“And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishermen. 17. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
I want you to think about the possibility of Jesus using you to be a part of carrying out His purposes in the coming year. It is possible that you feel that you didn’t do a very good job of that in 2019. I guess that’s about par for the course for a lot of us, because it is difficult to determine when we have adequately served the Lord. If you are like a lot of people, and I mean A LOT OF THEM, you question whether God can use you at all. This is where Peter and Andrew come in, as well as James and John who were called to be used by the Savior right after Peter and Andrew. These men prove to us that Jesus can and will use us. The four men that Jesus called that day were not out of the ordinary. In fact, they were very ordinary – they were fishermen. There was nothing wrong with that profession. It was just not one that qualified people in the eyes of people that day to do anything remarkable. That should be an encouragement to us, for most of us are ordinary. (I remember that Abraham Lincoln said: “God must really love common people, because He made so many of us.”) Take Billy Graham for example. He was just a raw bone North Carolina farm boy. Who would have thought when they saw him at school, church and at work, that God would use Billy Graham to be the evangelist to the world? (No one was more incredulous than Billy Graham himself.) I am not putting myself in the league with Billy Graham, but who would have thought that God would use me to touch people’s lives with the gospel? My cousin Johnny and I were nicknamed “worry warts” at the Smithville Baptist Church. God started calling me when I was about twelve years old to preach His word, but I had a lot foolishness to overcome before I finally surrendered at age 21. If Jesus could use Peter, Andrew, James, John, Billy Graham and me, He can use you as well for whatever purpose(s) He has for your life. Notice that Jesus called them to be “fishers of men.” What Jesus meant by that was that they were to tell others about Him. While He called them from their fishing boats to follow Him and evangelize the world, that is not what He demands of everyone. There have been millions of people who have become “fishers of men” and stayed at whatever location or task that they were doing before. It is important that we realize that Jesus is using people who work at ordinary jobs to reach other people for Him. First of all, Jesus wants us to live lives before people that will reflect Him. Second, He wants us to give a verbal witness to people that we encounter when He leads us to do so. He wants to use us right where we are, doing what we do every day to reach people for Him. As you start this New Year, resolve that you are going to make yourself available to the Lord to be used of Him in whatever way He wants to use you. He wants to use you at your church, but He also wants to use you in the community where you live. I don’t know what He wants to use you to do, but there are plenty of opportunities to be used of Him as you encounter people daily. He wants to use you in the mundane things of life. For example, when you encounter a cashier and he or she makes a mistake, He wants to use you to show them how Christians are supposed to act. He wants to use you at work around the people with whom you work every day. People should be able to tell by your actions that Jesus is making a difference in your life. Of course there are also things that He can use you for at your church, just be available to Him to use you as He sees fit. Just remember this – God can use you!!!!! Bro. Joe
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“And (God) said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat? 12. And the man said, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat. 13. And the Lord said unto the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
I wanted to write on the error of making excuses today, and the text printed above came to mind. Adam seemed to be saying that if God had not given him “the woman” he would never have eaten the forbidden fruit. In turn, Eve blamed “the serpent.” (This is called “The devil made me do it.”) Eve’s excuse might have made more sense, but they were still excuses for what they had done. So what is wrong with “making excuses? First, making excuses does not solve the problem. In spite of Adam and Eve’s excuses, we are still paying the price for their sin today. (Thank God that Jesus came and died as a sacrifice for our sins.) In spite of their excuses they were still expelled from The Garden of Eden, and paid a heavy price for their sin. When you give in to temptation, or when you make a costly mistake, do not make excuses, but admit the truth and find the real solution to whatever the problem is. As long as we excuse our errant behavior, we are not dealing with the real problem. Second, making excuses does not deal with the real problem of humanity, i.e., sin. Adam did not say “I am only human,” but he came mighty close. This is how we excuse our giving in to temptation. This is why our loving Lord gave us the opportunity of confession and forgiveness. Before we start to make excuses for our sins and foibles, we should remember the promise of 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God knows that we will sin and He is always ready to forgive us, but to excuse ourselves does not solve the problem of sin that we all have. Third, we need to believe that God will really forgive us for our sins. Making excuses for our sins is like trying to escape our need for forgiveness not claiming it as the blessing that it is. As I have already mentioned, Jesus paid a steep price for us to have forgiveness for sin. I know that I rejoice in the forgiveness that is offered me through Jesus. If you are bogged down in some sin today, the thing for you to do is stop excusing yourself and run to Jesus for forgiveness. He is always ready to forgive our sincere confessions. Bro. Joe “No man puts a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up takes from the garment, and the rent (tear) is made worse. 