Friday, September 25, 2015
Principles That Please God
By John Stallings
Several years ago I remember hearing a girl interviewed who had just won a beauty/talent contest.
Evidently she had made the fact that she was a Christian very clear so the interviewer asked what her church taught & what she believed. Her answer was basically “we don’t do this & we don’t do that.” When pressed further for information on the positives of her faith & what her code of conduct might be, she stuck with the list of several things her church considered sins. That’s all she seemed to have.
I didn’t expect her to be a theologian but I was somewhat disappointed that she seemed to be clueless in regards to the tenants of her faith. It would have been great to hear her tell how knowing Christ had changed her or even something as simple as the little chorus- “every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.”
Maybe her lack of knowledge stemmed from the fact that her church just didn't preach much gospel, or maybe she just wasn’t listening. Who knew?
God makes it clear on the pages of His Word the things that He considers sins, that grieve His heart. There are the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament & the New Testament is replete with teachings not only from the mouth of Jesus but from the inspired pens of the other writers, all of whose words are “God-breathed,” & essential to our faith.
But there are areas about which the Bible doesn’t clearly speak. There are issues that we confront in our Christian lives where there isn’t a clear-cut Biblical proof-text to steer us.
In cases like that, God gives us personal freedom & leaves it up to us to decide how we’ll conduct our lives. There are however several Biblical principles that we can use that are helpful. I’m going to present these principles in eight words. The first word is;
1. CONFORMITY
Romans 12: 2 says….be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…..
Here we have a very helpful principle. Does our conduct conform us more to the world than to Christ? Does it cool our love for Christ? Another translation of Romans 12:2 says; don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.
When we were raising daughters, there was one argument I heard from them more times than I can count. I don’t know why it should have surprised me because I used it many times on my parents. Here it is; “everybody else is doing it.” My answer was usually, If the crowds doing it, it’s wrong. Then I’d quote Matthew 7:14 …..Straight is the gate & narrow is the way which leadeth unto life & few there be that find it.
If I’m reading that verse right, the majority will not find the right road. The reason so many are on the broad road that leads to destruction is because we’re born on that road. The straight road leading to life must be “found.”
2 Corinthians 6:17 says…..come out from among them & be ye separate saith the Lord & touch not the unclean thing; & I will receive you.
1 John 2:15 says—if a man loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.
I heard a story as a youngster about a Christian girl who was, against her better judgment, at a dance hall where alcohol was flowing freely. She was dancing with a young man she was fond of & felt she should at least give a Christian witness as she twirled across the floor. She asked him bluntly if he was a Christian & his reply without hesitation, was “No & you’re not either or you wouldn’t be here.” The fact that she was participating in an obviously worldly activity that was conforming her to the world made it just about impossible for her to give a Christian witness.
As Christians we should ask- is the activity bringing us more into conformity with Christ or less? The next helpful principle when we’re faced with a grey area is;
2. CONDEMNING
Romans 14: 2-3 says—for one believeth he may eat all things: another who is weak eateth herbs. Let him not that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth, for God hath received him.
In the areas of non-essentials, we have to be careful of our human tendency to feel what we do is right & sit in judgment on what others do. I have seen men who drink a case of Coke a week criticize people who drink coffee when Coke has as much or more stimulant in it as coffee. We shouldn’t criticize people for not buttering their spiritual toast the same way we do.
Every Christian has a strong personal conviction about something. I call it their “pet rock.” The trouble comes when we try to impose that conviction on others if they don’t share it. If we let everyone put their “pet rock” or personal conviction on our spiritual wagon it will become so heavy we can’t pull it. The next word is;
3. CONVICTIONS.
Romans 14:5 says….let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind
The first step to Christian maturity is realizing there are some things you can do that I can’t do & visa versa. Obviously when it comes to essentials we’re all subject to the same standards but in non-essentials we’re free to do what we feel good about.
When I traveled as an evangelist I found some churches allowed books & records to be sold in their lobby & others had a conviction against it. I never complained even though it sometimes meant loss of sales for us because this was their conviction. Who was I to ask them to go against it to accommodate me?
There are some churches who won’t allow food to be eaten on church property & others regularly have suppers & even raise money selling meals. We don’t “work for our Salvation” but everyone has to “work out their own Salvation.”
The fourth principle is;
4. CONSIDERATE
Romans 14:13 says,……..that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way.
In England many Christians think nothing about going to a Pub & having beer. There have been cases where Christian young people from America went to England where the standards on alcohol were different & trying to fit in, they got drunk.
Men are affected & tempted more by what they see & women are tempted more by what they hear. The Bible doesn’t tell a woman exactly how long her hemline should be but God will give her the wisdom to be considerate of men & dress modestly. Obviously if a woman is dressing to “knock men’s socks off” she’s displeasing the Lord.
1 Corinthians 8:12 says, But when ye sin so against the brethren & wound their weak conscious, ye sin against Christ.
Luke 17:1-2 says, ….it is impossible but that offenses will come but woe be to him through whom they come; it were better for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. The next principle is;
5. CONSISTENT
Romans 14: 16 says, let not then your good be evil spoken of…
This principle is one of seeking to be in agreement as much as is possible with other Christians.
I have heard people say, “if was wrong in Jesus’ day its wrong now & if it’s wrong in one place its wrong everywhere.” That “aint necessarily so.” Let me explain with a couple of examples.
A few years ago we went to Jamaica for meetings in two large churches. Shortly after we arrived, in conversation with a pastor I asked if there were any local customs we should be aware of. He acted relieved that I brought it up & went on to tell me that the Christian ladies of Jamaica didn’t wear slacks or pant suits. He added that a lady would have almost zero credibility there if she appeared in public in either of these outfits. Juda wears pant suits & had packed more of them than dresses but because of the local custom, she always wore dresses in public. If we had taken the attitude that we’d dress exactly as we wanted to, or we’d dress like we dressed in the States that would violate the principle of consistency & furthermore would show a stubborn unbending attitude which would have been displeasing to God.
In parts of Germany to wear a neck tie is considered unspiritual but to drink wine is perfectly acceptable. Of course in America the exact opposite would be the rule in most places.
In the early seventies I pastored in Montgomery Alabama. The church board asked me if I enjoyed bowling & answered that I did on occasion. In a very nice way they explained to me that there was only one bowling alley in town & it had a bad reputation as a hang-out for unsavory people. The bottom line was that if I were seen there I would be the subject of gossip. That was all I needed to hear & during my years as pastor in that city I never darkened the door of that establishment.
But about 90 miles north of Montgomery was the big city of Birmingham. I had several pastor friends there & there were dozens of beautiful bowling alleys. I’d go up occasionally & have lunch with my preacher friends & we’d go bowling. Now the alleys in Birmingham looked just like the one in Montgomery & certainly they were all built to the same basic specifications but when I bowled in Birmingham I was in no danger of being a stumbling block. Had I gone to the bowling alley in Montgomery, I’m sure it would have been displeasing to God as well as given me a bad testimony. But there was no problem in Birmingham. In conducting myself in this way I was honoring the principle of consistency. The next word is;
6. CONSTRUCTIVE
Roman 14:19 says; Let us follow therefore after the things that make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.As God’s people our goal is unity. We should always ask ourselves—do my words, actions, attitudes and standards make for peace? In the Sermon on the mount Jesus said, --Blessed are the peacemakers.
1 Corinthians 11:15-16 says; --But if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her; for hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom….
A pastor friend of mine had a disgruntled man in his church to stand during service years ago, hold up the new church songbook & proceed to criticize it & say he didn’t think the books were worth the money the church spent on them. The pastor meekly asked the people if they were enjoying the books & 98% raised their hands that they were. That man stood in the pastor’s office a few months later & said “Pastor, after the night I stood & said what I did about the songbooks, I lost hundreds of dollars a week in my business.”
