Sermon notes: This Is War!

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints …

Life isn’t easy. Winning victories isn’t easy. Being a Christian isn’t easy. Even Jesus told us that. Matthew 5:45 says that it rains on the just and the unjust– meaning that some things come under the heading of “c’est la vie,” or that’s life.

Sylvester Stallone summed it up quite well in the movie Rocky Balboa:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!

In other words, life is sometimes just plain hard.

That said, don’t lose hope. 1 Peter 4:12-13 tells us, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” If we suffer with Him, we will also reign with Him.

But wait there’s more. There’s victory.

Jesus said in Luke 18:27, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." So even in the darkest times, there is hope.

How do we overcome? First Jesus said, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”So the first thing to do is don’t give up. Fight on even when it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Do your best – God will do the rest.

Another thing to do is to have faith. Jesus told us, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) Maybe that’s why Leviticus 26:8 says, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” Amazing!

And along the lines of that last verse, team up! Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” An example of that is in I Samuel 14:6-7, where it states, “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’ So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’” (italics mine) As a result, the nation of Israel won a smashing victory over the Philistines, so much that in verses 21-23 it says, “Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.”

Finally, let God fight for you! II Chronicles 20:15 says, “And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.”’” Before the nation of Judah went into that battle, they sent the singers and the worshippers out before the army – and before the army took the field, God defeated their enemies! Verse 22 says, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” Let God fight for you – trust Him, seek Him and worship Him – and the victory will come!

All verses are NKJV

This one's (mostly) for the ladies...

As some of you know, I’m on a diet. I just turned 38 and I can whip any NFL nose tackle in the weight department – not a good combination for either my health or a few other things.

With the dawn of a new year, I’m not alone on the dieting front. And it’s got me thinking – how many of us struggle with loving the skin we’re in? Like I said, I need to lose weight – my physique bears too much of a resemblance to Jabba the Hutt for my own good. But what about other people? In a society that seems to idealize women with waists the size of pencils and breasts the size of volleyballs (or bigger), it isn’t hard for most women to feel like their looks just aren’t good enough.

I guess it’s little wonder so many women have such low self-esteem. And as a result, too many women just don’t love themselves like they should. And when you don’t love yourself like you should, you tend to keep out those who will and go for those who don’t. Maybe that is one reason why there seems to be a proliferation of bad relationships and women throwing themselves away on jerks.

So ladies, what is the answer? Well let me start off by telling you what is not the answer. You do not need to diet yourself into anorexia or spend thousands of dollars on breast implants and plastic surgery. Now I’m not saying all diets are bad – but there is often too much of a good thing these days. You just need to keep a few things in mind:

God loves you just the way you are. You don’t have to have the perfect physique to be loved by the One who is love. Whether you’re skinny or fat, tall or short, or whatever else, He loves you. And that’s what matters more than anything.

Don’t sell yourself short. In all likelihood, you’re way more attractive than you give yourself credit for. No matter what society tells us, there is not just one standard of beauty. Some guys prefer curvy, full-figured women. Some like thin, athletic women. Some prefer brunettes and some prefer redheads. So if you’re not blonde, tan, pencil-thin, fitness-model toned and built like Dolly Parton, don’t fret. You don’t have to look like that.

Everyone deserves respect. Period. End of story. If a guy is not satisfied with your looks, he probably doesn’t love you. Sex and love are not identical. If all he cares about is sex and outward appearance, he just wants a slut. Don’t let him treat you like one. You deserve better.

Anyway, that’s my two cents for today…

Tonight's message at Lighthouse at the Clubhouse: Walking by faith

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
II Corinthians 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Shut your eyes. Try walking to the bathroom with your eyes shut. It’s no fun trying to something when you can’t see. You might bump into something. You might trip over something. You may run into a wall. You may step on someone.

But that’s how we walk through life. We don’t know what’s going to happen in life. James 4:14 says, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We don’t know what tomorrow holds. It might be something great. Or it might hold a serious car wreck. Or bad news from the doctor. We simply don’t know.

But there is good news. The psalmist told us that God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:25-34 to not worry because God takes care of it all. And Paul said that we walk by faith, not sight. 

And it’s hard. It’s hard to walk a path when all you can see is just in front of your feet. It’s sometimes hard to trust in Someone that you can’t see with your eyes. But it’s way better than walking blind. God knows how the story ends before it even starts. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. He is faithful. Romans 8:28 said that if we love the Lord, everything is working for our good. So trust Him. He has our backs and everything in front of us.

Now shut your eyes and try walking to the bathroom. But this time take someone’s hand. And let them lead you. You won’t be able to move fast. But if you follow them, you’ll make it. That’s how walking by faith works!

All verses are NKJV

What Every College Student Should Know

Hey y'all, these are my notes from a sermon I delivered last month to Lighthouse at the Clubhouse, our church's college ministry. Have a read and enjoy!

Mark 12:28-31 – Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NKJV)

Love God. Love the One who created the universe, holds tomorrow in His hands and can do absolutely anything, but loves each of us enough that He came to earth, robed Himself in flesh, lived liked we did, put up with what we put up with, then despite never doing anything wrong, died for our sins like a criminal – and died in a most painful way. All so that we can have life and have it more abundantly.

Love others. When we love others, we treat people with respect. And when we treat others with respect, we don’t hurt them. Also, Jesus Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. And I’ve learned that from experience as well. When you give to others, you end up giving back to yourself. This is just my two cents, but in this holiday season, if you get a chance to volunteer, go for it. Ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Help serve Christmas dinner to those who can’t go home or don’t have a home to go to.

Love yourself. In this day and age, that can be hard. But love yourself and respect yourself – because if you don’t, who will? Ladies, don’t throw yourselves away on players. They may be romantic and charming, but the “bad boy with a heart of gold” is rarer than a total solar eclipse. And if the idea of getting used and played doesn’t bother you, ask yourself this: what kind of a dad will he be? I had a relative recently say how she didn’t like whitebread guys – and her guy certainly isn’t that. But he hasn’t been there much for his kids either. In fact his future son-in-law once said that he didn’t know whether to shake his hand or hit him when they first met. Too many kids have grown up without their dads being around much – I’m one of them – and we are the worse for it. So love yourself enough to not throw yourself away.

Last and certainly not least, follow Jesus Christ. College can be stressful – many of you are stressing over finals right now. Life can be stressful. And life hurts like being burned with a white-hot flame sometimes. But Jesus is the answer. Like I said earlier, He loves you with an amazing love. And He will guide your feet and hold your hand if you will let Him. So if you haven’t done so already, take that first step into the Kingdom. Ask God to forgive your sins. Give your life fully to Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Then keep walking on – get baptized, let God fill you up with His Holy Spirit and grow in grace – take root and bear fruit.

A little rant from 2008

Hey gang...I just found this and since I'm starting a new blog, I thought I'd re-post it here. So read and enjoy...

After having a couple of "those" days, I feel like venting a little. So you better hold on to your hats gang, because I'm not going to pull my punches a lot on this one. Without further ado, here goes:

The more I hear about some relationship trends, the more I wonder if being single is really all that bad. Don't get me wrong -- I do want a relationship -- but I want it to be right, not the ways I often see around me.

1) I was reading a men's fitness magazine and it made me wonder if these people think relationships are all superficial and physical -- in other words, little more than just hooking up with one person exclusively. Excuse me, I thought a good relationship was an emotional bond between two people who love each other and enjoy each other's company. It's no wonder that so many people are unfulfilled and the divorce rate is so high if the former is all relationships have come to. Love will get you through the storms, lust won't.

2) I have heard people complain about the lack of quality singles, yet the only places they go to meet them are places where the order of the day is fun and short-term, not deep and long-term. If you really want love, look in the right places.

3) Why do people stay in one-sided relationships? I don't get it. I know that it's hard to walk away, but if the other person does not respect you enough to treat you right and does not appreciate you, find someone who will. As a Christian, I know how forgiving love can be, but you can forgive them without letting yourself be pulled through the ringer. You deserve better...

4) If you're not friends with your significant other, then why are you with them? You'd enjoy a friend's company a lot better...

5) Ladies, we males aren't all players. There are some of us (a lot of us actually) that value a what a woman has inside more than what she has outside, can enjoy her company without being all over her and know how to actually love her as opposed to lusting after her...

Sorry if I offended anyone. I was a little blunter than usual. Still, maybe y'all will like it...and as usual, comment to your heart's content :)