Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “If you love me, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth … I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:15-17; 25-26 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The Spirit is the key to successful living on this side of the cross.”

In recent days we have learned about the doctrine of dispensationalism and of progressive revelation. So now we understand that when Jesus came, He ushered the human race into an entirely new era of history that would be unlike any other. We also learned about the doctrine of substitution, and how it could be that the death of Jesus on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. When Jesus came, He changed everything!

So, try to imagine the shock and dismay of His closest followers as Jesus tried to explain to them that soon He was going to die on a cross (Mark 8:31). The Jews had waited so long for the promised Messiah to come! And now that He had finally arrived, after they had waited for a thousand years, they were being told that He was about to be killed, and that He would then arise from the grave after three days, but after that He would ascend back into heaven and leave them all over again! It was more than they could comprehend or accept. That’s why, in Matthew 26:33 and in John 13:37, Peter boldly declared that He would defend Jesus, and even die for Him, in order to prevent such a thing from happening. And it’s why, in the Garden of Eden when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter pulled out a sword and began to fight on His behalf.

Yes, His closest followers understood that Jesus was ushering them into an entirely new era of human history, and they were in awe of what was happening, but at that point they had little understanding of what the nature of that new era would be. They didn’t really understand who or what the Holy Spirit was and what a pivotal and vital factor He would be for life on this side of the cross. From the day of Pentecost onward, the believer’s relationship with the Holy Spirit would be the key to successful and victorious living in the kingdom of God on earth, but they didn’t understand that yet. That was a concept that was only beginning to be introduced in the days when Jesus walked the earth in His human body, but it is a fully-developed reality for us today.

In the passage we read today, Jesus began to develop in His followers a rudimentary understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and what His role in the lives of Christians would be. In the days to come we will explore this teaching in much greater depth, because the Spirit is the key to successful living on this side of the cross.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We see examples of substitution at work in the world.”

In yesterday’s devotional we thought about the doctrine of substitution as described by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21. On the cross Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and in exchange He gave us His righteousness. That’s the doctrine of substitution, both sides of it. Our sins, not credited to us but to Jesus; and in exchange His righteousness credited to us, thereby making us suitable for eternity in heaven. On the cross God treated Jesus as if He had lived your sinful life, so that in eternity He could treat you as if you had lived Jesus’ perfect life.

We know it’s true and yet we’re still left wondering how it could be so. “How can God treat us as if we have not sinned, when He knows full well that we have? Isn’t He just fooling Himself?” And of course, the answer is “No, He’s not just fooling Himself.” God knows that we sinned but He has chosen to accept Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf as the payment for our sins, and then He chooses to simply remember our sins no more. They are in the past, they have been dealt with, and therefore they no longer need to be considered.

What took place on the cross is the ultimate example of the doctrine of substitution in action, but it’s not the only example. We actually see such substitution taking place in life all the time. I’m talking about the soldier who throws his body on top of a live grenade, using his own body to absorb the destructive impact of the explosion and thereby saving the lives of the other soldiers. He gave his life for theirs. They live because he died. Then there was the man who saw two boys being swept away by a raging river. He jumped in and saved them both, but lost his own life in the process. It was the ultimate sacrifice. He died to save them.

I once read a story about a group of Jews during World War Two who were hiding from the Nazis, but who were then discovered in an upstairs room of the house they were in. Among their group was a 14-year-old girl. One of the soldiers grabbed the girl by the wrist and began dragging her to a bedroom, followed by the other soldiers. They were going to rape her. But then a young adult woman in the group called out to them and said, “Wait! She’s only 14 and she has no experience with men. I’m a grown woman and I know how to please men. Take me instead and I will cooperate.” So they took her instead and she was repeatedly gang-raped by the five soldiers, but they left the girl alone. It was a great act of sacrifice that saved someone else from suffering that same fate.

So even in life we find many stories about extraordinary acts of sacrificial substitution where one person suffers, and sometimes even dies, on behalf of others. That’s what Jesus did for us on the cross. He died so you can live. He took your sins upon Himself and gave you His own righteousness in exchange. It was the ultimate example of the doctrine of substitution.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus took your sins and gave you His righteousness.”

The greatest news the world has ever heard is that Jesus Christ came to earth, died upon a cross to pay the penalty for our sins, arose from the grave, and ascended back into heaven, and whoever will place their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins will have eternal life in heaven. That’s the Good News. But why was it even necessary for Him to do that? Why did He have to die for our sins? Why did He have to conquer death and arise from the grave? The answer is because we had a sin problem that we couldn’t solve for ourselves.