That man very unwisely violated the constructive principle & he suffered for it. What he said had a divisive edge on it, it didn’t make for peace & wasn’t appropriate in the public forum he chose. The next principle is;
7. CONSCIENCE
Roman 14:22 says,--hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
This principle simply tells us if we feel bad about something we shouldn’t do it.
In 1Timothy 1:19 Paul told Timothy, Holding fast a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck….
Though I used the verse earlier, Paul said in Philippians 2:12 ---Work out your own salvation with fear & trembling.
While everyone has a conscience, only Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul said in Romans 2:15, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness….
Going against our inner monitor telling us what we ought to do is the first step to a hardening heart. If we do it often, soon our conscience will become seared. The last principle is;
8. CHRISTLIKE
Is our conduct Christ like? Are our activities making us more Christ like?
Romans 15:1-3 says,--We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself……
In all that we do, we should ask the question; is the welfare of others uppermost in my mind? Our little loss of liberty, if it comes to that will be more than compensated with the joy, power & the good testimony we’ll have in the long run.
Blessings,
John
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Treasures In Unexpected Places
By John Stallings
• The main cause of divorce in this country is in this story.
• The main cause of church splits is in this story.
• The main cause of broken friendships is in this story.
• The main cause of family dissention is in this story.
• The main cause of strained relationships is in this story.
• The root cause of many of life’s problems is in this story.
Let’s read the story,--The kingdom of God is like unto a treasure hid in a field. For which when a man found he hideth; for the joy thereof goeth; selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field. Matt13:44
We all know what a treasure is. A treasure is something that can change your lifestyle. A treasure is something that can take you from- rags- to- riches. A treasure is something wonderful, something to be coveted and much desired. Men spend their lives searching for treasures. They go to the ends of the earth for treasures. Sadly some people kill and steal in the hopes of gaining a treasure.
We all know what a field is. A field is a place where weeds and scrubby things can grow. A field is a wild place where rats scurry about and other small rodents and even larger things live, like wildcats and raccoons. A field is a place where people can dump garbage and even carcasses of animals. A field is a place where poison Ivy might grow along with weeds of every description. A field is a non-descript place with no real utility, no crops growing, just a field.
NOTICE THE WORD HID
You have to find this treasure. You’ve got to look for it because it’s hidden in a field. You’ve got to go out into a field and look for the treasure. The man in this story finds a field with a treasure- hidden; he covers the treasure back up, and then goes and sells everything he has to buy this field. But when the man comes back he gets a chance to evaluate the field he’s purchased, low-and behold he finds some startling things. Yes he’s bought treasure but also….
• He’s bought some weed-thickets,
• He’s bought some rocks,
• He’s bought some ants and spiders,
• He’s bought some gopher-holes,
• He’s bought some field-mice and rats,
• He’s possibly bought a skunk or two and some snakes,
• Maybe he’s bought a raccoon and an opossum,
• He’s bought some garbage someone dumped on his land,
• He’s bought a few dead trees, a many old stumps,
• He’s bought some poison Ivy.
This man has bought all this stuff because he wanted the treasure buried in this field.
I can imagine the man as he goes into his field to start digging and all at once a big lizard comes scampering out of his hole. Then he sees poison Ivy growing and as he turns around a large rat runs between his feet and he smells the odor of a skunk. What if this man was so disgusted with all the junk on his field that he forsakes his field and the treasure buried there because of his negativity? Wouldn’t it be silly for him to do this and maybe go to the adjoining field where there is no treasure and buy it because he’s become so negative about his field?
This story alludes to the kingdom of God and the hidden treasure in Christ. But let’s broaden the scope and application a bit and see another truth that presents itself here.
WE SEE THIS SCENARIO PLAYED OUT OFTEN IN PEOPLES LIVES.
So often we’re not willing to take what we don’t want to get what we do want. We can’t escape the fact that the treasure is in the field. Notice…
• It isn’t in a bank- it’s in a field
• It isn’t in a museum -it’s in the field
• You may have to smell the odor of a skunk
• Or run from a raccoon
• Or stumble over some garbage
• You might have to get bitten by a few wasps
But some don’t want to encounter these negatives.
1.--A FRIEND IS A TREASURE-BUT ALL FRIENDS HAVE FIELDS
When we first meet a friend we are enraptured with him. He appears nearly faultless. And then all of the sudden we see a few weeds in his life. We see a few negatives, a few warts. Perhaps not stopping to think that we all have weeds in our fields, we turn away from that friend. We were looking for the treasure in the person’s life but maybe a skunk pops up and; we break up with that friend. We get mad with our friend and in some cases we won’t speak to our friend after we find out what he has in his field. So we go seeking another friend only to find sooner or later that friend will also have undesirable things in his field. In the process of seeking friends we must keep in mind that we also have our own fields containing rats, nettles and weeds and briars. We shouldn’t be surprised when trying to be the best friend we can be if a lizard jumps up and scurries across our field at the most inopportune time.
2.-A YOUNG MAN FINDS A YOUNG LADY-BUT SHE HAS A FIELD
The man falls in love with the young lady because he sees many things to love and appreciate. He never stops to think that this angel he loves is really a human being, a person with a field. After he marries her and gets close to her he starts to see that see she has enormous weeds in her field. He sees a mouse or two scampering in her field and maybe a little garbage. Then the young man decides he doesn’t want the treasure after all.
But in all honesty, there’s not a woman in the world who doesn’t have a field. And by the way, the treasure the man saw is still in the girl, but he decides he doesn’t want to keep looking hard to find it. Maybe the lady doesn’t screw the lids back on bottles or containers and you’ve put ketchup on the ceiling more than once because of that. Many thousands each year are ending their marriages simply because of finding out that the person in whom they saw great treasure also has a field. No matter whom they move on to next they’ll find out that person has a field also, but the next person might not have the same treasure as the one they left behind.
The message is if you have a good woman and find out she has some weeds growing and opossums running in her field, stay committed to her anyway because there’s great treasure there. She’s a good hearted woman who loves you, loves God, loves His word and loves her children. Like us all, she isn’t perfect but don’t throw away that treasure just because she has a field. If a man has a wife who’s cooking for him, washing and ironing his clothes, is loving and loyal then she’s a treasure no matter what kind of field she’s got -so keep looking at that treasure.
3.-A YOUNG WOMAN FINDS A YOUNG MAN-HE ALSO HAS A FIELD.
He’s a dreamboat at first but then he gains enough weight to sink the boat. After a while she finds out he has a field, which all men have. She finds out while he’s smart he’s also stubborn. He has a field with weeds growing with garbage here and there. But he’s a hardworking, faithful man who loves her with all his heart- but he does have a field. He loves God and the things of God so don’t give up the field because there’s great treasure there. A lady told me once that she got furious at her husband for taking a nap on the couch in the afternoon and she divorced him basically for that reason. Years later she told me with tears in her eyes how she’d do almost anything to see him once again napping on that couch.
I’m deeply troubled by the fact that in today’s America young people are marrying and divorcing many times just for the sex. Our sex-saturated society tells young people that their marriage bed will be like the sometimes lewd love scenes enacted in the movies they see. To make it even more tragic, many young men who’ve exposed themselves to pornography enter marriage thinking their marriage bed will resemble what they’ve witnessed in pornographic images. Though you may find it hard to believe, many marriages break up because one or both the partners feel the sex just isn’t satisfying.
A father told me once why his young daughter was divorcing her husband and marrying another man. He said, “It’s not a thing in the world but sex.” As if the sex act was something that could comprise a large segment of a marriage. It’s true that sex within marriage is a beautiful thing and the bed undefiled, but anyone married or single who tries to make sex the center of their lives will sooner or later become jaded by it and learn that God didn’t design sex to dominate our lives but to enhance them. It will take much more than sex to keep us happy and build satisfactory relationships.
