The World's Applause

Matthew 6:1

1 "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Romans 3 is a tough passage to read and an even tougher passage to swallow.  In this passage of Scripture, Paul makes it clear by quoting Old Testament words: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no now who does good, not even one."  Those words are just from verses 10 through 12.  Paul goes on to say in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Why is this a tough passage to read, a tough passage to swallow?  I believe it is because we want to believe we are good; we want to believe we are better than this.  The truth is simple: we are not good; we are sinners.  The words in Romans 3 are not all tough to read or tough to swallow.  We also find these words from Romans 3:24, which offer us freedom: "And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Thank God for His amazing grace!  Thank God for Jesus!

One of the struggles we face with sin is the promotion of self.  As sinners, we need to be rescued.  Yes, we need to be rescued from sin; but more than that, we need to be rescued from self.  Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 6:1, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."  He goes on to say in Matthew 6:5-6, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Jesus points out a very particular and prideful problem: seeking the world's applause.  When we are full of self and deep in our own sinful desire, we really want the world to know just how good we are.  We really want the world to see all the good we have done and are doing.  When we are full of self, we really love the world's applause.  Jesus warns us over and over again to deny self, to turn from sin, and to walk humbly with our God.  In another passage, Jesus again warns of the dangers that come from seeking the world's applause.  In Matthew 23:2-12, Jesus says, "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.  EVERYTHING THEY DO IS DONE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE; they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others.  But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.  THE GREATEST AMONG YOU WILL BE YOUR SERVANT.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Recently, I brought up the subject of our PRIDE PROBLEM.  What can we do about the pride in our lives?  We confess it; we repent of it; we trust and believe in Jesus; and we walk in humility before God and man.  I believe the same can be said in this area.  We need to be careful when receiving the world's applause, just as we need to be careful when receiving the world's rejection.  If we are living for the applause of man, then we are living in a prideful place.  If we are constantly wanting attention for ourselves, then we are fulfilling the desires of our own sinful hearts.  Paul asked the questions in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?  Or am I trying to please people?"  He gave a chilling response to his own questions: "If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Wow!  When I want the attention of the world, the applause of the world, then I am living for self.  When I am trying to please people, then I am not serving Christ, but rather, I am serving self.  Jesus made it clear with His word and His life that He came to serve, that He came to give attention to the Father.  Jesus said in Mark 10:42-45, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Jesus makes it clear that we are to humble ourselves before the Father.  We are to put on humility and servanthood.  When we practice righteousness, let's remember that we are not righteous in and of ourselves.  When we practice righteousness it is the righteousness of Christ, and it is practiced for the glory of God.  It is practiced for His attention, for His sake.  What I have found with the worlds' applause is that it will never be enough!  It will never truly satisfy!  Lord, help me.  I am a sinner.  I turn from my sin and my self.  I deny myself.  I need You to rescue me.  Lord, I need Your help when it comes to pride and when it comes to attention and applause.  In my sinful and selfish nature, I crave attention of man.  I crave the world's applause.  However, I see in Your Word that I must turn from this sinful state.  I see in Your Word that I am to live differently.  Help me to be a humble servant in Your kingdom.  Help me to be like Jesus, to live like Jesus, and to love like Jesus.  Thank You for saving me, for sanctifying me!  Thank You for forgiving me and for enabling me to live for You!  I choose today to confess my sin, to repent of my sin, and to believe in what You say in Your Word.  I choose today to walk in this truth!  Amen!

Pride Problem

Proverbs 11:2

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

In Genesis 3, we find out that the serpent was "more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made."  In the garden, Satan, in the form of the serpent, asked Eve a question: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"  Of course, even with his question he twisted God's words to confuse Eve.  Remember, he was "more crafty."  What exactly was Satan doing there in the garden?  What exactly was he trying to accomplish?  It's easy: Satan wanted rebellion!  The crafty serpent wanted Adam and Eve to rebel against God.  Dr. David Jeremiah says in Genesis 3, Satan attacked God's character by creating doubt about God's love, by denying the truth of God's word, and by accusing God of jealousy.  Satan's words to Eve were, "You will not certainly die.  For God knows that when you eat from it you eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  One phrase sticks out to me: "You will be like God."  What could that possibly mean from Satan's point of view?  Position.  Power.  What could that possibly mean from my point of view? PROBLEM!  I believe we can see PRIDE all over this passage.  

