Sun, Mar 31st - 11:38PM

Luke 11:34-36

Luke 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (NIV)

Do you know the things you watch and listen has an effect on you?  There is some people who believe they can watch whatever movies they want, whatever television shows they want, whatever they want to look at on the internet, or listen to whatever music they want and it won’t affect their outlook on things.  This isn’t true.  We know a vast majority of sex offenders have a porn addiction.  Pornography portrays an unrealistic and un-healthy attitude toward sex and if you watch this kind of stuff it is going to affect your attitude toward sex.  Take the media rather it be television, the movie industry, the news media, or the music industry, believers can believe that Satan knows the power of media over the individual and he is using it to his advantage.  Most people fail to look past the surface of things to look for the deeper meaning in events going on in the world around them.  There was a time that American television shows were good natured family shows but I don’t think we can say that anymore.  It is no accident that a lot of TV shows have a gay character in them, they are trying to convey the idea that it is a normal lifestyle.  There was a time that television shows were built around family characters usually a husband and wife with their kids but today many shows are built around young couples that live together outside of marriage.  That is because they are trying to convey that this is normal and the idea of marriage and especially the idea of waiting on sex to marriage is outdated and it has a tremendous effect on the thinking of young people in this country.  How many times have you seen a Christian portray on TV or in a movie as a bigoted, backwards, hateful person?  This is no accident, this is the message they are putting out there.  It is no accident that the television and movie industry is full people with liberal and atheist views.

In this verses Jesus is saying to look at what kind of light is in your soul, are you full of light or full of darkness?  But most people fail to realize they are blindly feeding their souls the things of the darkness every day and many of them to fail feed their souls the things of God by neglecting to read their Bibles and spend time with God.  As the old saying goes “you are what you eat.”  Are you feeding your soul the things of God or the things of the world? 

Sat, Mar 30th - 11:03PM

Luke 11:33

Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. (NIV)

Christ is given many titles in the Bible and one of them is the Light.  The Light shines into the darkness of evil in this world and lights the way to God.  As believers we are to let the light of Christ shine through us that we may lead those in the darkness of evil to the true path of salvation in Christ.   In Matthew 5:14 it says we are the light of the world.  So let your light shine bright so others may see the light of Christ in you and they may see the way to salvation.  Let the light of Christ shine bright so that those who are lost in the darkness of unbelief and rebellion can see the way to Christ because there is no other way to salvation then through the Lord Jesus Christ because it was Him and Him alone that died on the cross for the sins of mankind that whosoever believes In Him and accepts as Lord and Savior can have the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life through Him.  All other paths are false paths that only lead to hell.  The only true path to heaven is by accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

Fri, Mar 29th - 11:30PM

Luke 11:29-32

Luke 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.³⁰ For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.³¹ The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.³² The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

The Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce a sign that He was indeed the Son of God even though He had performed many miracles in front of them.  Jesus knew their hearts and knew their hearts were hardened to the truth.  No matter what Jesus did they refused to believe because their hearts were evil and full of darkness and didn’t want to believe.  The Jewish leaders made a big show of being religious but in reality their hearts were far from God for God Himself was standing before them and they were to blind and full of evil to recognize Him because they were more concerned with the hold they had on the people instead of true worship of God.

Today in the Western world we are living in a society that is rapidly turning from God.  Take the current debate over gay marriage it all boils down to this.  Society knows what the Bible says about marriage but society has basically said “God we know what you say about marriage but we don’t care we are going to do what we think is right.”  This is the sin that has plagued mankind since Adam and Eve, the sin of rebellion against the will of God and you can read the Bible to learn the fate of individuals and nations that have taken this route.  I think it is no accident that America and other Western European nations are struggling and on the decline at the same time they are turning farther and farther from God.  There was a time that the U.S. and other Western European nations sent missionaries all over the world to spread the Gospel and God blessed them for it and they prospered but now these nations have forsaken God and that blessing is being taken away.