You see, God is holy and pure and perfect; and heaven is holy and pure and perfect; and no unholy, impure, or imperfect thing can be allowed into heaven or it would spoil it. Heaven would then contain something that was not holy, pure, and perfect. And since we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) our sin makes us unholy, impure, and imperfect and therefore not suitable for heaven.

But Jesus fixed that problem for us. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 the Apostle Paul explained how he did it. There he describes for us what theologians call “The doctrine of substitution”. Jesus had no sin of His own. He was holy and pure and perfect. But on the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins that would ever be committed by anyone who would ever place their faith in Him. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us …” As Pastor and author John MacArthur once explained, “On the cross God treated Jesus as if He had committed every sin that would ever be committed by any person, when in fact He committed none of them. That’s the doctrine of substitution. The innocent dies for the guilty.” Jesus didn’t commit any sins, but God treated Him as if He had committed them all. So, the sin problem of the world had been dealt with. The sins had to be dealt with, and they were. But it was Jesus who was punished for them instead of you and me.

Then, Jesus gave us all of His righteousness. Not only did He take our sins upon Himself, but as verse 21 reveals, He then gave His righteousness to us, “… so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s the other side of substitution. On the one side Jesus gets all of our sins. On the other side we get all of His righteousness. That’s why Jesus had to live here on earth for thirty-three years. He lived the perfect and sinless life that you and I aren’t capable of living. Then on the cross He swapped your life for His. He took your sinful life upon Himself, and He gave you His perfect and sinless life in return. That’s the doctrine of substitution. Both sides of it.

That’s how your sins were dealt with. Jesus took your sins, and He gave you His righteousness. We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.” Matthew 13:16-17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus changed everything!”

“Dispensationalism” is a fifty-cent theological word which refers to the understanding that God has interacted with the human race in different ways over the course of history, as His plan for redeeming humans after the fall in the Garden of Eden has unfolded. Dispensationalism is closely related to another theological concept known as “progressive revelation”. These two concepts, taken together, help us to understand that in each era of human history, as God’s plan for the human race has moved closer and closer to fulfillment, God has dealt with us in increasingly familiar ways, progressively revealing more and more about Himself.

In the pre-flood world there was little understanding of or interaction with God. During the time of Abraham God began to interact with humans more directly. Then in the time of Moses and the prophets God became much more interactive and directive, giving us the Ten Commandments, the written Mosaic Law, and eventually the writings of the prophets. Then, in the time of Jesus, God was present in the world in a human body in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Then finally, after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, followed by the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to earth to reside in the hearts of the followers of Jesus, God ushered the world into the final stage of human history, which will end with the second coming of Christ. In this age we have the full disclosure of God about Himself, in the form of the completed Bible, and we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. This is an entirely new era and it is different from any other era that has ever existed. And, it is the age in which you and I live. This is the end-stage of the unfolding of God’s plan for the human race.

All this month, as we approach Easter, we will consider what life is supposed to be like for us on this side of the cross. When Jesus came into the world, lived among us, died on the cross, arose from the grave, ascended back into heaven, and then sent the Holy Spirit in His place, He changed everything! Our era is different in important ways from any other era there has ever been. What does that mean? How then should we live? We’ll spend this month before Easter considering those important questions.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, ‘Woman, you are free of your disability.’ Then he laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God. But the leader of the synagogue (was) indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath …” Luke 13:12-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “People are more important than rules.”

Once, many years ago, in another church in another state, a young single mother came to see me who was a member of a different church. She had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and although she had been encouraged by friends and family to get an abortion, she chose to have and keep her baby. Now, as a new mother and as a Christian, she wanted to have her baby dedicated to the Lord in a Sunday morning worship service. She acknowledged that she was wrong to have had sex outside of marriage, but she did the right thing by having the baby, and now she wanted to do the right thing by dedicating her baby to the Lord and raising the child in church.

But, the Pastor and leaders of her own church refused. They were hardcore legalists, and they were determined not to do or say anything that could in anyway be perceived as possibly endorsing or winking at the sin that had led to the conception of this baby, so they told her they would not participate in dedicating the child to the Lord.

I disagreed with their position. Regardless of the circumstances that led to the pregnancy, here was a beautiful little baby and a mother who wanted to do the right thing for her child. Our job as the church was to help this young woman draw a line in the sand and go forward from there, honoring the Lord and raising her child well. So even though she wasn’t a member of our church, I invited her to come on a Sunday morning and we would gladly assist her in dedicating that baby to the Lord. The leaders and the congregation of our church all enthusiastically agreed, and that baby was dedicated to God.

In Luke 13:10-17 Jesus encountered a woman in the synagogue who had been crippled for eighteen years. Having compassion on her, he healed her and freed her from her long years of affliction, pain, and suffering. But when He did, the leader of the synagogue complained bitterly that the healing had been accomplished on the Sabbath, thereby (in his opinion), violating the law and tradition of not performing any work on the Sabbath. But Jesus informed all of them that this woman was much more important to God than any rule, regulation, tradition, or religious ritual, and that freeing her from her suffering was the right thing to do, regardless of any rules about working on the Sabbath.

The lesson here is that we shouldn’t let anything deter us in our efforts to take care of people, because taking care of people is more important than rules, regulations, traditions, religious rituals, or any other excuse we might come up with for not taking care of them.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be a peacemaker”

As a child, teenager, and young adult, I had an anger problem. I had a simmering rage bottled up inside of me and sometimes it would erupt for little or no good reason. I was easily provoked and would sometimes explode over the silliest things. It made life difficult for my parents, for my brothers and sisters, and later in life, for my wife and children.

Fortunately as I got older I mellowed and my anger became less of a problem. And then, thirty years ago, when the Holy Spirit of God finally got ahold of me and started developing the fruit of the Spirit in me (Galatians 5:22-23), love and joy and peace and patience began to replace the anger and the offense.

I’ve discovered in the years since then that it’s a lot more pleasant (for me and for everyone around me) to live in peace than in anger and conflict. In fact, I’ve learned that one of the greatest acts of blessing I can offer to others is to be an agent of peace, to be a peacemaker. Instead of being easily offended or quickly angered, it’s much better to be the one who does not easily take offense and who is seldom angered. The truth is that most things aren’t important enough to get angry over or to be offended about. Even most things you disagree with aren’t important enough to risk a confrontation. I believe that how able we are to simply let unimportant things go is a measure of our spiritual maturity.

In Romans 12:18 the Apostle Paul encouraged us to strive for peace in our relationships with others. He acknowledged that sometimes it’s not possible to live at peace with everyone – sometimes there are issues that have to be addressed, and sometimes other people simply will not let you to be at peace with them. But if it is possible, then as far as it is up to you, work for peace.

When it comes to taking care of others one of the most helpful things you can do is to be an agent of peace, someone who brings peace and stability into relationships rather than anger and strife. I encourage you to help make everyone’s lives better by being the one who strives for peace. Be a peacemaker.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “May the Lord bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “This man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.” Ruth 2:20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You don’t have to be a hero; just be good.”

I love the example of the man Boaz in the Old Testament book of Ruth. If you remember the story, Naomi, along with her husband and two sons, were Jews who left Israel during a time of famine and immigrated to the land of Moab. Her sons met and married two Moabite girls and the family settled into life there. But then Naomi’s husband and two sons all died. Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth then decided to return to Israel.

When they arrived, they were homeless and with no means of support so Ruth sought work in the fields helping to bring in the harvest. She was hired to work in a field owned by Boaz, who happened to be a relative of Naomi’s. Boaz was an upright, kind, and compassionate man. He had mercy on Ruth and Naomi, helped them in their time of need, and he ended up marrying Ruth and producing offspring who were direct descendants of Jesus Christ.

The thing that impresses about Boaz is that he was simply a kind man doing the right thing. He saw two women in need and he helped them – and that was exactly what God wanted him to do. God wasn’t looking for Boaz to be a hero by doing some extraordinary thing. God just wanted him to notice a need and be responsive to it.

Solomon wrote about this as well in Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” The Apostle James taught something similar in James 4:17 when he wrote, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

When it comes to taking care of others you don’t have to be a hero, you just have to be good. Boaz was a good man who simply and quietly did the right thing. That’s all God asks of us too.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.” Titus 2:6-7 CSB

Our thought for today: “Set a good example; encourage those who are discouraged.”

One of the men in our church is the head coach of the boy’s basketball team in one of our local high schools. He’s a very good basketball coach. He has led his teams to multiple winning seasons and district championships. But he’s an even better role model for those boys. He loves them, teaches them valuable life-lessons, and he models character and integrity for them.

The other night his team was playing in the district championship game. The other team was good and they were tough. For four full quarters it was a close-fought battle with the lead changing hands multiple times. Finally, with only 3.4 seconds left, our team was ahead by 2 points and it appeared they would win another district championship. But the opposing coach called a time-out. He gathered his team in a huddle and devised a last-second desperation play – the proverbial “Hail Mary”. When play resumed they quickly passed the ball to their best shooter. He then launched what appeared to be an impossibly long shot towards the basket and it went in for a long three-pointer just as the buzzer sounded and time expired. The other team won the game by only one point.

As you can imagine, the arena erupted in pandemonium. The opposing fans went nuts. But our team and our fans stood in stunned silence, shocked to have had the win snatched from us in the last second like that. But what happened next was a powerful lesson for all of us. As soon as the frenzy started to die down our coach gathered his team, led them over to the other side, and then personally shook the hand and congratulated every player on the opposing team. He then led both teams to gather in a circle at center court as one of our young players led both teams in a prayer.

It was a powerful lesson in how a godly man responds to bitter discouragement, and it was done in a way that encouraged, uplifted, and inspired not just the boys who lost a tough game, but everyone else in the arena as well.

As Christians we have it within us to be a source of encouragement to those who are suffering bitter disappointment. That’s true even when (maybe especially when), we are suffering that bitter disappointment along with them.

Life is hard and it is filled with lots of times of disappointment and discouragement. In such times be sure to be a good example. Handle it with grace, and with character, dignity and integrity. If you do, you will be a source of encouragement for those who are also disappointed and discouraged.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “But if anyone does not provide for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take care of your family”

I had a situation many years ago when a young single mother came to the church asking for help to buy food for her family. She explained that her ex-husband was behind in his child support payments and that it was creating a financial crisis for her and the children. The problem wasn’t that he didn’t have a job or income, he did, the problem was that he had other expenses as well and therefore he wasn’t paying the child support. Instead, he told her to go to the church for help.

We did help that family but there were a few things I would like to have said to that deadbeat dad. A man has a responsibility to take care of his children. He has a responsibility to pay his child support. If that means he has to work a second job, then he should work a second job. If it means he has to pick up aluminum cans on the side of the road to earn some extra cash, then he should pick up aluminum cans on the side of the road. He should do whatever it takes to fulfill his responsibility to provide for his children. And according to God in 1 Timothy 5:8, that kind of responsibility applies to all of us, and it to extends to other family relationships as well.

When it comes to providing for basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothes, I believe there is a hierarchy of priority in assuming responsibility for meeting the need. First, the individual has to do everything possible to provide for themselves. Then, if the person is truly doing what he or she can do to help themselves, and if the situation involves a true need and not just a want, then family members need to step up and help. It’s only then that the church or other helping agencies should be approached for assistance.

You have probably heard the old adage “Charity begins at home”.  That truth can be applied in multiple ways but it certainly is true that we need to take proper care of those close to us first. We are not to enable laziness or bad behavior, but if a close family member has a legitimate need, and if they really have done everything they can do to help themselves, and if we can help, then we should. The responsibility for helping belongs to family members first.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Stay calm and trust the Lord”

One of the nicest compliments anyone ever gave me came from a team member on a mission trip to Haiti. Haiti is the poorest and most lawless country in the western hemisphere. There is little effective government and almost no law enforcement. Port-au-Prince is a dirty, noisy, crowded city with horrendous traffic jams and piles of rotting garbage everywhere. Armed gangs are a danger that must be avoided. Many stores have a shotgun-toting guard standing at the front door.

The missionary compound we were staying in was in the center of a crowded neighborhood. It was surrounded by 20-foot-high stone walls topped with broken glass embedded in the stone. Huge metal gates provided entry into the compound but they were always locked and always guarded. If we left the compound it was in a vehicle, as a group, and we were escorted by an armed guard.

One morning we were meeting for morning devotions. The night before there had been gunfire in the neighborhood directly outside the compound. As I had been doing all throughout the mission, I spoke to the team about the security situation. I assured them that our hosts had gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure our safety, and that we should just trust in the Lord and stay focused on the mission. We would be smart, I told them, and we would not take unnecessary risks, but beyond that we would just do our job and trust the Lord.

That’s when the compliment came. The team member said, “Jim, you’re like good medicine. You make people feel better.” I’m not very good at taking compliments and so her statement made me a little uncomfortable. But then I remembered what was actually happening. What she and the others were actually seeing and sensing wasn’t me, it was the Holy Spirit of God using me, as the leader of the group, to comfort and reassure His people. That sense of calmness and assurance comes to us from the Holy Spirit. He may speak it through a leader, but it’s the Spirit who reminds us that God is in control and that He has promised to watch over us and to care for us. The Spirit reminds us of God’s past faithfulness to us in other dicey situations, and He speaks peace into our hearts.

As I think back on that situation, I realize that the only thing I did that day that was of any worth was that I allowed the Spirit of God to speak to His people through me. He will do that through you too. If you turn to Him, the Spirit within you will enable you to remain calm and unflustered in difficult situations. You then, can have a calming influence on others. But remember, it’s not you. It’s not you who is “the good medicine that makes people feel better”, it’s the Holy Spirit within you. He’s simply dispensing the medicine through you.

In difficult situations stay calm, trust the Lord, and let Him speak words of peace and comfort through you to others.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim