Hell Know

John 5:24-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (25) Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (26) For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; (27) and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (28) Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, (29) and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

I didn’t realize this but there are a large majority of Christians who don’t believe in a literal HELL. When I read the statistics of Christians that absolutely don't believe that Hell is “real place”, I was floored. Listen to these numbers.

30% of the Lutherans who participated in the poll do not believe in a literal Hell. Wow! 30% is huge, but that was the smallest percentage. 50% of the Baptists, 85% of the Presbyterians, 90% of the Methodists, and 90% of the Episcopalians who participated in the poll do not believe in a literal HELL. I don’t know about you, but to me that is shocking.

Why should churches teach about something as negative as Hell?

The first reason is because the Word of God emphasizes a literal Hell. Hell is mentioned not less than 55 times in Scripture. Jesus himself referred to Hell at least 19 times in His teaching. Now if you do a word search for Hell in your concordance, you won’t see the word HELL mentioned that many times, but if you look for words like Hades, Sheol, perish, perishing, condemnation, condemned, damnation, judgment, torment, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, lake of fire, death, second death, etc. then you will find those numbers to be true. In fact, more information is given on Hell in Scripture than Heaven. Jesus repeats the phrase “truly, truly” in verses 24 and 25 of John the 5th chapter. This means that the doctrine of Hell is absolutely true, is a real place, and is for an eternity.

The second reason is that the majority of people in the world today are ignorant of the subject of Hell. As we have seen from the statistics, Christians don’t believe that Hell is real. The reason being is that people want to “have their ears tickled” and so they “acquire for themselves pastors who teach after their own desires”. Nobody wants to hear about Hell, they want to hear about prosperity, happiness, and health. The “HEALTH and WEALTH” doctrine has infiltrated the Church of Jesus Christ and is making the faithful IGNORANT to the TRUTH.


The third reason is that we, as Christians need to be given a strong incentive to witness to a world of people destined for eternity in Hell. Hell is in fact a literal place. It is not symbolic. It is a place of unending, increasing torment and unspeakable judgment that will last for an eternity. I believe that the majority of the people on this earth will experience such judgment because they have not believed in the Person of Jesus Christ and His work at Calvary. It is our responsibility, as Christians who understand that Hell is real and forever, to proclaim the Gospel to a dying world.


Is Hell real to you? Do you know if everyone on your street is saved? Do you know if your co-workers are saved? Do you know if your family members are saved? I don’t!! Listen to me please, Hell is real, judgment is immanent, and suffering is eternal for those who don’t know Christ. Get serious about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peoples lives depend on it!!!!

Still don't believe Hell is real!! Don't take my word for it take God's Word for it!! Hebrews 9:27, Matthew 11:23, Luke 16:22-23, Matthew25:41-46, Mark 9:44, Matthew 8:12, Jude 13, Matthew 16:18, Rev 1:18, Matthew 26:6, 1 Sam 2:9, Matthew 22:13, Rev 20:10...etc.

Sweet Fragrance

"...just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." --- Eph. 5:2 b

Today's lesson is will be an introduction to what those in the know call "Shadow Christology." Basically from the time God promised us a Savior in Genesis 3:15 until the last verse of scripture was written in 96 A.D., the entire Bible was filled with these promises looking forward in anticipation of Christ or, after His ascension, looking back at Him. During the time of Moses, the nation of Israel was required to offer animal sacrifices, which symbollically represented what Jesus would actually do on the cross. After Jesus' work on the cross, symbollic acts were no longer necessary. The real thing had already been done.

By saying that Jesus "gave Himself up for us, as offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma," Paul is making the claim that the work of Jesus Christ was completely and solely adequate to propitiate us to God the Father. Propitiation simply means to satisfy God's character. Jesus work was accepted on our behalf by God the Father "as a fragrant aroma." This concept was very familiar to the Ephesians, and it should be for us as well.

To see the signifigance of this we have to go back to the book of Leviticus. In the first chapter, the Lord is giving Moses instructions on how the nation of Israel was to offer a "Burnt Offering." A burnt offering had to be a male animal without defect from either the herd or the flock. The person would take the animal to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and offer it to God. After it was accepted, he would then place his hands on the head of the animal, which represented a sinful man passing his sins to an innocent animal. The offerer then killed the animal with his own hands. The offerer then skinned the animal and his task was complete. The priest, who was the intermediary between God and the sinful man, then set a fire on the altar and "the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord."

It's important to know how this statement would have been understood at the time of it's writing. In ancient times people did not have public sanitation as we know it today. Garbage was generally thrown into the streets. Because of this, the streets inside a city were typically very nasty and they did not smell very pleasing. When a person traveled down the street to get to someone's house, before they were allowed to come in the house the custom was to wash their feet. Most houses had a pool at the front gate where visitors would wash off. In wealthy homes, the visitor was usually doused with some sort of perfume or flowers so that when they entered their host's house they would not smell like the garbage they walked through to get there. At this point they were deemed acceptable to enter the house.

When we place our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are allowed to enter God's house because He no longer smells our filth, but He smells the "fragrant aroma" of Jesus Christ. When God accepts the offering and declares it a pleasing aroma, it is a done deal. Nothing else can be added to it. God is compeletely satisfied! What an honor it is for us to represent Christ.

Ignorance is Ignorant

"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." --- Romans 10:3

A phrase has been running around in my head for a couple of days…just the phrase, " I would not have you to be ignorant" so this morning I did a word search on my computer Bible program on the word " ignorant" and several choices jumped up, but this is the verse that seemed to be calling out for some thought. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness," Paul is the writer here and he is talking about His kin folks…Israel. When he accepted the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for himself and his sin, he was adopted into a new family, the body and family of Jesus Christ just like we are. But the verse applies to a lot more than just Israel; I think it applies to a lot of our believers in Jesus Christ today who have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Why do the lives of some of us who call ourselves Christians not look any different from the outside of the lives of those who don’t? I use the phrase "from the outside" because I believe there has been a change at some point in the past in the "heart" or belief in the saving work of Jesus Christ by some…realizing their need for identification with the work of Christ on the cross to pay for the penalty for their sin, but that appears to be where they stopped. Today, the lives of a lot of believers look absolutely no different from those around them who are not. I’m not going to spend a lot of time listing categories of sin for you to consider, because that can be a distraction…(you can get to feeling pretty good about what you don’t do, in the areas of sin, and excuse what you do… thinking they aren’t as bad as some others.) No amount of effort at establishing your own righteousness will ever amount to anything more than "busy work"!!Remember in school when the teacher just wanted you to be quiet so she made up and gave you something to do? It didn't accomplish anything to educate you, but it at least it kept you busy and quiet. That is what is going on in the lives of a lot of believers today in and out of church…busy work… going about to establish their own righteousness! OK Jim Brettell, that is the "what to do", now on to the "how to do it" .

How do we change? The change starts with this verse! We have to stop being ignorant of God's righteousness. How? By learning to think like He does! We have to study Him backwards and forwards. We have to read in the Old Testament the things that specifically brought Him joy and what brought Him anger. We have to study the way He thought as recorded in the Word of God and apply that to the way we think. Then, we study the life and words of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, backwards and forwards and we will begin to see perfect harmony between the two. Guess what, we were designed for that harmony of thinking also. Scripture records that we were designed in the image and likeness of God and I believe that with every fiber of my being. Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Today, we have accepted far, far less than our potential as the norm of thinking. Most people don’t want to look deeply into this mirror as they hate what they see when they do! They see a gulf between us and God, between our thinking and His. Jesus Christ is the bridge over that gulf not just in terms of removing the eternal penalty of sin, but in leading us to a new way of thinking. And as I have said before, if we can learn to think correctly,if we can get control of our minds, then our bodies are going to follow and the world around us will see hope over this world of sin, evil and death in our lives and the way we think.

Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus"

First Importance

1 Cor 15:3a "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance..."


The words "first importance" are actually translated from one word in the Greek; protos. It means foremost, but carries the idea of foremost in time, foremost in order of importance, foremost in place. It means "numero uno" all the time, everyday, and in everything. Paul is stressing the fact that the Gospel is foremost in time, order of importance, and place; a fact that we seem to all so often forget.

I watched, like so many millions of people all over the world, the devastation and suffering of the residents on the Gulf Coast over the past few weeks. Everyone is lending a hand, volunteering service, sending money, sending supplies, praying, and planning, in order to rebuild these areas, restore order, and stop the pain and suffering. I have been moved to help and I am sure that you have as well. We are moved to help because, we see the devastation; we see the suffering; we see the tears; we see the pain. This is REAL to us because we can see it and hear it.

