Sovereign in Stupidity

In our world of pragmatism and humanism many people are under the delusion that God can only do great and amazing things if and when we do enough to "help Him out." In our culture we have elevated man to place of superiority and importance that he doesn't belong. We assume that we have a pretty good grip on things when in reality we are not even hanging by a thread.

God has been constantly showing me two things; His sovereignty and my complete lack of control. Just yesterday our Lord revealed to me through Scripture that even in stupidity; those moments where we act in compulsion or haste; He is in complete control and is working His will out for His glory.

Let me explain. Judges 11:29-40 is a passage that shows Jephthah making a ridiculous vow to sacrifice the first thing that comes out of his house if God would grant unto him victory. At the end of this story, after God gives the victory, it is Jephthah's one and only child that comes from his house. Every sermon I viewed and commentary I read said this guys was an idiot for not only making this vow but also for carrying it out. While this is certainly the case in the flesh in the spiritual realm this was the only way that the nation could be forgiven once again by God.

You see in Chapter 10:13 God made a vow; a promise. He told the nation that we was done delivering or saving them. God was tired of their idolatry and playing the harlot with other gods. The only way a vow could be broken was for one of the parties to die. God being God isn't going to die so that only leaves the nation. So in the act of, what appeared to be a random act of stupidity on the part of Jephthah God was working out a way that His grace and mercy could be shown once again to the nation.

What a beautiful image of Jesus Christ. It seems ridiculous that the only begotten Son of God would die. The Apostle Peter understood this which is why he tried to talk Jesus out of it until Christ rebuked him. Jesus died so that God could forgive my sin. Without that death, something that in the flesh seemed crazy, I would be lost and helpless.

Praise God for His Sovereign grace and mercy!!!

The De-Churched

If you are a pastor or you heavily associate with pastors you will find our very quickly that inactive membership is a point of interest. Why do people just stop going to church? Specifically we are seeing writers, teachers and preachers speak in volume about the epidimic that is the almost total absence of people in their 20's in our churches.

I just started pod-casting a guy at the request of several friends of mine. He is a young guy (35 years old) but he is so insightful. Take a listen to Matt Chandler and some of his thoughts about the "de-churched." This is good stuff!!!!

Willing Willful To Be Willed

A month ago I was in our Association office and I listened to three older pastors argue and debate on the issue of free-will. At this year's Southern Baptist Convention one of the opening addresses dealt with the divide over the issue of the Sovereignty of God and the free-will of man. The plea was for Southern Baptist to lay down their arguments and preach the Gospel.

A brief time spent in reading and research would reveal that this debate has been a long one to say the least. And it has been a heated debate also. I saw a little heat from those 3 older pastors as they debated the topic. I heard some grumbling and saw a few heads shake at the convention when that guy mentioned the "doctrines of grace".

While this topic has been one of great interest to me over the years I just can't make myself get all up in arms. Do I disagree with people? Most certainly! But I don't get fighting mad.

At the end of day I accept the Bible as authoritative and I do by best to let it be my guide as I seek to please Christ.

In my sermon prep this month I have been in Exodus and recently I came across a gem. Exodus 6:1, which says, "Then the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he shall let them go and under compulsion he shall drive them out of his land." What a great verse for in it the Sovereignty of God and the will of man are clearly seen and they fit together perfectly. God tells Moses that He is going to actively do something in and with Pharaoh yet Pharaoh will be acting under compulsion. Did he know it was God? I don't think he did. He thought it was his idea and based on his authority.

Do I have a free-will? Yes I do. But could it be that my choosing Christ was guided by an Omnipotent God whose will is stronger than mine? I must admit that from my reading of the Bible I believe the answer to this question is yes. Might I be wrong? Certainly but at this point in my life I am okay with being being willing willful to be willed by God.

Whats In a Name?

Ive been preparing for a new sermon series...a series that will deal with the Gospel. My desire in this is to see lost people saved and saved people set a fire.

I thought that a good place to start is with our understanding of God...and the best place to start is with God's name. My studies led me to a passage in Psalm 9:10 which says, "And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee..."

Do we lack trust and understanding because we don't know God's name? This knowing means that we understand God's character and nature. I can't wait to see where this sermon series will go and what will happen. Pray for me and my church. There is much underneath the surface. We just need revival and awakening.

The importance of obedient kids

A wonderful revelation has come to me in recent weeks about children. Ask yourself...why is important for children to be obedient? Some would say obedient kids are not an embarrassment to their parents. Otherwise might say they they want their kids to be obedient for their safety. While these are valid these answers to the question are no different that the answers that pagan parents would give.

It is in Ephesians 6:1-3 that much is revealed about the spiritual implications of obedience. In order to understand the context of this passage the reader would have to back up to chapter 5:15 and then read. Paul teaches us that God wants us to be wise, understanding, spirit-filled people. Those who fit this description will follow proper authority in their life. For children this is their parents. Therefore the reason I want to raise my children to be obedient is much more important that their safety and my embarrassment. I want to teach them how to live a spirit-filled, wise life by submitting to authority.

If only we could get our churches to embrace this truth. Maybe just maybe there would be more who were obedient to Christ!!!!

Ministry of The Wife

The bible is clear that there is nothing new under the sun. However, I firmly believe that we need to be reminded of some things from time-to-time. Now if I would have published this blog in the days of Spurgeon, Luther, or Whitfield they would have said, "well duh." But in today's culture the things I am about to write seem foolish.

I believe the bulk of the problems and sin in the modern-day church are the result of people being unbiblical in their homes. You see I am preaching through Ephesians 5:22- 6:4 and some things have occurred to me.

I just finished preaching on submission of wives to their husbands. You could see the lack of comfort on the faces of many of my people but I preached anyway. Most of us are blinded by feminism and we lack a proper understanding of this role and ministry of the wife. The thought that a woman should be subject to her husband is repulsive in our culture; a culture that is making men and women equal in all things. But we can't get away from the scripture! As I began to sink my teeth into the truth of God's Word something hit me......the lack of submission to God by the church is the result of the lack of submission in the homes. No wonder we have generations of people who think they can ride co-pilot with Christ; its because of a generation of men and woman who are trying to wear the paints together in their marriages. No wonder our children don't listen to and respect authority; they don't see their parents practicing biblical headship and submission at home.

I know this seems like mindless ranting but think about it! Pastor's and teachers can't undue what is being done at home. One or two sermons a week isn't a drop in the bucket compared to all the unbiblical actions or in actions taking place in the home. So I beg you wives out there to be biblical in your role and submit to a husband who shows biblical headship. It effects much more than your marriage...it effects the church.

Amazing....The Power of the Gospel!!!

This week I began some pre-marital counseling with a couple that has asked me to perform their wedding service. In session one I simple gave them some books to read (of course Family Driven Faith was one of them) and I hit the highlights of what we would be discussing. However, in session one I revealed to them that not one thing we would discuss in future meetings would matter at all unless they were both "born again."

I told them that I was not a "marring Sam"; just looking to marry anyone who asked me to perform a service. You could tell the brutal honesty was a little uncomfortable for them but they listened. I then proceeded to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I was covering the part where Christ was crushed for our sins the young man of this engaged couple became almost pail and quiet. He was no longer nodding his head and saying "yes sir" but he was listening to every word coming out of my mouth...not missing a single point.

Before I could call for repentance he stopped me and simply said, "To be honest I don't believe I am saved." This was huge because he knew that I would not do their service if they were "unevenly yoked". But he wasn't thinking about marriage to his fiancey but marriage to the Bride Groom, Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this please pray. I left this guy with the Gospel and his conscience that night. We will meet again in a few weeks and I pray he will have gottened saved.