“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He said unto him, Before the cock crow, you will deny me three times. 62. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:61-62
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4. Saying , I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it. 5. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went and hanged himself.” Matthew 27:3-5 In these two brief passages we get a glimpse into the lives of two men and how they reacted to their treatment of Jesus. Immediately after Peter’s last denial of Jesus, Luke records that Jesus looked at him, and Peter remembered what Jesus said about his denying him three times. At that point Peter “went out and wept bitterly.” This means that Peter saw the error of his way and wept in deep sorrow. On the other hand, Judas saw the error of his way and went out and hanged himself. These are two basic ways that people handle their disappointments in themselves. Let’s look at these two reactions. From all that we know about Peter, he did not just go out and cry about what he had done. Evidently, he repented, picked up the pieces and went on about the ministry to which Jesus had called him. The best illustration of this took place a few days after the ascension of Jesus. This man, Peter, who denied knowing Jesus, bravely stood and preached Jesus to the masses that were in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost. Remember, the incident was still fresh in the minds of the people who were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter could have been in trouble with them for his brave sermon. A few days after that, because of the healing of the crippled man at the “beautiful gate,” Peter and John were arrested and were told not to preach Jesus anymore. Here was Peter’s reaction to that demand in Acts 4:19-20: “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” There are many more evidences of Peter’s recovery from that bad moment in his life, but what I have shared illustrates the point that Peter was not defeated by his moment of weakness. We need to learn this lesson from Peter that when we fall, the best thing that we can do is get up and go again. Remember that it is Satan, our accuser, who will keep us in the doldrums, and keep us from serving the Lord. Whatever has happened in your life, if you repented and asked forgiveness, you can still make yourself available to serve the Lord in your family, your church, and your community. There is no doubt about what we learn from Judas, for he could not do good or ill, because he took his own life. Not everyone who reacts to their sins like Judas go out and kill themselves, but because they give up they become useless to God, to themselves and to others. We need to remember that our God is a forgiving God. Yes, I am telling you that if Judas had repented and turned from his sin, he could have been forgiven. Before you give up, remember that our God is a forgiving God. It might not be sin that has stalled your growth, but bad things that are happening in your life. If you have overcome these bad things, you have won, and Satan will not have gained a foothold and a victory in your life. Whatever it is that you are dealing with at this time, do not throw up your hands, give up and become useless. Like Peter, you need to turn from dismay and discouragement and turn to the Lord for His forgiveness and encouragement and you will surely find it. This is the kind of God we serve and we need to remember it. Bro. Joe
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“Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples…”
What does it mean to bear fruit? I think that Jesus gave the answer to that in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We cannot bear fruit if we are not living the life. How do we let our lights shine? First, I think we let our lights shine when we love people. Second, I think we let our lights shine when we publically serve the Lord. By this I mean that we minister to people. Now, this is not complicated. Ministry can be a visit to a lonely old person either at home or in a nursing home. Ministry can be taking food to a hungry person. What I mean is that ministry is doing what Jesus would do. Real ministry always has to do with people. Look at the ministry of Jesus. His life was spent ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of people. What we do at church is important, but real fruit is borne when we are outside of the church building and living the Christian life to the hilt in the community. In a real sense, to serve God is to minister to people. Sure, we can minister to people through the church, and our lights will shine, but we can also minister to people in daily life. We just need to be caring and loving people. When we minister to people, that is what is called "bearing fruit." Let’s say that fruit is living like Jesus did while He walked on the earth. Letting our lights shine through ministry to people is to bear fruit for Jesus. What does it mean to bear fruit? It means to obey the commands of Jesus at the ends of all four gospels, and in Acts 1:8 to be His witnesses. Let’s take a look at Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We have a mandate to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in this world. When we witness to someone about Jesus we are bearing fruit for Him. Notice that I did not write that when we win somebody to Jesus that is fruit. Of course, that is the point of witnessing, and when people accept Jesus through our witness, that is fruit. But it is also fruit when we obey Jesus and take the gospel to people. We do not always get the results that we want, but God is pleased when we witness – however we do it. One thing that I have learned as a preacher is that I don’t always know what the results are. Oh, we have an invitation at the end of the service, but because no one came down the aisle does not mean that there was no fruit.The same is true of those who teach Sunday School, work with children, or even sing in the choir. The Holy Spirit is bearing fruit through us. Don’t think that you never bear fruit. What does it mean to bear fruit? It means to overcome human selfishness and give of ourselves. A Christian should not be afraid to step outside of himself or herself. Jesus did not save us to just huddle together as Christians. He saved us to praise and worship God and to share His love with the world. If you want to bear fruit, live the Christian life and obey the Lord in your life through word and deed, and at the same time your life will glorify God. Bro. Joe “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 is about commitment. Commitment is an important word in the Christian faith. We need more real committed, “Galatians 2:20 Christians” if we are to get anything done in the church or the world. The challenge for Christians today is to live for Christ in such a way that people will know that we are serious, and that they should be serious about it too. Truly, we need more solid commitment to Jesus in the part of members of our churches. I want us to consider what our commitment should be. First, we should be committed to Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:20 informs us of Paul’s commitment to Jesus. Jesus had literally taken over Paul’s life. Before his conversion Paul was committed to Judaism and to a Jewish lifestyle. After his conversion Paul’s commitment was given completely to Jesus Christ. Jesus is our first commitment. If we are not committed to Jesus, no other religious commitment will make any difference in our lives or in the lives of others. If we want to impact the world, we need to have Paul’s kind of commitment. We don’t need to water down our Christian faith in order to reach the world. To the contrary, we need to get on fire for Christ. During Christmas we see a lot of signs that say “Jesus is the reason for the season.” This is true, but it is also true that Jesus is the reason – period. He is why we do everything that we do in our personal lives, in our homes, at our work and in our churches. Second, we should be committed to personal growth in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We should be committed to the Holy Spirit to help us live the best lives that we can live and bring glory to Jesus. We should commit ourselves to a Christian lifestyle that will be a witness for Jesus in this world. We should commit ourselves to claim all of the blessings that God wants to give us in order for us to be blessings to other people. With this commitment, we should be committed to our families as extensions of ourselves. We should be committed to be the best spouses that we can be, and the best parents that we can be in order to bring glory to Jesus and to impact this pagan world in which we live. Selfishness does not fit into the Christian lifestyle. Other people should be better off because we are in the world. Third, we should be committed to our churches. Church members can sometimes get what I call “churched out.” Being a member of a church can be, or is, an emotional experience. Since churches are made up of human beings, there will always be disagreements of some kind. If there is more than one human being in one place there will be disagreements. We just need to remember that the churches to which we belong are bigger than us, bigger than our opinions, and bigger than our egos. Furthermore, we need to remember that church is about Jesus and doing His will and work in this world. There are many good organizations in this world. At one time I was a member of the Lion’s Club – a great organization. But Jesus did not shed His blood to establish the Lion’s Club, but He did shed His blood to establish His church. There is only one organization (or organism) that has the distinction of belonging specifically to Jesus Christ, and that is His church. What, or who, are you committed to? Your commitments will tell you a lot about yourself. If you are not committed to Jesus, in order to be the best self that you can be and the best member that you can be of your church, then you need to make that commitment today. Don’t you agree? Bro. Joe “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4. Do not let my heart incline to any evil; to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies.” ESV
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden…”
“I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me.”
We can learn a lot from the Apostle Paul’s experience. From the day that he became a Christian his life was in danger. When Paul became a Christian he went from persecuting Christians to preaching Christ. It was very difficult for Paul’s former friends to accept his new life. This would make a difference to a lot of people, but it did not make any difference to Paul. When Jesus saved Paul, it was a real experience and he could not be turned from it because of the problems that his conversion created for him. We need some of what Paul had. What can we learn from Paul’s experience? We can learn that being a Christian is not always trouble free. When Christ is in our lives He will help us either around or through problems, but life will certainly not be trouble free. Leonard Ravenhill wrote that everywhere Paul went there was a revival or a riot. When he was in Philippi with Silas, he and Silas ended up in prison because they healed a demon possessed girl. Their feet were actually anchored to floor in stocks. Now, I would call that a problem. But this problem did not stop Paul, for after he and Silas were delivered from that experience, they went on to other places preaching the Gospel. Paul knew that it was not about him but about Christ. We have a tendency to want to quit when we encounter problems, for example, at church. We will quit if we think that it is about us instead of Christ. When we put Christ first, we can get up and go again after we have fallen. When we put Christ first, quitting is not an option. I don’t know what problems you are encountering now in your life, but don’t let them keep you from serving Christ. We can learn that we can “do all things through Christ who strengthens (us).” We are timid sometimes about what we can do for Christ. Believe this: If Jesus wants you to do something, whatever it is, in the church or in the community, He will give you the wherewithal and the power to do it. There was very little in Paul’s background that prepared him for serving Christ, but Christ used him anyway. There was very little in my background that prepared me for the service that I have rendered for fifty-eight years, but He has given me the strength to do it. There might be very little in your background that prepares you to do what you know that Christ wants you to do. Step out by faith and do whatever it is. If Jesus didn’t think that you could do it, He would not have put it on your heart. Get up off of it and serve the Lord, for He will give you the strength to do it. I pray that we can all learn from Paul’s experience. After all, we serve the same Lord. Bro. Joe “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