How real is Hell to you? If you could hear the crying, if you could see the pain, if you could see the suffering, if you could see the devastation that lie waiting for those who don't know Christ, would you be moved to help? The lake of fire is just as real as the devastation in New Orleans and Biloxi, but worse and forever. New Orleans and Biloxi will be rebuilt, lives will be restored to some sort of order, and the pain will pass. Sure, it might take quite some time, but it will pass. On the other hand,THE LAKE OF FIRE is for an eternity. It will not pass.

We, Christians, have to make the gospel of Jesus Christ, FIRST IMPORTANCE. We may say, " Hell is real", but our witness doesn't back-up our statement. As I watched the suffering in the Gulf region, I was reminded of the eternal suffering in Hell where there is no FEMA, no help, no end. We want to rush off to the Gulf and help, but we won't walk next door to present the gospel. We need to ask ourselves, do we really walk by faith, or do we walk by sight? Make the Gospel "FIRST IMPORTANCE" in your life and help someone for eternity.

Practice Practice

Deut 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the WORDS of this law.”

God gave us His Word that we might learn to know and love Him and live according to His perfect, pre-designed plan. More than that, He intends for us to press on to Spiritual maturity by “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” through becoming “doers of the Word”. Whether or not any of us reach that goal depends completely on the priorities that we have and the choices that we make. The Word of God has been preserved for our generation that we might teach our sons and daughters also. According to Moses in this passage of Scripture every Word of the Bible is to be observed. The word observed is translated from the Hebrew word `asah. It does not mean to watch attentively as in the statement; observe a child's behavior. It carries the idea of "labor through practice". In other words it mean "to do" or "apply". Moses is making the point clear that we are to practice every Word that “proceeds from the mouth of God”. In order to become a successful lawyer, one must practice law daily. That involves long hours, grueling research, and total preparedness for that day in court when practice pays off with the reward of winning the case. The same thing applies here to the Word of God. We must practice the Word of God through long hours of daily study, a life of application, and total preparedness, which is profitable for blessings in time and rewards in eternity. Only through practice of the Word of God can we know and love Jesus Christ. Only through practice of the Word of God can we have the confidence to face the circumstances of life. Only through practice of the Word of God can we function in the plan of God for our life. Only through practice of the Word of God can we conform to the image and likeness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a believer living in the church age you have been given what Moses never had, a complete Bible. Don’t miss out on opportunity by ignoring the power of God’s Word. 2 Tim 3:15-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Are you adequately equipped for the work that God has for you? Practice the Word!!!

Selfish

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." --- 1 Cor. 15:58

The worst enemy of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is self-centeredness. Because most of the ministries I am actively engaged in involve some sort of communication, this devotion will examine this verse primarily from that perspective because that is my own personal experience. You can substitute "work of the Lord" for whatever "ministry" you are involved in. Don't think that because you are not standing up in front of people and teaching that this verse does not apply to you. The bottom line is that if you view ANY Christian service from the YOU perspective, you will more than often feel as if your work is in vain.

First let me say that I am not trying to imply that I do not struggle with this. In fact, it is because I struggle with this so much that I am writing this devotion. Believe me, I have to fight this on a daily basis. If I spend x amount of time writing a devotion and the number of people who read it is less than I think should read it, I have a right to get discouraged, don't I? That is understandable, right? According to today's subject verse, this is not acceptable. The reason is the work is the Lord's, and the results of that work are not up to me. I know this is true, everyone I talk to with the same struggles know this is true as well, but it is just tough to put it into practice sometimes. Why is it so hard? Because we all have a tendency to be self-centered.

When I see that only a small number of people have read a devotion that I write, my arrogance kicks in. I reason, "If I put in x amount of time writing this, the least all these people can do is take 10 minutes out of their day and read it." If I think this, I have already lost the battle because my objective should never be results of the Lord's work. The results are completely up to the Lord. After all, it is HIS work...not mine! He just uses me to do it. Now if I were writing for "The Albany Herald" and only 4 people read the column, then I would be in trouble. The reason there is a difference is because my objectives are different. If I'm writing for "The Albany Herald" my goal is to have as many readers as possible in order to keep my job, and then eventually gain enough of a reader base to move up to the "Atlanta Journal Constitution." However, worldly success does not translate into the Christian life.