4.-CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENT’S FIELD
There is obvious treasure in a parent but most kids would laughingly say they have to dig deep to find it. I remember when I was a kid how at times I would get livid with my parents. As I grew older I realized that they did the best they could and were right most of the time. My dad would make me lie down across the bed from time to time and use his belt on me but I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have it coming. Parents may be stubborn from time to time and have a temper but when we look at what they do for their children we can overlook a little field mouse scurrying across the field occasionally. It would be tough to grow up with no roof over your head and be forced to study by candle light, on an empty stomach. Don’t give all the treasures up because you see a weed or two in their field.
5.-STUDENTS AND TEACHERS-THEY ALL HAVE FIELDS
A pupil looks at the teacher and says-- “Boy is she hard-boiled?” As I look back at the teachers I had as a kid, the ones I liked least then are the ones I like most now. The ones that let us get by with just about anything are the ones I respect the least looking back. There’s a treasure in a hard-boiled teacher. A kid might say, “But she gave me some demerits.” No she didn’t, the kid gave himself the demerits, and she just wrote them down. It’s a sad thing how unwilling we are to take a few negatives so that we may have a chance to get the positive. So many say, “I know there’s a treasure here but I don’t want to get bitten by a spider or smell a skunk so I’ll just pass it all up. I’ll just go somewhere where there are no weeds and rats and maybe things will be more pleasant for me.
It’s possible that by looking around you might find a field with a little less garbage on it or fewer weeds growing but it’s very possible that the field you find won’t have a treasure either. If we go through life always taking the easy way or the line of least resistance, we can have an easier life perhaps but it won’t be a fulfilling life. The human spirit doesn’t thrive on ease and comfort. The human spirit thrives on challenges and accomplishments. Almost every time if we’re to accomplish something worthwhile we’ll have to dig for it in some sort of field. The situations may be less than ideal because life hides its treasures just that way. Blessed is the young person who learns this lesson early enough to do them some good.
6.-FINDING A CHURCH THAT’S A TREASURE TO YOU-IT HAS A FIELD.
You start to attend the church and say to yourself what a treasure you and your family have found. The singing is superb and the pastor’s preaching is straight from the portals of Glory. But pretty soon you see some things that you don’t understand and you wonder about it. You see some weeds and you see “a rat or two” run across the church. Then you start to notice that the church people have a field and then you see that the pastor also has a field. There are problems in the church choir, in the Sunday school and in the Nursery. There are problems in the parking lot if the church is a large one and now you’re beginning to see all the flaws or the churches “field.” You saw the treasure first but it took a little time to see its field. Not only that, if you and I join the church now there’ll be more treasure but alas, we’ll also bring our fields.
All the men in the Bible had great treasure in their lives but they also had a field.
• Moses had great treasure but he was hot-tempered and his field kept him from entering the Promised Land.
• Noah had a great treasure but he had a field.
• Peter had a treasure but he also had a problem (field) with impetuosity.
• David had a treasure but most of us know what his field was.
• Jacob had great treasure but he was a con-artist with a large field.
# Paul had a great treasure but he had a field.
• James and John had treasure but they also had a field.
Every pastor you’ll ever meet will have a field –so…
• Why spend your life going from church to church trying to find a treasure without a field?
• Why go from spouse to spouse trying to find one without a field?
• Why go from friend to friend trying to find one without a field?
• There is no such thing as a treasure without a field.
If it’s true that we can’t find a treasure without a field, why don’t we go to that person we’ve fallen out with and make things right with them? Go to the person you’ve been criticizing and say you’re sorry. You saw something good in them at some point or you’d never had gotten closer to them in the first place. That good’s still there but be advised; in all probability their field is still there too. Tell them you saw a mouse and got spooked but you still see the treasure that’s within them and care enough about them to want to pursue your friendship.
Why not go to your wife or husband and tell them you’ve been pointing out all their mistakes but they are still the most precious person to you on the face of God’s earth. Look them in the eye and say, “Sorry sweetheart, I’ve been looking at the weeds in the field instead of the treasure that dwells inside you.” Look at the person with whom you’ve been disenchanted and say—“Will you forgive me, for I’ve been looking at the field instead of the treasure?”
7.-THERE’S ONLY ONE GREAT TREASURE WITH NO FIELD
What a pity it would be to close this piece and not remind you of One who has no field, across whose path a rat never ran. One who never knew what it was like to have a weed in His field. One who every time you dig you’re not disappointed, you find treasure. Over the years in many parts of the world I’ve asked many people if they knew my Savior-the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember asking a lady in the Orient that question once and she told me in no uncertain terms she wasn’t a Christian and would never be because of the Christians she’d come in contact with. I told her “I wasn’t asking her to trust those people but I was asking her to trust Jesus. Can you find anything wrong with Him?” She said “No, and if more of your people were like Him more of our people would become your people.”
We don’t point people to the Pope, or an Archbishop or any other individual. They all have weeds. We don’t point them to a preacher, priest, rabbi, evangelist, we all have weeds. We point them to the Lamb of God who is faultless and without blemish and paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary and offers us all eternal life.
Let’s go back and find the fellow with the field. He’s been digging and digging and he’s been bitten several times by spiders and other insects. He’s felt the sting of the nettles and weeds and; he’s smelled a skunk or two. But he kept digging. One day all of the sudden he finds the treasure he’s been looking for. It was worth all of it because finally he’s got his treasure that was hidden in his field.
IT’S UP TO US! ---
In every human relationship there’s a treasure, but there’s also a field. It’s up to us whether we spend our lives complaining about the field or rejoicing over the treasure.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (jars of clay) that the excellency of the power may be in God not us. ----2 Cor.4:7
Blessings,
John
• The main cause of divorce in this country is in this story.
• The main cause of church splits is in this story.
• The main cause of broken friendships is in this story.
• The main cause of family dissention is in this story.
• The main cause of strained relationships is in this story.
• The root cause of many of life’s problems is in this story.
Let’s read the story,--The kingdom of God is like unto a treasure hid in a field. For which when a man found he hideth; for the joy thereof goeth; selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field. Matt13:44
We all know what a treasure is. A treasure is something that can change your lifestyle. A treasure is something that can take you from- rags- to- riches. A treasure is something wonderful, something to be coveted and much desired. Men spend their lives searching for treasures. They go to the ends of the earth for treasures. Sadly some people kill and steal in the hopes of gaining a treasure.
We all know what a field is. A field is a place where weeds and scrubby things can grow. A field is a wild place where rats scurry about and other small rodents and even larger things live, like wildcats and raccoons. A field is a place where people can dump garbage and even carcasses of animals. A field is a place where poison Ivy might grow along with weeds of every description. A field is a non-descript place with no real utility, no crops growing, just a field.
NOTICE THE WORD HID
You have to find this treasure. You’ve got to look for it because it’s hidden in a field. You’ve got to go out into a field and look for the treasure. The man in this story finds a field with a treasure- hidden; he covers the treasure back up, and then goes and sells everything he has to buy this field. But when the man comes back he gets a chance to evaluate the field he’s purchased, low-and behold he finds some startling things. Yes he’s bought treasure but also….
• He’s bought some weed-thickets,
• He’s bought some rocks,
• He’s bought some ants and spiders,
• He’s bought some gopher-holes,
• He’s bought some field-mice and rats,
• He’s possibly bought a skunk or two and some snakes,
• Maybe he’s bought a raccoon and an opossum,
• He’s bought some garbage someone dumped on his land,
• He’s bought a few dead trees, a many old stumps,
• He’s bought some poison Ivy.
This man has bought all this stuff because he wanted the treasure buried in this field.
I can imagine the man as he goes into his field to start digging and all at once a big lizard comes scampering out of his hole. Then he sees poison Ivy growing and as he turns around a large rat runs between his feet and he smells the odor of a skunk. What if this man was so disgusted with all the junk on his field that he forsakes his field and the treasure buried there because of his negativity? Wouldn’t it be silly for him to do this and maybe go to the adjoining field where there is no treasure and buy it because he’s become so negative about his field?
This story alludes to the kingdom of God and the hidden treasure in Christ. But let’s broaden the scope and application a bit and see another truth that presents itself here.
WE SEE THIS SCENARIO PLAYED OUT OFTEN IN PEOPLES LIVES.
So often we’re not willing to take what we don’t want to get what we do want. We can’t escape the fact that the treasure is in the field. Notice…
• It isn’t in a bank- it’s in a field
• It isn’t in a museum -it’s in the field
• You may have to smell the odor of a skunk
• Or run from a raccoon
• Or stumble over some garbage
• You might have to get bitten by a few wasps
But some don’t want to encounter these negatives.
1.--A FRIEND IS A TREASURE-BUT ALL FRIENDS HAVE FIELDS
When we first meet a friend we are enraptured with him. He appears nearly faultless. And then all of the sudden we see a few weeds in his life. We see a few negatives, a few warts. Perhaps not stopping to think that we all have weeds in our fields, we turn away from that friend. We were looking for the treasure in the person’s life but maybe a skunk pops up and; we break up with that friend. We get mad with our friend and in some cases we won’t speak to our friend after we find out what he has in his field. So we go seeking another friend only to find sooner or later that friend will also have undesirable things in his field. In the process of seeking friends we must keep in mind that we also have our own fields containing rats, nettles and weeds and briars. We shouldn’t be surprised when trying to be the best friend we can be if a lizard jumps up and scurries across our field at the most inopportune time.
2.-A YOUNG MAN FINDS A YOUNG LADY-BUT SHE HAS A FIELD
The man falls in love with the young lady because he sees many things to love and appreciate. He never stops to think that this angel he loves is really a human being, a person with a field. After he marries her and gets close to her he starts to see that see she has enormous weeds in her field. He sees a mouse or two scampering in her field and maybe a little garbage. Then the young man decides he doesn’t want the treasure after all.
But in all honesty, there’s not a woman in the world who doesn’t have a field. And by the way, the treasure the man saw is still in the girl, but he decides he doesn’t want to keep looking hard to find it. Maybe the lady doesn’t screw the lids back on bottles or containers and you’ve put ketchup on the ceiling more than once because of that. Many thousands each year are ending their marriages simply because of finding out that the person in whom they saw great treasure also has a field. No matter whom they move on to next they’ll find out that person has a field also, but the next person might not have the same treasure as the one they left behind.
The message is if you have a good woman and find out she has some weeds growing and opossums running in her field, stay committed to her anyway because there’s great treasure there. She’s a good hearted woman who loves you, loves God, loves His word and loves her children. Like us all, she isn’t perfect but don’t throw away that treasure just because she has a field. If a man has a wife who’s cooking for him, washing and ironing his clothes, is loving and loyal then she’s a treasure no matter what kind of field she’s got -so keep looking at that treasure.
3.-A YOUNG WOMAN FINDS A YOUNG MAN-HE ALSO HAS A FIELD.
He’s a dreamboat at first but then he gains enough weight to sink the boat. After a while she finds out he has a field, which all men have. She finds out while he’s smart he’s also stubborn. He has a field with weeds growing with garbage here and there. But he’s a hardworking, faithful man who loves her with all his heart- but he does have a field. He loves God and the things of God so don’t give up the field because there’s great treasure there. A lady told me once that she got furious at her husband for taking a nap on the couch in the afternoon and she divorced him basically for that reason. Years later she told me with tears in her eyes how she’d do almost anything to see him once again napping on that couch.
I’m deeply troubled by the fact that in today’s America young people are marrying and divorcing many times just for the sex. Our sex-saturated society tells young people that their marriage bed will be like the sometimes lewd love scenes enacted in the movies they see. To make it even more tragic, many young men who’ve exposed themselves to pornography enter marriage thinking their marriage bed will resemble what they’ve witnessed in pornographic images. Though you may find it hard to believe, many marriages break up because one or both the partners feel the sex just isn’t satisfying.
A father told me once why his young daughter was divorcing her husband and marrying another man. He said, “It’s not a thing in the world but sex.” As if the sex act was something that could comprise a large segment of a marriage. It’s true that sex within marriage is a beautiful thing and the bed undefiled, but anyone married or single who tries to make sex the center of their lives will sooner or later become jaded by it and learn that God didn’t design sex to dominate our lives but to enhance them. It will take much more than sex to keep us happy and build satisfactory relationships.
4.-CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENT’S FIELD
There is obvious treasure in a parent but most kids would laughingly say they have to dig deep to find it. I remember when I was a kid how at times I would get livid with my parents. As I grew older I realized that they did the best they could and were right most of the time. My dad would make me lie down across the bed from time to time and use his belt on me but I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have it coming. Parents may be stubborn from time to time and have a temper but when we look at what they do for their children we can overlook a little field mouse scurrying across the field occasionally. It would be tough to grow up with no roof over your head and be forced to study by candle light, on an empty stomach. Don’t give all the treasures up because you see a weed or two in their field.
5.-STUDENTS AND TEACHERS-THEY ALL HAVE FIELDS
A pupil looks at the teacher and says-- “Boy is she hard-boiled?” As I look back at the teachers I had as a kid, the ones I liked least then are the ones I like most now. The ones that let us get by with just about anything are the ones I respect the least looking back. There’s a treasure in a hard-boiled teacher. A kid might say, “But she gave me some demerits.” No she didn’t, the kid gave himself the demerits, and she just wrote them down. It’s a sad thing how unwilling we are to take a few negatives so that we may have a chance to get the positive. So many say, “I know there’s a treasure here but I don’t want to get bitten by a spider or smell a skunk so I’ll just pass it all up. I’ll just go somewhere where there are no weeds and rats and maybe things will be more pleasant for me.
It’s possible that by looking around you might find a field with a little less garbage on it or fewer weeds growing but it’s very possible that the field you find won’t have a treasure either. If we go through life always taking the easy way or the line of least resistance, we can have an easier life perhaps but it won’t be a fulfilling life. The human spirit doesn’t thrive on ease and comfort. The human spirit thrives on challenges and accomplishments. Almost every time if we’re to accomplish something worthwhile we’ll have to dig for it in some sort of field. The situations may be less than ideal because life hides its treasures just that way. Blessed is the young person who learns this lesson early enough to do them some good.
6.-FINDING A CHURCH THAT’S A TREASURE TO YOU-IT HAS A FIELD.
You start to attend the church and say to yourself what a treasure you and your family have found. The singing is superb and the pastor’s preaching is straight from the portals of Glory. But pretty soon you see some things that you don’t understand and you wonder about it. You see some weeds and you see “a rat or two” run across the church. Then you start to notice that the church people have a field and then you see that the pastor also has a field. There are problems in the church choir, in the Sunday school and in the Nursery. There are problems in the parking lot if the church is a large one and now you’re beginning to see all the flaws or the churches “field.” You saw the treasure first but it took a little time to see its field. Not only that, if you and I join the church now there’ll be more treasure but alas, we’ll also bring our fields.
All the men in the Bible had great treasure in their lives but they also had a field.
• Moses had great treasure but he was hot-tempered and his field kept him from entering the Promised Land.
• Noah had a great treasure but he had a field.
• Peter had a treasure but he also had a problem (field) with impetuosity.
• David had a treasure but most of us know what his field was.
• Jacob had great treasure but he was a con-artist with a large field.
# Paul had a great treasure but he had a field.
• James and John had treasure but they also had a field.
Every pastor you’ll ever meet will have a field –so…
• Why spend your life going from church to church trying to find a treasure without a field?
• Why go from spouse to spouse trying to find one without a field?
• Why go from friend to friend trying to find one without a field?
• There is no such thing as a treasure without a field.
If it’s true that we can’t find a treasure without a field, why don’t we go to that person we’ve fallen out with and make things right with them? Go to the person you’ve been criticizing and say you’re sorry. You saw something good in them at some point or you’d never had gotten closer to them in the first place. That good’s still there but be advised; in all probability their field is still there too. Tell them you saw a mouse and got spooked but you still see the treasure that’s within them and care enough about them to want to pursue your friendship.