17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things have become new." The point that Jesus made about old and new cloth and old and new wine, was that the old and new do not mix. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He came to bring a new day and that His disciples were part of the new day. Let me explain: Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law and the Old Testament sacrificial system. The kingdom of God would now be centered in the person of Jesus Christ, and it was through faith in Him that people could be forgiven and cleansed. Jesus’ death and resurrection ushered in a new covenant. Hebrews 8:13 explains it this way: “In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete and what is growing old is ready to vanish away.” ESV Jesus brought in a new day and to offer new life. Paul explained it 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away and all things have become new.” When we invite Jesus into our lives by faith, we are saved and given new life. When we .truly confess our sins and receive Jesus’ forgiveness, no one has to tell us that we have new life. This is impossible to explain; it has to be experienced. New life in Christ is not something that we brag about, nor does it make us spiritual elitists. It makes us what Paul called “ambassadors for Christ.” He explained this in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20: “And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19. To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ stead, be reconciled to God.” We are living in the “new day” that Jesus came to give, and we are “new people” saved by grace through faith in Christ. Let’s share Him with the world…. Bro. Joe (The Couch Potato is taking a Christmas vacation. I'll be back after Christmas. Thank you for your readership. Have a merry Christmas.)
“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to be in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? Martin Luther wrote that we think if we had been there we would have done something to help Christ. He wrote: “Yes you would! You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at the time you would have done no better than the people in Bethlehem.” However, we return to Bethlehem each Christmas to celebrate Christ’s birth because we know how great He is. As we “return to Bethlehem” this year, let’s consider how we should return. We need to make our return personal. As Christ was God incarnate in Bethlehem, He is the personal incarnation of God in our lives. It doesn’t make any difference who was at the stable manger that night if you are not there in your mind and heart. It doesn’t make any difference what song the angels sang if you do not hear them in your mind and heart as you read about them in Luke. What does it matter that the shepherds heard the news about Christ if you have not heard it, or if you have not shared it with someone else? What difference does it make that gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to Him if you do not give Jesus the gift of yourself and your love, dedication and trust. When you return to Bethlehem this Christmas through song, pageantry, preaching and viewing manger scenes, remember that you have a personal stake in what took place there that night. What happened in Bethlehem has a lot to do with your life. We need to make our return meaningful. Who is that baby in the manger? He is the Savior, “Who is Christ the Lord.” He is your redeemer, your Savior who has forgiven you for your sins. He has delivered you from the power of Satan’s darkness. He has delivered you from the guilt that sin has piled on you which has possibly kept you depressed. It is this Christ who was born in Bethlehem who has brought new inspiration into your life. He has inspired you with new wonder. He has inspired you with new love, love that He has not only given to you, but love that you can now give to others. Because of Christ you have been set free to forgive people and to love them instead of hating them, dreading them and not forgiving them. Because of Christ your life has new meaning. You no longer live for just the moment. You have an eternal perspective that you did not have before Christ came into your life. Because of Christ you have peace of heart that is beyond your understanding and you have “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Remember all of this as you return to Bethlehem this Christmas. We need to remember that the Christ who was born in Bethlehem is here. John H. Meyer wrote: “He wants tourists, beggars, and souvenir hawkers to pause, listen and respond. He wants today’s shepherds and Wise Men in the form of factory workers, clerks, teachers, students, lawyers, executives, farmers and business people to stop, listen and be confronted with His redemption in Christ Jesus. More important than your being there is the truly good news that He is here.” It is ironic that we return to Bethlehem in order to remember that He is here too. It is important that you make your return to Bethlehem personal and meaningful. Above all else, remember that He is with you and will never forsake you. In the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season, pause and give thanks to God for the gift that He sent to Bethlehem and to all the world – and praise Him. Bro. Joe "But unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given..."
Because of Jesus we no longer have to be slaves of sin. We can be forgiven because Jesus came into this world, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, was resurrected and lives forever to intercede for us and to save us. Because of this we can come to Jesus for forgiveness of our sins and we will receive it. At least that’s what 1 John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus is “faithful and just” to forgive us for our sins. “Faithful” means that He will always forgive us, and “just” means that He, and He alone, is qualified to forgive us for our sins. The purpose of this article is to share with you the meaning of Christmas. First, Christmas means that the time was right on God’s timetable for the Messiah to come into the world. Galatians 4:4-5 reveals to us that “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Those two verses are loaded with meaning and to fully explain them would take more space than I can take just now. Suffice it to say that Jesus was born into this world at just the right time. Why? Because God said that the time was right. At that time all of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ and types of Christ were fulfilled. Our text from Isaiah 9 is a good example of what I mean. Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” In 1 Peter 1:20 Peter wrote: "He (Christ) was chosen before the foundation of the world..." This means that it had been God’s plan since before time began that the “Lamb” would be slain for us. Second it means what I have alluded to above, that Christmas means that because Jesus came into the world, we can be saved from our sins. Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Sin is pervasive in this world, and we are defenseless against it except for Jesus. Romans 3:24 completes the thought that was begun in Romans 3:23: “Being justified freely by His grace through Third, Christmas means that we can live better lives. Look around you at the devastation that sin has caused in this world and be grateful that God provided the means for us to not be ruled by it. We will always have to deal with sin as long as we are on this earth, but we do not have to be ruled by it. Sin promises all kinds of pleasure, but it only ends up bringing destruction into people’s lives. Thank God that in His infinite wisdom, He has provided a way for us to escape the prison that sin creates. Because of Jesus we can cease to do those things which are detrimental to our spiritual, mental and physical well-being. Because of Jesus we can begin to do those things that will bring real satisfaction in life. Christmas means more than this, but what I have written should be sufficient to help you have a merry Christmas. Bro. Joe “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
People celebrate Christmas in many different ways. It is viewed by many as a time for family and friends to get together. It is celebrated by the giving and receiving of gifts. It is celebrated, if that is the right word, by joining the crowds at the shopping malls across the country. I am not being critical here, because I also enjoy some of the secular activities surrounding Christmas. But the coming of Christ into the world is not a secular event that is to be celebrated during one season of the year. If you know Christ as your Savior, it is a daily celebration of what He has done for you. We should celebrate Christmas in a spirit of thanksgiving for what God has done for us in Jesus. The angel announced to Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus: “And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Saving us from sin is the stated purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world. Jesus did many mighty works that inform us about His deity, but these mighty works were not the main purpose of His coming. He came to “save His people from their sins.” Since the Garden of Eden, sin has been what has been wrong with the world, and the Bible plainly tells us the story of the devastation of sin. All we have to do is look around us to see the devastation of sin. We can point to our own battles in life that have to do with sin. When we realize the seriousness of sin in our own lives, we should celebrate all the more because Jesus saved us from it, and we should be thankful for it. We should celebrate Christmas in a true spirit of giving. Christmas is all about giving. John 3:16 tells us that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” When the Magi visited the family of Jesus, we are told: “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” My guess is that this is where we got the idea of exchanging gifts at Christmas. You will notice that I wrote that we should celebrate Christmas in a “true spirit” of giving. What is a true spirit of giving? I think that a “true spirit” of giving is a spirit of excitement over the opportunity to give rather than to receive. As you celebrate Christmas this year, thank Jesus for His coming to save us from sin, give in true spirit of giving that it is “more blessed to give than to receive," and in the process worship Him for who and what He is in your life. Bro. Joe “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. 11. And this is the testimony, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12.He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son does not have life.”
I’m not trying to be provocative when I ask if you would call God a liar. I am simply quoting what John wrote to the recipients of his letter. One of John’s purposes for writing 1st John was to warn people about false teachers who were going from church to church trying to convince people that Jesus is not the only way to salvation. One of the worst sins of modern people seems to be to disagree with them about their agnosticism, and to claim that salvation comes from Jesus alone. We just have to decide whether we are going to believe the world or the word of God. The message of Jesus is an affront to the world system, which is under the control of Satan. If there is any name that Satan hates, it is the name of Jesus. It was Jesus, after all, who defeated every trick that Satan threw at Him while He walked on this earth. We are told that Jesus “was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” The message of the Bible is that Jesus defeated Satan for us, and that when we put our faith and trust in Him, we are saved and have overcome the world through that faith. Do you think it strange that today you can talk about religion all you want, and even a casual reference to God will not raise most people’s ire? If, however, you mention the name of Jesus in a positive light, you are called a religious nut. That Name, which is above every Name, is an affront to the world system, and, no wonder, because Satan is in control of that system. If the name of Jesus is an affront to you, you are on the wrong side. To those of us who believe, the name of Jesus is the most precious name in the world. We believe that Philippians 2:8-11 is eternally true: “And being found in fashion as a man, (Jesus) humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The world can deny that this is true, but that does not make it untrue. It is my prayer that you will not deny the name of Jesus, because, frankly, to do so is to call God a liar. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stand in judgment having accused God of lying. Bro. Joe “Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. 2. Praise Him for His acts of power, praise Him for His surpassing greatness.”
The Bible makes it clear that God is worthy of our praise. Praise should be a natural reflex for those of us who know Him personally through Jesus Christ. This praise should not just come from our lips, but it should come from our hearts. The Bible does not direct us as to how to praise God, for some do it quietly and some do it loudly, it simply directs us to praise Him. As I read Psalm 150 this morning the first two verses suggested to me the different paths that are given us to lead us to praise God. We are told to “praise God in His sanctuary.” To the Jewish people to whom this was written, this would be the temple complex. Here is what it suggested to me. We are to praise God whether we are alone or with other people. If we praise God in His sanctuary we would be in the presence of other people. I think that we can interpret this as a command to praise in fellowship with fellow believers. The sanctuary of a church should certainly be a place of praise, and in it we should praise God together. There is power in the joint praise of God’s people when they are gathered for worship. We are told to praise God “in His mighty heavens.” We are to praise God when we observe His creation all around us. When we look into the sky, we see all of the stars, planets and galaxies, and it makes us realize how great our God really is. We have an understanding of the universe, or God’s mighty heavens, that the ancients could not have had. Instead of the vastness of God’s mighty heavens causing us to doubt, it should cause us to realize how truly vast our God really is. A God who could create and control all of this is certainly worthy of our praise and awe. In Colossians 1:17, Paul reminds us of the greatness of Christ in this way: “And (Christ) is above all things, and by Him all things consist.” The word “consist” can also be translated as “held together.” We can praise our Lord and Savior, because He holds God’s “mighty heavens” together, and at the same time, He holds us together. Now, there is something to praise Him about. We are told to praise God for His “acts of power.” When ancient Jews read this, they would have thought about God’s deliverance from Egypt. They would remember the dividing of the waters of the Red Sea. They would remember the provision of manna and quail in the desert– plus many other acts of power. When we read this, we think of Jesus turning water into wine, walking on water, healing the sick and many other acts of power that He did while on earth. The main act of power for which we praise our Lord is His death on the cross for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, His ascending to the Father, His sending the Holy Spirit to us in order to empower us for witnessing and living for Him. Indeed, we have a lot to praise our Lord for. We are told to praise God for His “surpassing greatness.” We have already discussed praising God for how large He is, but now we praise Him for all of His greatness. We praise Him for the greatness of His love for us. If the Bible is clear on anything, it is clear on the fact that God loves us. We praise Him for the greatness of His presence and power in our lives. Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to them to guide them into His truth and in all of life. We can praise God for many other things that remind us of His “surpassing greatness.” Pause where you are right now and offer your praises to God for all that He means to you and for all that He has done for you in Jesus. Bro. Joe “But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
