Attacked by Distraction

2 Chronicles 32:2-3 “Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, (3) he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.

United States Military Doctrine during both wars with Iraq has shown us that if you want the enemy to give up, surrender, quit, lay down his weapon and be of no use, then cut off his supply lines. If the enemy can’t eat, drink, or possess ammunition and weapons, he will stop fighting.

Satan knows this and employs it in his strategy and tactics in spiritual warfare. Our food, weapons, defenses, water and morale lie within the Word of God. If we are cut off from it by distraction, then we will soon give up and stop fighting, no longer becoming a formidable combatant in this conflict.

1. Food- Jeremiah 15:16 “ Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became a joy to me and a delight to my heart, for I have been called by your name, O Lord God of hosts.”

2. Water- John 14:4 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

3. Weapon- Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the SWORD of the SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.”

4. Defenses- Ephesians 6:16 “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

5. Morale- Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Every supply that we need for this war has been given to us in the Word of God. If we become distracted and stop the daily hearing and application of the Word, then we will be cut off from all of our supply.

When we push God out of our life through either a lack of hearing or lack of application of the Word, then there is no way we can fight effectively and quite possibly may be fighting for the enemy (without even knowing it), by our influence on others.

The warning signs to your supply lines being cut off is your reaction to the circumstances of life whether discouragement, boredom, self-pity, loneliness, frustration, instability, or complete prosperity. These things can make us very vulnerable to distraction for the Word.

Satan's "system" is set up to keep the believer from the Word of God. This "system" encourages Christians to ignore the Word and accept false teaching so that they will revert to their former manner of life. 1 Tim 4:1 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” Satan distracts by trying to keep believers from worship. (Heb. 10:25) His world system tempts the believer with a false emphasis on details of life such as money, success, social life, pleasure, loved ones, health, sex, or material things. Even though the Word tells us that happiness is not derived from these things, we somehow still get caught up in and distracted by them.

What is distracting you from daily devotion to God’s Word?
What is cutting off your supply lines?
What are you going to do about it?

The Bible exposes the “schemes of the devil”, that is why Satan does everything that he can to distract you from it. Be Alert!! (1 Peter 5:8)

Problem Solver

Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

We all have problems or dilemmas that come our way in our daily lives. Sure there might be good days and bad days. There are days where the oppositions are minimal and then days where the trials seem to never end. The fact still remains that the conflicts will always be there!

I have recently come into a dilemma that is big on my heart. It is one that has really got me thinking. Have you experienced a problem so great that it is always on your mind? The moment you get your mind off anything in particular you drift right back to thinking about this problem. Well, I dont know about you but for myself I know that when this situation occurs in my life I not only think about the problem but I am inclined to try to fix the problem. Who am I? Superman? I always think I can save the day!

As I face this particular problem in my life I cant help but mull over the ways to correct it. I came to a point where I said, What am I doing?. I cant fix this. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

When I recalled this scripture is when I caught myself trying to save the day. The Word had news for me! I cant do it! I was doing exactly what proverbs 3:5 says not to do: do not lean on your own understanding I thought my understanding was so important. I mean I thought about this problem for a long time, surely I had the best answer. Its the best idea not according to the Word.

What do we do then? If we realize we should not lean on our own understanding where do we go? Well in trying to apply this proverb to my life I dove deep in the Word. (In all your ways acknowledge Him) I had been recently in a study of Job so I jumped back in where I had left off. Job goes through so many trials in his life. He goes from being rich to poor, from a healthy man to a sick man, from a family man to losing his family. Job has these friends that approach him giving him all the answers as to why he has all these problems. To me this sounds a lot like my situation of trying to figure out my own problems.

As I studied these passages in Job, the Lord was loud and clear in my heart. I am not going to fix everything, I cant, I shouldnt want to, and it will only stir up more confusion, anguish, and troubles in my life. Job didnt know the answers as to why the testing he was being subject to was there. We dont know. The only answer is to turn to Him. He wants to care for us in these areas. (And He will make your paths straight)

When these seemingly immense problems come our way and we dont take them straight to Christ they only serve as interference to our relationship with Him. This problem will be an ongoing and re occurring obstacle in my life, however whenever it surfaces if we take these problems to the Father he will deal with them accordingly. Dont try to be the superman of your life! God gave us His Son for that!

SPEC It Out

Ps 119:169 “Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.”