I saw two things in this text that can help make our lives count in reference to our Christian lives: “walk in wisdom” and “redeeming the time.” If we want to walk in wisdom and redeem or make best use of our time, I want to suggest three simple lessons that can help us in this endeavor. The first lesson that we need to learn is to trust in the Lord. Frankly, this has been a difficult lesson for me, but as I’ve gotten older and have been through several things that I knew that I could not handle myself, I think that am learning the lesson. There is nothing in our lives that we escape the need to trust in the Lord. What I mean by trusting in the Lord, is that you lean on Him, and depend on Him in every decision that you make in your life. I always go back to Deuteronomy 26:27a to give me guidance: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Make a commitment to trust in the Lord, and depend on His guidance in your life. The second lesson is “to do unto others and you would have them do unto you.” As you know, this is the “Golden Rule.” Jesus told us to” love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” (Matthew 19:19) This is what is meant in the text by walking “in wisdom toward them that are without.” This reminds me that the Lord loves other people as much He loves me. It also reminds me that if I want to live obediently and make the best use of the time that God has given me, I should love other people and treat them with respect. We need to do a better job of in our church fellowship and in our daily dealings in the world. The third lesson that we need to learn is to dedicate our lives to use the gifts that God has given us to serve Him. We can become so selfish that we will only do what benefits us. I want to share my own pilgrimage in learning this lesson. When I finally realized that my greatest spiritual gift is encouragement, it gave me greater guidance in what I preach and write. This identifies me with the biblical character “Barnabas.” That was his nick name and means “son of encouragement.” Of course, the Spirit has given me other gifts as well, but encouragement is my life’s calling. I try to remember that when I preach and when I write. Find out what your spiritual gifts are, and use them to serve the Lord through your church and through your daily life. These are three critical lessons that we need to learn and practice. – period. Bro. Joe “The blueness of a wound cleanses away evil…”
This text would not be listed among popular preaching texts, but it tells us something that we need to know. Here is the message of the text: Problems can help us do better. I know this has been true in my life. The problems that we face in life will defeat us according to how we respond to them. Our problems will embitter or sweeten us, and the result is up to us according to how we respond to our problems. God will use our problems to grow our lives if we will meet them prayerfully. Here is what God wants our problems to do for us. God will use our problems to direct us. Problems can point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. We can learn this lesson from looking at Paul’s experiences after he was saved and changed sides from anti-Christian to pro- Christian. For example, at Lystra in his first missionary journey, Paul was stoned and left for dead. Paul did not say “this is not what I bargained for when I accepted Jesus.” Instead what he did was to continue his missionary work in the same places where he had his greatest problems. God used Paul’s problems to direct him, and He will use our problems to direct us. God will use our problems to inspect is. Someone wrote that “people are like tea bags because if you want to know what’s inside of them drop them in hot water and see how they react." How we react to our problems reveals the real us. In Acts when the disciples were told not to mention the name of Jesus anymore, continued to share His name and won many people to Christ. The Bible and Christian history are rife with stories about great Christians working their way through problems. Many times they continued to serve in spite of threats on their lives. Many continue to do that today. God will use our problems to correct us. Parents try to tell their children not to touch a hot stove, but usually they have to experience touching a hot stove to discover the problem. The psalmist told us in Psalm 119:71: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I may learn your statutes.” If we look back honestly in our lives we will say the same thing. Looking back at my own problems, I can see how they corrected, and redirected, me. I have discovered that the effectiveness of a Christian’s life is how he, or she, addresses their problems and whether or not they are defeated by them, or strengthened by them. Think back on your reactions to your problems in your home, at your work and at your church. What have they done for your life? Have they embittered you or have they made you better? Bro. Joe “Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
In first and second Timothy Paul gave his “son in the ministry” advice about enduring for Christ. Here he told Timothy to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Another biblical word for endurance is perseverance. Both mean to keep on keeping on no matter what. I want to share two disciplines that will help in enduring hardships. (These disciplines will be no surprise to you.) There is the discipline of prayer. Every morning when I get up, I go to my place of prayer and pray for the people in my life, for the ill, for missionaries, etc. I don’t mean to be smug about this, but prayer “centers” me before I have to face whatever I have to face during the day. I want to recommend that you have a discipline of prayer as well. If you aren’t a morning person, you can find the time that is best suited for you, but do it. I know that we can pray any time during the day that we want to, and I do, but I have found that keeping this prayer vigil each morning is a help to me during the day. There is the discipline of Bible reading and Bible study. After my prayer time each morning, I read eight chapters from the Bible – two from the New Testament and six from the Old Testament. (The reason for this is that the Old Testament is much longer than the New Testament.) I made a commitment over thirty years ago to be in the process of reading the Bible through all of the time. This usually means in a year, but not necessarily. It is very important that you find time to read the word of God each day, and that you read it systematically. I strongly urge you to make a commitment to read your Bible every day. Paul gave Timothy, and us, this advice: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (Systematic reading of the Bible does not preclude reading favorite scriptures devotionally, even during your prayer time. You need to read the Bible systematically to follow the Bible story from Genesis through Revelation. But there are also texts you go to specifically for encouragement, and inspiration.) There are other disciplines that I could write about, but I think these two are the most important to us as we seek to grow in Christ. Satan will do anything to keep us from our prayer closets and from the Bible. He trembles when we pray and when we read the Bible. Satan wants us to think that all spiritual disciplines are hardships, and not as pleasant to our senses as some other things that we could do. But listen to the “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit, who will urge you to endure in spite of the temptation to surrender the time that you spend in prayer and Bible study. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to live a victorious Christian life without incorporating prayer and Bible reading into your daily routine. “Study to show thyself approved unto God….” Bro. Joe |
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