In the book of Proverbs, we can find all kinds of passages that talk about pride.  Solomon was the one of the wisest men to ever walk on this planet.  He was a popular, attractive, healthy, wealthy, and powerful king.  In his later days, he said something very profound in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.  He said, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."  Throughout the Proverbs, Solomon speaks of pride.  Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."  Proverbs 16:5 says, "The Lord detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished."  Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."  Proverbs 18:12 says, "Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor."  Proverbs 29:23 says, "Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor."  Those are just a few of the wise words from Solomon.  Over and over again, Solomon shows us something important.  He shows us that disgrace and downfall and destruction is the result of a PRIDE PROBLEM.

In his writings, Jonathan Edwards shared several signs of a pride problem.  Edwards said a pride problem would lead to "fault finding."  We tend to filter out the very evil in ourselves and at the same time filter out the very good in others.  He said a pride problem would lead to a "harsh spirit."  We tend to get easily irritated, frustrated, and judgmental at others' successes.  Edwards said a pride problem would lead to "superficialities."  We tend to be far more concerned with people's perceptions of us that the reality of our own hearts and the reality of God's heart.  He said a pride problem would lead to "desperation for attention."  We tend to seek out and hold on to recognition, attention, respect, honor, and we even tend to seek out worship for ourselves.  These are some of the results of a PRIDE PROBLEM.  The great evangelist and preacher Billy Graham said, "Pride becomes a deadly poison when we begin to take credit for our successes and begin to think that we are better than others."  We all need to be very careful and very honest with ourselves in the area of PRIDE PROBLEM.

What can we do about our PRIDE PROBLEM?  It starts with confession.  We have to see the problem and confess it out loud to our Sovereign God, to our loving and forgiving Father.  We have to repent.  We have to turn away from sin and self and pride, and we have to turn to God.  God is the only One who can rescue us from sin and self and pride.  We have to put our faith and our trust in Jesus.  He lived a perfect life for us; He died a sacrificial death for us; He rose from the grave victoriously for us.  Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have access to the Father.  We have the unlimited power of forgiveness, redemption, and assurance!  We can choose each day to live with humility rather than pride.  We can choose each day to glorify God rather than glorify self.  We can choose each day to serve others rather than be served.  We can choose each day to give attention to God rather than seek attention for self.  I could go on and on with this discussion on our PRIDE PROBLEM, but I will stop here.  What can we do?  CONFESS.  REPENT.  SURRENDER and BELIEVE.  LIVE HUMBLY.  Amen!

Prayer Leads to Peace

Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I've read this passage of Scripture many, many times.  I've believed in this passage of Scripture each and every time that I've read it or thought about it.  Today, I can tell you that I truly embrace this passage and understand it better than I ever have before!  It is amazing to me how God prepares us ahead of time for each and every journey, for each and every circumstance of life.  At the beginning of this year, I challenged my church family to do two things this year: 1. Be devoted to PRAYER, and 2. Be devoted to the WORD.  Much of my preaching up to this point has been about the importance of knowing God's Word and actively living out God's Word.  Much of my preaching up to this point has been about the importance of praying to God, not just talking to God but listening to Him, as well.

