Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Living without faith can be a miserable experience.”

 

The other day I began reading Os Guinness’ new book “Impossible People”. Surprisingly, the “Impossible People” he’s writing about are bold, courageous, faithful Christians. The point he makes is that we live in an increasingly secular world that is humanistic, fatalistic, and pessimistic. In such a cultural setting people who insist on clinging to, and living by, a strong faith in the God of the Bible are viewed by society as being “impossible people” – people who are needlessly difficult and uncooperative; people who refuse to do the logical thing (so they say) of just going along in order to get along. In the eyes of the culture such people are simply “impossible”.

 

To help illustrate the sense of despair and meaninglessness that more and more permeates our culture as a result of such widespread humanistic and fatalistic thinking, Os begins the book with numerous quotes from influential non-Christian thinkers. Here’s a gem from German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Fichte lived and wrote in the 1700s but his writings are still popular and influential among secular humanists in our day:

 

“Should I eat and drink, only in order to hunger and thirst again, and eat and drink, merely until the open grave under my feet swallows me up as a meal for the earth? Should I create more beings like myself, so that they can eat and drink and die, and so they can leave behind beings of their own, so that they do the same as I have already done? What is the point of this continual, self-contained and ever-returning circle, this repetitive game that always starts again in the same way, in which everything is, in order to fade away, and fades away in order to return again as it was – this monster continually devouring itself in order to reproduce itself, and reproduce itself in order to devour itself?”

 

Do you hear the utter sense of meaninglessness and despair regarding the purpose of life in Fichte’s lament? That sense of despair and meaninglessness is widespread in our world today. Sadly, sometimes even the people of God experience it. King Solomon himself went through many years of that kind of doubting and questioning and searching for answers. That’s what the book of Ecclesiastes is all about.

 

But go back to the beginning of this devotional message and read Solomon’s ultimate conclusion again. Eventually he found the answers to his doubts and questions and no surprise, the answers were found in God.

 

On Sunday August 14^th at Oak Hill Baptist Church we’re going to begin a Sunday evening Bible study based upon the great book by Lee Strobal entitled “The Case for Faith.” It will be taught by Scott Lacy and you will find that it very effectively addresses some of the most difficult questions spiritual searchers, and committed Christians too, commonly wrestle with.

 

More about “The Case for Faith” tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.” Genesis 3:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Yes you will.”

 

One of Satan’s most effective strategies to get us to sin is to convince us that we can sin without suffering any consequences. That’s what we’re reading about in Genesis 3:4. Just before that, in Genesis 2:17, God had said very clearly that if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they would in fact die. He didn’t mean that they would die immediately, but rather that the results of the disobedience (sin) would bring about their eventual death. The sin would launch a slow steady downward slide that would end in their death.

 

Going on to Genesis 3:5 we find Satan even convincing Eve that not only would she not suffer consequences for disobeying God’s command, she would actually gain benefits from it, benefits that God had been withholding from her, “ … your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good from evil.”

 

Satan was lying. He always does. Don’t doubt it, sin always has consequences. Yes you will die. Yes you will suffer. Somehow, at some time, and in some way, you will pay. It’s like the old saying goes, “Sin takes you further than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and costs you more than you wanted to pay.”

 

As I’ve written in previous devotional messages, in the Bible God has established the boundaries within which His people are to live their lives. The boundaries are actually pretty wide – they allow us lots of room to live well and to fully enjoy life. But there are boundaries. When we stay within the boundaries we are living within the realm whereby God can and will bless us. When we’re outside of those boundaries not only will God not bless our lives, but He will take the actions needed in order to draw us back into a life lived within the Biblical boundaries. We call such actions “discipline”. In Hebrews 12:6 we read, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves.”

 

Please don’t allow Satan to fool you into thinking you can sin without consequences. You can’t. God will not be mocked and He will not ignore disobedience. At the very least He will withdraw His blessings. But He will also administer discipline in an attempt to correct you. And, He will allow you to suffer the consequences of your choices too.

