I Confess

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

  -Romans 10:9

Notice how personal Paul makes this verse. “If you”, “with your mouth”, “in your heart”, “you will be saved”. The Apostle was making it crystal clear, this is your responsibility in order to be saved from your sins.

You must confess (1 John 4:15). The word here in the Greek is homologeo which means to agree, to openly profess. This text demands a declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord. In the church that Paul was writing to, this would have been a difficult declaration. The rulers demanded absolute loyalty to them, the people were to declare “Caesar is Lord.” The confession of the Christian is that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is supreme and is to receive absolute obedience, nothing nor no one else.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:32 (NASB), “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

He said in Luke 12:8 (NASB), “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God.”

So if you confess, He will confess. If you declare that He is Lord, He will declare that you are His. We are to confess Jesus is Lord with our mouths.

But God here in Romans 10:9 isn’t just demanding a confession or an acknowledgement. One must believe in their heart. The heart that was once dead (Ephesians 2:1) must be made new (Ezekiel  36:26, John 3:3) and believe that that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead after being in a tomb for three days.

Not just knowing that Jesus is Christ and Lord, even Demons believe that (James 2:19), but genuinely believing in your heart that Jesus is to be obeyed and worshiped above everything else.

Think about the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8, who after Philip explained the gospel to him wanted to be baptized immediately. Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart you may." Believe in all your heart, your whole self. All of it. Jesus demands all of you, complete surrender to His Lordship.

That’s what baptism is, “symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus” (Baptist Faith and Message 2000).”

This is a difficult confession and belief. It isn’t just a proclamation that I am corrupt and need a savior, but that the world is corrupt and needs a savior. To publicly declare that the world is wretched and to love it would be vain is a harsh smack in the face. The belief that God provided the way for sinners to be rescued and that there is no other way given among men by which they must be saved.

One day every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:11). Until that day Christ’s Lordship is to be our confession.

Questions to Chew On

1. What is your confession to this world?

2. What is Jesus’ confession of you? (Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8)

Contentment

As one English poet once wrote;

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find, you get what you need"

Contentment is something that I do not think about much. I think often of the sovereignty and magnificence of God. I am daily struck by the grace that is given to me in Jesus Christ. I have spent many hours thinking about missions and discipleship methods. I have not however spent that much time thinking about contentment, even less time thinking about my own contentment. 

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

 Paul had learned how to be content. He had learned the secret. In every circumstance he had found the ability and strength to be satisfied with what he had. What makes this statement even more heart stirring is that Paul was likely writing while being imprisoned in Rome. 
So what was the secret to his contentment? What did he have that left him satisfied in all situations? 
The answer is simple but profound, Christ. 
It is with Christ that he could do all things. Jesus was his strength, Jesus was where he found satisfaction in this life, and Jesus was enough. 

Paul later tells Timothy, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 

My three prayers for contentment

1. That in all circumstance I will be satisfied in Christ.

2. That I will ponder what it means to be content more often.

3. That I will be thankful in all circumstances, knowing that God is working through all situations for my good. 

SERMON: ASK (Matthew 9:35-38)

Sermon: ASK (Matthew 9:35-38)

Listen: HERE

Sermon: Invite (Matthew 9:9-13)

Sermon: Invite (Matthew 9:9-13)

Listen: HERE

SERMON: Invite & Invest (Matthew 28:16-20)

Sermon: Invite & Invest (Matthew 28:16-20)

Listen: HERE 

SERMON: God's Family (Matthew 12:46-50)

Sermon: God's Family

Matthew 12:46-50

Listen: Here

SERMON: Pray! (Ephesians 6:17-18)

Ephesians 6:17-18

and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

LISTEN: HERE 

Sermon: Psalm 43

Sermon: Psalm 43

LISTEN HERE 

Power of the Tongue (SERMON)

Sermon: Power of the Tongue

Proverbs 18:21

Listen: HERE

Christ Loves His Bride (SERMON)

Sermon: Christ Loves His Bride

Ephesians 5:25-22

Listen : HERE 

Sermon: Genesis 3:1-13

Sermon: Genesis 3:1-13

Listen Here

Sermon: Be Filled With The Spirit

Sermon: Be Filled With The Spirit 

Ephesians 5:15-21 

LISTEN HERE

I Love-Hate Sin

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."
-Romans7:15-20 (ESV)

Paul says a mouthful here, but if I am honest many of my prayers at the end of a day sound very similar. “God, why do I continue to return to a sin that I hate so much?”

