Unlimited Access

Ephesians 3: 12 (NKJV)

……in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Today, through the aid of technology, we have unlimited access to;

Unlimited text messaging—unlimited broadband—unlimited cell phone minutes—unlimited downloads—unlimited games—unlimited ringtones.

And yet we have unlimited access to the Most High God, and for some people, that doesn’t even excite them that much.

They’d rather have the unlimited component that their internet or cell phone provider supplies.

In the Old Testament, the only access there was to God, was through the High Priest.

And yet God has emerged from that small room in the Temple, to where only the Priest could go, and has taken up residence into our very hearts.

God, through His Son Jesus Christ, brought His presence into our very souls.

We have unlimited access to everything God has promised.

Every believer that get’s this message today, should rejoice at the fact, that the Hope of Glory resides in them.

Who wouldn’t want unlimited access to the things of God?

But some folks will chose something else, that they think will bring them satisfaction.

Some people have rich access to God, and don’t even realize it………….

Exposing the darkness

Matthew 16: 13 – 16

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Did you know that this conversation, took place in one of the most idolatrous places of its time.

I often wonder why Jesus would take His disciples to a pagan place, to reveal who He was.

Caesarea Philippi was a very dark place.

The more I think about it, some of the darkest and weakest places in my life, are His greatest opportunities to fix me.

Maybe we should all take time, to have Him expose the dark areas of our life.

Maybe we should learn to trust, in His perfect and patient love for us.

The gates of Hell shall never prevail against a person, who has faith and courage enough, to invite Jesus, into those hidden areas of our soul.

Those areas of my life, that I don’t want anyone else to see…..He wants to see, and He wants to expose the Light, of His immeasurable love……….

Standing up for truth

James 1: 15 – 16

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.

 

Doesn’t it seem, like there are more people deceived now days, than ever before?

 

I met with a family last Friday, for some pre-marriage counseling.

I made a statement at the end of our meeting, about how I felt marriage was defined as being between one man and one woman.

When I made that statement, I saw the couple immediately look toward one another.

I was quick to determine, that they didn’t agree with that truth.

What I didn’t know, is that they have a family member, who has chosen an alternate life style, outside of the will of God.

 

Last night, they sent me an e-mail, voicing their great displeasure, for my standing up for the truth.

 

If I now make the statement, that they are deceived, I would be considered narrow minded and out of touch.

But God’s Word stands true, does it not?

 

Each of has to decide, if we will ride the wings of truth, or contrive some thesis of our own.

As we step through these latter days, we must be verily sure, that we are not deceived along the way………..

Sound the alarm!

Judges 17: 6

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

 

During the wee small hours of the morning, our smoke alarm went off in our bedroom.

The alarm did what it was supposed to…..it jarred us radically from our sleep.

Don’t worry, there wasn’t any smoke.

 

I had lunch with a friend yesterday, and we talked about people of the faith being really real with one another.

We also talked about why there wasn’t more accountability in the church.

 

We have accountability groups, and yet when it comes to really needing to sound the alarm in some cases, we rarely take the opportunity to do so.

I have sounded the alarm, more times than I can even count. The general response when I do, is lashing out and anger.

 

The people of Israel didn’t have a king, and so God, in time, gave them what they wanted.

Everyone did what they saw fit in those days. Doesn’t that ring a familiar tone in the church today?

 

Eventually, Israel would get what they hoped for, but not what God wanted for them.

 

Without accountability, sin always seems to show up.

When sin does show up, it usually doesn’t just affect the person, but the entire body of the church work.

 

If you were drifting toward the wickedness of sin, wouldn’t you want someone, to sound the alarm?

Redemption means paid in full!

Galatians 4: 5

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

 

Redeem:

To buy back—to free what distresses or harms—to free from captivity—to release from blame—to free from the consequences of sin—to change for the better—the payment of a ransom…..

 

Have you stopped to think of your redemption lately?

God didn’t put you on lay away—He didn’t purchase you with a 30% off coupon—He didn’t go to the dollar store—no, He paid full price!

 

He’s not going to take you back for something better—He doesn’t want His money back—He wants you!

He was under no obligation to do what He did—He won’t receive any rebate or any tax advantage for doing what He did.

He didn’t redeem you because He was provoked to do so by some government lobbyist.

 

He did what He did, so He could remove our obligation to pay.

He picked up the tab for every person on earth, and we have the full right to live in victory.

 

Today, and every day is your jubilee.

Will you celebrate your atonement today?

You should—because if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are His sons & daughters, and you have at your disposal, the full rights of His Kingdom.

Maybe today we should live like it……………

Hell is for real!

Revelation 1: 17 – 18

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid.

I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

 

Jesus is the One who was dead, but is now living and will be alive forever more.

That’s good news as we start a new week!

 

I overheard someone recently say, that their Pastor preached a sermon in their church, that claims that Jesus did not believe in hell.

Really?

 

When Jesus was crucified He encountered hell and defeated the devil once and for all.

He overcame sin by the power of the Holy Spirit and was raised from the dead.

Death had no hold on Him, because He was without sin.

 

To say that Jesus did not believe in hell, is one of the most ignorant thoughts ever thought.

Read what John the Revelator says in his vision in Revelation 20: 14……

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

Suffice to say, that Jesus believed in Hell. He overcame it, and defeated it.

When things go in a downward cycle this week, wrap your mind around that thought…………

There is still time!

Deuteronomy 30: 11

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

 

Just before making this statement, God said that we should turn to Him with all our heart, and obey His commands.

