Oak Hill Baptist Church

You take care of others and God will take care of you

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You take care of others, and God will take care of you.”

In recent days we’ve been thinking about how it is that Jesus sets us free from selfishness. We’ve considered the natural human tendency to be self-absorbed and to be concerned first and foremost for our own well-being. We’ve also learned that Jesus sets us free to focus on others instead and to serve them in His name.

However, the question I posed yesterday was, how can we do that without worrying about our own needs going unmet? If we are focused on looking out for others, who is looking out for us? Well, ideally, if the other Christians in your life are living in the same selfless Christlike manner that you are, then they’re looking out of your interests just as you’re looking out for theirs. But beyond that, and more importantly, God has your back. He’s the One who is looking out for you and making sure that you are taken care of.

That’s what Paul was referring to in Philippians 4:19. We commonly think of the Apostle Paul as having been a great evangelist and church-planter, and he was that. But most of his writings were directed to Christians and were about discipleship – they were all about helping Christians to become more Christlike. In Philippians 4:19 he was expressing His confidence that as we seek to serve God and others, God will take care of us. You take care of others, and God will take care of you.

The Bible is filled with such assurances. Matthew 6:25-34 is of course the classic passage concerning this. In that part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus assured His listeners that God is well aware of all of our situations and all of our needs. Our part is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and then, “and all these things will be provided for you.” You take care of others, and God will take care of you. You work to accomplish His kingdom agenda and bless others in the name of Jesus, and can trust that God has your back.

Here’s another, this one from the Old Testament: “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:15 (NIV). That’s God’s promise. You be generous with your time and efforts and resources for the sake of others, and God will make sure that you are similarly blessed.

It’s liberating to know that God has set us free from worrying about such things. All we have to do is focus on being a blessing to others, and we can be confident that He will take care of us in return.

So, you are free to focus on being a blessing to others, knowing that God will take care of you.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You have been set free to serve

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been set free to serve”

In John chapter thirteen we find Jesus and His disciples at the Last Supper. It was the night before He would be crucified and they were celebrating the Passover meal. In those days everyone wore open sandals. Foot coverings like socks didn’t exist. The roads were dirt and often muddy, and the streets were filled with animal dung and urine. So, feet got pretty dirty – to the point of being disgusting.

Therefore, it was customary that when people entered a home (their own or especially as a guest in someone else’s), there would be a basin of water and towels so the feet could be washed. The lowest servant would be assigned the task of washing the feet of everyone entering. However, at this Passover feast, no feet had been washed. Everyone was reclining at this low table with their filthy feet splayed out behind them or to the side, and probably in close proximity to other guests. No provision had been made for the washing of dirty feet and, no one was making any effort to address the issue. Remember, washing dirty feet was the job of the lowest servant, and none of the disciples wanted to place themselves in a position of a lowly foot-washing servant.

So, Jesus did it. Jesus got up, got a basin of water and a towel, then went around the room and washed the feet of every person. When He was done, He said the words recorded in John 13:15 “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” He was teaching a lesson. The reason the disciples didn’t want to be the one to wash feet is because they thought it would lower them in the eyes of everyone else. But Jesus taught and modeled that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who has learned to serve others. At least once before He had taught them that same lesson. In Luke 22:23 He said, “The greatest among you will be the servant of all.”

Jesus has set us free from pride, and from the selfishness and self-centeredness that comes from pride. He has freed us to humbly and joyfully put others first and to serve their needs. How can we do this without worrying about our own needs and without feeling as if we have been neglected while others were esteemed and served? God has that covered for us and we’ll address it tomorrow. For now, just know that Jesus has set you free from pride and selfishness so you can serve others in His name. I encourage you to follow His example and be intentional about serving others today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You have been set free from selfishness

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been set free from selfishness”

Human beings are selfish by nature. Whether we admit it or not, we are the most important person in our own life. We live inside of our heads, we think about ourselves constantly, and our thoughts center around what we like, what we want, and how we can get it. We think about ourselves much more than we think about anyone else; we talk to ourselves much more than we talk to anyone else; and the bottom line is, we’re motivated by self-preservation, self-promotion, and self-fulfillment. Not totally, of course. The degree to which those things are true of particular individuals may vary from person to person but still, the truth holds that human beings are selfish by nature.

But Jesus sets us free from selfishness. Instead, He teaches us to be selfless. Jesus teaches us, and the Holy Spirit enables us, to think less about ourselves and more about others. This is a marker in our Christian growth. The degree to which we have learned to take our eyes off of ourselves and to focus instead on others is an indication of how much spiritual transformation the Holy Spirit has been able to bring about in our lives. Being selfish is human. Being selfless is Christlike.

In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul urges his readers to be intentional about this. He tells us to make a decision to resist the tendency to think selfishly and to instead determine to humbly think of others first, putting their needs ahead of our own, and then acting on that decision.

Please note that he does not say that we should neglect our own needs. Instead, he says that as we’re looking out for ourselves, we need to be looking out for others as well. But because our natural tendency is to be preoccupied with ourselves and to put our own interests first, it will happen by default. Maybe to the exclusion of considering the interests of others. Therefore, he teaches us to be intentional about looking out for others first. Do that first. Think of them first. Take action on their behalf first. Then, once you have intentionally done that, look out for yourself too.

Learning to be selfless is an important character trait that we Christians need to cultivate if we’re going to become Christlike. This is important, and so we will come back to it tomorrow. In the meantime, know that you have been set free from selfishness.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You have been set free from guilt

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been set free from guilt”

We began our study this month by considering the strong connection between our constitutional freedoms as citizens of the USA, and our spiritual freedom as followers of Jesus Christ. I made the point that neither our freedoms as citizens nor our freedoms as Christians are absolute; they aren’t unrestricted, or unlimited. There are by necessity boundaries within which we are expected to live. The laws of the land and the laws of God provide that structure. I also made the point that the more people in a society there are who live by and obey God’s law, the less need there will be for civil laws and for government intrusion into the lives of its citizens.

At this point in our study, we’re considering what it is that we as Christians have been set free from. Soon we will consider how we can help others to find that freedom too but for now, we’ll continue thinking about what we have been set free from. So far, we’ve learned that we have been set free from the punishment from our sins and from being slaves to sin. Today we will consider the issue of guilt.

Far too many people go through life living with an overwhelming and debilitating sense of guilt and regret for past failures and for past sins. One psychologist estimated that if he could help people to let go of their unresolved guilt and regret, that alone would cure 80% of all mental illness.

As we have already learned, if you have placed your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins then God has forgiven you and He has chosen to remember your sins and failures no more. Now it’s time for you to forgive yourself. If God has forgiven you, then you need to forgive yourself. As author Max Lucado says, “Let mercy happen.” God in His mercy and grace has forgiven you, but if you continue to hold onto your guilt and shame, you are resisting and rejecting His mercy. This is what Paul was referring to in Romans 8:1. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Your past does not have to define you. You can accept God’s forgiveness, draw a line in the sand, and move forward in life from here. The past is past and you can’t change it. Let it go and move on, doing your best to live well and to live right from here on out. No second-guessing. No regrets. Leave the past in the past and move forward into the future. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17. “I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:12.

God let it go and now you need to as well. You have been set free from guilt.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You can have victory over Satan

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:7-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You can have victory over Satan”

This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday regarding the important truth that we no longer have to be slaves to sin. You can have victory over Satan. You can choose to resist what is bad and submit to what is good.

Satan’s goal is to oppose God by getting people to disobey Him. But we don’t have to let Satan have the victory in our lives. James 4:7-8 is clear that if we are intentional about resisting him, Satan must flee from us. As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, Satan can’t make us do anything that we’re not willing to do.

As James noted, the secret to having victory over Satan is a simple two-step process. First, resist him. Be intentional about it. We discussed this yesterday. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a promise from God which was tailormade for exactly this situation. If you want to resist the temptation you are faced with then make 1 Corinthians 10:13 your prayer in that moment – claim it as your own, look for the way out that God has promised to provide for you, and then take it. Resist the devil, and his best efforts against you will be defeated.

The second and even more important part of this is also found in James 4:7-8. It involves drawing near to God. Get close to God and stay close to Him. Satan can’t stand to be in the presence of God. The closer you are to the Lord the further away from you Satan will want to be. That doesn’t mean that he will give-up in his efforts to get you to stray, but it does mean that the closer you are to God the harder it is for Satan to get to you. So, do what you need to do to stay as close to God as you can be. Pray. Read your Bible. Keep your mind focused on Jesus throughout the day. Hang around with other Christians. Attend church.

As was noted yesterday, we no longer have to be slaves to sin. We have been set free by Jesus. That means you can and should have the victory over Satan in every situation. But you do have to be intentional about it. You have to want the victory and you have to work for it. You do your part and God will do His. Resist the devil, draw near to God, God will draw near to you, and you will experience victory over sin and Satan.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You are no longer a slave to sin

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You are no longer a slave to sin”

At this point in our study of having been set free by Jesus, we’re considering what it is that we have been set free from. Yesterday we learned that first and foremost, we have been set free from the punishment for the sins that we have indeed committed. God will forgive our sins if we will place our faith in His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

Also, once we have placed our faith in Christ, we are set free from sinful behaviors as well. We are no longer a slave to sin. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we will no longer commit sin, but it does mean that we don’t have to. Satan can’t force us to do anything we’re not willing to do. And, as the Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 10:13, God will provide a way for us to escape that temptation and avoid the sin if we are looking for a way out of it and if we are willing to avoid it. But that’s the key, we have to want to avoid sinning and we have to take the actions necessary to resist it.

We all have our weaknesses, and therefore we each have ways in which we are especially prone to sinful behavior. My chief weakness is a tendency towards gluttony. If I don’t discipline myself, I will overindulge in food – especially sweets, and most specifically ice cream, cakes, and donuts. Those are my weaknesses. I know this about myself and so there are ways in which I have learned to discipline myself so that I don’t overindulge.

With respect to ice cream, we can’t have containers of it in our freezer at home. If we do, I just might eat it all in a single sitting. Probably right out of the container. So, we can’t have that in our home. Likewise with cakes and donuts. I won’t eat just one donut or just one piece of cake. If there are more, then I will eat more. So, I have to keep them out of the house and I have to stay out of the cake and donut aisle in the supermarket. (I should also stay away from the desert table at the church potlucks but those of you in our church know that I don’t. You’ve seen me eating more than my fair share of the deserts at church fellowship events. But don’t judge, I know most of your weaknesses too!)

Whatever your weakness is, you don’t have to be a slave to it. There are steps you can take to avoid it. If alcohol is your weakness, then don’t go to places where they serve alcohol. If pornography is your problem, have the appropriate controls set up on your computer. You get the point.

And for those times when we do find ourselves in a situation of being tempted, God has provided us with the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13. Make that passage your prayer. Recite it back to God, mean it, look for the way out, and then take it.

You are no longer a slave to sin. You have been set free.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

If your sins have been forgiven you have been set free

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39

Our thought for today: “If your sins have been forgiven you have been set free.”

There was a prison in Italy in the 1500s that was located on a small island in a harbor. The prison was a large stone fortress that was entered by boat. The boat bringing the prisoner to the prison would enter an inlet and slowly drift towards a tunnel entrance carved into the massive stone structure. The prison was huge, towering over the boat. It was covered in slimy green moss, the entrance was dark and forbidding, and it was cold, damp, and windblown. Carved over the entrance in bold letters was the notice “Abandon hope all you who enter here!”

Imagine a prisoner sitting in the boat viewing this scene, knowing he had been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in this evil-looking place. Image the sick feeling in his stomach and the deep sense of doom and desperation and hopelessness he must have felt. Now imagine that as the boat prepares to dock the Warden is standing there and shouts to the officers, “The prisoner has been forgiven. His sentence has been commuted. Turn around, bring him back to town and release him. He is a free man!” Can you imagine the relief that would flood over the prisoner upon hearing that news? He doesn’t have to suffer the punishment for the crimes he has committed. He is a free man. He has been granted a new life!

That’s exactly the situation for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. We deserve to be punished but instead we have been forgiven and set free. That’s what Paul was explaining to his listeners in Acts 13:38-39. We have been set free from the punishment we deserve for the sins we have committed. That’s the freedom that faith in Christ brings to us.

Psalm 103:11-12 assures us, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Likewise, in Hebrews 8:12 God promises, “For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.”

That forgiveness is found only through faith in Jesus Christ. “There is salvation in on one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. And, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

People all around us are desperate and hopeless and they need to know what you know – they need to know that God will forgive their sins and give them a new life. They need to be set free, as you have been. I encourage you to help someone find that freedom today. Tell them about Jesus. He will set them free.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

God let’s us suffer the consequences

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools … therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts …” Romans 1:21-24 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God let’s us suffer the consequences”

In Romans 1:24, when the Apostle Paul wrote that God delivers sinful people over to the desires of their hearts, what he meant was that God will allow us to suffer the consequences of our sins. In the Bible God has made His standards clear, plain, and simple. They are standards that apply to all people in all places at all times. But God doesn’t force obedience. He has given mankind free will and He allows us to make our own choices. But He also then allows us to suffer the consequences of the choices. We are free to choose, but we are not free to avoid the consequences of those choices.

When Paul wrote that God delivers people over, it means for one thing that God withdraws His hand of blessing and protection, and then people live as best they can without His blessings. But on top of that, God will also bring discipline and punishment into individual lives, and into the national life of entire nations, in order to help them to come to the realization that His ways are best. Between the two, the disciplinary and punitive actions of God, along with the natural consequences that come with bad choices, life lived outside the will of God will be unpleasant at best.

With respect to our national life in the USA, there are two observations from leaders of previous generations which are insightful and helpful. The first comes from one of the founders of our nation, Daniel Webster, and it was written in 1787: “If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will be. If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign …”

The second statement was written more than 200 years later by Newt Gingrich when he was serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1994: “It is impossible to maintain civilization with 12 year old’s having babies, 15 year old’s killing each other, 17 year old’s dying of AIDS, or 18 year old’s getting diplomas they can’t read.” The situation in our country has only gotten worse since Gingrich wrote those words twenty-seven years ago. It has gotten much worse.

So, now that we have a fairly accurate understanding of where our society is today with respect to God and His principles, let’s move on to the role we as Christians must be playing in an attempt to help correct this. We will do that tomorrow. As Christians we have been set free by Jesus, and one of the reasons we have been is so that we can help others to be free too. So we will begin by considering what it is we have been set free from.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

The goal is maximum freedom and limited government

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NASB)

Our thought for today: “The goal is maximum freedom and limited government”

I’ve chosen to write this month about the connection between our national freedom and our Christian freedom because it’s such an important issue in our land right now. For most of the month we will consider what our Christian freedom consists of and how it should determine how we live. But in order for us to really appreciate the importance of the impact Christians should be having in our society, we need to consider where our society is at today.

We live in the era of big government, and it’s in the process of getting substantially bigger. The intrusion of government into the private lives of citizens in the USA is getting deeper and deeper. Deficit spending for big government programs is reaching astounding and unsustainable levels. And worst of all, government legislation is effectively legitimizing and institutionalizing attitudes and behaviors that are distinctly unbiblical and contrary to God’s kingdom principles.

The Bible teaches that civil government was instituted by God for the good of mankind. The basic purpose of government is to provide sufficient structure and controls to prevent anarchy – but not so much as to become heavy-handed, and certainly not to lead and govern in ways contrary to God’s standards.

The further a society drifts from God’s standards, the more difficult it becomes to control. The further people are from Biblical principles the more crime, immorality, selfishness, and overall bad behavior there will be. Government then will become increasingly intrusive in its attempts to control people’s behavior. That then gives elected officials power. And power is addictive, the more they have the more they want and the more reasons they will find to become increasingly intrusive and controlling.

I believe Pastor and author Tony Evans was correct when he taught in his Bible study series “The Kingdom Agenda” that God’s intent is for people to have maximum freedom, and for there to be limited government. But in order for that to be the case, people have to behave well. It’s not that hard. The boundaries God established in the Bible are wide and allow for a lot of freedom. Micah 6:8 (above) is an illustration of how simple it is. Just behave well.

The goal for God’s people in this world is to pursue and promote God’s kingdom agenda in their own lives first, and then in society, helping to move people and entire societies closer and closer to Biblical principles. The closer a society is to God’s standards, the less justification there will be, and the less need there will be, for big government.

We want maximum freedom and limited government. But Christians have an important role to play in helping to achieve that. We have a big responsibility that we must live up to. More about this in the days to come.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

We must protect our Christian heritage

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We have to protect our Christian heritage”

Psalm 33:12 was written first and primarily about the nation of Israel. They were God’s chosen people. However, the overriding truth applies to all nations. Blessed is that nation that choses and honors God.

Here in the USA, we Christians today are living in dangerous and challenging times. Our nation was founded upon Biblical principles but as a society we’re drifting further and further away from those foundational principles, and at an accelerated rate. This can only be bad. Now, it is important to note that we were never intended by our founders to be a Christian theocracy. They never intended for our nation to be a religious state. We’re not supposed to be a Christian version of Iran, ruled by a Christian Ayatollah and the Christian equivalent of Mullahs. But Biblical principles were woven into the very fabric of our founding documents because there are no better principles for a nation to live by. Here’s some proof. There’s a lot more but here is some:

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Patrick Henry – 1776

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of Civil Government with the principle of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams, 1789

“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teaching of the Redeemer of Mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.” Supreme Court of the United States, – 1892, after citing 87 precedents.”

As a nation we are home for people of all races, creeds, and colors, and there is no State religion. Everyone is free to worship as they please. But the underlying principles upon which our founding documents were based were Biblical. As Christians it’s our job to work to help preserve that Christian heritage – for our own sakes but also for the sake of our nation.

My intent for this devotional series is to establish first, the clear Christian heritage that is ours as citizens of this land; and second, to show how we as Christians are to live in a way that is most effective for the cause of Christ in this society. Our freedom as Christians can and should have a direct impact on our freedoms as citizens of this country. We have to protect our Christian heritage, and all this month we will be considering ways in which we can do that.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim