Let's Do Something Great Today!

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Mtt. 23:12).

“I die before my time and my body shall be given back to the earth and devoured by worms. What an abysmal gulf between my deep miseries and the eternal kingdom of Christ. I marvel that whereas the ambitious dreams of myself and of Alexander and of Caesar, should have vanished into thin air, and a Judean peasant, Jesus, should be able to stretch His hands across the centuries and control the destinies of men and nations.”-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Everyone wants to accomplish great things and leave their mark on the world. Following His example, Christ's disciples have a different game plan...

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phl. 2:8-11).

Let's do something great today! As we humble ourselves by surrendering something of our great agenda, money, time, talent, gifts, or any other highly prized part of our super-important lives in order to bless someone more needy than us, the power of God is unleashed to accomplish something far greater in this world than we could ever imagine. 

"Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mtt. 20:26-28).

If we humble ourselves like Christ did, someone will be blessed and God will be glorified. I can't think of anything greater we might accomplish today than that!

Fulfilled Today!

 

"When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

 

'The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,

for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

 

and that the time of the LORD's favor has come.'

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. 'The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!'" (Lk 4:16-21).

Such a wonderful proclamation in the weekly gathering of the faithful in Nazareth provoked amazement, but it also produced severe skepticism... 

"Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. 'How can this be?' they asked. 'Isn't this Joseph's son?'" (Lk 4:22).

In the eyes of the world and in the sight of the community where He grew up, Jesus was simply Joseph's son. He was a former apprentice and now the local carpenter. There is no denying this partial truth. So let's not deny the same truth about ourselves. The very same potential to fulfill the word of the Lord as spoken and recorded by His servant and prophet Isaiah is in us today because... 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20a). 

Aren't we just like Jesus, seen and understood imperfectly by the people we encounter every day? Don't they see us as average Joe's and common Cathy's? They know us as mom, dad, brother, sister, neighbor, friend, co-worker, teacher, student, pastor, etc. What is the secret to turning sermon truth loose in and through us to profoundly transform us and our circle of friends and family? What is the key to unleashing the healing, saving, delivering, sanctifying power of truth implanted in our hearts and minds as we read and meditate on God's word daily in our lives, and through us, into the lives of others? How do we and those we encounter experience the Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day, every day?

It's all about how we see ourselves. It's about what we believe about ourselves. Paul got it, as the Holy Spirit revealed and he believed the truth about who he was in Christ... 

"And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20b). 

When we start believing the whole truth about who we are in Christ, the transforming power of His word is fulfilled in and through us in God glorifying and honoring ways just as it was in the life of the son of Joseph the carpenter.

The Way to Go!

 

What’s the number one threat to America today? Some say it’s white supremacy. Some say it’s a new form of racism. Some say it’s China. Others say it’s Russia. Some believe it’s from within, others say it’s from without.

I believe the number one threat to America today is experiencing the consequences of turning away from God. How did we get here? Here’s a big and overlooked clue… 

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

It’s obvious that today’s adults, many of whom now hold positions of influence, from the White House to the preschool classroom, are simply walking in the way their parents started them off in.

Shape the child’s heart and mind today, shape the future.. 

To save the future, shape the child’s heart and mind today.

Consider the future-shaping impact of your child hearing God’s Word while they are studying God’s world. Might just be “the way to go!”

The Undeniable Convincing Truth

 

“Christianity is essentially a historical religion. It bases its claims on the historical facts it asserts. If these are demolished it is nothing.” -- Dr. Arthur Lindsley, The C.S. Lewis Institute, “Can the Gospels Be Trusted?” May 25, 2012.

Sir William Mitchell Ramsay is considered one of the greatest archaeologists in history. He performed most of his work across Asia Minor and the Middle East. He was raised an atheist, the son of atheists of great wealth. Receiving his doctorate in archaeology from Oxford, he committed his entire life to archaeology and set out for the Holy Land with the intention of undermining the validity of the Bible. However, Ramsay was forced to completely reverse his beliefs as a result of the overwhelming evidence uncovered in his research. After thirty years of vigorous and comprehensive study and analysis, this is what he had to say about Luke’s ability as a historian...

“Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements as facts trustworthy . . . this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians . . . Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect to its trustworthiness.” -- Josh McDowell, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict", (San Bernardino: Here’s Life Publishers, 1972), 71.

Eventually, after uncovering many hundreds of artifacts confirming the historicity of the New Testament record, Ramsay would shock the archaeological community when he revealed to the world that he had become a Christian. -- D. James Kennedy, "Why I Believe", (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1980), 33.

"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him" (Psalm 18:30). 

The Undeniable Supernatural Truth

"Darwin “made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” -- Richard Dawkins, life-long committed atheist, acknowledging that atheism has no intellectual credibility apart from evolution.

Dawkins and other dedicated atheists must deny the fact that the universe has a beginning and therefore a cause. They have no explanation whatsoever about how life originated on this planet, and the collapse of Darwinian evolution would be their demise. It is no wonder they have such fanatical fervor for this theory that clearly is in crisis.

But for those who honestly and fervently study God's creation in search of truth, there is a liberating treasure waiting to be discovered...

“Darwinian theory does rest on truly miraculous assumptions." -- Dr. Rodney Stark, written when he was a self-described agnostic and Professor of Sociology and of Comparative Religion at the University of Washington for 32 years.

"Independent Christian" -- Dr. Rodney Stark, describing his personal faith when he became Professor and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University.

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

Can't You See?

 

"The eye was made for vision; the telescope was made for assisting it. Each uses a sophisticated lens to achieve its function and purpose. Both reflect and manipulate light. ​Both are able to bring an object into proper focus. The muscles surrounding the soft lens of the eye move to bring objects into focus, while a telescope uses dials to move the lens. With would it be reasonable to believe that the telescope was created by a craftsman while the eye was not? Should they not both be considered products of design?" -- (William Paley, Natural Theology, 1802)

To see the evidence of creation we only have to open our eyes!

“The eye to this day gives me a cold shudder" -- (Charles Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, London: John Murray, 1988).

God wants us to see and know Him...

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).

God's Got This

Despite the glaring lack of evidence, the world continues to try to convince us that we are the result of a chaotic, random, chance series of evolutionary events. Believing what the world says makes us impotent puppets, controlled by the world and people that confront us each day.

“Perhaps generations of students of human evolution, including myself, have been flailing about in the dark... There is no clear-cut and inexorable pathway from ape to man” (Dr. David Pilbeam, distinguished paleontologist and Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University).

Believing what God says about us sets us free from becoming a victim of our circumstances, being a slave to temptation and sin, and manipulation by others. Living in His truth empowers us to conquer any distraction, threat, or trial as He receives glory in our mounting victories.

What God says about us...

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it" (Psalm 139:14).

What God says about each day...

"This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Conquer the day, don't believe anything less than the truth that God's got this because God's got this day and everything in it and God's got you!

Why Does Math Work?

"If the universe evolved by blind, material forces acting randomly, why should it fit so neatly into mathematical formulas we invent in our minds? In short, why does math work?" (Pearcey, Total Truth, 316).

"The fact that math works so well in describing the world ‘is something bordering on the mysterious.’ Indeed, ‘there is no rational explanation for it'" (Eugene Wigner, The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences, essay).

"The mathematical precision of the universe reveals the mathematical mind of God” (Albert Einstein).

"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world" (Ps 19:1-4).

"He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!" (Ps 147:4-5).