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.

We often consider the uniqueness of Christ as Lord and King by considering his preeminent omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, etc., which are all valid and true. But what a blessing it is to consider the preeminence of Christ contrasted with the personal intimacy and care He gives to each believer.

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

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." - John 15:11 Christ - the all-encompassing joy that is only in Him, could wash away so much of the pain and struggle that everyone, including Christians, suffers through. The error and apostasy so prevalent in the modern Church would be pushed aside if the joy of Jesus Christ and His gospel were truly understood. How do we enter into and abide in the Joy of Jesus Christ? How is our joy in Christ maintained and nurtured?

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.

"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?

"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

“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.

In an age such as ours, when there is so much apostasy and so little discernment, an effective and piercing question is, “How does this bring glory to God?” God’s will - not ours, God’s timing - not ours, God’s plan - not ours. God works in ways that we cannot see or understand, but that we must have faith in.

How can someone not be anxious amidst so much insanity and chaos in a world that is spinning out of control? Evil, hatred, lies, and division have increased drastically over the last year and a half. Anxiety and fear are reflected in the eyes of millions of masked faces as the Covid hoax drags on. The threat of war with China grows, the world’s supply chain is clogged, and the coming “Dark Winter” here in America is the latest topic of fear pouring from mainstream propaganda channels. Why is it becoming increasingly clear that anything to do with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith will not be tolerated in much of modern society? How did the world end up in such a terrible condition in increasing defiance of God? For years God has been denied by some and ignored by others as humanity has gradually moved away from God and toward secular humanism. Now, we are in a time of transitioning from denial of God to defiance of God. It is not enough to deny the existence of God. Instead, God must be defied and reviled as man sets himself up as god.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." - John 10:1-3 Notice that the good shepherd leads the sheep out. He does not drive them. He does not entice or seduce or beg them. He calls and they follow. The young in Christ need to be protected and nurtured to maturity. They must develop discernment by prayer, study of the Word, fellowship, abiding in the Lord. If things continue as they have for the last year and a half, we will see much of the visible Church fall away and conform more and more to the world. In these times, the shepherds must be aware of and strive to understand how the forces of evil are raising their game to a new level. Their attacks against humanity and the Christian faith are quickly moving from covert to overt. Their lies and the destruction they are causing are so easy to see with just a little effort, and yet so many Christians are being led astray without questioning anything, and the pastors are as well.

The world has false religions, philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, recovery and self-help programs, new age, etc. An endless parade of failing humanistic band-aids that never come near the cause of the world's pain and suffering. Sin drains, and wastes, and destroys. The wages of sin is death. There is no suffering like suffering under the weight of the conviction of sin. But by the power of God's Word through the gospel, it becomes a blessing Christians, those born again and made new creations in Jesus Christ have the way, the truth, and the life. Those who have been reconciled to God by and through Jesus Christ have blessings and joys beyond explanation. Those in Jesus Christ rejoice in the blessedness of forgiveness! "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!" - Psalm 32:1

People in America and all over the world are having their God-given rights taken away in the name of Covid19. Children are being abused in the name of Covid19. What is the end-game of the Covid hoax? As Christian Americans, we need to be very familiar with two things - the Bible and the Constitution. What will you tell your grandchildren you did during the great Covid hoax? For many years Romans 13 has been used as an excuse to tolerate tyranny and abuses far outside the authority given to leaders. Christians use it as an excuse to give up Christian principles and support evil leaders. Romans 13 has been used by Christians for far too long in America as an excuse for cowardice. "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." - Romans 13:1

There was an intense spiritual battle taking place in the unseen realm during the events in Jesus’ ministry. Everything Christ did, every word He spoke was filled with eternal meaning and purpose. "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18 The location of Caesarea Philippi and Christ’s reference to the gates of hell provides fascinating context for understanding the “rock” Christ is referring to.

Why did Jesus come to us and become one of us? Why did the Word become flesh? Why was God born as one of us? Now is a perfect time to get the influence of the world out of Christmas, to simplify it, honor Christ through it, to contemplate and celebrate it through scripture rather than burying it beneath garish spectacle. "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 1:14 Christ’s birth and his death, the manger and the cross, Christmas and the gospel - this is where the joy of Christmas comes from!

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

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

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." - Genesis 3:15 What are the similarities between the definition of seed and the definition of DNA? Why is the damage and death from the vaccines being covered up and ignored by the mainstream? Who designs our DNA? Who designs the code in the seed that becomes us? What is Messenger RNA that is used in the Covid shot? You must understand that those who control this world have a perspective that is 180 degrees from the Christian perspective. To them, humanity is a plague destroying the planet that must be mostly eliminated in order for them to survive. What they say and what they believe are two very different things.

September 11 is a dark day in American history, a day we all remember very clearly as the generation before remember the day President Kennedy was assassinated; two terrible events, both surrounded by unanswered questions and questionable explanations. Both events - especially 9/11, were wake-up calls to the American people. As official narratives were exposed as contradictory, as evidence came to light refuting what we the people were told was the truth of the matter, even the most gullible came to realize that something is very wrong. We came to see that truth is hidden, motives are concealed, and what we were led to believe was the truth is mostly fabricated lies. The Covid hoax took deception to a whole new level. But, the darkness of lies has its benefit - it makes the light of truth more precious, and more of a delight. It is clear that we will not find much truth in this world - it has always been this way. But if we have the proper source of vision, we can see all things through the lens of truth. That proper source of vision is the word of God. If we see everything through the lens of the word of the One who created everything, we will stand a much better chance of making sense of and understanding it all. As the world is depressed by lies and deceptions, those with eyes to see and ears to hear will delight in the truth. We will be free as the world is led further into bondage. "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:32

It seems very fitting to begin preaching through a book that was so important to Martin Luther and the reformation on October 31st - Reformation day! Martin Luther referred to Galatians as “my epistle.” Galatians was very influential in the shaping of the reformation. In Galatians, Paul pulls no punches in confronting the Church and calling out the false teachers, and exposing their false teachings. In this epistle, Paul proclaims powerfully the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The book of Galatians provides us a picture of Paul’s passionate zeal for the gospel and his intolerance for any corruptions of its message.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)." - Matthew 1:23 The mystery of Christ’s incarnation should be adored by believers and not torn apart and analyzed as if man had the capacity to discover and understand all the awesome ways of God. The Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament were accomplished in the person and work of Jesus Christ. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14 Jesus was conceived in grace and He was brought forth in glory. God forms Christ in our souls by grace, and the amazing work that He conceives in us by grace will be brought to completion in glory.

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 all the years Paul had served in the cause of the gospel he sought verification to make sure the gospel he was teaching was the truth and in no way compromised. Through all of Paul’s letters, we see the common thread of concern for the preservation of the gospel and a refusal to compromise it in any way. Paul is making the point to the Galatians that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were concerned with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, its purity and truth, striving to protect it from corruption. They were not concerned with physical circumcision because they understood that it had no bearing on our salvation. They understood that circumcision of the heart is what matters. Physical circumcision was a sign that prefigured the circumcision of the heart of those called out and set apart in the body of Jesus Christ. Influence and popularity are sought after and coveted by worldly minds, and often the opinions, viewpoints, narratives, that are put forth by the influential are accepted and believed without question. As believers, we are told to test the spirits, test everything, to hold on to what is true and good. Regardless of someone’s status, what they say or teach must be tested against the word of God in scripture. We do this not in a mean-spirited way in order to point fingers in accusation, but with temperance and love. Our concern is for the truth of the gospel, not tearing others down.

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

"For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him." - 2 Samuel 14:14 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 God's love is all from and through Him. It pours forth from Him. God's love is so profound that He actually is love – God is love. The only way to truly love is to know God.