Words From Our Preacher

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!“ Isaiah 5:20 Our culture is confused. That which is evil is called good despite the clarity of Scripture. We have become a society that endorses sin and silences righteousness. We elevate the opinions of entertainers, athletes, and politicians while denigrating the timeless words of Jesus. The Prince of Peace is invoked in support o

But some days the wind was too strong and despite the paint-can-anchors we would be dragged away from our fishing spot. Even sadder, culture is being dragged along because we have weak cultural anchors. The results are obvious. Sin is no longer an issue. Every possible desire is to be accepted regardless of the impact on self or on others. You cannot say someone is wrong. People are more self-centered and demanding than ever before. What I want is more important than what som

sin. I am not looking to commit sin, but I am curious if sin still exists because, from what I hear lately, it has been eradicated. Like smallpox, society has mounted an effort to destroy sin. Seemingly, the world has been successful. Lying is no longer sinful. It is now described as “advertising” or “politics.” Sexual sin is now “an alternative lifestyle” and is presented as one choice among many. Murder is a “woman’s right.” Greed is “success.” Immorality is opinion. Sin is

law of sowing and reaping as found in Galatians 6:7: “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Every action carries with it a set of consequences or blessings. There are no neutral actions. Sometimes the consequence is slight. For example, a man caught speeding might receive only a warning. No penalty, just good advice to slow down. Other times the result might be catastrophic, like when the same man, failing to heed the warning, s

Paul addressed church division as the first issue in his first letter to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:10 ff). There, people were beginning to group themselves together based upon favorite teachers or leaders within the church. There is no indication that the leaders themselves were involved; one was Jesus himself ( 1 Corinthians 1:12). However Paul disapproved of the brethren separating themselves into groups. Paul asked the rhetorical question, “Is Christ divided”

Satan has been a liar and deceiver from the beginning and is purely evil. Thankfully, his works are restricted today because of Jesus. Nevertheless. Satan works to deprive men and women of eternal salvation through powerful influence exerted in many ways. One of his most heinous weapons may be closer than you think. Family It is a horrible thought. Satan works through family members to attack the Christian. Our closest family can become tools of the evil one. Worse, I can bec

The most pitiful man in the world is one who, having known and obeyed the truth, turns from it and resumes a worldly life. Here is a man without excuse. He has placed himself away from God. Like the prodigal of Luke 15:11 ff, he has traveled into a far country where trouble and strife await. This lost soul has not been separated from God by others or even by Satan, but by his deliberate choice. How sad. Consider four examples of those who have apostatized. Apostate: The Prodi

Solomon nailed it: “What has been is what will be,      and what has been done is what will be done,      and there is nothing new under the sun. “ (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Everything we see and marvel at today is old news. It has happened before and will continue to happen over and over.  Irish statesman Edmund Burke expanded the idea with his famous statement that “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”  The Old Testament, with its history of the ups and downs of

What is the purpose of his love? What is it that Jesus is trying to accomplish through his love? Is it not our salvation? Does the Lord not weep at the consequences of sin? Does Jesus, despite his love, tolerate or condone any sin? No! It is Jesus’ understanding of sin that makes him intolerant of transgressions. Sin cannot be ignored.  [bctt tweet=”It is Jesus’ understanding of sin that makes him intolerant of transgressions. “] “Tolerant” is the current buzz word of western

The World Thinks the Cross is Foolish “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing…but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18) “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23) I am not sure there could be any greater disunion between Christians and the world than our views of the cross. We cherish the cross; the world scorns the cross. We weep at the cross; the world

“You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.” – (21) “The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.” – (51) “The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.” – (69) “Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.” – (78) “The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.” – (85) “Give yo

The Church and Government Are Not the Same While both are from God and even though Christians are subject to both, the church and government are not identical. Each has responsibilities which complement each other but are unique. For example, government has no responsibility for evangelism and the church has no responsibility for policing citizens. Neither Sin nor Righteousness Can Be Legislated. One of our greatest failures is the idea that we can make people holy through le

That’s especially true with suicide victims. There are some who teach that suicide is always a sin and that since those who commit that sin cannot repent and seek forgiveness they must be lost eternally. I’m not so sure. In my thinking, death by suicide may be no more condemning than death by heart attack or stroke. We know that suicide is an occasional outcome of severe clinically diagnosed depression. Such depression is a medical condition much like heart disease, cancer, s

Almost everything in life is a process. Our physical growth is a process occurring over decades. Education is a process spanning years and years. In the same way, spiritual development is a process. It takes time to purge the bad habits and develop new, godly habits. Sometimes we become impatient with ourselves and with others when progress doesn’t come fast enough. We want to be perfect now. We expect perfection in others as soon as they become a Christian. But it doesn’t wo

It’s time we revolt. When Adam and Eve committed the very first sin (Genesis 3:6) God brought punishments immediately (Genesis 3:8-19). Mankind died that day. He became separated, by his own sin, from God. Hard physical labor and the pain of childbirth are evident too. But the immediate impact of sin was seen in the very next generation when the first child Cain killed the second child, Abel. The murder was in response to Cain’s faithless worship. The world has been going dow

Sin Offends God At the most basic level, sin is any violation of God’s law. Put another way, sin is anything that offends the glory of God and his righteousness. In the Old Testament, Joseph is tempted to commit adultery with his boss’s wife. Most of us agree that adultery is a bad thing. Adultery is specifically mentioned in the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:14). But when Joseph is confronted with the temptation, he asks, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against

But why am I like this? Why do I suffer and struggle with temptation, sin and condemnation? Is it my fault? Or is there blame to be laid elsewhere? I think we can answer that question by turning to Scripture. James gives no room to the idea that anyone is at fault other than ourselves. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his

Comfort foods are foods that bring us great satisfaction. Chocolate cake, a homemade chicken casserole, extra hot sanchos from Taco Casa in Tuscaloosa. Right? The problem is that comfort foods are usually unhealthy, especially in volume.  We never fuss at anyone about eating them because they are so common and, well, comforting. Jason Todd at Relevant magazine writes about a comfort sin. He calls it The Socially Acceptable Sin. I don’t know Jason but he nails it on the head i

Homosexuality as the “Super Sin” To hear some, the practice of homosexuality is the “super sin.” There is no super sin. All sin brings rightful condemnation from a just God. Sin which seems so small in our eyes always has enormous consequences in the eyes of the righteous judge. “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,  and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). “for all have sinned and fall short of the g

But now comes a report that parents have had enough. They are seeing changes among their own children who mimic the moves and words of the performers. A Brit website, Netmums, conducted a survey of parents which revealed their observations and fears. The cultural breakdown survey is brief and worth reading. #Culture #Sin