our lives (Holy Ghost if your saved) that will always be greater than any external threat.  

Witnessing, soul winning, outreach and evangelism are essential lifelines of the church!  

We have no way to fulfill the vision of Christ for the church without a total commitment to reach the lost.

The Holy Spirit leads believers to the edge of fire to pull people out!  

Do you know anyone in the fire?  

If you know someone in the fire you have the power from the Holy Ghost to enter in that fire and pull that person from Satan!  

Soul winners must depend on the Holy Ghost to protect them as they conduct search and rescue missions into hazardous situations.  

Let us refocus. Let us abandon our sterile ways of non-soul winning and take up the messy mission of real-life outreach.  Amen

Let us learn how to mingle with the sinner without being influenced by his sin.

Let us study how to kneel in the dust beside a beaten man whose blood oozes from open wounds instead of kneeling only in the air-conditioned comfort of a carpeted prayer room.

Let us practice our trust in the keeping power of the Holy Ghost instead of fearfully hiding out in a church sanctuary where nobody threatens us.

There are people out there walking around in that fire and you have been chosen to boldly walk into that fire and pull them from it!  Are you ready?

We need to follow the example of our Chief Shepherd, who ate dinner in the house of sinners,

Who permitted a woman of ill repute to anoint his feet and wipe them with her hair,

And who hung between two thieves as he departed from this world.

We are not fishers of men until we CATCH THEM.  AMEN???

Nothing Has Changed If You Haven’t Changed

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

This is probably one of, if not, the most quoted scripture when it comes to dealing with change.

So today we are using this scripture and we are going to be dealing with the change. Understand that Nothing changes if Nothing changes.

The statement “Change is inevitable; misery is optional” is truer than many of us care to admit.

Somehow, we imagine that it is possible to live without change. However, we can no more live and not have change than we can jump without feeling the impact of gravity.

Therefore, to live is to change, and any thought that we can avoid change in life is pure illusion.

I can try to resist change and try to stay the way I am or release my resistance to change.

But the Bible says in Hebrews 12:1 “lay aside every weight, and the sin”, in other words there is some stuff that has to change.

There is a saying that goes:- “NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES AND IF I KEEP DOING WHAT I'VE ALWAYS DONE, I'LL KEEP GETTING WHAT I'VE ALWAYS GOT AND WILL KEEP FEELING WHAT I ALWAYS FELT."

That is a true statement because to do the same thing over and over without ever having something change and you keep looking for a different outcome to happen is crazy!

Albert Einstein said”- “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."

A lot of people go through the motions of Christianity, but they never change their lives or their life style.

2 Cor 5:17…Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The simple interpretation of this scripture is change.

Remember change must happen in life, for to live is to grow; to grow is to change.

If you want things to change you must cast off some stuff.  Amen?

If you are going to grow in your walk, you must be willing to allow God to help you to change, to be more and more like Jesus. Amen?

Pray for HIS help today. Pray for change. Watch the sermon Nothing Has Changed if you Haven't Changed right here.

STOP IT!!!

Stop It!   Quit drifting with your life!  God has a far greater purpose for you than what you may have experienced.  

But on this day, put it behind you!

We are made up of impulses, desires, and dreams but over time there is something in us that has a tendency to just start drifting with life.  

To just go along to get along with the world.

What do you need to stop?

Some mental habit that is crippling you?

A nagging sense of self-pity?

The downward drift of impure thoughts?

A conflicting sense of jealousy?

A numbing sense of worry?

The creeping paralysis of a fear of failure?

You can stop it!  There are some things you can do to make sure you don’t fall into the drift.

Decide What to Stop

Decide If You Want to Stop It

Marriage - We drift when we bicker and nag and fight about money, jobs, and kids. The devil can keep you so busy finding fault with your mate that over the course of time your marriage is something that is just drifting along. Stop It!!!

Job - We drift when we are doing nothing more than just making a living. As one man said it one time, “Just trying to make ends meet!” Millions of people are trapped in this because they just drift and never develop. Stop It!!! You can advance, you can be promoted, you can go to college.

Money - Most people just drift when it comes to their personal finances.  You can drift with the devil and never save and constantly live in fear of poverty.  But one day, you will wake up and old man or old woman and discover that it could have been so different if you would have gotten free with a budget.  Stop It!!! Start a budget today!