Why do I continue to be like a dog returning to its vomit, as the writer of Proverbs 26:11 put it?

My wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, took on flesh and paid my debt on a bloody Roman cross, yet I hold on so deeply to what He died for. This is not a mystery, I know the problem. Paul knew the problem too. It is us, our flesh, our hearts.

I love my sin. I justify it, I protect it, I hide it away from anyone or anything that might take it.

The Holy Spirit uses the wonderful Law of God to reveal our transgressions. Showing God’s glorious perfection and our complete inability to stand in His holy presence. His Law commands me to not make idols in my own image, to not lie, to not covet. Yet, I do what I do not want to do.

So, what should we do?

1.   Run quickly to the Savior. Knowing He is the only one who can save you from yourself. When sin lies to you and says, “You have gone too far,” preach the Gospel to yourself. Repent and believe that God’s grace and mercy is enough.

Romans 7:24-25

1 John 1:9

2.   Kill the sin that is killing you. It is hard to hide in the dark what is brought to the light. When sin reveals its evil head, deal with it. Strangle it, cut its head off and bury it. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your computer causes you to stray, throw it away. If you tell a lie about someone, confess. 

Romans12:9b

Matthew 5:30

3.   Let others speak into your life. The Christian life is not meant to be walked alone. The Gospel creates a community for God’s people to dwell and grow. Be honest with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ about your struggles. Allow them to pray with you through your battles with sin and remind you of Jesus, who came to save sinners just like you.

Galatians6:1

James5:19-20

Sermon: Safe and Secure in the Fire

Sermon: Safe and Secure in the Fire

Daniel 3

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church (3/12/2018)

Listen: Safe & Secure in the Fire

Not A Time For Grumps

 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

-Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)

Have you ever had one of those conversations with someone and thought, “Well, that was not very helpful.” A simple hello turns into an hour rant about how they wished things were different, the way they used to be. No answers to the twelve-hundred problems they raised, just empty grumblings.

In my years of ministry there is nothing more disheartening than one of these rants. “How come that young man wore a hat in church?” “That mother allowed that baby to cry the entire service.” “When I was growing up people had respect.” “This generation is just a bunch of snowflakes who care about nothing but themselves.”

Although some of the complaints might be true, there is nothing helpful there.

It is easy to complain about how people are acting around you. There are many days all you can do is just shake your head at how people are acting in the world. The issue is that ranting and screaming will never actually change anything and it will not get your thoughts heard.

Most complaints, at least in a church setting, seem to come from the older folks in the congregation. The question that needs to be asked about these complaints is what are you personally doing to give direction? What are you doing to disciple the next generations?

The Church needs our older saints and we must always make sure that they are valued in the life of the body. Job 12:12 says, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” All generations of a church should lean into what the older saints have to share. We desperately need it.

Although, no one should expect to be listened to if what is said is harsh for harsh sake.

Let us all seek to speak the truth in love. Wisdom is hard to come by these days, even harder to come by without a grumbling heart behind it.

Application and Things to Think About

1.   Before bringing a concern or issue to someone, ask yourself what your motivation is.

2.   Do people hear you complain more than they hear you encourage?

3.   Pray that God would give you a heart of compassion. That this world won’t make you stale and bitter, but that your hope in Jesus makes you joyful and merciful. 

Sermon: God's Mission

Sermon: God's Mission

Ephesians 3:1-13

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church (2/5/2018)

Listen: God's Mission (Ephesians 3:1-13)

Sermon: God's People

Sermon: God's People

Ephesians 2:14-22

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church (1/28/2018)

Listen: God's People (Eph. 2:14-22)

Time to Take Off the Training Wheels

        “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.” Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)

The other day my six-year-old daughter asked me when she would be able to ride her bike without training wheels. My daughter doesn’t have much experience riding a bike, we have never had a place for her to ride before now. I told her it was important to keep practicing, keep riding well with the training wheels and she shouldn’t have to keep them on very much longer.
That is what training wheels are for. They are for a child to get used to riding a bike and learn how to ride safely and efficiently. My daughter is heading for a time when she won’t have to use the training wheels anymore.
Many Christians today, as the writer of Hebrews says, are stuck on milk, spiritually speaking. Now I am not, nor is the writer of Hebrews, pointing out how little new believers know of the things of God. I do not expect a toddler to be able to know how to clean their room well, nor do I expect someone who is a baby in the faith to be able to explain to me the sovereignty of God.
I am speaking to the believer who continues to be content with only knowing the “basic principles” of the faith and never being ready for the deep things of God.
The writer of Hebrews is telling their readers about how Jesus is our merciful High Priest in the line of Melchizedek. He stops and says, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.”
What a harsh word. I wish I could continue going into this magnificent truth, but you are not ready. I want to reveal more of the mysteries of Christ, but I must stop. You are not ready.
I want to be ready for more, don’t you? I want to, as Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) says, “move beyond elementary teaching about Christ and taken forward into maturity.”
It would be strange if my daughter rode her bike in college, continuing to use training wheels. It would be strange if my son grows up and continues to cut with child safety scissors into his adulthood. Which is why it’s strange to see Christians in churches not moving into a mature walk with Christ.
If you have been walking with Christ for years you should know and be able to teach the things of God to those new in the faith. If you have known the Lord, hearing the Word preached week after week, study your Bible daily then you should be able to explain the Trinity without sounding like a heretic. You shouldn’t be wrestling with the same sin you did as a 40-year-old that you did as a teenager.
You should long to know more of this gracious holy God who saved you out of the pit of your own sin.
The good news is this, there is more of God. Maturity is possible. We can be confident, “that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Application and Things to Think About
1. Where are you in your spiritual maturity? Have you seen growth in the past five years? Past year? Past month?
2. Who in your life is mature in their walk with Christ? Ask them to disciple you and push you into knowing God deeper.
3. Pray that God would give you a deep hunger for His Word and a hunger for you to be molded more daily into the image of His Son, Christ Jesus.

From Obeying God’s Law to Loving God’s Law

Psalm 119:9

    “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word.”

This is the question all parents are faced with, isn’t it? The writer of Psalm 119 had to be a parent or at least someone who understands the rebellious mind of a young person.

How do we keep our children pure? How do we keep them away from all of the filth this world pedals at them?

When your daughter comes to you and asks why she can’t watch a certain show that “everyone else” is watching, or when your son doesn’t understand why he is in trouble for saying a word he overheard from a kid at the Chick-Fil-A playground. The answer we give is something like, “because I said so” or if I have more patience and time I may quote some Bible verses.

I want my kids to be pure; to hate sin and to flee from it. All Christian parents do. The Psalmist in 119 makes it clear; we guard our children’s purity, as well as our own, by guarding it according to God’s word. Which is why we have family devotions, memory verses, etc. It is why we take our children to church, send them to Bible study, let them hear and sing worship songs. We want them to hear the word and be doers of the word as James 1:22 tells us.

These are normal thoughts and practices of most if not all Christian parents.

My conviction is this: how do I raise my children to not only grab ahold of Psalm 119:9 but to also be children who can say with Psalm 119:97,

    “Oh how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.”

I pray my children will not only be hearers and obeyers of God’s word, but that they will love what they are told to obey. That they meditate on it all day. That they will experience the peace that comes to those who love God’s law that Psalm 119:165 talks about.

I want my children to obey God and love obeying Him. I want them to abhor what God hates and use the word of God as a lamp to their feet all the days of their lives.

Practical Thoughts and Application

1. 1) Do your children know you love God’s law and His word? How do they know? How can you show or tell them more of your love for God’s law?
2. 2) Does God’s word govern your household? How?
3. 3) Pray that God would give you a love for holiness and love for His word.