Across this great nation I have the opportunity to "share life" with teenagers. I try to inspire them to commit a portion of time everyday for personal Bible study, but just like most adults I know, they just don’t have the time. What I have found is that the issue is not really a lack of time; it is, however, a lack of understanding. Some of them have opened up a little and told me that when it comes to studying the Bible, they just don’t “get it”. My daughter Haley agrees. She says, “I always hear people saying that they asked God for an answer and they opened up the Bible to the verse that answered their question. When I open up the Bible, it is always talking about someone whose name I can’t pronounce and some story that I don’t understand.”

You see, it’s not that people don’t have enough time, but that a lack of understanding after studying the Bible seems like a waste of time. People won’t spend time in any study if they don’t understand what they are studying. I don’t study the NASDAC, because I have no idea what all of those numbers represent. I don’t study rocket science because I feel that it is way out of my league intellectually. I don’t study the space-time continuum, because I would have no idea where to start. It’s not that I don’t have time to study these things, but that I have a genuine lack of interest in things that I believe I can’t understand. Ignorance is bliss, right? Not when it comes to the Bible.

Allow me to give you a simple formula for studying the Bible


STEP 1- Ask God through prayer for understanding. Ps 119:169 “Let my cry (prayer) come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to (when I study) Your word.” Rely on the promise of God in James 1:5. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Here is the kicker; WE ALL LACK WISDOM!!! But all we have to do is ask and He will give it to us.

STEP 2 – Use the S.P.E.C. technique every time you read a passage of Scripture. Ask yourselves these 4 questions:

Are there any Sins for me to avoid?
Are there any Promises for me to keep?
Are there any Examples for me to follow?
Are there any Commands for me to obey?

STEP 3 – Personalize Scripture!!! Put yourself in the passage as if God were talking directly to you. “For God so loved (Buck) that He gave His only begotten Son, that if (Buck) believes in Him, (Buck) will never perish, but (Buck) will have eternal life.”

STEP 4 – Close in prayer thanking God for His Word, understanding, and asking for situations, in which to apply what you have learned which will strengthen your faith.

If you are someone who has trouble studying the Bible because you just don’t understand, then I challenge you to try this. Give it a week and see what you learn. . 2 Tim 2:15 “Study to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

The Choice is Yours

Psalms 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

From your first conscious thought of the morning to the last conscious thought before you drift back off to sleep at night, where is your focus for the day. Is it your job, kids, spouse, money, golf, or television…or a combination of many, many, different things? For each of us it is different as each of us has different responsibilities and interest that command our attention.

Every waking moment we should on some level be aware of our ministry for our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ not necessarily to the exclusion of our other responsibilities…but thru them. People, we have allowed Christianity to become a spectator sport, something we “do” on Sunday or maybe Wednesday night.

I submit to you that our ministry is not something we “do” but who we are all day and night, every day. Listen, the pastor of your church…if you have a church home, is no more responsible to God for how he spends his time than you and I are. His job description may be different from yours but his responsibility to encourage and minister to those around him is no different than yours and mine this day.

I have a pastor friend who constantly pushes me and others who communicate about God not to just tell people “what to do” but instead…tell them “how to do it” so here goes.

How do you keep your focus on your ministry throughout the day? By consciously choosing to do so! Our brains are capable of processing multiple lines of thought at one time and we can handle many, many thoughts from many, many directions one after another. I have found for me I have to really pay attention to what I am thinking about moment by moment and what I am focusing on and when I find myself not thinking on Godly subjects… guess what, I stop, ask forgiveness for wasting the time God has given me and change my focus to something that I know pleases Him. Some days are harder than others and this is like a battle of tug of war in my head…two steps forward, one step back…oh but at that rate of two steps forward, I am still moving forward toward my Heavenly Father. People this is a learned skill…it takes practice.

Every contact and conversation we have with people during the day is a ministry opportunity that we must choose to use. Does the name Jesus Christ come out of my mouth in every one…no, but when the opportunity does come along, I take it, I am always looking for that ever so slight crack in the door and when I see it, I walk thru it and hopefully over time I have earned the right to minister to the person I am talking to. Listen, real effective ministry to those around you each day, is not from your mouth but from your actions and life. Most of the real “preaching and ministry” in the world is in action not words and this is where we Christians have gotten confused and off track. When I started taking my eyes and focus off me and what I wanted and put it on the hurting people all around me, boy the world started to look different.

Over the years of working on this and I do mean working on it because it doesn’t come naturally to me or most of us to be focused on the needs of others, I have continued to earn the right to minister to those around me. People begin to see a consistency in your life and that you are not blown around by every circumstance…you begin to level off your highs and lows and you embark on a steady trek toward Christlikeness. That is the goal and that is the mark of the high calling to which we have been called when we placed our faith in the one true Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

Friends, this is not a theory but something I have seen change my life and to those of you who have known me for years, I pray you have seen the change that is possible and it proves that if I, Jimmy Morton, who by nature is the most arrogant, self- centered person on the planet can change…all things are possible for you. God is not going to do it for you…this is not a passive thing that he does, but something He will help you do if you “Seek Him with your whole heart”. There is no magic verse, song or pill that will do this… only you believing it is your calling and then choosing, thought by thought and moment by moment to do so.

Make this a blessed day by choosing to do so.

Who Do You Represent? IV

John 19:9 “and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.”

The Word of God allows us to get a glimpse into the civil trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-38). Pilate wraps up the proceeding by asking the question, “What is Truth?”. It is not the question that puzzels me, but Pilate’s action after asking the question, "What is Truth?”. John 18:38b “And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.” Pilate asks the right question, “What is Truth?”, but then turns his back on the answer. Pilate then makes the statement, “I find no guilt in Him”, and sends him to Herod. Pilate didn’t have the courage of his conviction that Jesus Christ was innocent and he sent Him to Herod to make a descision (Luke 23:6-12).

Pilate passes the “buck” like so many of us do. We find no guilt in Him, we know that He is the Truth, we know that he is the Christ; yet we rely on everyone else to “do something with Him”. In this case Pilate is relying on Herod to do something with Jesus, because Pilate is a coward and doesn’t have the courage of his conviction “NOT GUILTY!”

Herod sends Jesus right back to Pilate with the same verdict, “NOT GUILTY!”. We pick up the 3rd Civil Trial of Jesus in which He is back before Pilate (John 18:39-19:6). In this section, Pilate offers a substitue (Barabbas), has Jesus scourged, presumes Him innocent a second time, listens to the shouts of the Jews, “Crucify Him!”, and buckeled under the pressure. This series of events leads us to verse John 19:9, “and he entered into the Praetorium a second time and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.”

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth.”

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Pilate asks this question from human viewpoint. Jesus knows the attitude of the heart, Jesus knows the motivation behind the question, and fullfills prophesy by keeping silent. In the same way Nathanael said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”, Pilate asks the question here, “WHERE ARE YOU FROM?” Jesus had already told Pilate in John 18:36 that His Kingdom was not of this world, and he goes on to say that His kingdom was not of this realm. Pilate already had the answer, and so do we.

Do we understand that Jesus Christ is from the Father? Do we understand that because of God’s love, He sent Jesus Christ to die for us? Do we understand that He (Jesus Christ) came to earth in human form, died as an innocent man on a Roman cross, rose from the grave three days later, conquered sin and death, ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God? What are we doing with the answer? What are we doing with Jesus?

John 6:33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

Are we like Pilate buckeling under the pressure of what to do with Jesus? Are the shouts that come from the “world” affecting our descision? Who do we represent? Pilate? Or Jesus Christ?

What Do I Seek?

Matthew 6:33 "BUT seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."

This question is easy to answer, but hard to live. Jesus told us what priority should come first in Matthew 6:33 " But seek (zeteo) first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." The word seek in the greek language is Zeteo (dzay-teh'-o) It is a present active imperative (continuous, volitional, command). The word literally means to strive, to search, or to desire strongly. The command is continuous so could be read, "But (your name here) strive continuously,every second of the day, to seek Jesus Christ." Our top priority, our number one goal is to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness to the end in which every thing we do should be based off of this goal. That includes work, time spent, chosen friends, money spent, the person I want to marry, the words I choose to say, the attitudes I choose to express, and every choice that I choose. Every decision that I make should help accomplish the goal of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. This requires living life in the very presence of God.

"But (you) seek first"

The word "BUT" almost always precedes a Priority. Think about it! Try to use the word "BUT" in a sentence without establishing a priority. "But" always points ahead to the main priority and back to what is not the priority. So, from the previous verses we can easily figure out exactly what is not our priority!

Matthew 6:32" For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things.(33) But you..."

These things is written twice in verse 32 and once in verse 33. What are "These Things"? Are "These Things" still our #1 priority? We can find "these things" is the previous verses. In verse 16, "these things" are the approval of man. In verses 18-21, "these things" are material things, possessions. In verse 24, "these things" are riches, wealth, money. In verse 25, "these things" are food, water, clothing. We are told in verse 32 that the Gentiles(unbelievers) SEEK (zeteo) all these things first, and Jesus starts out verse 33 with the word "BUT". That means here comes the real priority or what should be the first priority. "SEEK FIRST the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." If Christ is going to be first in our lives it must be according to the standard of His righteousness (Col 1:15-18).

We see alot of "Buts" in Luke 14:15-24. They are not writen but the idea is definitely there. In this case the "but" is used to establish the wrong priority. I will paraphrase the passage for you, but you should read alongin your Bible so that you will understand.

Basicly there is a Spiritual meal prepared in the passage (one that satisfies you) and the invitation is given to come and eat. Verse 18 (paraphrased) I would come, But I just bought this sweet piece of land and I have a lot of things to build in order to make it livable." Verse 19 (paraphrased) I would come to the meal, But I have work to do. Verse 20 (paraphrased) I would , But I have to please my wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend.

The question that we have to ask ourselves is, "Will we come and eat; the meal is free and paid for.?" "Or will you have other things to do? "

Once some one was talking to a great scholar about a younger man. He said, "so and so tells me that he was one of your students." The teacher answered, "He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students."

There is a world of differences between attending lectures, and being a student. It is one of the supreme handicaps of the church that in the church there are so many distant followers of Jesus Christ and so few disciples." William Barclay

What is your "BUT"? What is your priority? What are you seeking?

A Day to Love

Ephesians 5:1-2 (1) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; (2) and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

On Valentine’s Day, I read a section from a newsletter that explained the purpose for Valentine's Day. It went something like this: It is a day for love and a day to tell someone you love him or her. That’s great and wonderful, but why just a day and not everyday?

In this verse, Paul is not exhorting us to be imitators of God for a day, or walk in love for a day, or that Christ gave Himself up for us for a day. The world would like us (Christians) to do just that… love for one day a year. As for the majority, (as well as myself), a day is just too long. Try a few minutes and work your way up to a whole day. Learning to Love as Christ loved is part of growth and growth is not instantaneous; it is gradual.

The reason why Paul begins with the word “therefore” is because he is trying to tell us to look back to the context of the last few verses of chapter 4. Paul describes the differences between the old man and the new man in chapter 4 verses 25-32. We (believers) can’t live in the old man 364 days a year and expect to put on the new man and love on Valentine’s Day. There has to be a gradual putting off the old, renewing of the mind, and putting on the new. This is a life long process! If we are to “walk” (live) in love, just as Christ loved us, then we must be involved in a consistent process of mind “RENEWAL”. This isn’t a “one-day” change! This is a moment-by-moment change. Christ-likeness is the goal (Romans 8:29), but it is the moment-by-moment walk that gets us there. I guess the point that I am trying to make is that Valentine’s Day, the day of love, isn’t just one day out of the year; it should be everyday by seizing every moment to renew ourselves in the love of Christ.

Who Do You Represent III

John 18:37-38 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. (38) Pilate said to Him, “WHAT IS TRUTH?”

As John writes to us in verses 18:28-38 of his gospel, he allows us to enter the courtroom of Pontius Pilate. The setting is a Roman civil trial. The defendant is none other than Jesus Christ. The prosecution is the Sanhedrin represented by Annas and Caiaphas (Chief Priests). The judge in this case is Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea. The trumped-up charge against Jesus: political insurrection. The evidence: assuming the royal title, perverting the nation, and forbidding the payment of tribute to Rome. The verdict: not guilty. The sentence for being innocent: Execution by crucifixion.

After studying these passages, I too have entered a courtroom. The setting for this courtroom is my soul. The defendant is none other than Jesus Christ. The judge in this case is me. The prosecution in this case is “the world” (Romans 12:2) represented by relationships, a false emphasis on the details of life, materialism, pseudo-happiness, success, fear, a false perception of reality, money, time, and doubt. The trumped-up charge against Jesus is “WHAT IS TRUTH?” The evidence in the case are things seen, heard, and touched (material) vs. things unseen (Spiritual). The verdict and sentence from the judge…

In John 18:37 Pilate asks a question…”So you are a King?” Jesus affirms that Pilate is correct in saying that he is a King, but is misguided in his interpretation of the Kingship of Jesus. Jesus responds to Pilate’s correct, but misguided observation, “For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world; to testify to (on the behalf of, in defense of) the TRUTH. Everyone who is of the TRUTH (believes by faith) hears (understands and applies) My voice (the Word of God)." Italics mine.

Pilate, not understanding what Jesus had said, repsonds with “What is TRUTH?”, turns his back on the ANSWER, turns his back on the TRUTH, and walks out of the “courtroom”.