So how do we avoid falling into this selfishness? We have to always remember to "abound(ing) in the work of the Lord, (and) know(ing) that your toil is not in vain." Some of the best teachers of God's Word teach to a very small congregation every week, yet they continue to be faithful in their teaching. Why is this? It's because they understand and apply this principle. They are "steadfast" in the knowledge that they are not working for "The Albany Herald," but they are doing the Lord's work. As long as they truly are doing the Lord's work, then they know it cannot be in vain, and this drives them to continue. The "success" of Christian service is all about perspective. All we can do is the work that the Lord has given us to do. If we do this and leave the rest of it up to Him, we can be assured that the work was not done in vain.

Act Like Men

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, ACT LIKE MEN, be strong; Let all that you do be done in love.”

“Act like men” is translated from the Greek word andrizo. It means to be courageous from within. Andrizo is not an outward sign of courage that is all talk, but courage that comes from the confidence that Jesus Christ controls history. King David exemplified andrizo. He was courageous when everyone else was fearful. His courage came from the confidence that God will “perform what He has promised.”

Although the word andrizo is not mentioned in Romans 4:19-21, the text supports the idea of courage through confidence in God.

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:19-21).

This passage gives us six characteristics of a believer who is “acting like men”.

1. “Without becoming weak in faith” How strong is your confidence in the truth of God’s Word?

2.“Respect to the promise of God” Do you believe the Word of God to be absolute truth and the final authority in faith and life?

3. “Did not waiver in unbelief” Are you “standing firm in the faith”?

4. “Grew strong in the faith” Are you growing Spiritually?

5. “Giving Glory to God” Do you give God the glory for conquering the Goliaths in your life? (Thanks Bart)

6. “Being fully assured” Do you have an attitude of certainty in the character of God and the person of Jesus Christ?

If you possess these characteristics then you are “acting like men”. Do you? When we train in the Word (be on the alert) and execute our training (stand firm in the faith) we can have the courage that comes from complete confidence in character of Jesus Christ (act like men). We have no reason to fear trails, temptation, testing, or affliction because Jesus Christ is in control of all circumstance. This type of courage only comes from absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God. Get to know God, trust Him, and “ACT LIKE MEN!”

Double Mind

James 1:8 “being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

As a kid, I can remember being fascinated by learning that human beings use only 10% of the brain. I used to wonder what kind of powers I would have if I used the other 90%. (Mind reading, spoon bending, levitation, etc.) Don't laugh! I know that some of you thought the same thing! What I find interesting, now that I am a grown man, is that 10% of our brain would be equal in size to that of a sheep. Sheep are the only animals in need of a Shepherd. Since God doesn’t make mistakes, I wonder if God only allows us the ability to use 10% of our brains in order to remind us that we too, are in need of a Shepherd, and in some ways are no different than sheep.

But what does it mean to be a double-minded man? My simple definition of a double-minded man is a man with 10% of his heart on God and 90% of his heart on self. The double-minded man externally lives for God, but internally lives to promote, gratify, and satisfy self. When we profess Christ but practice self; we live a life of concealment, put up a front, fail to be genuine, refuse to be transparent, and completely deceive ourselves. If you are living a life as a double-minded Christian, then you deceive yourself into thinking that God sees you in the same manner that man sees you. Listen, you may have the “Christian script” memorized. You may even beat out Deniro for the Oscar when it comes to playing the “Christian role”, but don’t be deceived! God sees you from the inside!! God looks at your heart!!! Jeremiah says in chapter 17, “the heart is more deceitful than anything else and is desperately sick.”

Jesus Christ didn’t come to save the righteous; He came to save sinners, because sinners understand that they possess a sick heart and are in need of healing. Self-righteousness is nothing more than self-deception. Only when we come to realize that we are truly sick, do we seek the care of a Physician. (Jesus Christ is the Great Physician!) When we deny the sickness of the human heart, self becomes number one and Jesus Christ plays “second fiddle.”

Do you have a genuine love for Christ in your heart? Or are you genuinely in love with self? If 10% of your heart desires Christ and 90% desires self, then you are being controlled by a deceitful heart and have become double-minded. God can transform 10% into 100%, but you have to let Him.

James 4:8 tells us how to become single-minded: " Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you double minded." James says that the first step to single-mindedness is to draw near to God. We have to completly sell-out for Christ. This means dying to a life that lives to serve self and living a life that is dying to serve God. Next, James says that we have to be cleansed of sin. Cleansing comes by obedience to 1 John 1:9 through confession of sin. When we confess sin, we return the control of our life back to the power of the Holy Spirit. Walking in the power of the Spirit is the only way to neutralize the sinful desires of the flesh. Finally, we must purify our deceitful heart!! The only way that our heart can be purified is through washing by the water of the Word. We must consistently be renewing our mind by a growing dependance on the Word. The WORD is the only thing that can transform the mind and judge the “true” thoughts and intentions of the heart.

If we would only, sell out to Christ, consistently confess sin, and submit to the authority of the Scriptures, then God will transform us from double-minded and unstable to single minded and firmly rooted. Give God 100% of your heart and stop deceiving yourself.

In Remembrance

2 Timothy 2:8a “Remember Jesus Christ…”

How much time a day do you spend thinking about the person of Jesus Christ? How often do you recall the work that HE performed on the cross for you? How well do you really know your Savior? In Colossians 1:18 we are told that Jesus Christ is worthy of first place in EVERYTHING! But for so many of us (I speak to myself as well) HE is not even worthy of first place in our thoughts, much less our lives. We spend the majority of our lives thinking of ourselves FIRST and Christ LAST or not at all.

Every week while driving to work I read the marquee (sign) of a church that is close to my neighborhood. The purpose for the sign is to try and generate intrigue for the sermon in order to boost attendance. Reading the sign tells me a lot about the interests of people and their reasons for attending church. “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.” Phil 2:21
“This week… How to find peace in your life.” “This week…Dealing with loss” “This week…Overcoming stress.” “This week…7 steps to happiness” “This week…3 steps to a fruitful and blessed life”

In my opinion, church has been turned into a self-help seminar and the Bible is being used as a self- help book. (I too have fallen into this trap) There is nothing wrong with the words that the church is using to boost attendance, as long as the answer is always Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the absolute solution to every argument, circumstance, problem, or hang-up that you will ever have. But we must never fall into the trap of going to the Bible seeking for self-improvement; we must go to the Bible seeking to know more about Jesus Christ. A wise man once told me that the whole Bible from Genesis to concordance is about the person of Jesus Christ. Only He sets the standard, only He is the solution! It has always been and always will be about Him. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:1-3) We owe our very existence to Jesus Christ. How often do we dive into a Bible study or attend a church seeking Him? How often do we dive into a Bible study or attend a church seeking to improve our life, grow Spiritually, or become a better person?

I recently looked up the words Jesus, Christ, Son of God, Savior, and Lord in the concordance to see how many references I could find. “Jesus” is mentioned 1067 times; “Christ” is mentioned 545 times; “Son of God” is mentioned 43 times; “Savior” is mentioned 37 times; and "Lord" is mentioned 656 times in the New Testament alone. Do you think that God the Holy Spirit, the author of Scripture, is trying to tell us something? We need to know Jesus Christ! “So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 1:12

“Remember Jesus Christ” can only be applied if you truly know who He is and what He has done. Only when we honestly possess an attitude of gratitude for the grace of Jesus Christ will we begin to deny our self and seek to become more like Him. I have heard more times than I can count on my fingers and toes (I am from Alabama) that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. When we study the Word for self-help, we turn that relationship into religion. The central theme of religion is SELF. The central theme of Christianity is CHRIST. If you call yourself a Christian, then you are claiming a relationship with Jesus Christ, but you can’t have a relationship with someone that you don’t know. If you truly want to know Christ better, then you will seek Him. When you seek Him, you will find Him. When you find Him you will get to know Him. When you get to know Him, then you can “Remember Him”. You remember Him because of your love for Him and the assurance of His love for you (the Cross). “Remember Jesus Christ”!!!

John 1:38 “ And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" John 1:39 “He said to them, "Come, and you will see."

The Battle is the Lord's

"...and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands." --- 1 Sam. 17:47

The fight between David and Goliath is probably the most famous fight in the history of the world. "David vs. Goliath" is a buzz phrase that we hear quite often, always used to describe an obvious physical "mismatch" between two competitors. Though we are going to look back at the events leading up to the actual fight, the most important principle that we need to observe and engrave on our souls is that David understood and truly believed that because he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the battle was the Lord's.