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Wed, Mar 27th - 7:01PM

Luke 11:23

Luke 11:23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

There is a war that has been going on from the beginning of time.  This is a war between good and evil, a war between God and Satan and this is a war with no neutrals.  A lot of people like to think they are living their lives and stuff like religion doesn’t matter to them because they don’t really believe in it, well what they fail to realize they are involved rather they know it or not.  Jesus said those that are not with Him are against Him.  This doesn’t mean a “yeah I believe there is a God” kind of casual attitude, this means and active serving child of God who has put their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  The Bible recognizes two types of people, the children of God and the children of Satan.  If you are not a child of God then you are a child of Satan rather you realize it or not.  Millions of people are pawns of Satan without every realizing it.  Just think of all these militant atheists who spend their time hatefully attacking Christians believes, many of them spending their time going from one Christian site to another leaving very hateful comments all in the name of tolerance.  What you think drives that intense hatred against Christians and anything to do with God, a God they claim doesn’t exist.  I don’t believe in aliens but I don’t spend my free time attacking those who do, so what you think is really behind their intense hatred?  These people are doing the bidding of Satan and don’t even realize it and millions of others are also doing the bidding of Satan without realizing it every time the say a hateful remarks against Christians or mock God or mock Christian beliefs.  Who do you think is really behind this liberal agenda of attacking Christian beliefs in this country?  I tell you the attack on marriage is the beginning not the end of the attack just look at some of the more liberal countries around the world where pastors have been jailed for speaking out against homosexuality or Christians parents denied the right to adopt because in the eyes of the government Christians values are harmful to children.  Is this the direction the U.S. is headed to? 

Sun, Mar 24th - 11:44PM

Luke 11:9,10

Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

When Jesus said ask and it shall be given does that mean we can ask for anything?  No of course not.  If I ask for a new wife when I already have one God isn’t going to answer that prayer.  If I ask God to make me rich just because I want to be rich God isn’t going to answer that prayer because I am being greedy.  Now if a child of God prays to God because they need money for food or rent or medicals bills that is different there is a real need there that the believer is asking for.  Remember in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus said “thy will be done” He was referring to God’s will.  He was saying that when we pray we should pray that God’s will be done not ours.  God already knows what we need, God doesn’t need our prayers but we need to pray to God.  Prayer is for our benefit not God’s.  Prayer builds faith and builds communication between the believer and God.  The believer learns to trust God instead of his own abilities. 

Too many people have an idea of God setting in heaven just waiting to answer our prayers and they never consider seeking the will of God.  God in all of His wisdom knows what we need better than we do.  But people have fallen for this word of faith theology that teaches they can demand things of God if they just name it and claim.  Who is man that he should demand anything of God instead of humbly coming to God in prayer and asking that His will be done? 

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Thu, Mar 21st - 6:13PM

Luke 11:1,2

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Notice that Jesus says “Thy will be done,” in other words God’s will be done not His.  If Jesus the Son of God prayed that God’s will be done shouldn’t we pray the same?  Too many people today try to turn God into some kind of magical genie just waiting in heaven to give us whatever we pray for such as the name it and claim belief or the word of faith movement.  They believe if you claim something in the name of Jesus and have enough faith God has to give it to you.  Really?  This reduces God to a puppet to man that has to give man whatever he wants because he claimed it.  This completely takes the will of God out of the picture and is not Biblical at all. 

First if you are following God just to see what you can get from Him than your heart is in the wrong place to begin with.  Next God is Lord over us we are not Lord over Him who is man to demand anything from God.  We come to God in prayer asking for what we need.  There is a difference between need and greed.  I need money to pay rent, to buy food and to survive to ask to be rich is greed.  I need a house to live in to ask for a mansion is greed. 

God always hears the prayers of His children but we must understand God’s will will always be done.  Some preachers will tell you that God never says no, well this is un-Biblical.  If I ask God to strike down my neighbor is He going to say yes?  Of course not.  If I ask God to make me the richest man in the world is He going to say yes?  Of course not because I am not praying for God’s will to be done in my life.  We should always put God’s will first in our life.

Wed, Mar 20th - 7:25PM

Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NIV)

Martha has invited Jesus into her home and being the good hostess sets about probably preparing a meal for Jesus and His disciples and probably preparing a place for them to sleep at night but she soon becomes upset that her sister is listening to Jesus instead of helping her make preparations so she complains to Jesus expecting Him to side with her but instead Jesus tells Martha that Mary has the right idea.  It wasn’t that Jesus was saying what Martha was doing wasn’t important but that listening to what He had to teach was more important.

So many churches and Christians get busy trying to do good things for their communities and trying to run community events that they often neglect the most important thing which is preaching and teaching the Word of God.  Feeding the hungry, helping the poor, and other community events are important but we need not to neglect the Gospel to do them.  The ultimate mission of the church is found in the Great Commission where Jesus instructs His disciples to preach the Gospel to the world because the ultimate mission of the church is to save the lost from going to hell.  God expects us to do good deeds but He also expects us to spend time with Him in prayer and Bible study and to continue to preach the Word of God to the world.

Sun, Mar 17th - 8:19AM

Luke 10:16

Luke 10:16He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Jesus had promised many times that the disciples would be hated because of the message they were proclaiming and the same goes for Christians today.  If you take a stand on the Word of God against the sins of society today you are going to be hated.  In John 15:18 Jesus tells His disciples if they hated him that they can be expected to be hated also.  Why does the world hate us?  John 3:19 says that mankind hate the light which is Christ because their deeds are evil.  In other words mankind hates the light because it shines the light unto their evil deeds.  Mankind don’t want to be told they are sinners in need of Savior or that deeds like homosexuality, sexual sin, drinking, drug use or all the other deeds they are involved in are sinful and that they need to stop them.  They want to be told they can do whatever they want and God is ok with it and there are preachers out there that will tell them this very thing but those who refuse to compromise the Word of God will be hated.

We are to preach the Word of God without compromise knowing we will be hated for it but knowing it is really not us they hate but Christ who shines the light into the dark world that they love and that many refuse to give up.   

Sat, Mar 16th - 11:27PM

Luke 10:10-15

Luke 10:10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. (NIV)

Jesus is telling His disciples that they won’t be accepted everywhere they go.  Some towns and some people will refuse to hear the Gospel or reject it once they hear it.  If that happens they are to shake off the dust of their feet as a warning to them and move on.  They did their part, they preached the Gospel like instructed and those who reject the Gospel will be held accountable to God for refusing it.

The judgment of God isn’t a popular subject but still those who refuse to hear the Gospel or reject it when they do hear it will be held accountable to God.  Every person will stand before the judgment seat of God someday to give an account of their life and according to Revelation 20:11-15 all those whose name is not written in the book of life their destination is the lake of fire.  How do you name gets written in the book of life?  Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.  There is only one way to heaven and that is by accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Thu, Mar 14th - 8:10PM

Luke 10:1,2

Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two  others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

When we read the Gospels we often get the impression that there was just Jesus and just the 12 main Disciples but actually Jesus had many followers and then an inner group of 12 disciples that would become the core group.  It would be the 12 that received special mentorship by Jesus and would be selected to be the leaders in spreading the Gospel after the death of Christ and we also know many of the larger group will fall away as things get tougher for Christ.   But still 72 is a small number when you think of the task of spreading the Gospel to the world.  That is why Christ is telling them to pray for workers to help with the harvest, the harvest being the lost that needed to hear the Gospel and brought into the Kingdom of God.

Well today God still needs workers to go out in the fields to reap the harvest.  It is estimated there is 2 billion Christians in the world out of a population of 7 billion.  That means there is 5 billion people who need to be brought in from the harvest.  That 2 billion Christians number means all types of Christians, Catholic, Orthodox, Mainline Protestant, Liberal, and Evangelical.  Of these it is estimated there are 500 million Evangelical Christians in the world.  Why did I single out Evangelicals?  Because Evangelicals put an emphasis on spreading the Gospel that other branches do not, that is why they are called Evangelicals.  But even of the 500 million Evangelicals not everyone is actively engaged in evangelism.   Are you getting the picture?  The need is great while the active number of workers involved is small.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission it was a call to all believers to spread the Word of God.  You might not be an evangelist or a preacher but every one of us know someone who needs to hear the Gospel rather it be a neighbor, co-worker, schoolmate, etc. that needs to hear the Gospel.  If every believer would do their part by telling those in their sphere of influence the Gospel the Gospel will spread.  All it takes is a little bit of effort and dedication to the Great Commission by every believer.

Wed, Mar 13th - 7:17PM

Luke 9:61,62

Luke 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

I have never ploughed a field but I used to do a lot of running when I was young and I know the fastest way to run is to look straight ahead and keep your eyes on the finish line because looking behind you slows you down and will cause you to stray off course.  And this is what Jesus is saying here, He has called you to follow Him and to focus on the goal of following Him without looking back to your old sinful life because whoever does this is not fit for the Kingdom of God.  What He is saying whoever says they are following Him but keeps looking back lustfully at his old sinful has not really made a commitment to follow Him at all. 

I hear a lot of people make commitments like, “I don’t drink now but when I did I could drink a case beer by myself, those where the days” or “back in the day I could party all night,” or “I used to have a different girl every weekend.”  They are looking back at their old lives.  That means there is still a desire for that old life in their hearts and it means there is a source of temptation for Satan to use and he will use it.

When we make a commitment to follow Christ that means we have made a commitment to follow Him as a disciple and a commitment to submit to His will and to leave the old life of sin behind us and that is where we need to keep it behind us in the past.  Satan will make the old life look appealing and make it easy to forget the bad parts of the old life like the broken relationships, the broken health, or the broken life of our old lifestyles and most importantly makes us forget the separation from God our old lifestyle caused. 

Tue, Mar 12th - 7:09PM

Luke 9:59,60

Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God

At first glance it may seem Jesus was being cruel to this man but what Jesus was really saying is, “I have called you to go and preach the Kingdom of God, quit giving excuses why you can’t go and go do what I have told you.”  God has given every believer a role to play in the advancement in the Kingdom of God.  Christians are called many things in the Bible such as fishers of men, seed sowers, ambassadors and others but nowhere are we called pew warmers or sideline coaches.  God never called anyone to do nothing for Him.  In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul lists all of the different spiritual gifts that are given to different believers to use for the Kingdom of God.  In 1 Corinthians 12:7 it says these gifts are given to every man.  Which means every believer isn’t given every gift but every believer is given a gift to use for the Kingdom of God.

If you are a believer you are given a gift to use for the Kingdom of God and if you are not using it you will answer to God why you did nothing to advance the Kingdom of God and if you don’t know what you gift is then you need to seek God to reveal it to you because God has given you a gift you have just never tried to discover what it is.

The Kingdom of God has been advancing for close to 2000 years, as we approach the 2000^th anniversary of the death of Christ, and must of the work has been done by everyday Christians who tell their family and friends about Christ.  What people don’t realize is that although people like Billy Graham get a lot of attention when we think of spreading the Word of God most people come to Christ through the personal interaction with a friend, family member, co-worker, schoolmate or other associate that is a Christian and tells them about Christ.  So are you telling those who are the closest to you about Christ?

Mon, Mar 11th - 7:16PM

Luke 9:57,58

Luke 9:57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Jesus was letting this man know what He was getting into if he followed Him.  Jesus and His disciples didn’t have homes they travelled from place to place often relying on the kindness of other followers to provide for their needs.  Jesus was telling this man following Him wouldn’t be easy.  In fact Jesus told His disciples they could expect persecution for following Him and that is what they received.  Every one of the disciples, except Judas of course and John who spent many years in prison, was killed for the faith.  Paul and the other members of the early church knew persecution.  Paul, Timothy, Polycarp, and many of the early church fathers gave their lives for the Gospel.  Becoming a Christian in the early church literally meant you could expect persecution and probably death at the hands of the Romans.

Today thousands of Christians around the world face death at the hands of Muslim and Communists governments but yet unless you read articles in Christian newspapers you never hear about them, you don’t hear about Muslim mobs destroying Christian homes in Pakistan, the Iranian, Libyan, and Egyptian governments putting Christians in jail or Syrian rebels executing Christians, the government of Sudan making slaves out of Christians, or the thousands of Christians in prison in North Korea.  These people know real persecution for their faith but they also know what real faith in Christ.  These people put prosperity preachers and word of faith preachers to shame with their hollow talk about faith.  These people know what real faith is.

Despite what many preachers might say Jesus never promised believers an easy life in fact He told u true believers can expect to be persecuted if they take a stand for Christ.

Thu, Mar 7th - 7:17PM

Luke 9:27-36

Luke 9:27 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. (NIV)

There are many who claim that Jesus never declared He was the Son of God that is a silly statement because Jesus never hid who He was, people who makes these kinds of statements lack understanding of the Bible besides that God Himself declared Jesus as His Son and declared that we should listen to Him. 

Jesus is the Son of God born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life and He died on the cross for our sins that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life in Him.  He is the risen Savior who rose on the third and He is the coming King who will return for His church and to judge the world of its sins.  He is the only Way to heaven because it was Christ and Christ alone who died on the cross for your sins all other ways and religions are false ways that only lead to hell.  But you don’t have to head to hell Romans 10:9-13 explains in simple terms how one receives salvation in Christ. 

Wed, Mar 6th - 7:18PM

Luke 9:26

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

The Gospel of Christ has always been controversial.  The Gospel of Christ was so controversial that they had Christ crucified over it and every one of His disciples, except Judas of course and John who spent many years in prison, died because of its message.

People don’t want to hear that their life is wrong or the things they do are sinful or that God is going to judge them for their lives.  People don’t want to hear that although the Supreme Court has made abortion legal it is still murder in the eyes of God or that although society says homosexuality is ok that it is still sin in the eyes of God.  That is an understandable attitude for non-believers but when Christians accept this attitude there is a problem.  There are Christians who are so embarrassed about what the Bible says about marriage, hell, judgment, and other religions that they either choose to ignore the Bible or water down the Gospel to leave out all the difficult parts.  You have a lot of pastors doing this very thing, they water down their sermons to avoid anything controversial.  Well I am not their judge but God is and verse 26 is a warning to those who decide to take that route. 

Tue, Mar 5th - 8:13PM

Luke 9:25

Luke 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

You can chase after the things of the world but you could very well lose your soul in the process.  How many celebrities have found this to be true?  From Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson, and others, they chased after fame and fortune and lost their soul and often their lives in the process.  Satan is going to make the things of this world appealing with promises of happiness if you obtain them but it is a false happiness.  The temporary things of this world can never bring true happiness and often leaves a person wanting more rather it be sex, drugs, alcohol, money, or possessions they never really satisfy and leaves a person wanting more until the life becomes one big pursuit of things that never really satisfies the soul.

True happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be found in Christ.  That is why He told the woman by the well that he drinks of the water that He gives shall never thirst again.  The soul of man has a yearning for God but they often reject God and try to fill the emptiness in their soul with things that never satisfies because only God can satisfy the soul.

Tue, Mar 5th - 8:13PM

Genesis 19:26

Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Earlier in verse 17 the angels had warned Lot’s family not to look back but flee to the mountains.  We see in verse 26 that Lot’s wife disobeys the angels and she is turned into a pillar of salt.  It is obvious that the sinful lifestyle of Sodom had some appeal to Lot’s wife and that was why she was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back to her old life.  In Luke 17:32 Jesus tells His disciples to remember Lot’s wife before telling them whoever will try to save his life will lose it and whosoever loses his life will save it. 

So many people today have a hard time of letting go of their old lifestyles to serve Christ.  They go to church and probably truly do want to serve Him but the appeals of the old lifestyle keeps pulling them back down to the pit of sin. 

No one can truly become a disciple of Christ without leaving their old sinful lifestyle behind and Satan isn’t going to make it easy.  You are going to be tempted to return to the things which once kept you in the slavery of sin. 

In Luke 9:62 Jesus says no one who looks back after putting his hand to the plow is worthy of the Kingdom of God.  In other words those who have made a commitment to serve God but keeps looking back to their old sinful lives is not worthy of going to heaven.  In other words if you keeping looking back to the old sinful life you really haven’t committed yourself to God at all. 

Mon, Mar 4th - 4:31PM

Luke 9:24

Luke 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

You cannot gain a new life in Christ without giving up your old sinful life.  This is another area that prevents people from following Jesus.  They believe Jesus is real and that He is the Son of God but they are un-willing to leave their old sinful life behind to follow Him.  Many of them haven’t come to that point where the veil of darkness comes off and they see their life for what it really is and for many their life is nothing but an illusion of false happiness.  A lifetime built around trivial possessions and momentary moments of happiness.  What they fail to recognize only in Christ can they have true happiness and true peace.

The only true path to salvation is through Christ.  Only by leaving our old life of sin behind and accepting Christ as Lord and Savior can we truly be saved.  Only by surrendering your life to Christ and submitting to His will and His Lordship over your life will you every experience true salvation.  Believing in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior is only the first step you also must leave the old sinful nature behind and as John says in John chapter 3 be born again.  Born not of the flesh but of the Spirit.

Mon, Mar 4th - 4:07PM

Genesis 19:4-11

Genesis 19:4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8“Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. 10But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. (NASB)

There were probably many sins being conducted in Sodom but it is obvious that there was a prevalent attitude of homosexuality and sexual perversion in the town.  Why does God hate homosexuality and other sexual perversion?  From the very beginning with Adam and Eve God created man and woman to be married partners and to raise a family as husband and wife.  Sex was created for the purpose of reproducing children and as a loving act between husband and wife. 

This is a hot button issue in today’s society especially in the West where there is a big push to legalize homosexual marriage and our society is already dealing with widespread pornography use, pregnancy outside of marriage and just a general disregard for morals especially when it comes to sexual behavior.  We have basically told God we know what your standards is for sexual behavior but we don’t care we are going to do what we feel is right. 

Don’t be fooled God judges disobedience to His will.  The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah had become so great God felt He had no choice but to destroy them.  God doesn’t change.  Mankind and society changes but God doesn’t change.  Don’t be fooled into thinking what is acceptable to society is acceptable to God.

God expects His children to live a life of holiness and that includes in our sexual behavior.  No matter what society deems as acceptable we live by the will of God and abide by His desires for sexual behavior. 

Mon, Mar 4th - 4:06PM

Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me

When the Romans executed someone on the cross they made it a public event.  The person was usually made to carry his cross to the place of execution and he was crucified in a place where everyone could see.  This served as a sign to others and it was meant to publicly humiliate the person being executed.  Jesus was telling His disciples if they were going to follow Him they had to let go of their old lives and serve Him publicly and openly in a sacrifial manner so that all can see their lives and be a sign to others.

A lot of people believe Jesus is real but what keeps them from following Him is the whole denying yourself thing.  Believing Jesus is real is not good enough, Satan and his demons know Jesus is real that doesn’t make them Christians.  Believing Jesus is real isn’t good enough you must leave your old lifestyle of sin behind accept Him as Lord and Savior and serve Him.  Living the Christian life means submitting to Christ as Lord of our lives and submitting to His will.  When you call Christ Lord that means you are submitting to His Lordship over your life.  That means you are willing to let go of your own desires for your life and ready to submit to His will for your life.  That means you are ready to pick up your cross and follow Him and live a life that is a sign to others and that all can see.  That means you are ready to let your light shine before all of mankind to be a beacon of light in a world of darkness.

Sat, Mar 2nd - 12:00AM

Luke 9:18-20

Luke 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 19They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. 20He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

The Christ of God which means the Anointed One, The Messiah.  Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.  The One Anointed by God to die for the sins of the world.  The Disciples were slowly growing into their understanding of who Jesus was.  They wouldn’t fully understand until His death and resurrection.

A vast of majority of mankind today fails to grasp truly who Jesus is.  He is the Son of God that came to earth born to a virgin, He lived a sinless life, and He died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for the sins of mankind that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Him.  He is the one and only way to the Father because it is only He that died on the cross so that you can come before the Father forgiven of your sins.  He bore your sins on the cross so that you can stand before the judgment seat of God forgiven of your sins IF you accept Him as Lord and Savior.  That means you recognize you are a sinner in need of a salvation and a Savior and believing Christ is that Savior and confessing Him as your Lord and turning from your sinful life to follow Him as the Lord of your life.