For an unbeliver to turn their back on the evidence of TRUTH and die results in eternal condemnation. Romans 1:18-19 “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who SUPRESS THE TRUTH in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

Pilate turned his back on the TRUTH, therefore, he will spend eternity in the lake of fire, and that’s a shame, but what happens when a Christian turns their back on the TRUTH? The truth of the matter is that we become futile in our thinking, darkened in our understanding, separated from the plan of God for our life, resulting in a hardened heart (Ephesians 4:17-19). Is there any wonder that there are so many unhappy Christians? How does this happen? Too much time spent focused on others, things, and self instead of Christ! We take our eyes of off the TRUTH.

What is TRUTH? All truth points, leads, guides, and directs to Jesus Christ. If it does not point to Christ then it is not truth. John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to Father, but through ME.” If Jesus Christ is the WAY (and He is!), then which WAY are you going? If Jesus Christ is the TRUTH (and He is!), then what TRUTH do you believe and apply? If Jesus Christ is LIFE (and He is!), then whom are you LIVING for?

What is TRUTH? John 17:17 “ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.“ Sanctify means to set apart. We (believers) are set apart from “the world” by TRUTH! What is TRUTH? HIS WORD is TRUTH!

Are you set apart or blending in? Have you like Pilate turned your back on the TRUTH? What is the verdict in the courtroom of your soul? What is your sentence? What are you going to do with TRUTH? What are you going to do with Jesus Christ? Are you going to stare the TRUTH in the face and walk out of the coutroom or are you going to FOLLOW THE WAY, WALK IN TRUTH, and LIVE A LIFE AS AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST?

The question has now been placed upon the docket in your courtroom...WHAT IS TRUTH?
The verdict and sentence from the judge................IT'S UP TO YOU!

Who Do You Represent? II

John18: 35 “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

After examining some of the questions, statements, and actions of the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate during the three civil trials of our Lord Jesus Christ; Pilate seemingly asks all the right questions, presumes that he has all the right answers, comes face to face with the Lamb of God, but turns his back on the Unique Man of the Universe, Jesus Christ. We, as Christians, seemingly ask all the right questions, HAVE all the right answers, become enlightened by the true LIGHT that enlightens every man, and then spend the majority of this life blending in with the world. Paul describes this type of believer in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17-32.

Eph 4:17-18 “So I say this an affirm together with the Lord, that you (Born Again Believers) walk no longer (stop walking) as the Gentiles (Unbelievers or in this case Pilate. He was a Gentile) also walk, in the futility of their mind (void of truth), (18) being darkened (after once being enlightened) in their understanding, excluded from a life of God (missing out on the plan of God) because of the ignorance (suppression of the truth) that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.

Paul goes on to say in verse 20 of Ephesians 4 “you did not learn Christ in this way”. You see, as believers we have the LIGHT, we know the TRUTH, but what are we doing with it? Are we too, like Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus Christ yet turning our back on Him and washing our hands of responsibility? Who do we represent? Christ? Or Pilate?

We pick up the story of Jesus standing before Pilate during the first of three civil trials held by the Romans (Civil Trial #1 Pilate, Civil Trial #2 Herod, Civil Trial #3 Pilate). In John 18:34 Jesus starts His defense by asking Pilate a question. I find this interesting that the One standing trial and being questioned is now interrogating the judge (Pilate). Jesus asked Pilate, “Are you saying this on your own initiative or did others tell you about Me?”

Charles Ryrie explains the questioning of Jesus this way; “Jesus asked whether Pilate’s question (Are you the king of the Jews?) was from his own (gentile) viewpoint or from a Jewish viewpoint.” Pilate responds with verse 35, “I am not a Jew am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me; WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

Pilate asks the right question, but from the wrong viewpoint! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Well then let me ask you the same question. WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR YOU? You see Pilate didn’t spend enough time with Jesus to “really" find out what He had done. In fact, if he would have truly been seeking to know what Jesus had done, then Jesus would have not only told him what He had done, but also what He would do in the future.

Where we fall short is that we absolutely know what He has done and what He will do in the future, but we don’t spend enough time with Him to find out what He has done and will do for us. Do you know what HE (Jesus) has done? Do you know what He will do? Romans 4:21 tells us that “what God had promised, He was also able to perform”. We will never know what He has promised and never experience His performance if we cut Him off, turn our back, and wash our hands of Him like Pilate did. We, like Pilate, don’t spend enough time with our Savior. Remember that an ambassador has a responsibility to deliver a message, a responsibility to fulfill a duty. This is the message that you are to deliver: WHAT HAS HE DONE? WHAT IS HE DOING? WHAT WILL HE DO? If you know the answer to these questions, but wash your hands of responsibility, then you are a representative of Pilate, but if you know the answers to these questions, spend time with Jesus and deliver the mail, then you are an ambassador of Christ. Are you spending enough time with Jesus to know WHAT HAS HE DONE? WHAT IS HE DOING? WHAT WILL HE DO?