 

Satan told Eve she wouldn’t die as a result of disobeying God. He was lying and she did indeed die. Satan will attempt to convince you that you can disobey God and get away with it. He’s lying to you too.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel …” 2 Samuel 11:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A little sin could be the beginning of a big fall.”

 

There’s a contemporary Christian song by the group Casting Crowns that I like very much. The title is “Slow Fade” and it’s about the fact that major failures in life never happen in an instant. They’re always the result of a long pattern of compromise that ultimately leads to major failure. Here’s just a part of the song:

 

“It’s a slow fade, when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade, when black and white turn gray. And thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid … when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. It’s a slow fade … it’s a slow fade …”

 

In 2 Samuel Chapter 11 we read the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. As the leader of the nation, David was supposed to have been with the army out in the field leading the battles. But he had gotten lazy and casual. So he sent the army out without him and he stayed at home hanging out on the couch.

 

One evening he was strolling on his rooftop and he noticed a very beautiful woman (Bathsheba), on the roof of another house. He lusted after her, had her brought to his palace, and he had sex with her – even though she was married to another man (Uriah), who was a soldier out in the field with the army David was supposed to be leading.

 

Long story short, Bathsheba got pregnant, David tried to cover it up but wasn’t able to, and he ended up having Uriah murdered so he could marry Bathsheba himself.

 

The point is that David’s lust, the resulting adultery, and then the conspiracy that resulted in Uriah’s murder, didn’t all happen on the spur of the moment. Those events were just the culmination of a long slow fade that occurred in David’s life as he became physically and spiritually lazy. He had stopped doing the things he was supposed to do and he had stopped being in the places he was supposed to be in. And then, he fell.

 

The same is true with us. Spiritual erosion is a gradual thing that occurs over time as we get lazy and casual in the practice of our faith. Ultimately it leads to ethical and moral compromises, compromise that we probably would never have envisioned on that first Sunday morning when we decided to stay home from church instead of attending like we knew we should. And then it begins: one excuse leads to the next, and to the next, and then to the next. Then standards start to slip. Then more excuses are made. Then rationalization takes over. And then one evening you find yourself lying in bed with someone else’s spouse wondering how you ended up there.

 

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away.

 

If you’re having doubts about an action you’re contemplating taking; if you have to stop to wonder if this thing is OK or not; then the answer is “No, don’t do it”.

 

If the correctness of a decision is uncertain; if the godliness of it is in question; if there is any doubt at all, then don’t do it. Why take the chance? People never crumble in a day. It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away. So don’t even start down that road.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Mephibosheth bowed down and said, ‘Who is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Err on the side of grace and compassion.”

 

I love the story in 2 Samuel Chapter nine of King David and Mephibosheth the grandson of King Saul. David had recently been elevated to reign as King over the united Israel. He remembered his promise made years earlier to his best friend Jonathan, the son of Saul, to have mercy on and to bless his descendants. So David instructed his aides to find out if there were any surviving descendants of Jonathan’s that he could bless.

 

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and he was crippled in both feet as a result of a childhood accident. Normally in those days when a new king took the throne he would root out all family members of previous kings (who could potentially be a threat to his own dynasty) and he would have them killed. Therefore when David’s men came looking for Mephibosheth he rightly expected to be executed.

 

But instead of killing him, David drew Mephibosheth into the royal court, invited him to dine at the king’s own table, and bestowed land and riches upon him as well. Mephibosheth, this crippled outcast, was flabbergasted by this unexpected expression of kindness, compassion, and grace.

 

The editors of the Daily Walk Study Bible challenge us to consider if God has placed a Mephibosheth in our lives. Do you know of a needy person who is struggling, maybe being ignored by others, and who would be blessed by an unexpected act of kindness and compassion from you? The world is full of them. They’re all around us.

 

Often when we consider situations like that we have doubts as to whether or not we should get involved. After all, as I said, the world is full of needy people, they’re all around us, and nobody can do everything for everyone. My advice to you? Err on the side of compassion and grace.

 

Now it’s true that you shouldn’t be naïve about it, and you do need to use good judgment, but if you’re struggling with the decision of whether to help or not, the best choice is to err on the side of compassion. If the situation isn’t clear and therefore there’s a chance that whatever action you take could be wrong, then be wrong on the side of helping rather than not helping.