That doesn’t sound too difficult to me, and yet why do we make it so difficult?

 

God said He would make us prosperous if we would obey Him.

He said He would delight in us, if we turned to Him with all our soul.

 

I often ask God, what part of my heart and soul have I not surrendered yet.

Is loving God, really that hard? I don’t think it is, but I do believe we have a tendency of making it more difficult than it is.

God said this wasn’t beyond our reach, and I think God knows what He’s talking about.

 

Later in this chapter, God said that if we would turn to other god’s and worship them, we would certainly be destroyed.

So what’s so hard to understand about that statement?

It’s a difficult thing to hear, but we sure do worship all kinds of other gods.

 

I think while we still have time, we should turn to God, before He makes things more difficult, than they really are…………

Don't be deceived!

1 Timothy 4: 1

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

 

Could this be happening in the church today?

I wonder if, when God sees enough of this happening, will He too, abandon His people?

 

Some would say, that God will never leave us, nor forsake us, and that verse is true.

When the Israelites departed from God’s Word, He allowed  them to walk into their own depravity.

 

Today we have war and terrorists threats—rampant crime and economic worries—the decline of the family—mass production of pornography.

Has God abandoned the nation—or a better question might be, have we abandoned Him?

 

I wonder if we can find our way back, to where we belong?

Can you? Do you need to?

 

Some people would say that God would never bring judgment.

Then how are we supposed to interpret, Romans 1: 18…..

….The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…….

What's on your mind?

Jeremiah 17: 10

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

The Lord actually examines the heart and mind.

If He were to examine my mind this morning, I wonder what He might find there?

I don’t know about you, but I have a memory for some things, and don’t for others.

I can tell you without looking, that Aaron Rogers is the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

His receiving core is made up of….Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley and Donald Driver.

I did not peak, and I might not have them in perfect order—but I’m close.

I’m sure there are some things that you know from memory too—like who won the last two “Dancing with the Stars” episodes.

Maybe who won “American Idol” last, or even the contents of the best blogs being written today.

On Sunday, I asked the congregation, what the 6^th Commandment was, and for a while I was a little concerned.

No one seemed to have the answer.

Maybe we should examine our minds, before God does it for us.

The longer I live, the more I realize there are things worth remembering, and things that are not………..

Correction

Proverbs 10: 17

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Isn’t it the job of God’s chosen leaders to bring correction in the church, through the teaching of the Word?

Often times, when correction comes, people can really cop an attitude.

God has given us leaders, as well as fellow followers in Christ, to teach us how to live holy and godly lives.

It is the duty of church leaders to bring correction into the house when necessary.

Often times, that’s seen as legalistic or judgmental.

The only thing in church life that matters, is our obedience in walking with God.

Obedience may come about, when receiving correction within the body.

If God expects leaders in the church to lead, He certainly expects members of the congregation to follow.

Following is hard, but getting lost, leads the person and others astray.

Whatever happened to men and women dying to self?

Aren’t we supposed to be new creatures?

New creatures follow, and accept correction as a teaching moment…………

Do you anticipate heaven?

2 Timothy 4: 18

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

 

Paul’s words to Timothy were sure and to the point.

He believed that the Lord would rescue him from every evil attack.

He also believed that one day, the Lord would bring him safely to Heaven.

 

Maybe we need to leave everything up to God, instead of trying to fight our own spiritual battles?

 

Do you have the faith that Paul had?

Maybe we need to anticipate Heaven, just like Paul did.

Maybe it’s time to believe that God can, and will do, all that He said He would…………..

Talking to God!

Acts 18: 9

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.

God spoke to Paul in a vision.

When you study the life of Paul, it would make sense that God would speak to him, for Paul had a vision for the things of God.

Once Paul’s eyes were opened with his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he could see into the supernatural.

The sight he had, came through his heart, and not through his eyes.

That’s the way God communicates with His people—through their hearts.

I am amazed that in all Christianity, people see things quite differently.

God encouraged Paul, to keep on speaking, and to not be afraid.

When Paul prayed, powerful things happened. When Paul prayed, he saw visions from God.

Maybe to change the way we see the things of God accurately, we need to talk to God more?

Are you full of Goodness?

Romans 15: 14

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

 

Paul was ministering to the new Gentile church.

He obviously observed something in them, that was noteworthy.

If Paul could walk into your church, what might he observe?

 

Scripture is full specific instruction on how we should treat one another in the church.

If we are serious about following Jesus, we will heed His warning found in Matthew 25: 40 (I’ll let you look up that verse on your own)

 

Scores of scripture, explains clearly of what God expects from us, especially in how we should treat one another in the body of Christ.

Are you full of goodness? Complete in knowledge maybe? Competent to instruct one another?

 

The church is often filled with something, but I’m not always convinced it’s goodness.

Jesus said that all men will know that we are His disciples, by how we love one another. (John 13: 35)

 

Maybe we need to go back to the Word, and consider how we should apply it to our lives…………….

Communication

John 16: 13

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

The two most important types of communication are between God and man, and between human beings.

Communication is more than just our ability to talk, but to listen.

As we communicate with God, the first part of that communication that’s critical, is listening.

God’s primary way of communicating with us, His people, is through His Word.

Sometimes in the church, we’ve lost the art of communication.

We even leave churches today, by sending out e-mails. Imagine that?

The Spirit guides us into all truth.

Maybe we should listen more closely, to what the Spirit has to say, as opposed to expressing our point of view.

It might save some very grievous misunderstandings……..