The Way R122

I hope this message will bless us with a simple hope for what we might accomplish eternally in the coming year. A simple hope worked out through seemingly small acts of grace blessed by the Lord working through them. These parables should be the inspiration for our 2023 resolutions; resolutions grounded in an eternal purpose.

In this age of Jesus being fashioned to conform to the image of man’s imaginings, when it seems acceptable for a professing Christian to have a god of their own understanding based on their own conceptions and desires, in which Jesus is often viewed as more of a product than a savior, we must ask - who is Jesus Christ truly? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:1,14

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." - Ephesians 6:11 How much clearer could it be that when we are called to follow Christ we are stepping onto a battlefield - a spiritual battlefield? "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12

"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.'" - Psalm 1:1-3 Looking to things that are unseen will help clarify and make sense of things that are seen. To understand the unseen we must look to the Bible as it reveals the unseen spiritual realm. Because the spiritual realm is unseen, there has always been much speculation, theory, fantasy, and contradictory opinions about what that realm is like and what creatures may or may not exist within it. Why are the strange unseen spiritual events and strange creatures recorded throughout the scriptures mostly ignored?

I believe that if all we had were the Psalms, if we for some reason could not get the other books of the Bible, but had the Psalms, the message of the gospel would shine through them as brightly as it does throughout all of God’s word. One of the amazing things about the scriptures is that the gospel comes through in so many ways. And in the Psalms, the gospel shines through often in the most poetic and beautiful ways. Never discount the blessed gift of the Psalms. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:1,2

In this message, I share one of the many emails I receive regularly from concerned Christians whose churches either have Twelve Step recovery programs or are considering bringing them in. I also share a few examples from our website RecoveryReformation.org comparing the message of the gospel from God's word with the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. If you have wondered if Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, Celebrate Recovery or any of the multitude of recovery programs based on the Twelve Steps are biblical - then consider the comparisons provided here. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

Relative truth, the rejection of absolute truth which is the word of God, calling lies truth and truth lies, calling good evil and evil good. This insanity is a hallmark of a society in rapid decline. For Christians, the truth is everything. Our faith and trust - all that we believe, all that we are, the promises our faith and hope are grounded on are the foundation of absolute truth. Jesus is The Way, and the Truth, and the Life. So, how do we fight back against such blatant corruption and insanity? How do we make a stand for truth amidst a sea of lies? "For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 CSB

The conveyance of the mysterious and almost bizarre vision that Ezekiel shares as a representation of God's providence are a great blessing in helping us to better grasp God's glorious providence. "Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved. As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also." - Ezekiel 1:15-19 Probably one of the strangest visions in scripture. The similarity to descriptions of UFOs is interesting. The wheels signify divine providence. The Greeks and Romans used the wheel to represent the wondrous works of God.

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom In these times it’s easy to be downcast, for our minds to be consumed with events happening in the world around us. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and [then] comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest." - John 4:35 We have here the antidote to being distressed by the world and depressed by sin and hopelessness. What the eyes of the world see as distressing, depressing, and hopeless, the eyes of a believer see as an opportunity for the message of the gospel, to be the light of Christ in the darkness.

The topic of prosperity, because of its being abused and manipulated by so much of the modern Church, is a topic that is sadly neglected from a genuine biblical perspective. However, just because something biblical has been hi-jacked, does not mean we should abandon it. Rather, it seems important to address it and provide biblical clarity in areas where worldly error has clouded the water. When Jesus refers to Himself as “the truth” in John 14:6, I believe that applies on so many levels. And in the context of today’s message, I believe that if we are truly abiding in Christ, in His word, in His truth, then whatever we do will be based on that truth and will glorify Him. If we prosper, our prosperity will be true and genuine because it will be grounded in truth, and will truly be a joyful blessing without the tainting of the world and human nature. Everyone wants to prosper, but not everyone understands that true prosperity is not measured with dollar signs and decimal points, or the facade of an image. True Prosperity stands in non-conformity to the world’s fleeting, shallow, mindless materialism. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." - Psalm 1:1-3

One of the reasons the book of John is so beautiful is because, in so much of it, Jesus himself is teaching who He is and explaining God’s plan of salvation through the work He came to do. "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them." - John 12:36 Will you believe in the light while you have the light?