Why not go to your wife or husband and tell them you’ve been pointing out all their mistakes but they are still the most precious person to you on the face of God’s earth. Look them in the eye and say, “Sorry sweetheart, I’ve been looking at the weeds in the field instead of the treasure that dwells inside you.” Look at the person with whom you’ve been disenchanted and say—“Will you forgive me, for I’ve been looking at the field instead of the treasure?”
7.-THERE’S ONLY ONE GREAT TREASURE WITH NO FIELD
What a pity it would be to close this piece and not remind you of One who has no field, across whose path a rat never ran. One who never knew what it was like to have a weed in His field. One who every time you dig you’re not disappointed, you find treasure. Over the years in many parts of the world I’ve asked many people if they knew my Savior-the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember asking a lady in the Orient that question once and she told me in no uncertain terms she wasn’t a Christian and would never be because of the Christians she’d come in contact with. I told her “I wasn’t asking her to trust those people but I was asking her to trust Jesus. Can you find anything wrong with Him?” She said “No, and if more of your people were like Him more of our people would become your people.”
We don’t point people to the Pope, or an Archbishop or any other individual. They all have weeds. We don’t point them to a preacher, priest, rabbi, evangelist, we all have weeds. We point them to the Lamb of God who is faultless and without blemish and paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary and offers us all eternal life.
Let’s go back and find the fellow with the field. He’s been digging and digging and he’s been bitten several times by spiders and other insects. He’s felt the sting of the nettles and weeds and; he’s smelled a skunk or two. But he kept digging. One day all of the sudden he finds the treasure he’s been looking for. It was worth all of it because finally he’s got his treasure that was hidden in his field.
IT’S UP TO US! ---
In every human relationship there’s a treasure, but there’s also a field. It’s up to us whether we spend our lives complaining about the field or rejoicing over the treasure.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (jars of clay) that the excellency of the power may be in God not us. ----2 Cor.4:7
Blessings,
John
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
The Importance Of Doing Something
By John Stallings
Do you know how to swim?
Living in Florida with the ocean, lakes and rivers, and every other house with a swimming pool, you seldom meet a person who doesn’t know how to swim. But there are millions of people who don’t. Many of them sadly around the world have never been near enough water to even try.
Pretend you’re one of those people. The most water you’ve ever been in was in a bathtub. Now you decide you want to learn to swim, but the only pool available is ten feet deep everywhere; there is no shallow end. I think you’d be a little reluctant to just dive in.
I could tell you that the water would support you, that you would float. I could show you in an encyclopedia that the density of the human body is ever so slightly less than that of water. I could explain Bernoulli’s laws and Pascal’s laws, and Archimedes’ principle, so that you would become intellectually convinced that your body would float. ... Now are you going to jump in? Probably not. You believe me when I tell you that you can float. But you’re not ready to act on it yet.
You can tell me that you have absolute faith in what I have told you. You can quote back to me all the scientific details. You can study books on swimming, and quote them back to me word for word, chapter and verse. You can tell me how much you love swimming. But until you get wet, it doesn’t mean a thing. Faith without works is dead.
HEALING AT POOL OF BETHSEDA
Some of the better truths in the story of Jesus healing the man at the pool of Bethesda happen after the man was healed & entered the temple, encountering the Pharisees.
In John 5:14, Jesus later found the man in the temple & spoke to him. Jesus had already dealt with the man in “grace” & now He applied “truth,” telling him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him.
Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. John 5:14—NIV
Notice;
JESUS FOUND THE MAN IN THE TEMPLE
The narrative seems clear to me that Jesus went looking for the man He’d recently healed. It’s amazing how Jesus can always find us. Though we sometimes want to feel we went looking for Him, the fact is, God came searching for us. Do you know why it’s often said that Christianity isn’t a religion? Answer; religion is defined as, “Man’s search for God.”
In the strictest sense, a person can be praying to a bird or the Sun & be said to be practicing religion. Mankind is & has always been on a cosmic search for God.
But in Christianity, man wasn’t searching for God, but rather God came searching for man. It was happening all through the Old Testament through the prophets & other phenomenon, & it culminated in Christ coming to earth to dwell among men & die on the cross.
Paul said in Romans 3:11, --there is none that seeketh after God.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 14:3—there is none that doeth good, no not one.
Over & over it’s been demonstrated that when an individual sinks so far into sin all seems hopeless, --“man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” & God finds that person.
WHEN JESUS FOUND THIS MAN IN THE TEMPLE, HE SAID SOMETHING INTERESTING! HE SAID…..
“STOP SINNING OR SOMETHING WORSE MAY HAPPEN TO YOU.”
STOP-SINNING!! Here’s one of the most profound theological commands ever uttered. Are you ready?
STOP!
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the YOUTUBE video on STOP IT with comedian Bob Newhart. If not, take six minutes & watch it. He’s at his funniest, stuttering, brilliant best.
Newhart plays a very different kind of Psychiatrist who charges five dollars for a five minute session. A woman comes into his office & unburdens her phobia about being buried alive in a box. Newhart asks her if anyone had ever threatened to bury her in a box or if there was any real basis for the fear & she says there isn’t. Then he looks at her & says; STOP IT!
Newhart’s finished in three minutes but he can’t break a five dollar bill for the woman so she stays for two more minutes to get her monies worth. She tells him she doesn’t think his advice is going to work for her, & he says, “O.k. if the two words aren’t enough for you I’ll give you ten words,
“STOP IT OR I’LL BURY YOU ALIVE IN A BOX.”
That little skit is humorous but in reality it speaks volumes.
We could read the Bible through & memorize every word of it but until we, as an act of our will make the decision to forsake sin & put it to death, we’ll never be victorious over sin. At some point we have to stop the action, habit or sin because no one else can do it for us.
Are you thinking negatively? STOP IT!!
Are you over-spending? STOP IT!!
Are you overworking? STOP IT!!
Are you gossiping? STOP IT!!
Are you judging others? STOP IT!!
Are you obsessive/ compulsive? STOP IT!!
Do you think your opinions are always best? STOP IT!!
Do you lose your temper? STOP IT!!
Are you overeating? STOP IT!!
Are you indulging in a secret sin? STOP IT!!
It’s like the man who went to the Doctor & told him when he lifted his arm a certain way it hurt. The Doctor, said, “Stop lifting it like that.”
I heard about a man who was having trouble with his voice. He went to a throat specialist, & after a long series of tests, the doctor told the man, the only thing I can tell you is; you talk too much. Stop it!”
Years ago I heard comedian George Burns, nearly one hundred at the time, tell about developing a condition that caused him to constantly clear his throat with a little short cough. He’d been doing it for thirty years & mentioned to his doctor that he was concerned about the cough especially since he smoked cigars. The doctor told him he could easily get rid of the cough for him & gave him instructions, “Stop doing it.” Burns said “that was fifty years ago & I’ve never coughed since.” They aren’t making doctors like that any more.
Here’s the best way I’ve ever found to lose weight; STOP EATING SO MUCH!!
You can do it the low-carb way, which is the way we’ve done it for the last few years, or you can eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day but however you do it, you’ve got to STOP EATING SO MUCH.
You may have a problem that isn’t a sin-- it’s just a bad habit but you can handle it the same way, JUST STOP IT!!
DON’T TRY TO MODIFY OR REDEFINE SIN, OR SLOW IT DOWN, JUST STOP IT!
In the seventies Dr. Karl Mennineger wrote a very good book called, “Whatever became of sin?” He talked about this problem of rationalizing sin or calling it by another name. Over thirty years later the problem has grown exponentially. Our society now has a hard time labeling things right or wrong. When President Ronald Reagan called The Soviet Union an evil empire, it upset a lot of people because they couldn’t come to terms with calling certain things or nation’s evil.
When I read Dr. Mennineger’s book in the mid-seventies, I humbly answered his question thusly; “Sin went to the doctor & was diagnosed as a disease. Sin went to the psychiatrist & was diagnosed as a dysfunction.” Some people choose to try to modify their sin or cut down on it, like ordering a half-order of something in a restaurant. But the edict of heaven is still, STOP IT.