Just a few days ago my older brother John was diagnosed with cancer.  When my wife called to tell me over the phone about my brother's diagnosis, I have to admit I was shaken.  I don't know that anyone is ever prepared to hear the word "cancer" as a diagnosis, whether it is your own diagnosis or the diagnosis of someone you love.  I remember asking my wife, "What kind of cancer?"  "What stage of cancer?"  "Where is John right now?"  I remember hanging up the phone and feeling really numb, even dumbfounded.  I wanted to pray immediately, but I didn't know how in the moment.  And then, the Spirit of God began to move in me and began to speak to me.  "Yes, you know how."  "Yes.  Pray to Me."  You see, just about a week before I got that call to tell me about John's cancer, I started a Wednesday night Bible study, and the title of the Bible study was, "Pray Like This: Living the Lord's Prayer," by Pastor Steve Gaines.  Over the course of a week before that call, I had been reading and studying the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13.  The disciples wanted to know how to pray, so they turned to Jesus.  Jesus told them to PRAY LIKE THIS!  His words from Matthew 6:9-13 are as follows: "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"  In this study, we are learning that God is a good, good Father!  We are learning that God is holy!  It is a privilege to be able to pray to God and call out to Him, "Our Father!"  He welcomes us into His presence; as a matter of fact, He delights in us!  His holiness is the foundation of His nature.  His love is holy.  His grace is holy.  His mercy is holy.  His justice is holy.  He is holy!  When we pray like this, as Jesus taught us, we enter into our Father's holy presence, and He welcomes us and delights in us.  We can take our petitions and our intercessions to our Father and know that He hears us and cares for us.  Our Father provides for us and protects us.  He forgives us and heals us in every way.  When we pray like this we are in complete surrender to our Holy Father, to our Sovereign Father!  We can actually pray, "Your kingdom come; Your will be done," and find peace and strength.   

God, in His perfect plan and perfect timing, prepared me to pray for my brother.  Instead of my mind racing away and my heart racing away with unbridled thoughts and emotions, my mind and my heart have been steadied by God, steadied by His Word, steadied through prayer.  I love Paul's encouraging words in the New Testament.  Paul was a man who struggled in His walk with the Lord. He struggled with temptation and sin and self; he struggled with humble service in gospel ministry; he even struggled with prayer.  However, Paul knew what to do with all of his struggles.  Paul looked to Jesus.  Paul focused on his Lord and Savior.  Paul was a man of prayer because he followed the example set by Jesus in prayer.  Jesus was a prayer warrior and a prayer teacher.  Jesus understood the necessity of praying to the Father.  Paul encouraged believers to pray like Jesus.  He encouraged believers to pray at all times and to pray all kinds of prayers, knowing that the Holy Father welcomed our prayers and delighted in our prayers.  In Philippians, Paul reminds us to pray with joy and thanksgiving and peace rather than be anxious about the circumstances of life.  Paul assures us that praying like this leads to the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds.  I can assure you, too, I have experienced these words this week!  By letting go of my anxious thoughts and feelings and trusting in God's kingdom and God's will, He has graciously given me peace and strength.  He has graciously guarded my heart and my mind.  

Today I am asking you to pray with me for my older brother John and his family.  Pray for God's will to be done in his life.  Pray for God's strength in the days to come.  John will have surgery on Tuesday of this week to remove a cancerous tumor and to biopsy other spots.  Pray for the doctors and the nurses who will perform this procedure.  Pray for his wife Dawn, and pray for his children: Mackenzie, John Daniel, and Natalie.  Our Father is good!  Our Father is holy!  Our Father is perfect!  And our Father welcomes us in prayer and delights in us, especially as we pray!  Join me in praying for John.  Join me in praying for God's glory to be revealed through our prayers and through John's life.  Amen!

Put Off, Put On

Ephesians 4:20-24

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to PUT OFF your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to PUT ON the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

I don't know about you, but there are many times throughout my day when I wonder why I SAID that or I wonder why I DID that.  I don't know about you, but I continue to struggle with temptation and sin each and every day!  Let me be clear: I am a Christ follower.  I have repented of my sin, and I have believed in Jesus as my Lord and my Savior.  I know that I am a child of God, thanks be to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  My salvation is secure, not because of me but because of Jesus!  I have been made new in Jesus!  But in this earthly tent, this earthly flesh, I continue to struggle with my old self, my sinful self.  Do you struggle like this?

Paul understood the struggle.  In Romans 7, he talked about the struggle with sin and self.  Paul says in Romans 7:21-25, "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  24 What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  Paul realizes his potential and his end result if life is left up to him: evil.  He even calls himself a "wretched man" in this state.  Can you imagine if Paul had stayed in this state?  Can you imagine if Paul had stayed in the prison of sin and self, which is exactly where Satan wanted him to stay?  Paul recognized his helplessness in sin; but most importantly, Paul recognized his Help and his Hope!  Paul recognized Jesus, his Deliverer!  He thanks God for Jesus.  Jesus is the One who makes it possible for Paul to live the way God created him to live.  It is through Jesus that Paul can wake up each day and PUT OFF the old self and PUT ON the new self.

You and I can rest in the surety and security of our salvation.  When God has us, He has us forever and ever!  But until that time when we die or until that time when Jesus comes again to rescue us forever from this old earth, we will have to participate in this life.  We will have to make choices each day in regard to the way we live.  We will have to choose what we PUT OFF and PUT ON each day: PUT ON the old self or the new self?  PUT OFF the old self or the new self?  That choice will not only impact us as Christ followers; it will also impact anyone and everyone we come in contact with along our journey.  We have been called to live life the way Jesus lived life.  We have been called to righteousness and holiness.  Yes, God is in control of our heart/life change, but He allows us to participate in what He is doing; He allows us to choose each day how we will live.  The struggle with sin and self is going to continue to be a struggle in this earthly life, but we have the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  We have Jesus!  We can look to Him and rely on Him for courage and strength.  We can look to Him and rely on Him to help us choose His way rather than our own.

Our Father, You are good!  You are great!  You are holy!  Help us today in our struggle with sin and self.  Help us today as we decide what to PUT OFF and what to PUT ON.  I pray that today I will choose to PUT OFF the old self and choose to PUT ON the new self.  I pray today that my words and my actions will point others to You, to Your righteousness and holiness.  Don't allow Satan to chain me up and imprison me with sin and self.  Don't allow Satan to slow me or stop me in attitude of failure and defeat.  You are good!  You are great!  You are holy!  I rest in Your strength and courage and way of life that comes to me through my Savior, Jesus!  Amen.

Sin Is Serious

Psalm 38:1-8

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.  2 Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me.  3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.  4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.  5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.  6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.  7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.  8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Sin is not something anyone really wants to talk about today.  However, sin is something we need to talk about today.  SIN IS SERIOUS.  We need to know what sin is and what the impact of sin will be upon our lives.  The Bible tells us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  The Holman Bible Dictionary defines sin in this way: "actions by which humans rebel against God, miss His purpose for their life, and surrender to the power of evil rather than surrender to God."  Like I said, SIN IS SERIOUS.  King David understood that SIN IS SERIOUS, and he felt the impact of sin upon his life.  In Psalm 38, David shows us that the impact of sin is spiritual, emotional, and physical.  King David was overwhelmed by guilt (emotional).  King David was overwhelmed by conviction (spiritual).  And King David was overwhelmed by pain (physical).  In Psalm 38:17-18, he says, "For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.  I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin."  King David recognized the death that was upon him - the spiritual, emotional, and physical struggle.  He recognized that it was his sin that caused his troubles, his death.  King David also recognized that his only solution was to cry out to God in his helpless state.  In Psalm 38:21-22, King David says, "Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.  Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior."

Do we recognize the truth that SIN IS SERIOUS?  Do we recognize the truth that death - spiritual, emotional, and physical - is the wage for our sin?  Will we, like King David, cry out to the only One who can help us?  The Bible is clear that God loves us and has done something about our sin (John 3:16).  The Bible is clear that God offers us forgiveness and righteousness when we confess and repent of our sin (1 John 1:9).  When we turn to God in repentance and put our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God forgives us of our sin!  He exchanges the heart of stone inside our chest with a heart of flesh!  We become new creations in Jesus Christ!  We don't have to live in sin any longer.  We don't have to be bound by the penalty and punishment of sin any longer.  We can truly live; we can live fully and eternally because of our great and mighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ!  Thank God for His great love!  Thank God for Jesus!