 

I recently read a statement about this that, while not a rigid truth etched in stone, it does accurately capture the essence of Biblical teaching on the subject: “To feel sorry for the needy is not the mark of a Christian – to help them is.”

 

So, keep your eyes open and your heart soft. There are Mephibosheths all around you who will be blessed to the tips of their toes if you were to reach out to them with a little act of kindness and grace.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:19 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Doubt can draw you closer to God.”

 

It’s not uncommon to have doubts about all sorts of things. We doubt ourselves, we doubt others, we doubt the future, and sometimes we even doubt God. We humans are fickle creatures and we often need to be reassured.

 

Even some of the greatest Biblical heroes had their times of doubt. In Genesis chapter 15 Abraham had an encounter with God where God promised him that he would indeed have a son to be his heir (Isaac), and that his descendants would become a great nation. What was Abraham’s response to that wonderful promise from God? “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure?” Genesis 15:8.

 

It wasn’t so much that Abraham’s faith was weak or flawed, it was that his faith was being challenged in a new way. So he was asking God to help him embrace the promise with confidence.  That’s actually pretty common in the Bible. We could refer to the stories of Moses, Gideon, David, Solomon, Peter, Thomas, Paul, and many others, and see the same thing.

 

Your doubts don’t bother God as long as you come to Him seeking answers. If you do, then your questions and doubts will serve to draw you closer to Him. Doubt only becomes sin if you let it lead you away from God. If in the midst of asking questions and searching for answers you look more closely at Him and His ways, spending even more time in prayer and study, your doubts will ultimately serve to strengthen your faith.

 

I encourage you to remember His promises to you and all of the ways He has blessed you in the past. Then let those memories be a source of confidence and hope as you work through whatever doubts, questions, or issues you are dealing with at this time.

 

In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

 

That’s a great promise. He is always there for you. So as you wrestle with questions and doubts about difficult issues, draw even closer to God as you dive in and dig deep in your search for answers and reassurance.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.” John 21:15 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God will forgive you and restore you.”

 

Are you a flawed individual? Well welcome to the club, me too. In fact, we’re all flawed. We’re all damaged goods and in truth, we’re all just a little weird.

 

The Apostle Peter was certainly flawed. He was often brash and outspoken, and bit like a bull in a china shop. He made lots of mistakes, some of them big mistakes. Most famously, he denied three times that he even knew Jesus and then he went off in a corner and cried like a baby. After that he probably sulked around mumbling about what a worthless dog he was, embarrassed to the core by his behavior, and doubting that he would ever amount to anything after what he had done.

 

But Jesus wasn’t done with Peter. You know the story. The resurrected Jesus appeared to Peter, called him out, gave him an opportunity to repent, restored him to ministry, and Peter went on to become an important leader in the early Christian church, he even wrote two books of the New Testament.

 

John Newton was even worse than Peter. He was a cruel and brutal slave-trading sea captain. He was so mean that even his closest crew members lived in fear of him. But Jesus had a plan for Captain John. Long story short, John Newton gave his life to Christ and he ended-up becoming a humble, gentle, kind and compassionate pastor and preacher. He even wrote the most popular Christian hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace”, and he wrote it about himself. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

 

The point is that Jesus wasn’t done with Peter and John and He’s not done with you either. Despite your warts and pimples, regardless of your flaws and weaknesses, and even with your many past failures, Jesus will pick you up, dust you off, forgive your sins, and walk with you into an amazing and wonderful future life.

 

If you let Him. You do have to be willing. And you do have to trust Him. Peter was remorseful but also hopeful and trusting. He was willing to be forgiven. And once Jesus gave him a new ministry (feed my sheep), Peter accepted it, trusted the Lord would empower him to accomplish whatever the assignment was, and then he got busy doing it. It wasn’t too many weeks after this, in Acts chapter two, that we find Peter wading into a crowd of thousands and boldly preaching the Gospel.

 

There is no question that Jesus will forgive you, restore you, and lead you into a new and better season of life. Don’t doubt it. Just accept it and then move forward with Him into a new and better life.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t let doubts stop you from doing what is right and good.”

 

I recently read the inspiring story of George and Martha Scarborough. George was a part-time Baptist preacher who, in July of 1870, believed God was calling him to move to west Texas to raise cattle and to preach the gospel to other ranchers.

 

George and Martha were very poor and had only a small piece of land and no money to build a house. Therefore their first home was little more than a dugout shelter in the side of a hill. Eventually they were able to build a small crude cabin. That’s where they lived for many years as they raised their only son, Lee, while George tended their few cattle and tried to share Jesus with others in the area.

 

George had little success at ranching or at preaching, but he hung in there. All the while he and Martha saved their money in hopes of one day building a large house on the hill overlooking their land. Finally, after 18 years, they had enough money to build the house. But Martha became convinced that God wanted them to spend that money instead to send their son Lee to Bible College. At first George was opposed. He had dreamed of that house for 18 long years, but in time he came to share his wife’s vision and the money was used instead to send Lee to college and then to seminary.

 

Long story short, George and Martha never did get to build that house. They lived in that crude little cabin for the rest of their lives. And George never won many ranchers to faith in Jesus either. But Lee went on to become a preacher and one of the most effective travelling evangelists in all of Texas. Then he became a writer, and then the President of a Seminary, and then a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention.

 

Later in life Lee became a successful businessman and ended up donating large sums of money to Bible Colleges, seminaries, churches, hospitals, and to international missions – and all because George and Martha never gave-up. Despite the long hard years, despite the doubts and the disappointments, despite the struggles and the sacrifices, they never gave-up.

 

And neither should you. As Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9, if you don’t give-up, if you hang in there doing good, doing the right thing, in due season you will reap what God has planned. Don’t let doubts stop you from doing what is right and good.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Doubts fade when faith grows.”

 

One of the surest and most effective ways to dispel doubt is to practice faith. Faith is the opposite of doubt. The more faith you have the fewer doubts there will be. But there is a reason we speak about the “practice” of our faith. Faith is something we have to work at in order for it to grow and become stronger. It’s like lifting weights in order to strengthen your muscles. The more you do it, the stronger you get.

 

This is why in Philippians 2:12 the Apostle Paul instructs us to “work out” our salvation. He doesn’t tell us to work “for” our salvation, you can’t do that. Instead he tells us that once we are saved we must then ‘work out” the proof of that salvation, the evidence of it in our lives. Doing so is an intentional effort that continues over a lifetime and as you do it, you grow and become stronger.

 

So what does all of this have to do with our theme of doubts? If you refer back to the first devotional message in this series, you will remember that having doubts about anything means that you don’t have enough information about something, or enough experience with it, to be convinced it is true. Therefore the more information you gather about something, and the more experience you have with it, the fewer doubts you will have about it.

 

Apply that understanding to your Christian faith and to your experience with God and you immediately see why it’s so important to have daily times of prayer and Bible study, as well as regular attendance at worship services, and active participation in acts of ministry. The more of those things you do, the more your faith will grow and the fewer doubts you will have.

 

In Hebrews 11:1 the writer defines faith for us. There he tells us that faith is being certain of what we believe in. When your faith is strong you gain a sense of certainty – certainty about God, about the spiritual realm, about the promises of God, and about the Bible in general. So even though you cannot see God, your knowledge and experience of Him grows to the point that you are certain of the reality of God. Doubts have faded and faith is strong. This happens as you “practice” your faith.

 

An important part of the practice of your faith is faithful participation in the regular gatherings of your church family. Strong faith expresses itself in group worship. I encourage you to practice your faith, and strengthen it, by attending church this Sunday.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Stay focused on the things that really matter.”

 

At Oak Hill Baptist Church the way we approach the Bible is that I select a book of the Bible to preach on, I begin in chapter one, verse one, and then each Sunday whatever the next major theme in the book is, that’s the subject of this week’s sermon.

 

Recently we’ve been studying the Gospel of Luke. In chapters 14, 15, and 16 we find Jesus teaching a series of lessons designed to help us get our priorities right. In those stories He illustrates for us the great truth that He first taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:31-33 above, and which He then re-taught numerous times throughout His ministry. The lesson is that earthly riches and status are all fleeting and very temporary. Instead it’s godly values that really matter and which have eternal value.