Jesus tells the paralyzed man,--SIN NO MORE!
You may think a Christian can’t sin but as long as we have a robe of flesh we will have a bent toward sin. The Lord’s Prayer says-- forgive us our sins; it doesn’t say –forgive them their sins.
You can be saved, sanctified & filled with heaven’s sweet Holy Ghost but you still have to STOP SINNING!! You can pray until your hair turns green but you still have to STOP SINNING!!
You can fast until you're skin & bones & God will certainly grant you His grace & power but at some point you’ll still have to make the decision to STOP SINNING!!
In Romans 8:13 Paul says, --For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live.
The word mortify comes from the same word that we get the word mortician. This is what must be done to sin.
It’s possible to be “too spiritual,” expecting to sit passively by while God comes in & takes the evil desires & temptations out of our way. He won’t do that but He’ll always create an escape hatch for us to escape the temptation. Of course we’ll have to take the time to look for His way of escape.
Listen how Paul handles a situation where a person has a problem with stealing;
Does he say to the person: “You know, stealing is so ingrained in you & you’ve been so defeated by it, the only hope you have to being victorious over stealing is to have the Lord come in & deal with it for you?” No! What does Paul say? Listen to Ephesians 4:28;
Let him that stole, steal no more! --- JUST STOP IT! Now that’s some deep theology, wouldn’t you agree?
Paul deals much the same way when it comes to growth in grace & spiritual maturity. He tells us in 1 Corinthians that he was at one time young & immature like everyone else. There were the same weaknesses & childishness in Paul’s life that all of us know about.
But did Paul say, “Well, I went to a great revival meeting & went forward & do you know what? God came & instantaneously took away all my childish ways in a heart-beat?”
No. What did Paul say? He said, -When I became a man I put away childish things.-1 Cor.13:11
Paul is saying that as an act of his will, he put away from him the juvenile things that were holding him back.
Paul also tells us how he was able to deal with his day by day attitudes. But he didn’t say;--“You know, I had such a problem with my attitude, I didn’t know what I was going to do.” He didn’t say; “I was always miserable & constantly complaining about my accommodations, the food, and the beverages & really just about everything in my life. But, you know, one night in prayer, God just came into the room & touched me. And since that night, I’m just as contented as one of those old contented cows, anywhere God puts me.”? No! Paul didn’t say that.
What Paul said was;
……For I have LEARNED, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Phil.4:11
Paul didn’t get his sweet disposition in a miraculous manner. No Sir! He had to cultivate it. He had to learn it. Have you seen these spiritual babies that are waiting for God to work a miracle & transform them from a miserable Christian to a happy camper? God isn’t going to do for us what, through prayer, study of His word, & bringing our flesh into subjection, we should be doing for ourselves.
AN OLD TESTAMENT WAY OF DEALING WITH SIN
In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel anointed Saul & gave him instructions to kill all the Amalekites. While God doesn’t need me to come to His defense, there was a reason for this seemingly cruel order to be given. These folk, a nomadic race & descendants of Esau, were the mortal enemies of the Israelites. This was the people who attacked Israel in the famous battle when Aaron & Hur had to hold up Moses’ arms. God had already told Moses he would utterly blot out the memory of these people from under heaven.
The bloody Amalekites were one of the reasons the Israelites disobeyed God & balked at entering the Promised Land. God’s anger burned against these people because they hated Him & detested Israel. In short, the Amalekites were very bad people & Saul was to be God’s instrument to execute judgment on them.
As we know, Saul didn’t obey the clear command of God & motivated by covetousness he kept all their best possessions & actually spared their king, king Agag. Maybe Saul’s pride led him to want a “king on a string.”
The disobedience by Saul was so serious to God that He sent Samuel to tell him God was taking the throne of Israel from him & his descendants forever. We don’t usually think of Samuel, that great prophet of God who was called as a youngster under the tutelage of Eli, as a harsh & vindictive man.
But what Samuel later did about this miscarriage of God’s justice is shocking. He coolly said,
“Bring me Agag!” Agag thought he was safe & came to Samuel & cheerfully told him he was glad the threat of death had passed.
Obviously Samuel wasn’t amused. Do you know what Samuel did then? He took a sword & cut Agag to pieces. 1 Sam.15:32-33.
This might seem cruel & merciless, but let there be no mistake; this was an act of divine judgment to show the holy wrath of an indignant God against a cruel & incorrigible people.
For proof, you only have to go to the end of the book of 1 Samuel not long afterwards, to see the reinvigorated fragments of the Amalekites were still running around the countryside, eating, drinking & pillaging & still causing trouble for Israel. It was they who raided David’s town Ziklag & took his family captive. David caught up with them & got his family back, fighting them all night long into the next morning killing all but four hundred of them.
I can’t think of a more perfect illustration of what sin can & will do if not dealt with harshly. Like the Amalekites, sin if not mortified has a way of reviving, regrouping & launching new & unexpected attacks at the worst times & in the most unexpected ways.
Let’s be real here; living a pure life is difficult today & sexual temptation is one of the strongest. Did Jesus talk about that? Yes He did & He gave us three ways to break the power of sin in our lives.
1. LOOK AWAY
In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus said;
Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, “Thou shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a women to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Jesus is saying that looking at someone lustfully is just as detrimental to our heart & soul as if we had physically committed adultery. If you allowed contempt & hate to build up in your heart against a person it would create a barrier between you even if you never acted on those feelings. Likewise, having lustful thoughts hurts us spiritually if we never act on them because seeing someone as a sexual object builds the wrong feelings & motivations. We realize that thoughts precede actions & thinking about something paves the way to acting it out.
Look away, divert your eyes. Looking refers to one who continues to look with deliberate intent. We can’t live in a world without visual temptations but we don’t have to stare. We can always get up & leave a theater. We can put a book aside & not finish it. Even though we rented a movie, if it gets weird we don’t have to watch it.
If you go on a diet the last place you need to go is to the Dairy Queen or Wendy’s. If you’re counting calories the last thing you need is to go somewhere they have luscious pictures of Lobster Primavera on the menu. Then Jesus said;
2. CUT IT OUT.
If your eye or hand offends, put them away from you. Now we know Jesus isn’t actually speaking of mutilation here, He’s speaking figuratively. What He’s saying is whatever causes you to sin, get rid of it.
I’ve heard of good honorable people who can’t have a computer because of the temptation to log onto a porn channel. Not having a computer prevents them from communication with relatives, checking their bank accounts, checking news stories, driving directions to different locations, purchasing things conveniently, using the spiritual materials that are available online, knowing what’s happening to ministries around the world, & a multitude of other good things. But they can’t trust themselves to have those conveniences because it could open a door for a temptation they feel might be their spiritual downfall.
There are others who can’t have cable T.V because they don’t trust their ability to change the channel. Some people won’t listen to certain kinds of music & even terminate romantic relationships that are leading them into tempting situations.
There are people who haven’t had a drink for years & won’t go places where alcohol is served because it’s a temptation they don’t want to have to deal with. We might look at these folk critically but the bottom line is; whether it’s canceling AOL, having cable television disconnected, transferring to another department at work, whatever is necessary to keep out of a situation that causes temptation to sin, it’s wise to cut it out. It’s better to go dateless, have no television, not get a promotion & forego the knowledge the Internet could supply than to be trapped in sin.
3. GUARD YOUR HEART
David said; Create in me a pure heart O God….Psalm 51:10
I realize that temptation is a matter of the heart not just our surroundings & certainly our heart must be dealt with but in the case of many people, they feel by eliminating certain sources of temptation they get along better & give themselves the opportunity to focus on the real issues, the state of their heart.
God wants to purify our hearts so that dating isn’t a problem, surfing the Internet isn’t a problem or working with an attractive member of the opposite sex isn’t a problem. But we have to do our part. In order to be victorious, we’ve got to eliminate certain distractions, learn to look away from temptations, learn to avoid sinful situations, & learn to focus on the work he wants to do in us.
Please understand the Christian life isn’t a cut & dried proposition, a life that we live in our own strength. While It’s true that we can never abandon our responsibility to mortify our own sin, as Christians, God’s Spirit is always with us working in us, both to will & to of His good pleasure. Phil.2:13. If we have a desire to do right in the first place, it’s God’s spirit that has come along side us to give us that desire.
In a very real sense, it’s as simple as this; “Walk in the Spirit & you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Gal.5:16.
Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. -- 2 Cor.7:1
“When we all get to heaven” we’ll be rid of the flesh, but like the Amalekites, until totally eradicated, sin can always come screaming back with hellish fury when least expected.
Paul said, -But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Cor.9:27.
We might as well accept the fact that we have a stalker named sin & it’s our duty, with the daily faithful assistance of the Holy Spirit, to mortify it, until we rest in gloryland.
Blessings,
John
Do you know how to swim?
Living in Florida with the ocean, lakes and rivers, and every other house with a swimming pool, you seldom meet a person who doesn’t know how to swim. But there are millions of people who don’t. Many of them sadly around the world have never been near enough water to even try.
Pretend you’re one of those people. The most water you’ve ever been in was in a bathtub. Now you decide you want to learn to swim, but the only pool available is ten feet deep everywhere; there is no shallow end. I think you’d be a little reluctant to just dive in.
I could tell you that the water would support you, that you would float. I could show you in an encyclopedia that the density of the human body is ever so slightly less than that of water. I could explain Bernoulli’s laws and Pascal’s laws, and Archimedes’ principle, so that you would become intellectually convinced that your body would float. ... Now are you going to jump in? Probably not. You believe me when I tell you that you can float. But you’re not ready to act on it yet.
You can tell me that you have absolute faith in what I have told you. You can quote back to me all the scientific details. You can study books on swimming, and quote them back to me word for word, chapter and verse. You can tell me how much you love swimming. But until you get wet, it doesn’t mean a thing. Faith without works is dead.
HEALING AT POOL OF BETHSEDA
Some of the better truths in the story of Jesus healing the man at the pool of Bethesda happen after the man was healed & entered the temple, encountering the Pharisees.
In John 5:14, Jesus later found the man in the temple & spoke to him. Jesus had already dealt with the man in “grace” & now He applied “truth,” telling him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him.
Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. John 5:14—NIV
Notice;
JESUS FOUND THE MAN IN THE TEMPLE
The narrative seems clear to me that Jesus went looking for the man He’d recently healed. It’s amazing how Jesus can always find us. Though we sometimes want to feel we went looking for Him, the fact is, God came searching for us. Do you know why it’s often said that Christianity isn’t a religion? Answer; religion is defined as, “Man’s search for God.”
In the strictest sense, a person can be praying to a bird or the Sun & be said to be practicing religion. Mankind is & has always been on a cosmic search for God.
But in Christianity, man wasn’t searching for God, but rather God came searching for man. It was happening all through the Old Testament through the prophets & other phenomenon, & it culminated in Christ coming to earth to dwell among men & die on the cross.
Paul said in Romans 3:11, --there is none that seeketh after God.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 14:3—there is none that doeth good, no not one.
Over & over it’s been demonstrated that when an individual sinks so far into sin all seems hopeless, --“man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” & God finds that person.
WHEN JESUS FOUND THIS MAN IN THE TEMPLE, HE SAID SOMETHING INTERESTING! HE SAID…..
“STOP SINNING OR SOMETHING WORSE MAY HAPPEN TO YOU.”
STOP-SINNING!! Here’s one of the most profound theological commands ever uttered. Are you ready?
STOP!
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the YOUTUBE video on STOP IT with comedian Bob Newhart. If not, take six minutes & watch it. He’s at his funniest, stuttering, brilliant best.
Newhart plays a very different kind of Psychiatrist who charges five dollars for a five minute session. A woman comes into his office & unburdens her phobia about being buried alive in a box. Newhart asks her if anyone had ever threatened to bury her in a box or if there was any real basis for the fear & she says there isn’t. Then he looks at her & says; STOP IT!
Newhart’s finished in three minutes but he can’t break a five dollar bill for the woman so she stays for two more minutes to get her monies worth. She tells him she doesn’t think his advice is going to work for her, & he says, “O.k. if the two words aren’t enough for you I’ll give you ten words,
“STOP IT OR I’LL BURY YOU ALIVE IN A BOX.”
That little skit is humorous but in reality it speaks volumes.
We could read the Bible through & memorize every word of it but until we, as an act of our will make the decision to forsake sin & put it to death, we’ll never be victorious over sin. At some point we have to stop the action, habit or sin because no one else can do it for us.
Are you thinking negatively? STOP IT!!
Are you over-spending? STOP IT!!
Are you overworking? STOP IT!!
Are you gossiping? STOP IT!!
Are you judging others? STOP IT!!
Are you obsessive/ compulsive? STOP IT!!
Do you think your opinions are always best? STOP IT!!
Do you lose your temper? STOP IT!!
Are you overeating? STOP IT!!
Are you indulging in a secret sin? STOP IT!!
It’s like the man who went to the Doctor & told him when he lifted his arm a certain way it hurt. The Doctor, said, “Stop lifting it like that.”
I heard about a man who was having trouble with his voice. He went to a throat specialist, & after a long series of tests, the doctor told the man, the only thing I can tell you is; you talk too much. Stop it!”
Years ago I heard comedian George Burns, nearly one hundred at the time, tell about developing a condition that caused him to constantly clear his throat with a little short cough. He’d been doing it for thirty years & mentioned to his doctor that he was concerned about the cough especially since he smoked cigars. The doctor told him he could easily get rid of the cough for him & gave him instructions, “Stop doing it.” Burns said “that was fifty years ago & I’ve never coughed since.” They aren’t making doctors like that any more.
Here’s the best way I’ve ever found to lose weight; STOP EATING SO MUCH!!
You can do it the low-carb way, which is the way we’ve done it for the last few years, or you can eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day but however you do it, you’ve got to STOP EATING SO MUCH.
You may have a problem that isn’t a sin-- it’s just a bad habit but you can handle it the same way, JUST STOP IT!!
DON’T TRY TO MODIFY OR REDEFINE SIN, OR SLOW IT DOWN, JUST STOP IT!
In the seventies Dr. Karl Mennineger wrote a very good book called, “Whatever became of sin?” He talked about this problem of rationalizing sin or calling it by another name. Over thirty years later the problem has grown exponentially. Our society now has a hard time labeling things right or wrong. When President Ronald Reagan called The Soviet Union an evil empire, it upset a lot of people because they couldn’t come to terms with calling certain things or nation’s evil.
When I read Dr. Mennineger’s book in the mid-seventies, I humbly answered his question thusly; “Sin went to the doctor & was diagnosed as a disease. Sin went to the psychiatrist & was diagnosed as a dysfunction.” Some people choose to try to modify their sin or cut down on it, like ordering a half-order of something in a restaurant. But the edict of heaven is still, STOP IT.
Jesus tells the paralyzed man,--SIN NO MORE!
You may think a Christian can’t sin but as long as we have a robe of flesh we will have a bent toward sin. The Lord’s Prayer says-- forgive us our sins; it doesn’t say –forgive them their sins.
You can be saved, sanctified & filled with heaven’s sweet Holy Ghost but you still have to STOP SINNING!! You can pray until your hair turns green but you still have to STOP SINNING!!
You can fast until you're skin & bones & God will certainly grant you His grace & power but at some point you’ll still have to make the decision to STOP SINNING!!
In Romans 8:13 Paul says, --For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live.
The word mortify comes from the same word that we get the word mortician. This is what must be done to sin.
It’s possible to be “too spiritual,” expecting to sit passively by while God comes in & takes the evil desires & temptations out of our way. He won’t do that but He’ll always create an escape hatch for us to escape the temptation. Of course we’ll have to take the time to look for His way of escape.