Who Do You Represent? 1

Mark 15:1 “Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.”

What is an ambassador? According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary an ambassador is a diplomatic representative appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment. Another definition can be more simply stated; an ambassador is an authorized representative or messenger. As Christians, it is our responsibility to be ambassadors for Christ. What exactly does that entail? Well, to apply Webster’s definition to the phrase “Ambassadors for Christ” would imply that we are authorized to represent Him in order to carry out a diplomatic assignment as a messenger.

Knowing that we have been authorized to represent Christ… do we? Knowing that we have been trusted with completing an assignment…are we? Knowing that we carry the message of truth…do we deliver it? Of course, only we know the truth in regards to ourselves, but it seems to me that our lives, which are supposed to represent Jesus Christ, are more representative of Pontius Pilate. How can a Christian be representative of Pilate, being that Pilate was an unbeliever?

In Mark 15:1 (John 18:28-38) we begin the first of three civil trials of Jesus Christ before the Romans. He had already been tried before Annas and Caiaphas in the Religious court of the Jews, and has now been brought before the Roman courts in order to gain approval for His execution. It is at this Roman trial that we are introduced to the governor Pontius Pilate.

Let's look at some of the questions, statements, and actions of Pontius Pilate in regards to the unique Person of the universe, Jesus Christ.

In John 18:33 Pilate asks the question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Well, is He? Is He (Jesus Christ) the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Most Christians will answer a resounding “YES” to this question, but allow me to ask you this: Is He the King of YOU? Are you an ambassador of the KING? Have you assumed your responsibility to fulfill your assignment of representing the KING? We never have a problem representing ourselves before man. Why do we have a problem representing the true KING before man? Maybe the question that we should ask ourselves should be: Am I the King or is HE? Pilate was a representative of Caesar and took great honor in his commission to represent Rome. Who do you represent? Where does your honor lie? Pilate answered his own question and was right, but failed to do anything with the answer. What will you do with the ANSWER? “What is an ambassador?” “Are you an ambassador for Christ?”

Be Seen In Me

"Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD." --- Psalms 40:3b

If people are not seeing Jesus Christ in my life then I am not fulfilling my duty and desire as a Christian. In verse 3 of today's subject passages, David proclaims that "many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord." This should be our ultimate goal in life. When we read verses like this, we should automatically go back and read the preceeding verses to find out how this result can be achieved. So let's look at the first 2 verses.

Verse 1 says, "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry." This is always the first step. If we are ever to be victorious in the Christian Way of Life (CWL), we must first learn to be patient. This does not come naturally for us. According to Gal. 5:22, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Therefore we must be "walking in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16) in order to truly be patient. When we are forced to be patient and wait on God, we grow closer to Him because we realize the situation is entirely out of our control. We are forced to rely on God's promises.

Not only was David waiting patiently for the Lord, he also was crying out to Him. David was doing the only thing he could do...he was praying. The Lord heard David's prayer and "inclined" to him. In the Hebrew this word translated here in the NAS as "incline" is natah, which means "to stretch out", "to extend." God heard David's cry and "stretched out" to rescue him. This means there is nothing that David could do, he had to be totally reliant upon God to reach out to Him and answer his cry. David waited patiently for God to deliver him, and as always God was faithful.

Moving on to verse 2, "He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm." Once God answers David's cry, He then places David back firmly on the rock of Jesus Christ. God takes David out of the "miry clay" he was bogged down in and places him back on the only true stable foundation there is. David understands the only way he can have any stability in life is if he is firmly planted on the rock of Christ.

After David is rescued by God and placed back on the foundation of Jesus Christ, He proclaims in verse 3a, "He (God) put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." David has seen God's faithfulness and Jesus Christ will be glorified through David's life because he now has his focus back on Him. God puts a "new" song in David's mouth because David has seen God's faithfulness in action. There is no time in my life where God is more real to me than when He faithfully answers my prayers. Anytime I see God's faithfulness in action and get my focus off myself and back on Jesus Christ, He is always glorified. It never fails. I can't help but sing a "new" song of praise to the Lord, it is a natural result. This is where David is in this verse, which is why he can boldly declare, "Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD."

The same applies in your life. If you wait patiently for the Lord, He will "reach out" to you and place you firmly on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Once you see God's faithfulness in action in your life, there will be a "new" song in your mouth and Jesus Christ will be glorified. The key is to have patience and wait on God.

A Faith That Stands Up Under Trial

Acts 22 – Paul is in an actual trial, where his faith was on trial – literally.

The United States Supreme Court has criteria for testing someone’s faith. It was a landmark decision in 1972, Wisconsin v. Yoder. The Court was forced to come up with some kind of criteria to test a person’s faith to determine whether or not religious beliefs could stand up in court. Let’s apply these criteria to Paul’s faith during his trial and let us apply these criteria to our own faith. (The following points are actual criteria for testing of faith from the Supreme Court Justice case Wisconsin v. Yoder)

A belief system must be beyond simple preferences. There must be a plan to believe a certain way. What if you overheard your friend say, “I prefer to not to get drunk” or “I prefer not to drive recklessly and endanger myself”. There should be no PREFERENCE, but a PLAN to be vigilant and not do these – in other words, a determination and plan to strive for the actions they “prefer”. Acts 22:3-4; Romans 9:3-5; It is MORE THAN A PREFERENCE.

Paul was consumed by Jesus Christ! He lost friends and family when he believed in Christ. It was a conviction, not a preference! He could not have gone through the dramatic change in life that he did over simple preferences! It was definitely a determination and conviction – he went from legalism, hatred of Christians, and persecutor of Christians to lover of Christ and all others!
Do we prefer to believe what the Bible says or does it burn in soul, wanting to be fulfilled in our life?

A belief must be beyond personal philosophy. There must be a basis for what is believed. It is not what we know as “universalism” – there is a god for everyone. This is personal philosophy. The court looks beyond philosophy to something that has real live basis. Acts 24:13-16 – A spiritual basis for belief. Acts 26:7– The apostle is not coming up with a new way of thinking or philosophy – Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets!

Do we know what we believe? Could we say, in concrete terms, before a court of law, what we believe? Do we have a philosophy that has been handed down through our family or do we have beliefs that we know from our own study, based on own resources, that this is what we believe? (Romans 10:2 – zealous but not based on knowledge – that is not the criteria – it is dangerous.)

A belief system must stand the test of conviction, rather than preferences or philosophies. (Remember, this is a Supreme Court Case!) “not merely a matter of personal preference, but one of deep religious convictions” (exact quote from the Wis. V. Yoder).

True convictions are intimately related to daily living – “their belief pervades and determines their entire way of life” (exact quote from Wis. V. Yoder) – there is affected in everyway by their belief. The apostle was totally convicted by his belief – it was like an umbrella over all that he did. If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

True convictions have history – Acts 26:19-23; Romans 10:17; 14:1 This does not mean that information was learned and passed on – it means that there is a history of belief, using that belief and seeing the belief work in a person’s life. The history you have with God (all the times He was faithful, all the trials, tests, etc. that have had and God has seen you through) is what the Court is talking about having “a history”. Are you certain of your “history” with God to share it someone else? Do you have enough history to be confident in telling others about Him – or are you shaky in this area? Have you gone the faith route with God and had rich moments of “history” or have you panicked and gone the flesh route? Growth comes from hearing the Word and applying it. “Don’t fear tomorrow because there is bunch of yesterdays with God – the faithful One.”

True convictions are personal – 2 Timothy 4:16-17 Convictions are what we can hold onto even while living with unbelievers or carnal believers. Convictions are what we cannot compromise even when we are alone and no one cares.

True convictions are preserved against the pressure to conform. Romans 12:1-2; 14:2-3 – Paul’s passion is revealed urging the congregation at Rome to not conform to the world. He talks about the mercy that sees us getting into messes and begs us to sacrifice ourselves and commit to God to be transformed. We know God’s Will by renewing our mind – learning God’s Word. We are not bound up because we do not conform to the world, but we are freed by God’s Word and His bountiful blessings.


True convictions are unchanging regardless of circumstances. Acts 24:27 The same story over and over – never backing off from what we believe. You can judge what a person would live for by what that person would die for. Many have died for the sake of Christ. They never wavered because of their convictions.

God is asking us to live for Him, full of conviction, unstoppable, growing in faith. Convicted believers, that is a faith that stands up in court!

Sober Living

2 Timothy 2:5 "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

"be sober in all things." To "be sober" means to use sound judgment in every word, thought, deed, decision, attitude, or situation. Paul used the word "sober", which actually means to abstain from wine. Drunkeness hinders judgement, impairs the senses, and slows reaction time. To be "drunk" in warfare is to have a death wish. As a Christian soldier in the heat of battle everyday, you cannot afford to be hindered, impaired, or slowed in your thinking. You must remain sober, alert, and ready to encounter confrontation everyday at anytime. Sound judgment only comes by way of hearing the Word of God. Your judgment will be continually impaired if you fail to make the Word a priority everyday.

Soldiers in military service must go through the rigors of daily training so that reaction becomes automatic. When the bullets are flying there is no time to think, only to react and rely on training. As a soldier for Christ, your field manual is the Bible. You must train in the Word everyday so that your reaction time and judgment becomes automatic. A soldier would never go to war without proper training, yet Christians do it everyday and fail. Use sound judgment, study the word daily, prepare for battle, take this unseen war serious, and complete your mission. It is of the utmost importance that you train like a soldier, because whether you believe it or not, you are.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man (soldier) of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

In God We Trust!

"Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." --- Psalms 127:1

Psalm 127 was written by Solomon. As you will remember from Sunday school, Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. 1 Kings 4:32 says Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs. As Solomon grew older, he became wiser because he had failed miserably in other areas of his life and he learned from those experiences. Psalms 127 was written late in his life, and verse 1 lays out wisdom regarding the foundation upon which civilization is built. He declares that a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the "cornerstone" that civilization rests on. From the nation all the way down to the individual family, Jesus Christ holds it all together.

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." --- 1a

The first thing we should notice about this verse is the word that is used for God. The Jews had several names for God, but the most personal word is the four Hebrew consonants YHWH. We pronounce this word in the English language "Jehovah." This is the covenental name of God to the Jewish nation, and it literally means "the existing One." In fact, this name was so sacred to the Jews they would not even pronounce it verbally, instead they would say "Adonai." Essentially what Solomon is saying is that which is infinite, the Creator, must be supreme over that which is finite, or created.

"Builds the house" does not mean to actually build a physical house with a hammer and nails. The Hebrew word translated "builds" is banah, which means "to establish; to cause to continue." It means not only to build something, but also to be the reason why it remains standing.

The word for "house" is bayith, which can also be translated "household" or "family". Solomon is warning us that if Jesus Christ is not the builder of a family, then the building of the family is done in vain. This is a simple fact that can be verified through empiricism, meaning you can look at the the world around you and see concrete examples of this everywhere. This is something that I learned at a relatively young age because I lived it in the middle of my own family. I dearly love both of my parents, but bottom line is Jesus Christ was not the banah (builder, causer to continue) of the household, and it was built in vain. I'm sure some of you can tell me similar stories, the fact is families are falling apart everywhere.

Some of you are saying, "I know a lot of people in church that have terrible family lives." That's not what Solomon is saying here. He is not talking about a family that goes to church, he is talking about a family where both the husband and wife are completely devoted and obedient to Jesus Christ. This is something that is done on a daily, 24-7 basis. As a result, they raise up their kids the truths of God's Word. Family is the basis for a "blessed" nation. The reason for a "blessed" nation can be traced all the way down to the grass roots level, where you will find strong families that are sold out for Jesus Christ. Strong families generate strong leadership on a local, state and national level. Strong leadership generates strong education, strong economies, strong militaries, etc., and it's all based on the foundation and operates on the relationship with Jesus Christ. But don't take my word for it...

"Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." --- 1b

The word translated here "guards" is the Hebrew word shamar. It means to "continually keep." This word has more meaning than our English word "guards." It is intended to paint a picture of a hedge with thorns. If a nation does not have the "blessing" of the Lord, if it is not wrapped in a "hedge with thorns" by God, that nation is doomed. This is the reason great nations eventually fall. If the faith of the founders is not passed on and accepted by later generations, then that nation is doomed. This is exactly what happened to Israel after Joshua died.

Judges 2:10 --- "All that generation also were gathered to their fathers (Joshua's generation died); and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel."

So what happened to this generation "who did not know the Lord?"

Judges 2:14 --- "The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies."

Though we could point out many other examples of this, let's pick on Adolph Hitler for just a moment. The Nazi movement is commonly referred to today as the "Third Reich," which means "third empire." The Nazis used this name because they considered themselves to be the third chronological great empire of the world (1st was the Roman which ended in 476 AD, 2nd was the German which ended in 1919, and they considered themselves to be the 3rd.) Another name that is not often used today, one that Hitler himself gave to the movement, was the "1000 Year Reich." He truly believed the Nazis would rule the world for 1000 years. We all know how brutal and evil the Nazis were. They were a Godless, satanic group of evil people, about as far from a Christ centered nation as you can get. How long do you think they lasted? The most liberal length of time the Nazis lasted is 12 years (1933-1945), and their leader died a cowardly death while holed up in a bunker.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction." --- Prov. 1:7