He understood that his relationship with Jehovah changed everything, and it was not David vs. Goliath, rather it was Jehovah vs. Goliath. It was the Sovereign Creator of the Universe vs. a pagan Philistine. I want to look at 3 principles we can learn from David's encounter with Goliath, because today, after you read this, you too will be faced with a number of battles. You won't be fighting a 9' giant, but if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you have the abiblity to approach these battles the same way David did.

Let's set the scene very quickly (1 Sam. 17 for background). The Philistine Army has invaded the land of Judah. King Saul mobilizes the Army of Israel and goes out to meet them to stop their advance. The two armies meet in the Valley of Elah and the Israelites "drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines (17:2).

They are about to go on the offensive and take it to the Philistines, until "a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath" (17:4). Goliath was a physical specimen the likes of which none of us have ever seen. He was 2' taller than Shaq and was a very experienced fighter. Goliath then issues a challenge which was not uncommon in ancient battles. If Israel has one man who is willing and "if he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us" (17:9).There was not one person who would accept this challenge, so the offensive is put on hold. Now David enters the scene because he brings food for 3 of his brothers who are already on the front lines. David accepts the challenge and triumphs over Goliath, and the Philistines are driven out of Judah. We all know this part of the story, but how was David able to be victorious? Let's look at it a little more closely.

1. David was the ONLY person involved who did not approach the situation from a physical, worldly, cosmos diabolicus, human, whatever you want to call it, viewpoint.

Simply put, David saw a spiritual battle which would be won or lost not based on physical ability, but on spiritual readiness. Everyone else involved had no clue about what David saw. Saul tells David in verse 33, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." In other words, "David, this guy has been fighting and winning since he was your age, you are way out of your league." Why was David able to see the battle from divine viewpoint? The answer is in principle #2.

2. David was able to approach this battle from a divine viewpoint because he has seen, and recognized it as such, the faithfulness of the Lord firsthand.

How does David respond to Saul? He informs Saul that the Lord has been preparing him for this moment for years. You see, David remembers "the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear" (17:37). Surely David was physically no match for such a ferocious killer as the lion or bear, but the Lord delivered him, and David remembers this. This is what I call "living experientially in the truth of God's promises." It's having the courage to face battles because we have absolute confidence in God based on previous battles He has allowed us to overcome. Do you recognize these in your own life? If you don't, you're in trouble. You can't grow to full potential of spiritual maturity if you do not have concrete examples in your own life of the faithfulness of the Word of God. Therefore, it's because of principles 1 & 2 that we have #3.

3. Because of his complete reliance on Jesus Christ, David understands the necessity to approach this spiritual battle with immediate, decisive action.

David was absolutely outraged that the Army of the Lord had let this go on for 40 days. The fact that God's Army had let this Philistine defy the Covenant God of Israel for 4o straight days was about as shameful as it gets to David, and David MUST take care of IMMEDIATELY. Not only was this causing physical problems, ie. the army was sitting on their haunches on the side of a mountain and the invading forces were still on the other side of the valley, but more importantly it was a direct attack on the sovereingty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

David understood this, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the Living God...Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine" (17:26b & 17:32). David WILL NOT stand for this direct attack upon his Lord and Savior. "Who in the heck does Goliath think he is!!!!? I will take care of this right now!!!!" David then speaks to Goliath the last words Goliath will ever hear, "This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands...THAT ALL THE EARTH MAY KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL." (17:46).

This is the same way you and I should approach battles in our lives. We are nobility, do you realize that? If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are a child of the King! This is how we must act in every battle in our life. You see, this is the reason why we always write about "Spiritual Warfare" and "The Angelic Conflict" on this blog. Most Christians do not understand that every battle we face on a daily basis is a direct attack by the enemy on our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. How we handle the battle can either bring glory or shame to our Lord, but if we don't understand the context of the war (spiritual) and approach the battles from a divine viewpoint, we will NEVER win the battles consistently. GI Joe was onto something when he said, "knowing is half the battle." The problem is most Christians DO NOT know there is a spiritual war going on around them. We at CrossWord Bible Ministries want to make sure that our readers know about this spiritual conflict! It's vital to victory in the CWL!

By Faith...

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." --- Heb. 11:3

The debate over the origin of the world is one that every individual at some point must come to a conclusion about. How did we get here? This question must be answered because it is crucial to how one will choose to live their life. When you get down to the bottom line, there are essentially 1 of 2 possible positions one can take. Either there was a creator or there was not. It's the ole debate of "Creation vs. Evolution." If there is no creator, if we are all here by coincidence, then there are no eternal consequences for the decisions we make while living our 70 or so years of life. However, if there is a creator, then every minute of our life has eternal consequences.

There are essentially 3 methods humans use to conclude something is true.

1. Empiricism - That which one can see, smell, taste, etc. For example, I know to be true that there is a Mountain Dew sitting on my desk b/c I went to the refrigerator and brought it back in the room and put it on the desktop, and I see it right now.

2. Rationalism - That which one believes to be true because he can logically reason it to be true.

3. Faith - That which one believes to be true based on the validity of something or someone else.

Because no human was present at the beginning of the universe, empiricism is automatically ruled out. Rationalism is also not applicable because it is confined to the limits of human understanding. Therefore, whichever position one decides to take, it must be taken by faith. This is exactly what Heb. 11:3, today's subject verse, is telling us. There is evidence that can be examined, but because the beginning was not witnessed firsthand by any human, it's origin ultimately has to be accepted by faith. Technically the debate is not "Creation vs. Evolution," rather it is "The Word of God vs. The Theories of Man."

If you look at the history of philosophy you will not find many Jewish philosophers. The reason is because they had the answer to the question all philosophy attempts to answer, "What is the meaning of this whole thing?" The Word of God is full of scripture proclaiming that life was a result of God's creation. It is such an important subject that the very first verse in the Bible proclaims God to be the Creator. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." I believe this to be true, and more than likely because you are taking a few minutes out of your day to read this, then you also believe it.

I truly believe that if the evidence is objectively examined, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does creation. For example, how can the concept of right and wrong be explained without a creator? If there is no creator then there is no standard of right and wrong, but clearly this standard exists. That's just one example off the top of my head, there are countless others. The most convincing evidence of a creator is the creation itself. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." --- Rom. 1:20.

So why is this debate so important? The point of this devotion is not to try to prove creation or disprove evolution. In fact, odds are I am not telling you anything that you do not already believe to be true. My real reason for this devotion is to give you something to ponder and issue a challenge. If you truly believe that God is your Creator, then it is your responsibility to seek out and fulfill the purpose for your creation. Nothing is created without a purpose, but there is nothing more tragic than a creation that does not fulfill the intended purpose of its creator. An obvious example of this is Satan.

The reason people try to stamp out God through theories like evolution is because they do not want to be held accountable for their lives. If there is no God, there are no consequences. But if there is a God, then there will be consequences, and He has a purpose for your life. Are you living your life to fulfill your purpose? You were created to bring God glory in the Angelic Conflict on a moment by moment basis by being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in His humanity. As always, the choice is completely yours.


"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." --- Ps. 19:1

Someone emailed this to me a while back, I thought it was pretty awesome.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/index.html

Big Fish

Jonah 1: 1 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying . . . ”

The book of Jonah is about a man that refused to do what God told him to do. He would expend any energy and offer any excuse, but he didn't want to obey God. (Sound familiar?)

We have all heard one of our buddies tell stories of the big one that got away. Some of us have told more than a few (Bart). The term "fish story" is synonymous with untruth. The fish has a tendency to get bigger and bigger each time that story is told! Jonah is a TRUE "fish story" about a BIG FISH and a BIGGER GOD. The truth of Jonah’s story should not be in question, because it is God who tells the story.

The book of Jonah is the subject of alot ridicule, doubt, and skepticism. This skepticism comes from people (not just atheists, but theologians as well) who can't comprehend the idea of a huge fish swallowing a human being. To them, Jonah is just a “fish story” and not a miracle performed by an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God

The Bible views Jonah as a historical person (one who really existed not just a story) in 2 Kings and as the subject of a miracle in the book of Jonah. Jesus talked about Jonah and his experience as real and supernatural also.

Mt 12: 39 “But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”

The Scribes and Pharisees refused to believe His word. They demanded a sign. Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the big fish. Jesus relates the story of Jonah to His death and resurrection yet to come. To me, this gives the book of Jonah absolute credibility as TRUTH, not just a “fish story”, and it should to you also. Those who attack the book of Jonah attack the credibility of Jesus Christ.