These two verses appeared to me to be a victory cry, by a man who had won the victory through Christ. Paul was victorious in that he had been made free from sin. This did not mean that he did not sin anymore, but that sin did have victory over him. He had been set free from sin through faith in Jesus Christ, which is the same victory that we have. In fact that is the only victory over sin. We are born into a world filled with sin, and we have to deal with sin almost from birth, at least until we reach an age of accountability. There are numbers of people who are so enamored with sin that they do not know that they need to be set free from it. To them sin is not a problem until they encounter Jesus Christ, then they know how awful sin is. You have been made free from sin, or you can be by accepting Jesus into your life by faith. Paul was victorious in that he had become a servant of God. In fact, dealing with the sin factor in life sets us free to become true servants of God. We do not become servants of God just because we decide one that we will be called servants of God. We become servants of God when we come to know Him through faith in His Son. One of the greatest privileges that we can know in this life is to become servants of God. A servant of God is not one who becomes extremely religious, and wears his or her religion on his or his sleeve. A servant of God who gladly serves the Lord, knowing that he or she does not deserve that title but they have been given that title through Christ. Paul was victorious in that he knew the holiness that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s what “fruit unto holiness” means. He did not mean that he had become holy, but that he was benefitting through the holiness that became his by faith in Christ. Whatever holiness we have, we have it through faith in Christ. The moment we think that we ourselves are “holy” we have become like the self-righteous Pharisees who opposed Jesus. Paul was victorious in that he knew that because of his faith in Jesus, in the end he had everlasting life. This means that through faith in Christ, we do not just win victory over sin, but that we will live eternally with Jesus Christ. Paul summarizes this victory shout with the following: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Sin does not just kill people, but it kills their souls as well. The “wages of sin” is always death…” Jesus died on the cross to set us from free the effects of sin and from the eternal damnation that it brings. Claim victory in Christ now! Bro. Joe “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, the Lord knows them that are His…” 2 Timothy 2:19a “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” John 10:27 The Greek word that is used for "know" in these verses is “ginosko.” This word means “to know by examination.” This means that Jesus knows us inside and out. Jesus knows our every thought and every motive. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows us on a deeper level than we can ever know. Jesus knows who are. He knows our names. It is great to know that Jesus knows our names and calls us by name. Jesus knows who we are in reference to all aspects of our lives. He knows all of our weaknesses, all of our strengths, and He knows our doubts and fears. We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows everything about us, yet He still loves us! Jesus knows who you are and He loves you! I want to recall what Jesus said about this matter in Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father. 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. Fear not therefore, you of more value than many sparrows.” Jesus knows why we are. Jesus knows what we are supposed to be doing while we are live on this earth. He knows that He wants us to know Him in a saving relationship before anything else. Jesus wants us to know His will for our lives, and has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in this direction. Within this framework, Jesus knows specifically why we are here. He has a purpose, or purposes, for our lives. He knows what we should be doing in our daily lives, and what we should be doing in our service to Him. There is great comfort in knowing that we are doing what Jesus wants us to do with our lives. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit gives us gifts of service. Jesus knows why you are here! Join Him in it! Jesus knows where we are. He knows where we are in our relationship with Him. Are you living in a daily intimate relationship with Jesus? Do you go to Him in daily prayer, (In my case, I go to Him on an almost hourly basis. It’s not because I am so holy, but because of my need for His guidance in my life.) Jesus knows where we are in our relationships with other people. He knows all about our relationships at home, at work, at play, and in the church. If we are close to Him, we will be closer to the people in our lives. Jesus knows where you are! Take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows us and praise and glorify Him. Bro. Joe |
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