Listen how Paul handles a situation where a person has a problem with stealing;
Does he say to the person: “You know, stealing is so ingrained in you & you’ve been so defeated by it, the only hope you have to being victorious over stealing is to have the Lord come in & deal with it for you?” No! What does Paul say? Listen to Ephesians 4:28;
Let him that stole, steal no more! --- JUST STOP IT! Now that’s some deep theology, wouldn’t you agree?
Paul deals much the same way when it comes to growth in grace & spiritual maturity. He tells us in 1 Corinthians that he was at one time young & immature like everyone else. There were the same weaknesses & childishness in Paul’s life that all of us know about.
But did Paul say, “Well, I went to a great revival meeting & went forward & do you know what? God came & instantaneously took away all my childish ways in a heart-beat?”
No. What did Paul say? He said, -When I became a man I put away childish things.-1 Cor.13:11
Paul is saying that as an act of his will, he put away from him the juvenile things that were holding him back.
Paul also tells us how he was able to deal with his day by day attitudes. But he didn’t say;--“You know, I had such a problem with my attitude, I didn’t know what I was going to do.” He didn’t say; “I was always miserable & constantly complaining about my accommodations, the food, and the beverages & really just about everything in my life. But, you know, one night in prayer, God just came into the room & touched me. And since that night, I’m just as contented as one of those old contented cows, anywhere God puts me.”? No! Paul didn’t say that.
What Paul said was;
……For I have LEARNED, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Phil.4:11
Paul didn’t get his sweet disposition in a miraculous manner. No Sir! He had to cultivate it. He had to learn it. Have you seen these spiritual babies that are waiting for God to work a miracle & transform them from a miserable Christian to a happy camper? God isn’t going to do for us what, through prayer, study of His word, & bringing our flesh into subjection, we should be doing for ourselves.
AN OLD TESTAMENT WAY OF DEALING WITH SIN
In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel anointed Saul & gave him instructions to kill all the Amalekites. While God doesn’t need me to come to His defense, there was a reason for this seemingly cruel order to be given. These folk, a nomadic race & descendants of Esau, were the mortal enemies of the Israelites. This was the people who attacked Israel in the famous battle when Aaron & Hur had to hold up Moses’ arms. God had already told Moses he would utterly blot out the memory of these people from under heaven.
The bloody Amalekites were one of the reasons the Israelites disobeyed God & balked at entering the Promised Land. God’s anger burned against these people because they hated Him & detested Israel. In short, the Amalekites were very bad people & Saul was to be God’s instrument to execute judgment on them.
As we know, Saul didn’t obey the clear command of God & motivated by covetousness he kept all their best possessions & actually spared their king, king Agag. Maybe Saul’s pride led him to want a “king on a string.”
The disobedience by Saul was so serious to God that He sent Samuel to tell him God was taking the throne of Israel from him & his descendants forever. We don’t usually think of Samuel, that great prophet of God who was called as a youngster under the tutelage of Eli, as a harsh & vindictive man.
But what Samuel later did about this miscarriage of God’s justice is shocking. He coolly said,
“Bring me Agag!” Agag thought he was safe & came to Samuel & cheerfully told him he was glad the threat of death had passed.
Obviously Samuel wasn’t amused. Do you know what Samuel did then? He took a sword & cut Agag to pieces. 1 Sam.15:32-33.
This might seem cruel & merciless, but let there be no mistake; this was an act of divine judgment to show the holy wrath of an indignant God against a cruel & incorrigible people.
For proof, you only have to go to the end of the book of 1 Samuel not long afterwards, to see the reinvigorated fragments of the Amalekites were still running around the countryside, eating, drinking & pillaging & still causing trouble for Israel. It was they who raided David’s town Ziklag & took his family captive. David caught up with them & got his family back, fighting them all night long into the next morning killing all but four hundred of them.
I can’t think of a more perfect illustration of what sin can & will do if not dealt with harshly. Like the Amalekites, sin if not mortified has a way of reviving, regrouping & launching new & unexpected attacks at the worst times & in the most unexpected ways.
Let’s be real here; living a pure life is difficult today & sexual temptation is one of the strongest. Did Jesus talk about that? Yes He did & He gave us three ways to break the power of sin in our lives.
1. LOOK AWAY
In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus said;
Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, “Thou shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a women to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Jesus is saying that looking at someone lustfully is just as detrimental to our heart & soul as if we had physically committed adultery. If you allowed contempt & hate to build up in your heart against a person it would create a barrier between you even if you never acted on those feelings. Likewise, having lustful thoughts hurts us spiritually if we never act on them because seeing someone as a sexual object builds the wrong feelings & motivations. We realize that thoughts precede actions & thinking about something paves the way to acting it out.
Look away, divert your eyes. Looking refers to one who continues to look with deliberate intent. We can’t live in a world without visual temptations but we don’t have to stare. We can always get up & leave a theater. We can put a book aside & not finish it. Even though we rented a movie, if it gets weird we don’t have to watch it.
If you go on a diet the last place you need to go is to the Dairy Queen or Wendy’s. If you’re counting calories the last thing you need is to go somewhere they have luscious pictures of Lobster Primavera on the menu. Then Jesus said;
2. CUT IT OUT.
If your eye or hand offends, put them away from you. Now we know Jesus isn’t actually speaking of mutilation here, He’s speaking figuratively. What He’s saying is whatever causes you to sin, get rid of it.
I’ve heard of good honorable people who can’t have a computer because of the temptation to log onto a porn channel. Not having a computer prevents them from communication with relatives, checking their bank accounts, checking news stories, driving directions to different locations, purchasing things conveniently, using the spiritual materials that are available online, knowing what’s happening to ministries around the world, & a multitude of other good things. But they can’t trust themselves to have those conveniences because it could open a door for a temptation they feel might be their spiritual downfall.
There are others who can’t have cable T.V because they don’t trust their ability to change the channel. Some people won’t listen to certain kinds of music & even terminate romantic relationships that are leading them into tempting situations.
There are people who haven’t had a drink for years & won’t go places where alcohol is served because it’s a temptation they don’t want to have to deal with. We might look at these folk critically but the bottom line is; whether it’s canceling AOL, having cable television disconnected, transferring to another department at work, whatever is necessary to keep out of a situation that causes temptation to sin, it’s wise to cut it out. It’s better to go dateless, have no television, not get a promotion & forego the knowledge the Internet could supply than to be trapped in sin.
3. GUARD YOUR HEART
David said; Create in me a pure heart O God….Psalm 51:10
I realize that temptation is a matter of the heart not just our surroundings & certainly our heart must be dealt with but in the case of many people, they feel by eliminating certain sources of temptation they get along better & give themselves the opportunity to focus on the real issues, the state of their heart.
God wants to purify our hearts so that dating isn’t a problem, surfing the Internet isn’t a problem or working with an attractive member of the opposite sex isn’t a problem. But we have to do our part. In order to be victorious, we’ve got to eliminate certain distractions, learn to look away from temptations, learn to avoid sinful situations, & learn to focus on the work he wants to do in us.
Please understand the Christian life isn’t a cut & dried proposition, a life that we live in our own strength. While It’s true that we can never abandon our responsibility to mortify our own sin, as Christians, God’s Spirit is always with us working in us, both to will & to of His good pleasure. Phil.2:13. If we have a desire to do right in the first place, it’s God’s spirit that has come along side us to give us that desire.
In a very real sense, it’s as simple as this; “Walk in the Spirit & you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Gal.5:16.
Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. -- 2 Cor.7:1
“When we all get to heaven” we’ll be rid of the flesh, but like the Amalekites, until totally eradicated, sin can always come screaming back with hellish fury when least expected.
Paul said, -But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Cor.9:27.
We might as well accept the fact that we have a stalker named sin & it’s our duty, with the daily faithful assistance of the Holy Spirit, to mortify it, until we rest in gloryland.
Blessings,
John
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