This is a portion of the Sermon On the Mount - one of my favorite portions of scripture. It sounds far-fetched, but if you consider all that Jesus teaches and commands in the Sermon On the Mount, and imagine it being carried out through all of humanity, you may begin to see the problems of the world could be solved through what Jesus teaches in this one amazing and profound sermon. Discernment in the way we live and interact with others narrows our focus, our choices, and our actions. The longer we walk with Christ, the narrower the path becomes. The longer we walk with Christ, the fewer will walk along with us. Matthew 7:13,14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. I would agree with him. Christianity is largely life examined, a life lived mindfully, a life lived purposefully, a life lived with meaning, a life of contemplation and meditation. The dark side knows this and does a very good job of filling the world with distractions, temptations, hectic busyness, amusements, and technology in an effort to keep us from being still and communing with the Lord. In the modern age especially, we must reject the distractions and trappings of the world, become contradictions to it, and shine with the light of Christ. Philippians 4:8-9 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." We must slow down, be still, and consider the things of God. By looking in we live out our lives, but we must have some guide and direction, some measure of truth to follow, and that is only found in Christ and his word. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." As the world stumbles along in the dark, what a blessing it is for believers to have our path laid out and lit before us, to know why we walk and where our path is leading. As we consider the topic of battling depression and what we can learn from Psalm 51 in relation to it, consider that even if we are not suffering under the lash of conviction, have not committed a terrible sin; contemplating the blessing of repentance through God’s grace and mercy, his forgiveness, and love, is a wonderful way to soothe our souls and lift our spirits.

Two men, walking in the country on a Sunday morning from Jerusalem to Emmaus, discussing recent and distressing events concerning Christ, are joined by the risen Christ - God in the flesh, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Why?

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26 What everyone is looking for whether they like it or not, or will admit it, and most are completely ignorant that they are even looking for, is the resurrection and the life that is Jesus Christ. Every speck and spark of beauty and wonder in this world is a bit of a reflection of Christ.

If we do not address the core cause and reason of depression we may end up in the worldly habit of moving continually from one self-help method to another, making ourselves feel better for a while, but not growing and maturing and overcoming because we have not dealt with the root of the problem. Sin is the core issue of human pain and suffering and therefore the core issue of depression. Even if an unfortunate person is clinically depressed because of a biological or chemical problem, their depression is still one of the results of the sinful state of the human race. Rather than trying to correct situations, circumstances, and consequences, we should be examining, exposing, confessing, and repenting of the sin which is the root cause of man’s problems, pains, and suffering. Knowing that we as believers are blessed to be covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ should give us courage and humility to shine his light into the hidden corners of our being so that what is contrary to Him may be exposed, confessed, repented of, forgiven and washed away through his blood.

In light of current world events and issues, it seems good to insert the topic of anxiety into this series on Battling Depression. Remember last fall when the government and mainstream news were claiming we were heading into a “Dark Winter” when people (mostly the unvaccinated) would be dying of Covid 19 and all sorts of terrible things would be happening? Well, here we are, moving into spring, and aside from high gas prices and being told that food shortages are coming, we are still living our lives, and the winter was not as we were told to fear it would be. Remember just a few months ago when whoever tried to expose how Covid 19 death counts were being exaggerated and the vaccines were causing harm and death was considered a conspiracy theorist and canceled from mainstream and social media? Now, the CDC is admitting the things that were considered unacceptable to speak of just a short time ago, and studies are confirming the dangers of the vaccines and the efficacy of safe methods of treatment that were previously stifled. The point is - we live in a manufactured reality of lies and corruption. And because the vast majority of what we are told are lies intended to control us through fear, most of what people fear - never ends up happening. The key is to ignore the lies and abide in the truth. And, there is only one perfect eternal truth (John 14:6). "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand" - Philippians 4:4-5

After being contacted by people regarding last week's sermon - "Battling Depression," it seems that depression is an issue many people are struggling with. In this message, we take a look at 2 Samuel 11 which recounts David's sins of adultery and murder, and Psalm 51 which portrays his conviction and repentance. Since sin is the core cause of all human sin and suffering, there is much to learn from Psalm 51 in overcoming depression.