Thoughts - We drift far too often in the arena of negative thoughts.  Negative thoughts will lead to negative acts.  Negatives acts will lead you into a terrible condition of the mind and soul.  Stop It!!!

But you have to decide if you want to stop it.

Make Up Your Mind to Stop It

If you will quit drifting and stop it, it will be because you make up your mind to stop it!  

Quit whining and complaining about all the things going against you and start thinking of some of the things you have going for you!

1 Samuel 4:9 (KJV) Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

Put some faith into it!  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not “try harder” but rather “believe harder!”  If you are going to stop it, you have to believe that God is for you and that God can help you. Amen?

There isn’t a man that has ever been made with an iron will, that is why the Lord has to help us out.  He can do it as no one else can.

Encourage your faith by looking at the miracles. . . and in the Name of God. . . Stop It!!!!

No More Crumbs!

2 Samuel 9:1-13 (1) And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?  (2) And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. (3) And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. (4) And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. (5) Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. (6) Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence.  And David said, Mephibosheth.  And he answered, Behold thy servant!  (7) And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.  (8) And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?  (9) Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. (10) Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table.  Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.  (11) Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do.  As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.  (12) And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. (13) So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet. 

Satan’s primary objective is to get every Christian to backslide, to deny his or her experience with God, and turn back to the vile elements of this world. However, his next objective, if he can’t get us to backslide, is to get us to live beneath our privileges. 

This is where he gets many of us! I have been there and since then have met many Christians living way beneath the place God has for us! Are you? 

Are you eating crumbs when you could be sitting at the Kings table?

The Bible says in Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 

But, Satan wants to convince us that, not only are we not more than conquerors, we can barely make it, hold on by the skin of your teeth, just try to hold the fort until Jesus comes! We can’t be happy, because we’re in a continual state of discouragement, we’re barely making it. 

But the Bible says in Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 

And, yet the devil wants to convince us that we’re going to go bankrupt, and that God has forgotten about us, we’re going to be lucky if the creditors don’t come and take everything that we have!

You can’t afford to pay tithes, you can’t even pay your bills, and God won’t help you, so you better hold the fort!

I say today, we need to move out of the lie that we’ve been sold and realize that God has so much more for us! Amen?

There’s a place FOR US at the King’s table! Amen?

POOR MEPHIBOSHETH WAS LIVING BELOW HIS PRIVILEGES AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT.

ARE YOU??

He knew he was royalty.  DO YOU?

He knew he was the son of Jonathon, the grandson of Saul, but (LISTEN TO THIS) he also knew he’d been crippled by the enemy. (Nurse dropped him when fleeing) 

ARE YOU CRIPPLED?

He’d suffered a debilitating attack, and now, he didn’t feel worthy to be called a king’s son anymore.

The enemy had succeeded in destroying his confidence, his enthusiasm, his ability to walk.

DON’T MISS THIS!!!!

The enemy couldn’t change his status, couldn’t make him any less a king’s grandson, but what the enemy succeeded in doing was making him step down from his rightful place. 

The enemy can’t take anything away from us, but he can convince us to walk away from our heritage!

DON’T MISS THIS!!!!  PLEASE!!!!

And, poor Mephibosheth was living below his privilege, and didn’t even realize it.

I’m sure he thought this was the way it had to be.  I mean, who wants a cripple in the King’s house, he might have thought. I’ve got some battle scars, no one wants me around. I’ll just go over here, try and live on crumbs, and exist until my days are thru.

But, little did Mephibosheth know, not very far away, there was a table spread, with the King’s bread! 

No more crumbs, but a place of surplus, and a place of happiness, where the music played, and there was joy in the house of the King!

But, because the enemy had crippled him, he had bought into the lie that the King didn’t want him around!

But, imagine his surprise when one day the word got to him, King David wants to see you!

I wonder what he was thinking, “Maybe he wants to finish me off” Maybe he’s heard that I’m an embarrassment to the royal family, and he is going to send me away.

I’m not sure what went thru his mind, but by the time he got to David’s presence, his first words were, “What do you want with a dead dog like me?”

And, David said, “I don’t think you understand, Mephibosheth, it’s just come to my attention that you’ve been sold into the house of Machir, and I want to set you free!”

Come sit at my table, come sup with me, come share with me! 

David was saying - I want to restore you to your rightful place, no more crumbs for you, you’ll eat the king’s bread for the rest of your life!

And for the first time in his life, this young man who had royal blood flowing thru his veins sat at the king’s table and enjoyed the bounty of the king’s blessings!

Living on crumbs for years, but destined for the King’s palace!  AMEN???

Are you Living on crumbs, just barely making it from day to day, in bondage and slavery to things of this world?  

I have to ask you this morning, do you understand that there is a table spread with blessing just for you?

Have you bought into the lie that you’re too crippled, too bruised, too battered, too helpless to ever live in a place of victory?

I’m here today to be the messenger to somebody, you don’t need to live in that lie you’ve been sold any longer – the KING IS CALLING FOR YOU!

You don’t need to stay in the house of deception, trying to exist on crumbs any longer – THE KING IS CALLING FOR YOU!

It is time to say NO More Crumbs! Click the link to watch the sermon.

Have a blessed day.

Are you a Lamp?

The stormy season is here. We have gone from the snow and ice to the rainy season with possibilities of tornadoes.

It is during this time that many of us still have our “kerosene” lamp at the ready. Amen?

Many lamps today are battery powered, but it wasn’t long ago that were filled with kerosene.

Jesus told some followers who believed in him (Matthew 5:14), “ye are the light of the world”.  But what did Jesus say about those that would not believe in him?  He said they preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil, John 3:19  

Actually John 3:19 reads: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

We are to be “lamps” in this dark and perverse world, amen?

Now, the lamp needs to be filled with kerosene, the PROPER fuel to work properly, amen?

Just like we can not be the light in this world without the proper fuel, The Holy Ghost!

The holy spirit comes to live in the heart of believers, to keep us thinking about Christ and to help make Gods word clear to us amen?

(Joh 14:16)   And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;   (Joh 14:17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
(Joh 14:26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

As we grow in our Christian lives, through prayer and bible Study, the holy spirit can fill us more and more.  That is the fuel we must have to be the light that we are supposed to be, amen?

One dark midnight two men were letting their light shine for Christ, was lamps that were filled and burning, even though they were in a damp prison and their backs bleeding from severe beatings, and their feet were stuck through holes in a wooden plank, called stocks.  

Perhaps these men outwardly looked like the rest of the prisoners, but inwardly they were different!  

For the holy spirit had filled their hearts with courage and love and praise to the lord.   Though their trials were heavy and the midnight hour was black, their Christ like lights didn’t sputter and go out.   Instead, they shone brightly as these Christian prisoners sang praises to God (acts 16:25-31)

(25)   And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (26)   And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.  (27)  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.  (28)  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.   (29)  Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,  (30)  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  (31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Suddenly the lord caused a terrible earthquake to rock the prison, and the doors flew open.   

The keeper was about to kill himself because he was sure that the prisoners must have escaped.  

If they had, he would have been executed by the roman government.  

But Paul, one of the singing prisoners, shouted at him, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!”  

The frightened jailer called for a light.  

Not only was a lamp brought, but Paul and his companion Silas showed this needy, desperate man the “true light” the savior Jesus Christ.

Paul and Silas were able to lead this needy man to Christ because they themselves were filled with the proper fuel and were shining bright!

Today ask yourself, “Are You a Lamp?” Click on the link and watch the powerful sermon too.

Have a blessed day

Immediate Action

We’ve been studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

When we saw the Prodigal Son last, he was feeding pigs, and he was so hungry that he even wanted to eat the pig slop.
But he had to be brutally honest about his situation and realize that until he admitted that something was wrong, he couldn’t do anything about it.

So far in this story, we’ve seen two of the three crucial ingredients of Aha: A Sudden Awakening and Brutal Honesty. And that’s all great, but what’s next? What’s the action plan? Because that will determine the difference between a sad story and an Aha story. So let’s pick up the story in Luke 15:17.

Luke 15:17-20 NIV (17) "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' (20) So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

He had a sudden awakening… “he came to his senses…” He had to be brutally honest with himself about the consequences he deserved,  “I Have sinned!”

And now, if he wants to truly have Aha, he has to act! Because unless you act, you won’t have Aha. Unless you act, it’s really just an emotional roller coaster.

Does that sound like your situation? An emotional rollercoaster.

You come to your senses and have an honest talk with yourself and you may even tell yourself what action you are going to take. But then you don’t go through with it.

It's like getting winded going up the stairs, then standing on the scale and being honest that you need to start going back to the gym. 

You may even tell your family or friends that you are going to start going back to the gym and that you are going to start eating right.

But, you don’t! Then the emotional rollercoaster continues.

You see, unless you act, you won’t have Aha.   Not really.

I think this is the hardest of the three ingredients of Aha to get. It’s hard to be brutally honest with yourself, with others, and with God, but translating that into action is one of the most difficult things in the world to do.

Like when you look down on the morning after Thanksgiving and see the number on the scale. You know you don’t like it, but it takes people until New Year’s to finally make a resolution to do anything about it! And even then, it never lasts…Hello? I am talking to someone this morning.

This is the hardest part of Aha. But the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 realizes that he can’t stay where he is. And Luke 15:20 says, “He got up.”

See, the Prodigal Son didn’t just stand up and start walking. He “got up” out of something bigger than just a pig pen. He got up and started a new life. “Getting up” can change everything.

“Getting up” can be the difference between divorce and mending your marriage.

“Getting up” can be the difference between struggling with an ongoing addiction – and freedom.

“Getting up” is the difference between giving in to peer pressure – and staying from that stuff you swore you’d never get into.

“Getting up” is the difference in living a healthier life or tramping on through life one miserable day at a time.

“Getting up” is the difference between continuing to feel alone – and forgiving that grudge that you’ve held onto for too long.

God wants you to get up today!

Brutal Honesty

We are continuing our Bible study in the AHA series and also doing a daily devotional with church and family members on the story of the prodigal son. 

Yesterday I talked about the awakening moment in our AHA moment. 

Today I want to talk about the second part of that moment. It is the Brutal Honesty that has to happen after we wake up. Amen?

Luke 15:17-19 NIV (17) "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'

He came to his senses, but it didn’t stop there. He had to honestly assess the situation. The son is brutally honest.

It’s one thing to wake up to the fact that things have gone wrong. It’s one thing to wake up to the fact that change needs to happen. Almost anyone can do that. Right?

A lot of Aha stories begin BUT never finish because they stall out on this step.

It’s when you get winded walking up a flight of stairs and realize you’re out of shape, but don’t step on a scale to see how bad it is.

It’s when you realize you hardly know your wife and kids anymore, but you sweep it under the rug—“it’s all part of being a provider; there’s nothing I’m doing wrong.”

It’s when your debit card is denied while buying groceries and you blame the spouse

It’s when you’re broke and alone, and you blame everything and everyone but yourself.

So many potential Aha stories stall at the Sudden Awakening because Brutal Honesty is so difficult. But no one ever said Aha was easy.

If we look closely, there are three different things in the Parable of the Prodigal Son that require brutal honesty. And whether or not this is one of God’s great Aha stories hinges on the presence of this second ingredient of Aha.

We must be honest about the circumstances.

In verse 17 we see that the son is honest, first of all, about his circumstances.

He has to be brutally honest about the fact that he is in a pigpen. And he has to be brutally honest with the fact that his choice to leave his father’s house has brought him here. Amen?

Often, when you’re in the pigpen, you might regret the pigpen, but you don’t always regret the steps that led you there. That’s why it’s hard to be brutally honest about your circumstances—they’ve almost taken you by surprise. But a brutal honesty about your circumstances in the distant country means admitting that you are in fact in a pigpen, and that it’s dirty, and uncomfortable, and not at all what you thought it would be.

Second thing, being honest about what brought you here!

The next piece of brutal honesty we see in the text is what the son says in verse 18, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

There is no blame-shifting, no trying to pretend it was an accident, no passing off responsibility. There is no hiding, lying, or denying. 

There is only honesty. Brutal honesty. “I have sinned.”

When we get caught in the pigpen, our natural tendency is to try to find any other reason for our circumstances besides ourselves and our actions. Amen?

But the truth about what led to the pigpen is this, “I have sinned.” If you can’t get to that kind of brutal honesty, then Aha won’t happen.

And finally, being Honest about the consequences

There’s another element of honesty in the son’s statement to himself in verse 19, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.”

The son knows that he has not just hurt himself, he’s hurt his father and his brother as well.

Our sin is never private, never personal. It always hurts more people than just you. And while God forgives the guilt of our sin and the eternal punishment we deserve, that doesn’t mean that there are no consequences for our sin. Amen?

The son knows that what he will face if he returns home is a jealous, angry brother. He knows that he will face an offended, wounded father. He knows that he will face bitter neighbors who know exactly what he did. But when you’ve had a sudden awakening in the distant country, you’d rather face those consequences than the consequences you’re currently facing—the pigpen. Amen?

Brutal honesty is one of the most difficult ingredients of Aha, but Aha can’t happen unless honesty happens.

I don’t know what you need to be honest about today.

But for most of us, it’s probably time to look ourselves in the mirror and be honest.

Have you heard the alarm?

Have you asked God to help you be Honest with yourself?

The Sudden Awakening

Sorry I missed getting the blog out yesterday…

Yesterday morning I preached on the Sudden Awakening and Brutal Honesty.

I will share the Sudden Awakening part this morning.

Waking up can be a hard thing to do! Especially when we are in a Distant Country, amen? (See the post for 7 March 2021)

At one time, I was stationed at Fort Polk. I was working long hours but didn’t want to wait until the weekend to see my girlfriend. She introduced me to a little pill. They were pink hearts!

After almost two solid weeks of popping three to four pills every few hours I was exhausted and just couldn’t go on. I told my girlfriend how bad I was, and she said I had to “come down” so instead of spending the three-day weekend with her, I decided to “come down” at in the barracks room.

I slept for three days! Roommates got me up to go to work!

Waking up was one of the strangest feelings I have ever had. I didn’t know if I was still tired or if I was more awake than I’d ever been. I didn’t know what time it was. I didn’t know what day it was!

Listen! The longer you’ve been asleep, the more difficult waking up can be! That was true that Monday morning at Fort Polk, Louisiana!

That was an awakening moment!

If you’ve spent any time in the distant country, you know that it’s hard to wake up there. Amen?

I don’t know exactly what it is…maybe you’ve been asleep too long, maybe you just can’t hear the alarms, maybe you’ve grown so accustomed to being the only voice you listen to that you can’t hear anything else.

But a lot of times, people’s lives hit rock bottom in the distant country because it’s so hard to wake up to reality after you’ve been asleep for so long.

But maybe you do not have to hit rock bottom. If you are in the distant country right now, let me tell you that you don’t have to hit rock bottom!

Maybe God is trying to get your attention now to save you from rock bottom. But it’s hard to wake up in the distant country.

The son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son experiences this. He doesn’t wake up until he hits rock bottom. Right?

We’ve been studying this story that Jesus told, and we’ve seen this younger of two sons ask for his inheritance early, leave the safety, provision, protection, and abundance of his father’s house, squander all his wealth, and then end up broke and alone.

He leaves the father’s house for the distant country, and he ends up with nothing and no one. Rock bottom.

And if that’s not bad enough, the only job he can find is feeding pigs—and remember, this is a Jewish boy! And he’s hungry enough that Luke 15:16 tells us that he even wanted to eat the pig slop.

He’s in the distant country, and he’s hit rock bottom. But this is about to be the Aha moment. The very next verse is pivotal to this whole story. Without verse 17, there is no Aha.

Luke 15:17-19 NIV (17) "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'

“When he came to his senses…” That is what I call A Sudden Awakening, and it’s the first ingredient of Aha.
See, Aha stories all begin about the same way—leaving the father’s house, they all progress about the same way—ending up in the distant country.

In order for Aha to happen, there has to be an awakening. Do you hear the alarm?

The Sudden Awakening doesn’t always happen at rock bottom. Sometimes it can happen earlier, if you can hear the alarm.

Maybe it's when your debit card got declined because you squandered the funds on “wild living.”

Maybe it's when you got caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing.

Maybe it's when your friends asked you why you haven’t been to church.

Maybe it's when your children ask why you missed their extra-curricular event.

Maybe it's something else that God is showing you right this very moment, the alarm he wants you to hear!

Have you walked away from the Father’s house? 

Are you in a Distant Country? 

It is time to hear the alarm!

God wants you to wake up, come to your senses, so he can lead you back to HIS house.

Wake up today

First Class Tickets Are Free

We are at the mercy of some type of list almost every day of our lives!  We carry items around with us all the time that is proof that we are on a certain list!  These items all vary in how important they are but all of them prove that we are on some list.  Some of them are important only when we REALLY need them!

For example, your driver’s license.  When do you really need a driver’s license?  I mean really need it!  When you get pulled over and it SUDDENLY becomes important!  That is when you think about your driver’s license!  

It is when you may have to deal with the consequences of NOT being on the list!  Or that moment when you need to prove that you are on the list. Then it is suddenly real important!

Honestly, how many people actually do an inventory of their items on hand before leaving the house and make sure that they have their driver’s license?

My wife makes sure she has her purse. But she doesn’t inventory it and verify that she has her driver’s license. I put my billfold in my pocket but I don’t open it and check to see if my license is in it.

Anyway, the point is, it is human nature to take things for granted. (It was there last time I looked) We are also accustomed to becoming complacent in our everyday lives!  

It is usually not until we NEED something that we worry about whether we have it or not!

I never worried about my shot records until I was told I was deploying with the soldiers to Iraq and needed to get my shots updated! Then finding those shot records was a number one priority! Amen?

You see, it doesn’t matter what it is, dental records, insurance policies, your driver’s license, Sams Club card, work ID tag, etc…They are important when they are required to gain access, amen?

You ever thought you were good and then were denied?

How about your debit card?  Have you ever tried to buy groceries and after they were totaled you were denied?!! That is a real bad feeling isn’t it.

I guess my worst situation was when I was about to fly back home after 11 months in Iraq.

I was at the counter to check my baggage when the person at the counter told me I was not on the list! I had the worst feeling in my stomach as I powered up my laptop to show the person at the counter my E-ticket. (He wanted me to leave but I wouldn’t)

Let me tell you Brothers and Sisters, the manifest for coming home was a whole lot more important than the one to go to Iraq!  Are you hearing me?  I REALLY didn’t care going over but I REALLY cared about getting back, Are you hearing me?

Finally the computer powered up and there was a battery warning right way!  Thank God I knew right where the pdf file was!  I showed it to the man at the counter and he wrote something down and said, “OK sir.”  

I WAS ON THE LIST!

MAN WAS I HAPPY!!!

But!   None of these lists that I have talked about come even close to the most important list of all!  You know which list that is?  

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Lambs Book of Life!  That is the list of all lists that we want to be sure we are on, amen?

Makes all those other lists totally insignificant, amen?

Are You in the Lambs Book of Life? Are you sure?

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Has anyone here thought they were good to go on something and then found out that they weren’t?  Hello?

How did you feel when that debit or credit card was denied?  The embarrassment was excruciating wasn’t it?  

I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be these folks hearing Jesus tell them, I NEVER KNEW YOU!

Oh no I don’t want to hear those words ever!

Matthew 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Who else wants to hear those words?  Who???

Well, how do we get on the list?  The Lambs Book of Life.  Is there a price?  If so, how much is it?

I want you to know that First Class Tickets are Free! Jesus Christ paid the price in full so everyone of us could have a free ticket!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The ticket is paid for, all we have to do is ask HIM for it, amen?

You don’t have to fret about being on the list, if you ask Jesus for your ticket!

Do you have your first-class ticket? If you do, make sure to tell someone today about the free first-class tickets that are available! 

The supply is unlimited and everyone can get one!

Have a blessed day.

Change The Method Not The Message

My wife is driving our motorhome at 70MPH on highway 31 towards home. I am sitting at the table with a cup of coffee working on this daily devotional and then will go over my upcoming sermon.

I am going to send this devotional via a wireless connection through a mobile hotspot on a handheld device called a cell phone!

Why am I sharing all this information?

Because the end is near!

This is not a doom and gloom devotional today, it’s a fact that we are getting close to the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ! Amen?

How do I know? Am I a prophet? NO!

But, with today’s technology makes it easier and easier to fulfill the scriptures.

Matthew 24:14 NIV And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

With the technology I am using to send this to the internet, means that the WHOLE WORLD is being reached very soon! Amen?

God knew we would be proclaiming the Gospel in this way or method (wireless internet) when the patriarchs were writing in stone or on scrolls. Amen? God wants us to change the method as needed but never change the message. Amen?

John 1:3 NIV Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

So, what better way to use the current method and the technology of tomorrow then for the purpose to fulfill the scriptures that all will hear the Gospel? Amen?

Mark 16:15 KJV And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

You don’t have to physically walk from house to house, knocking on doors and telling someone about Jesus. Please do if you feel called to do so, but you can reach literally thousands and thousands by simply posting your testimony on different social medias! Amen? Have you done that?

If you receive this daily devotional via email, then talk to a friend or family member that the Lord leads you to talk to. 

Share with them how this devotional time helps you and “sign” them up. 

There is a subscribe window at the bottom of every devotional. Put their email in there if you have their permission.

If you get this devotional by other social media methods, then SHARE the post with others.

That would be a great beginning to using today’s technology for the Lord, amen?

Have a blessed day