Jesus wouldn't provide a miracle for the scribes and Pharisees; He didn’t give in to their demand for tangible evidence : “If you perform a miracle for us, we will believe.” Jesus answered that with, “If you believe in the Word of God, you will see.” Just as Jesus didn’t give in to their demands, neither should we. Are you willing to take God at His Word? Or, do you, like the Pharisees, need outside proof?

1 Co 15: 3-4 “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”

Hey Mr. Pharisee, there's the sign you were asking for !!! Did they get it? No!!! Do you get it? Is it real to you, or just a "fish story"?

The Word of God has authority because of its origin. The Word does not have to be backed up by science or proved by man. It stands on its own authority. When it comes to truth, man does not call God to account, but God calls man to account. Jesus gives absolute credibility to what some think of as just another “fish story”. Do you take Jesus at His Word? I certainly do! If Jesus says it; you can bank on it!!!

John 5: 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

The Separation of Sin

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." --- Rom. 3:23

Today's lesson is a brief overview of a problem that every human being is confronted with at the time they are born. This is the first and most important problem we will ever be faced with. This problem is SIN. As a result of sin, we are separated from God. God's righteousness demands that all sin be dealt with, and because all have sinned then God must deal with each of us. Where God's righteousness demands, God's justice executes. God is completely just in dealing with us in 1 of 2 possible ways. He can deal with us as we are, or as we are in Christ. The choice is completely ours but only one of the options satisfies God's righteousness, and that is obviously that we allow God to deal with us as we are in Christ.

The Hebrew and Greek words for sin are chata (H) and hamartia (G). Both of these words have the same meaning, "to miss the mark." Think of an archer on an archery range (sorry but bow season starts in Georgia in less than a month and I'm excited). At one end of the range is the archer and at the other end is the target he is shooting at. In the middle of the target is the bullseye. The archer's goal is to hit the bullseye, any other place outside of that bullseye is considered a failure. If the archer misses the bullseye, the archer has "missed the mark." This is the image these words are meant to portray. Sin is any arrow that falls outside of God's divine bullseye standard. There are 3 different kinds of sin found in the Word of God, and each one of them applies to each person reading this.

1. Imputed Sin --- "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" - Rom.5:12

Sometimes referred to as "Adam's Original Sin" (AOS), this is the sin that is imputed to every member of the human race at the time of their birth. That one sin by Adam was also charged (imputed) to each of us. It's hard to grasp how much this one sin has affected the entire world. I once heard a preacher explain it this way, "Sin brought out it's welcome mat and was here to stay." How true this statement is...just watch the news tonight and you will see just how deep that one sin in the Garden has impacted the world we live in. It is because of imputed sin that we are all born spiritually dead.

2. Inherent Sin --- "That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" - Jn. 3:6

This is a direct result of AOS that is sometimes called "old sin nature" or "the old man." We inherit our sin nature through our earthly father, who inherited theirs from their earthly father, all the way down the line back to the Garden when Adam ate the fruit (AOS). Each of our sin natures are unique. Each of us has different areas of weaknesses and different areas of strengths.

3. Personal Sin --- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Rom. 3:23

These are acts that "miss the mark." They are the choices we make that violate the divine standard of God. Personal sin occurs when we succumb to our sin nature.

Personal sin can be further divided into 3 categories:

A. Mental Attitude Sins

B. Sins of the Tongue

C. Overt Sins

That is a BASIC overview of sin. Of course the good news for us is that God's love also demanded that He provide a solution for us in regard to sin. All 3 of the different kinds of sin are dealt with by Jesus Christ' work on the cross.

1. Imputed --- We are viewed as "not guilty" in Christ. "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" --- Rom. 5:17

2. Inherent --- We are made new in Christ. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." --- 2 Cor. 5:17

3. Personal --- Every sin we have committed or will commit was paid for by Christ on the cross. "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." --- 1 Jn. 2:2

It is important to have an understanding of sin because it gives the background for everything that Jesus Christ did on our behalf. It is because of sin that Christ had to go to the cross. It wasn't enough for Him to just live a perfect life and give us all that great teaching. He had to go to the cross in order to satisfy God the Father on a personal level for each of us, which was motivated by His love for us. All we have to do is accept his work on our behalf and we are no longer under the condemnation of sin. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." --- Rom. 5:8