It seems that in all times - good or bad, depression has been a common problem for both believers and unbelievers - my favorite preacher, Charles Spurgeon suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life. Spurgeon grew and matured through his times of darkness. Believers can either give in to depression, mask it with prescription drugs, or we can strive to overcome it, learn from it, grow and mature from the experience of it. Following on the heels of the Covid hoax, we are faced with daily news and images of war, destruction, suffering, and death coming out of Ukraine. The possibility of World War 3 and a crumbling fiat currency economy as the federal government relentlessly hacks away at the God-given rights of people and the founding principles of America. There is indeed much to be depressed about if we allow ourselves to be affected and influenced by what is happening.

After two years of manufactured fear of a mostly benign virus through deception and propaganda, the world in the last two weeks has been thrown back into the darkest days of the cold war as world war and the nuclear threat are once again major topics of concern. The news, videos, and images coming out of Ukraine are like replays of World War Two. And, with the very real possibility of escalation and the involvement of other countries in the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, as Communist China is most likely considering the opportunity to make a move on Taiwan, America is floundering amidst governmental corruption as enemies to our principles and values occupy our highest offices, and we are left without any genuine leadership during what may turn out to be one of the most precarious times in American and world history. There is much to fear.

"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." - John 1:16 Why do we allow our own limitations and failings and the influences of the world to hinder the fullness of Christ in us? How much does our opinion or ourselves influence us rather than the will of God? Any hint of works righteousness or self-reliance for salvation will threaten our peace and contentment in Christ. This is a very subtle and sinister issue that I believe all Christians wrestle with to varying degrees. We allow our moods, emotions, and behaviors to influence our faith and belief because our moods, emotions, and behaviors change. But our faith is not in us - it is in Him and He never changes. How many good works have we withheld and offerings have we hoarded because of our lack of faith? Looking at what we have from the view of the world’s economy rather than from the view of God’s economy. So much of the fullness of Christ we don’t even strive for because we strive in the weakness of our flesh. Those in Christ must strive to understand what it means to no longer walk according to the flesh.

Is sharing the message of the gospel ever fruitless? Is it ever a waste of time to share, read, or write the gospel? How did Jesus share the gospel? Was it always accepted? How was He treated? How did the Apostles share the gospel? Was it always accepted? How were they treated? The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ shines into the darkness and exposes sin and in doing so offends the sinner. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16

"But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned." - Galatians 2:11 The hypocrisy of Peter and Paul’s “In your face” response is a portion of scripture that comes across as a bit shocking to the Christian spirit accustomed to meditating on love, forgiveness, and unity in the faith. Why was Peter being hypocritical and why did Paul oppose him in such a blatant and seemingly public manner? There is a big lesson in this for all believers: will you stay the course when the heat is on and the world is pressuring you to move off of the narrow way? The dark side seems to identify a believer's weak spots and then exploit them at every opportunity.

To struggle to completely understand the sovereignty of God makes sense because we are seeking to understand the mind of the perfect and holy eternal creator with the mind of a fallen, sinful and finite creature. We will not fully understand God’s sovereignty on this side of heaven, and any understanding that we are blessed with is through the supernatural revealing of the Holy Spirit. Man’s free will does not exist outside of God’s will. God’s sovereignty encompasses all of universal creation. No human has ever made a decision that has been outside of the sovereignty of God. Nothing happens without the ordination of God, because then events would happen at random, and it is very clear all through scripture that God works according to His plan and design. No human in all of time has ever been outside of the stream of God’s eternal plan. Every breath, every heartbeat, every subatomic vibration at the minutest quantum level throughout all eternity has happened within and according to the will, control, design, and plan of God

Because God’s word provides us with absolute and eternal truth, it is easy to know what is right and what is wrong, what is biblical, and what is worldly when it comes to the big divisive moral issues of our time. Homosexuality and gender identity are common sense issues, simple issues to address when considered from a biblical perspective. What does the bible say about homosexuality? What does the bible say about genders? What we see happening in Canada and Australia could happen here in America - if the people allow it. America, like the rest of the western world, has slid into immorality and rebellion against God - the prevalence of abortion alone is enough to nail this point home. The problem and the danger Americans must face is the erroneous belief that a corrupt and broken system of government will be able to fix a corrupt and broken country.