 

All of those sermons are available for you to listen to on our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net. We will continue the study this Sunday as Jesus teaches yet another lesson about the difference between worldly values and kingdom values, between what really matters and what doesn’t.

 

The distinction is important because it’s human nature for us to focus our time and attention primarily on physical things like money, possessions, power, fame, position, status, etc. And if we have not accumulated houses and cars, big bank accounts and high positions, then we can easily doubt ourselves and conclude that we haven’t been successful in life.

 

But God measures success differently. God looks at a person’s heart and wants to see faithfulness, love, joy, and contentment. He looks at your life and He desires to see kindness, compassion, mercy, and generosity. In return He blesses you with the Fruit of the Spirit as Paul described in Galatians 5:22-23 – love and joy, peace and patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The more you live by godly values, the more of God’s blessings you will experience in your life. Those are blessings the world can’t give, and therefore they are blessings the world can’t take away.

 

If you haven’t experienced an abundance of success as measured by worldly standards, please don’t doubt yourself. Ultimately it’s not the standards of this world that really matter anyway. Instead, consider your life based upon the things that God says are important such as spiritual maturity, godly character traits, and Christ-likeness. That’s the measure that really matters, in this lifetime and for all eternity.

 

Join us this Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church as we continue following Jesus’ teaching on this subject. The worship service begins at 10:00.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God speaks to His people.”

 

One of the greatest truths in the Bible is that God wants to be understood by us and He does speak to us. The Bible itself is one long record of thousands of years of examples of God speaking to His people. He spoke back then, and He continues to speak today.

 

As was noted yesterday, God can speak to us in an infinite number of ways. In the Bible we find Him speaking through a burning bush, and through the mouth of a donkey, and in dreams, and through the mouths of prophets, and in numerous other ways. Likewise today, if He chooses He can speak in any of those ways, or in virtually any other way He wants to. But as Henry Blackaby teaches in his Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the will of God”, in our day God usually speaks to us in five primary ways. This morning we will take a moment to look at each of those five ways.

 

1. God speaks through the Bible. The Bible is God’s primary means of communicating with us. In it He has told us everything He wants us to know about Himself, about the spiritual realm, about the issues of life, and much more. So when you’re dealing with doubts and looking for answers, the Bible is the first place you need to go.

 

1. God speaks through prayer. I personally have never heard the audible voice of God and I don’t know anyone who has. When we say that God speaks to us through prayer we mean that in prayer we receive a dawning awareness of the answer we seek and a settled peace about it in our heart. The more you pray about something the more opportunity you’re giving God to speak to you in this way.

 

1. God speaks through the circumstances of our lives. God is amazingly consistent in how He works in our lives. Usually there are patterns, with past events and situations being directly linked to our current circumstances, and our current circumstances pointing us in the direction God wants us to go now. Circumstances by themselves can be unreliable indicators of what God is doing in our lives, and therefore we should not rely on circumstances alone to help us understand. But circumstances are a part of the picture and we do need to include them as we seek understanding and clarity.

 

1. God speaks through counselors. God often speaks to us through the words and wisdom of trusted Christian friends and counselors. When you have doubts about important issues and you are having trouble finding answers, involve others in your pursuit of godly wisdom. Ask them to search the Bible too, and to pray with you and for you. Then ask them to spend some time talking through the issue with you. God’s answers will often come through the words of other Christians.

 

1. God speaks through the testimony of the church. Sometimes, especially in situations like the confirmation of a call into ministry, God will involve an entire church body in the process of understanding and confirming what He is saying.

 

Seldom does God speak to us in just one of those ways. Usually He will communicate in two, three, or even all five of them. Therefore it’s incumbent on us to seek God in all five of those ways. If you would like to gain a more thorough understanding of how it is that God speaks to us, I encourage you to get a copy of the Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”.

 

Don’t ever lose sight of the great truth that God wants to be understood so that He can then be obeyed. He will speak to our doubts and fears.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim