Dominion: Praise Breaks Chains - Part 3

Last week, I posted on the power of our words; that speaking out in faith can influence your life and circumstances.  Words can even cause a change in those circumstances.  Speaking brings dominion.  Today, I want to continue in this same series, Deliverance to Dominion, with part 3.  Another aspect to dominion is praise!  Praise breaks, chains!

Acts 16:23-26 (NKJV)
^16:23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.

Creating an Atmosphere Where God can Move

Praise is a powerful weapon in our stockpile of weapons, that are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds.  A stronghold is an attitude, habit, or belief that holds you in bondage to sin.  It’s a chain that binds you and keeps you from fully entering into your calling and your destiny.  It can be sin, disease, finances unbelief – whatever it is, it can stop God from moving in your life.   Praise allows you to develop an atmosphere where God can move.  Our text is an example of Paul and Silas using praise to activate a move of God in their circumstances.

What has happened is that Paul has had a vision.  He saw a man from Macedonia calling out to him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”  So, Paul is engaged in the calling of God.  He concludes that the Lord had called them, “to preach the Gospel to them.” (Acts 16:9-10) The devil attempted to disrupt this by sending a young woman with a spirit of divination.  (She was a fortune teller.) Paul rebuked the spirit and ordered it to come out, which it did, and which caused a problem with her masters.  Paul and Silas were arrested and put into prison.

As they sat in prison, they begin to sing and praise God.  The chains with which they were bound were broken.  The stocks that held them were sprung open, and they are released from their bonds.  The doors to the stronghold were opened!

They have created an atmosphere where God can move.  If we want to see God move in our circumstances.  If we want to see a miracle occur in our lives then we must create an atmosphere in our homes where God can move!  Whatever atmosphere you create will determine what will happen in your life.  You can create an atmosphere where God can move, or you can create an atmosphere where the enemy reigns.  If you allow your home to be filled with negativity, discord and oppression, it will be difficult to stand in the faith.

We have to learn to counteract those things when start to be seen in our homes.  It’s so easy to complain and gripe!  But those are not “God things.”  Those things don’t create an atmosphere of faith.  There’s no optimism and expectation of God’s moving there.  There’s only unbelief.  If you create an atmosphere for God to move, He will come!

Psalms 91:1 (NKJV)
^91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is the beginning of Palm 91 – It’s the beginning of a promise, but have you noticed that every one of God’s promises starts with a condition?  Psalm 91 starts with a condition but ends in a promise:

Psalms 91:14-16 (NKJV)
^91:14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. ¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

If we dwell in the secret place of the Almighty; we can expect deliverance.  We can expect answers to our prayers.  We can expect a long life, and we can expect salvation.  So, what is that secret place where God dwells?  It’s that place in your heart that you have turned over to God! 

Have you opened your heart to God?  Let me ask that this way:

What are your priorities in life?  What do you fill your free time with?  Do you have a disciplined prayer life?  Do you read your Bible regularly?  Are you focused on “God things,” or are you still giving most of your time and energy to the world?

Last week, I mentioned a cancer patient, I want to show you how he created an atmosphere for God to move in his hospital room:

“Instead of watching television, we spent time reading Scripture.  We listened to the Bible on audiotape around the clock, and we asked the nurses to come in at night and turn the tapes over.  In other words, we turned the hospital room into a sanctuary for God to dwell in.  We kept the atmosphere charged with praise.” 

Source:  10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, Page 137

God Inhabits the Praise of His People

Psalms 22:3 (NKJV)
^22:3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Another way to say that is that He lives in or inhabits our praise!  Praise brings God’s presence on the scene.  This is why we praise God in the beginning of our church services.  It’s why song service is the first thing we do; to bring God’s presence to our services.

When Paul and Silas were in prison, they decided to sing praises – They changed the atmosphere and God was able to move in those circumstances.  Praise causes chains to break and walls to fall – It paralyzes the enemy!

Psalms 8:2 (NKJV)
^8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

What this scripture is saying is that praising God releases His power to stop the enemies of His people.  Our enemy is the enemy who steals, kills and destroys.  Praising God activates Him in our favor!

In 2 Chronicles 20: - Judah is under attack.  The enemy that had come against them was so powerful that the Bible says that, “Jehoshaphat (the king) feared!”  He called the people together to fast and praise!  Look at this:

2 Chronicles 20:21 (NKJV)
^20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever."

We are appointed to praise God.  Those appointed to praise went out before the army.  They praised God and His holiness, that was their only part in all of this.  Look what happened as they praised:

2 Chronicles 20:22 (NKJV)
^20:22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Judah’s army never lifted a weapon against the enemies.  They did nothing but stand and praise God, and God moved to destroy their enemy.  Look at the Scripture: “Now the people began to sing and praise.  The Lord set ambushes against the [enemies].”It was the praise that set the move of God in motion.

Are there attacks on you and your family?  Is Satan trying to wear you down and cause you to doubt God?  Is he trying to make you fear like Jehoshaphat?  What’s your reaction to problems and attacks in your life?  Is it to pull away from God, or to praise God?  Which one brings you closer to God?  Which one does God inhabit?

Praise is a powerful weapon!  It can be used to destroy the chains that Satan uses to keep you in a stronghold of sin and doubt.  Praise is like a nuclear bomb – It causes the enemy to flee!  There’s no nuclear fallout so you can use it every morning!

The Joy of the Lord

Praise is a manifestation of the Joy of our salvation.  If the devil can steal that from you , he can destroy your walk with God!

You’re probably going to think what I’m about to say is weird, because when things are getting bad you may not feel joy, but you can begin to have joy, even in the bad times, by remembering that God moves through your praise. 

God will deliver us!  He delivered Jonah from the fish.  He delivered Meshach, Shadrack and Abednego from the fiery furnace.  He delivered the entire nations of Israel out of slavery…and He will deliver us, too.

Psalms 91:14 (NKJV) ^91:14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

Maybe He’s helped you in the past.  Know that He will help you, again!

God will answer us!  God clearly promises that when we call on Him, He will answer us!

Psalms 91:15 (NKJV)
^91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

God will be with us!  One of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel, “which is translated God with us.”  He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  He is always there – always near us.  He dwells inside you.  Psalm 91:15 – I will be with him in trouble.

These are promises – God is faithful to keep promises.  Remember from last week, “I will watch over my words to perform them.” (Jeremiah 1:12) That’s a vow to keep promises.  So, even when things go wrong, we can change the atmosphere in our homes and activate a move of God by simply, the act of Praising God!

Dominion: Words Can Move Mountains - Part 2

Dominion is the ability to overcome and defeat the devil, and his plans for you!  This week’s post is basically part 2 of last week’s post. So, today, I want to post about one place that dominion can be found in our lives:  The words that we speak!  What we say and how we say it can affect what happens in our lives.  Let’s start with our text:

Mark 11:22-23 (NKJV)
^11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. ²³ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Agree with God

Even a cursory look at Genesis, chapter 1 will show you the power that words contain.  The entire universe was spoken into existence!  Eight times in Genesis, the Bible says, “And God said…”  You might say, “Well, that’s God, of course His words have power!”  Today, I want to show you that your words, spoken in faith, have power, as well.

There are two ways to look at everything you face – every circumstance – every problem – every sickness!  Many times, we tend to take ownership of the problem.  “I have Muscular Dystrophy,” as if I own it – I possess it – “It’s my MD.”  There’s a different way to think of it and speak it! If you speak the issues, the symptoms, the disease as belonging to you, you become, what I call “problem conscious.”  You’re thinking about those things; you’re reinforcing them.  Your thought processes are focused on the suffering.  Speak always what you want the end result to be.  In that way you become “God conscious.”

There is the story of the leper that came to Jesus for healing, in Matthew chapter 8: “If you having a desire you can cleanse me.”  Jesus replied, “I am desiring it from all my heart.” (Matt 8:2-3 Weust) God’s desire to bring healing, comes from all His heart.  So, we need to speak as if He’s going to do just that!  We need to come into agreement with God.

God told Abraham that he would be the father of nations; that his descendants would number as the sands on the seashore.  Abraham at that time was almost one hundred years old, and his wife Sarah was barren.

Romans 4:19-21 (NKJV)
^4:19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

He believed God; He came into agreement with God.  All that God needs to move in your life is your agreement.  God will not override your will.  So often we say things like, “I believe God for His promises,” but what do the other words we speak say?  “I’m so deep in debt!”  “I can’t solve this problem!”  “Maybe this is God’s will!”  It’s not His will!  Jesus came to give abundant life.  It’s the devil that comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Think about this – Every miracle in the Bible involved words.  Jesus healed with words – He rebuked storms with words.  If we want to come into agreement with God, we need to speak faith-filled words – OUT LOUD - and we need to believe the words we speak!

Abraham was fully convinced that God would perform (notice that I said would, not could), would perform what He said.  Speak of it as if you know that it’ll happen!

Jeremiah 1:12 (AMP)
^1:12 Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.

God will perform His word – He’s watching over it so that He can perform it.  God is fully capable and willing to move in our lives.  Usually, we are the roadblock to miracles in our lives.  It’s us that speak words of doubt and unbelief.  It’s us that think our circumstances are unsolvable.  When we can’t see a way for them to be solved, then we’re not in agreement with God.

We forget that God isn’t bound by the limitations that we’re bound by.  The Bible says, “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible!”  Do you really believe that?  We have an intellectual belief in that, but are you like Abraham?  Are you fully convinced that God can perform His word?  Do you live and speak as if you’re fully convinced?  Because that’s where the miracles are.  That’s how the mountains move – Living and speaking as if it will be so!  

The Power of Your Words

“Years ago, a famous basketball player had a heart attack and died at thirty-nine years old.  His collapse on a basketball court during a pickup game was a shock to most people!  What most of them didn’t know was that, for years, he’d repeatedly said, “I’ll never live to be forty years old.”  That young man was the prophet of his own life.”

Source:  10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, page 99

You are the prophet of your life!  Here’s a young man, he made a claim that he would never live to be forty years old.  He said that over and over, and as if it was a prophecy, it came true in his life.  I want to contrast that story with this one:

“As I lay there on what my doctors called my death bed, I began to say with my mouth, ‘I call my body healed.  I call my body whole.  I declare that my body functions according to the way God created it to function, and I forbid any malfunction in Jesus’ name!’  I spoke that way to the tumor that measured nine inches across my abdomen.  I woke up one morning and the tumor was gone!”

Source: 10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, page 101

Here’s a young man who spoke the exact opposite of the words of the other man.  He spoke words of healing.  He spoke words of promise.  He spoke faith-filled words – He was in agreement with God!

What both of these stories have in common is that these men’s lives were affected by words that they spoke.  You can’t convince me that words don’t have power.  When the words that we speak line up with God’s words, then God “watches over His words to perform them.”

I’m not talking about the words of your thoughts, I’m talking about the words you speak – out loud!  I pray out loud, so I can hear my words spoken.  Why you ask?  Because faith comes by hearing.  If you want to have faith that God will move in your circumstances, the hear the words of faith spoken out loud. 

When I pray for people, I don’t just put my hand on their heads and pray silently.  Do you know why?  I want them to hear the words that I’m praying, so that they can believe them.  Then they can apply them to their lives..

Receiving a miracle is an active thing.  It’s more than just thinking that God will heal us.  I had a friend that always told me, “I know God is going to deliver me from smoking,” but he just kept on smoking.  He never stopped.  He’d been saved for twenty-five years, and thinking that for twenty-five years.  It never happened.  He didn’t speak like it was something that God was doing.  He didn’t live and act like it was something God was doing.  It was always something God was going to do; never what God was doing!  So, he sat there and smoked and waited – He died of Lung Cancer.

Why didn’t God deliver him?  I think its because he never really thought it was possible.  I wonder what would have happened if he put down the cigarettes and said, “God deliver-ED me from smoking!”  Faith filled words of agreement with God.  My thought is that he would have been delivered.

What problems are you facing in life?  What words are you speaking?  Are you agreeing with God or wallowing in unbelief?  Are you like the basketball player, prophesying your death or like the cancer patient, fully convinced that God will heal?  Are you waiting around for a miracle?  Waiting for God to move in your circumstances, or living like God already did it, and declaring what God has done?

These are important questions that speak to actions of faith.  We can all say, “Yeah, yeah, I know God can do miracles,”  but do you live and speak like God can do a miracle in YOUR life?

The world tries to convince us that these things are fake, or weird.  The world has its own system, but the world’s system is “death oriented”.  It doesn’t take into account a personal, concerned and loving God that can and will change circumstances.  The world’s system is focused on “science” and medicine, or mankind’s intellect.  There’s no room for a supernatural move of God, but that’s where miracles are found…in the supernatural.

Words Move Mountains

I want to close with this:

Matthew 18:18 (NKJV)
^18:18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What that means is:

Matthew 18:18 (NLT)
^18:18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

This goes back to speaking.  Think about what the cancer patient spoke.

“I call my body healed.  I call my body whole.  I declare that my body functions according to the way God created it to function, and I forbid any malfunction in Jesus’ name!”  

I forbid any malfunction in Jesus’ name.  What you permit on earth will be permitted in Heaven. What you forbid on earth will be forbidden in Heaven.  If you don’t speak and forbid those things then you’re permitting them.  The young basketball player permitted an early death.  My friend permitted an early death.

Think about that cancer patient. even though the doctors were all convinced that he was going to die – even though the psychologists were warning him to make funeral arrangements while he still, “had time.”  They told him he couldn’t be healed.  They told him it was hopeless.  They told him death was inevitable, but he didn’t believe their report.  He believed the word of God and told them:

Psalms 118:17 (NLT)
^118:17 I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.

Whose report will you believe?

Editor’s note:  If you are sick, please go to the doctor and take advantage of their education and training.  I’m not anti-doctor, but also know that you can influence a supernatural move of God in your life by speaking words of faith, and living like God has already moved.  In my life, I listen to my doctors and also proclaim God’s word over myself.

Dominion: Planning for Victory - Part 1

Editor's note:  After a long illness and hospital stay, I'm ready to begin to write this blog again.  I have committed to myself to write something everyday!  That doesn't mean that there'll be a new post everyday.  I have a number of projects that I'm working on, so I will work on one of those every day.  I will say that for the most part I'll be posting once a week.  Thanks for your patience and hanging in there as I recovered.  Following is this week's post:  Planning for Victory

There is an old story of two farmers in the middle of a drought.  They begin to pray for rain.  One farmer sits and waits for God to move, the other farmer prepares his fields for rain!

I believe the second farmer understands something about our part in seeing a miracle.  We all want and need God to move in our circumstances.  We all have times in our lives where we need a move of God to change our circumstances.  So, what do we do?  Do we sit and wait on God or do we prepare for those things to take place?

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (NKJV)
^29:10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. ¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Here’s how the Message translation puts it:

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (MSG)
^29:10 This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. ¹¹ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

The Power of Faith

The first thing we need to understand is what faith looks like!  All of us that are Christians say, “I have faith in Jesus!”  Faith in Jesus is the definition of Christian!  We’re not Christians if we don’t have faith in Jesus.  The question is do you really live out your faith?  

Faith is expectation.  The farmer who goes out and prepares for the rain is the farmer who has faith.  He expects God to move in response to his prayers so he acts as if the prayer has already been answered.  Faith isn’t about believing; faith is about acting!  

Faith is making plans for the future.  You have faith that today won’t be the last day of your life.  How do I know that?  Because we all make plans for the future. 

"When I graduate, I’m going to… " 

"When the baby is born, we’ll name him/her… " 

"On my vacation, I’m going to…"

I’m pretty sure that most people aren’t saying, “I don’t have plans, because I may die tonight!”  No one is saying, “We’ll just see if tomorrow comes and do whatever!”  Before any of my leadership ever decided that I would be coming to Taiwan, I had already begun to visualize what would be necessary to get here, and what I wanted to do once I got here!  I was pushing myself into my purpose.

As you begin to push yourself into your purpose, the power of God will come upon you and enable you to do what God has called you to do.

I want to look at Noah for a moment:

Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)
^11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

We all know the story of Noah and the flood.  The world had devolved into wickedness.  People were doing all sorts of evil things.  God got fed up with people and decided to judge the world with a flood.

How many of you reading this have heard from God?  Did you hear a big, loud voice calling you, or did it seem as if a thought came to you?  When you heard that still, small voice did you say, “Oh, God is calling to me.” 

So, God spoke to Moses in that same way that he speaks to us.  He has called Moses through that still, small voice to build an ark.  Let me tell you something, when this happened it had never rained before.  No one had had any experience with floods, but Moses began, by faith to build an ark and saved his family.  Moses took action on God’s plan and God helped him to build an ark.  He’d never built a boat before, but it worked out, because God enabled him to do that!

I’ve witnessed the power of God to heal people, as soon as they took steps toward their purposes and began to do what God had called them to do.  Don’t leave this step of faith out.  Make plans.  Set Goals for your future.  Let God enable you.  Let God equip you for victory!

Think about what you would do if those circumstances were miraculously changed.  What would you do if your finances got better?  What would you do if you were healed from some debilitating disease?  What plans would you make if you thought you had a chance?  Think about it, take a paper and write it down.  Hang it on the refrigerator and begin to make plans as if God had already done it.

Faith is living like you know that God will move.  God moves in the unseen.  Even though you don’t see any evidence of God moving doesn’t mean He isn’t.  Are you planning for your future as if God is already answering your prayers?  Are you living as if you know God will move?

Make God’s Will Your Will

When I was a young man, I had a very different plan for my life.  I was depressed at age 25, because I wasn’t already a millionaire.  I didn’t have the success that I thought I deserved.  My career wasn’t working out as quickly as I had envisioned it would. I hated myself at age 30, because I wasn’t married.  All of that misery and depression was destroying my life.  Look at this scripture:

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
^16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

You can’t do one without the other.  I tried making plans for my life but I left out the will of God.  I didn’t even go to God and ask, “What’s your plan?”  Of course, I wasn’t saved at the that time.  I didn’t know to do that, but I know now, that God’s will is essential to seeing my plans come to fruition.

When I finally laid down my dream, my plans and took up God’s will and plan for my life, I was transformed!  That’s when my life changed.  That was the key to the loss of misery and suffering.  I wasn’t trying to force my plan on God.  I began cooperating with His plan and then I found out that God’s plan – God’s dream – was more satisfying that anything I could have imagined.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)
^2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Are you open to God’s plan for your life?  Are you willing to surrender your dream – to dream God’s dream for you?  Do you know the easiest way for your plans to happen?  Listen to God, hear His plan and make his plan your plan!  Let God direct your steps to breakthrough and victory!

In the Old Testament, there is the story of Jacob as he is about to meet Esau, the one he ripped off and who had threatened to kill him.  He’s afraid.  He knows Esau’s plan and Esau is coming with 400 men.  Jacob’s plan was to take his family home to his father’s house, but it looks to him like that’s all over now!

Then a man comes to him and wrestles with him throughout the night – That man is the Angel of the Lord, which is an Old Testament name for Jesus.  All night long they wrestle until finally God throws Jacob’s hip out of joint.

Finally, Jacob surrenders and God is able to move.  Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, and he begins to live God’s plan for his life.  The promise of the Promised Land is completed through Jacob.  Look at Ephesians 2:10:

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
^2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That scripture tells us that God had a plan for your life, before you were even born!  God has prepared something for you.  Something good that’s beyond your imagination.  Maybe, it’s time to cooperate with God’s plan and move to victory!

God Honors Faith

Here’s the promise:

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
^1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

This verse tells us that what God has started in us He will finish, but you need to know this one thing:  God doesn’t just have a plan for your life – You are the plan!  Noah was God’s plan for continuing the human race.  Moses was God’s plan for delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt.  Esther was God’s plan for rescuing the Jews from Haman.  Jesus was the pan for our deliverance from sin, and you are God’s plan for his purpose through you.  By cooperating with God you will see victory!

Finally, God promises that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, then the things we need will be added to us.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
^6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God wants to change your circumstances!  God wants to do a work in your life! Most of all God wants you!

So, how do we live out our faith?  We get ready for God to move in our lives.   We pray and call upon God to move in our lives but we forget to prepare for a move of God.  That’s really what faith is, living our lives like we know that God is already moving!  Prepare your field – THE RAIN IS COMING!

Watch Out For Snakes!

In life we encounter temptation and we struggle with sin.  It’s because we have a sinful nature.  We inherited it from Adam and Eve.  There will always be a battle with those things.  Today I want to post a message on temptation and sin.

Acts 28:1-6 (NKJV)
^28:1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. ² And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. ³ But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. ⁴ So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live." ⁵ But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

There are Snakes Lying in Wait

This takes place when Paul was being taken to Rome.  The ship was a cargo ship and it had to stop in Crete to do business.  The weather had become difficult but the captain decided to go anyway and a storm came up.

This is in Chapter 27.  It was a two-week trial that ended with the ship breaking apart off the island of Malta.  In great danger and struggle, they made it safely to the island, but they were shipwrecked there.

The real cause of the shipwreck was a lapse in discernment.  The reason that it happened was that the captain failed to discern the weather.  He didn’t take into account the consequences of that decision to go even though it was late in the season.

This is often a problem for us.  We have other priorities.  We make decisions without considering their effect on us.  It may make sense from a business standpoint.  It may seem like a good decision, but we really need to examine the consequences.  It may have a chilling effect on the Holy Spirit, it may short-circuit something that God is doing, or it may result in the temptation of sin.  That’s the real point of this blog post.  I want to look at this event in Paul’s life in a more symbolic way.

Events and circumstances in one part of our lives may affect other aspects of our lives.  They may cause us to think in a different way.  They may cause us to view things differently.  They may even open a door that the devil can exploit, as an entryway into our lives.  Sometimes those circumstances are a setup for a future assault.  We need to be able to attempt to understand potential consequences to our decisions, “If I do this, what are the possible outcomes?”  This captain didn’t do that and they found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Malta for the winter. 

Our text takes place on the island of Malta.  Paul is collecting firewood, in the rain and cold, in the aftermath of the shipwreck.  This is the consequence of the captain’s decision.  This is the open door that the devil can exploit.  As he throws the wood onto the fire a poisonous snake attaches itself to Paul’s hand.

In the bible a snake represents temptation.  The first time we see a serpent in the Bible, he’s tempting Eve. 

It’s our decisions that open us up to temptation.  Paul never should have been on that island, but because of a decision that was made Paul ended up in a place where the devil could lay a temptation on him.

This is why we have standards in our church.  This is why we don’t like the young men to be alone with a young woman after 10:30 pm.  Being in the wrong place opens you up to temptation.  If the captain hadn’t tried to sail when it was too late in the year they wouldn’t have wrecked the ship.  Paul would never have been on the island.  The snake would never have attached itself to him.

This is just a picture for us, though.  We are the captains of our own lives.  We make our decisions.  We have to have the discernment to see what potential consequences that decision may hold. 

If movies have worldly themes, should I go see them?  There may be a snake in there!

If people are drinking at parties, should I attend?  There may be a snake in there!

Should I be hugging, kissing and cuddling with my girlfriend?  There may be a snake in there – and that snake is waiting for the right moment to attach itself to you. 

Most of us think, “I can handle this stuff – I won’t be tempted, I haven’t wanted to drink in a long time!”

“I don’t need to look at porn anymore!”

“We’re just friends – it’s just harmless flirting, we’re not doing anything.”  It’s a snake and it’s trying to attach itself to you!

On Malta the snakes were vipers.  They were poisonous.  The people here watched to see if Paul was going to die. The temptation is a poisonous snake; it can kill you!

Finally, that snake attached itself to Paul.  It didn’t just give him a bite.  It attached itself; it held on.  Temptation isn’t always easy to get away from.  Do you know Christians who struggle with the same things year after year?  I know a man who has allowed himself to sin with pornography three times now.  Each time he thought he was over it.  Each time he thought it was gone, but it was attached.  You have to make an effort to throw it off.  It best, just to not put yourself in that place where temptation lives.  Make the right decisions.

The People Were Watching

The second thing I want to examine is the reaction of the people.  The native people were watching to see what would happen to Paul.

Acts 28:4-6 (NKJV)
^28:4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live." ⁵ But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Do you realize that because you’re saved people are curious?  People are watching you to see if you’re different from them.  They want to see if there’s a difference between serving God and what they’re doing.  If you’re looking for something to revolutionize your life then you want to know of change is possible.

People often think that they’re stuck in their lifestyle.  I thought, “I’ll always be a drunk.”  This is a common thing.  Have you ever heard this?  “I’ve always been like that!  It’s just how I am.”  There’s no hope of change in those statements.  They’re saying, “My experience is that I haven’t ever been able to change.”  Then you come along and say, “God changed me!”  They want to see if it’s true because that’s what they want.  They want to change, too! 

So, when the snake of temptation attaches itself to you, they want to see how you handle it!  The chances are they have seen those temptations before.  In our text, the native people knew the snakes were deadly. They’d experienced the bite of those snakes before.  They thought Paul saws a dead man; “No one could overcome the poison of the snakes.”

Sinners understand temptation.  They’ve been tempted before.  Usually, if there’s no overarching desire to do the right thing; if you don’t see it as something that will ruin your life or destroy your ability to make heaven your home, you’ll just let it happen.  Sinners gonna sin, right?

As Christians, we understand the danger of sin.  We know what the wages of sin is.  We know that sin is the poison that brings death. We can’t allow the snakes to put poison into our systems.  We have to be able to deal with temptation.

The people were watching Paul.  They saw the bite.  They made a judgment that he wouldn’t survive it.  They expected him to die, but Paul just shook off the snake.  He shook it off and went on – he survived with no ill effects.

Can you shake off temptation? Can you overcome the poison of sin?  Paul just shook it off and they thought he was a god.  They looked at Paul’s overcoming of the snake and saw him as a god.  People are watching you, they see the temptation and they think, “He’s not going to be able to escape.  It’s just a matter of time before he swells up and dies.” If you just shake it off, put it away; destroy it with Holy Ghost fire, then the people see the power of God.  That’s really what they saw on Malta, they just thought that the power came from Paul.  They thought Paul was a god, but the power came from God!  people will know that God has power when you are able to shake off the temptation that’s trying to attach itself to you.

Your Testimony Can Win People!

In the Book of Exodus, Moses s called to meet with God.  God calls him to the burning bush and commands him.

Exodus 4:2-4 (NKJV)
^4:2 So the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." ³ And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it. ⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),

Moses sees the snake and turns to flee, but God tells him to pick it up.  When he does it becomes the Rod of God in Moses’ hand.  Moses saw the snake, it was the face of temptation and Moses’ first thought was to flee from it.  When you’re tempted, what do you do?  Do you say, “I can handle it – I won’t sin!”? Are you like Moses and say, “It’s temptation – I have to go!”?

In the Book of Genesis, Joseph is in the home of Potiphar.  Potiphar’s wife says, “Hi handsome! Hubba, Hubba!”  Look at what happens:

Genesis 39:11-12 (NKJV)
^39:11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, ¹² that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

He ran right out of his coat to get away – From that snake!  He fled the temptation. That should be our reaction as well.

First – We need to make decisions that will help us avoid temptation!

Second – We need to shake off the temptation and not let it attach itself to us.

Third – We need to flee temptation whenever possible or let God help us do the right thing.

People will see that and be moved.  Everyone has aspects of their lives and personalities that they know need to change, but that they feel powerless to change.  When they see God move in our lives over the long term; when they can see that the change is real – they will want what you have!  Your testimony can reach people.

The Wisdom of White Cats

The little sisters went into a room to play ball.

 “We must be careful not to wake the white cat,” the tall one spoke softly. 

“Or to spoil the roses,” the fat one whispered, “but throw high dear sister, or we shall never hit the ceiling.” 

“You dear children,” thought the white cat, “why do you come to play here at all?  Only just around the corner are the shady trees and the birds singing on the branches, and the sunshine flecking the pathway.  Who knows but what, out there your ball might touch the sky?  Here you will only disturb me, and perhaps spoil the roses, and at best you can but hit the ceiling!”

I came across this story a while back as I was preparing for my weekly English Free Talk class, and I thought that it spoke a great truth about human potential.  That truth is that we define the limits to our own potential.  Why place all of our energies in an area where we’re limited by our own natural abilities and talents?  We cannot exceed our own limitations on our own.  It is like being in a room and trying to hit the ceiling with the ball rather than changing the circumstances and making it possible to reach for the sky!  There is an aspect of human potential that makes it possible for us to exceed natural limitations; it’s called faith.  Today I want to post on “reaching for the sky.”

Mark 9:21-24 (NKJV)^9:21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. ²² And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." ²³ Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Can You Believe?

I was inspired by the story of these sisters because it speaks about something I talk about frequently; self-limiting behavior.  Look at what our text says, “If you can believe, all things are possible.”  So the question is, “Can you believe?”

For example, do you have the faith to believe that if you tithe that God can help you to do as much with the remaining ninety percent, as you could with one hundred percent that isn’t blessed by God?  That’s a question of faith: With God all things are possible.”

Do you have faith to believe that you can fast for three days?  Can you believe that you can tap into God’s power through fasting?

Mark 9:27-29 (NKJV)^9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁹ So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

Both of these are things that allow you transcend normal human abilities.  This is accessing the supernatural.  It’s what I mean by “Reaching for the sky!”  If the circumstances of your life make you think that what you need from God is impossible, then you are playing ball in a room where you will only reach the ceiling.  There are limits to what you can do.  There are limits to what can happen through your efforts.

If you exercise your faith through prayer and fasting you can remove the limits and the sky becomes something that’s within your reach.  Exercising your faith puts your circumstances in God’s hands:

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)^19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

What really inspired this post was talking to people in my congregation about a three-day fast that was coming up.  I asked them individually, “Are you going to fast?”  I received a number of different responses, such as the following:

“I’ll fast at breakfast.” 

“I’m only going to fast on Tuesday.” 

“I have to work.” 

“No!”

My wife and I ended up being the only ones who fasted the entire three days.  I had offered options when I announced it, in an effort to encourage people to join with us and stretch the limits of their behavior.  “If you’ve never fasted maybe commit to one day or try to do what you can do!”  My intention was to get people to stretch themselves.  We had never had anyone commit to fasting with us in prior fasts.  The problem was I said “stretch yourself,” but everyone heard “you only have to fast for one day.”  The other thing I said was this: “Do you know what they call fasting without prayer?  Dieting.”  I was encouraging them to join us and pray, but no one did. 

I’m not complaining about it, I’m using this to illustrate how we “build a room” around our faith.  This is self-limiting behavior.  People wanted God to move.  People needed God to move but didn’t create an opportunity where God could move.  A move of God is activated by faith!

Think about this:

A woman comes to Jesus who’d had an issue of blood for twelve years.  She thinks, “If I can only touch His robe, I can be made well!”  She fights her way through the crowd; she reaches Him and touches the hem of his garment.  She’s literally lying on the ground grabbing his cloak.  What does Jesus say to her?  “Your faith has made you well.”

And there’s this:

A woman comes to Jesus; her daughter is demon possessed.  She’s not a Jew, she’s a Syro-phoenician woman; a pagan.  At first, Jesus tries to send her away.  He says, “It’s not right to give the children’s food to dogs.”  He’s saying this isn’t for you, it’s for the Jews.  The woman persists, “Even the little dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master’s table!”  Listen to His response: “Great is your faith – Let it happen as you want!”

Finally, there’s this:

A blind man hears a great commotion.  He finds out that Jesus is coming down the road.  He shouts out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Everybody tells him to be quiet, but he yells it again, even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Jesus hears him, and asks, “What shall I do for you?”  The blind man asks for his sight.  Jesus says, “Go your way your faith has made you well.”

Faith is what makes the impossible, possible!  Without faith, you are limited to natural laws of physics.  You can only throw as high as your strength allows.  But with faith, you can grab a hold of the supernatural.  That means you can go beyond what is naturally possible.  You can throw as high as your faith allows.  You can even reach the sky!

What Does Your Faith Look Like?

In the biography of Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, there’s a story of Jobs recruiting a man to take the helm of Apple Computer.  He’s the CEO of Pepsico.  At first, the man turns him down.  The man is having a crisis.  He’s not sure he can move to California.  He doesn’t know what’s best for his children.  He’s wondering how taking on this failing company will help his career.  There were so many things to consider.  Finally, Jobs asks him, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?”  After all of this, he agreed to become Jobs’ successor.

All of these questions in his thinking:  All of these circumstances distracted him from his faith in himself.  We, as Christians, allow circumstances and our thinking about them, to distract from, and limit our faith in God.  That’s what the white cat in the opening illustration was talking about.  You have to be careful of waking the cat.  You have to be careful of spoiling the Roses.  It makes it difficult to reach the sky!  We sometimes are so focused on the cats and the roses in our own lives that we can’t break through in our faith.

This man that took over Apple computer almost threw away the opportunity to change the world by worrying about the things that would take care of themselves.

Matthew 6:30-33 (NKJV)^6:30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

When you act in faith then, “all these things shall be added to you!”  Victory comes through faith.  Great victory comes through great faith!

In 1 Samuel, chapters thirteen and fourteen, the Philistines have again attacked Israel.  Saul has taken six hundred men to meet them, but they’re hugely outnumbered and people are deserting.  Saul’s worried about these things:  “What happens if I lose?” “How can I keep things together with all these men leaving?”  So he sits under the pomegranate tree doing nothing.  He’s not moving.  He’s not preparing for the battle.  He’s just sitting there.  He represents the army of God, but he has no faith.  His lack of faith has paralyzed him.  There can be no victory without a fight!

How often are we like Saul?  We have a need but we just sit there doing nothing.  We even call that faith.  We don’t pray, we don’t fast, or we pray our little prayers and complain when it doesn’t happen right away.  There is the possibility that God is ready to move but we haven’t created an opportunity for God to move.  There’s also the possibility that God is moving but it doesn’t look like what we’re expecting, so we wait; just like Saul!

There is another side to this story, though.  Jonathan and his armor bearer are also there.  They’re on another flank.  They’re in a different area.  They are also greatly outnumbered.  There’s a garrison of Philistines.  A garrison is a fort.  This is their home ground.  Jonathan and his armor bearer are only two people, but Jonathan isn’t worried about distractions.  He’s not saying, “Oh dear, there are only two of us, how many can we possibly beat.  What will they do to us if we don’t win the battle?” 

Instead, he calls on God to show him what to do.  When God shows him, he does it!  God gives two men a great victory over the Philistines.  They couldn’t have done that on their own without faith!  With faith comes victory – With great faith comes great victory!

God Moves in the Supernatural!

I want you to see the last moments of the battle against the Philistines:

1 Samuel 14:13-16 (NKJV)^14:13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. ¹⁴ That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. ¹⁵ And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. ¹⁶ Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.

God brought an earthquake and the Philistines melted away!  God moved supernaturally to bring about the victory.  God moved in a way that Jonathan could not!

How many reading this are looking for a victory in some aspect of your life?  How many need a move of God in your finances; your love life; your health or your ___________? (fill in the blank!)  How many need something from God?  How many of you are willing to do what God says to do to get it?  Bring tithes into the storehouse; seek first the kingdom of God; this kind comes out with fasting and prayer;  “Your faith has made you well!” 

Are you throwing a ball and hitting the ceiling, or are you throwing it to reach the sky?  The things you think are impossible, aren’t impossible for God!  “With God all things are possible!”  We know that intellectually.  We can recite that scripture.  It’s easy to say, isn’t it?  We say it all the time, in fact, we have a banner in our church that says it in Chinese, but do we have the courage to live it?  You really can have victory in your life, but you have to have the courage to step out in faith because no faith equals no victory!  Remember the wisdom of the white cat.  Do you want to throw a ball to touch the ceiling or do you want to reach for the sky? 

Merry Christmas 2017

It's Not About You

I have noticed over the years that people come to church for all kinds of reasons.  They mostly have to do with themselves.  When you’re a new convert it’s perfectly acceptable, to be self-focused. After all, we come to a place where we can accept salvation when we have torn our lives and our psyches apart. I was on the verge of suicide when I got saved.  I needed some time to work through all of those issues before I could focus on other people’s needs.  But there comes a time when our focus has to change.  We have to stop worrying about our own needs and begin to work on that thing to which God has called us all.  It’s not all about us; it’s about the purposes of God.

Mark 11:15-17 (NKJV)
^11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹⁶ And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. ¹⁷ Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

A House of Prayer for All Nations

We read this and we think that Jesus is angry because people are making money and cheating people in the temple.  There’s much more than that going on here, although that’s a part of it, hence the “den of thieves” reference.  But Jesus is careful to make the statement, “My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all nations.” 

Where this took place was the Court of Gentiles.  This is the place where non-Jews were allowed to come to the temple to worship.  It was the place where they could come and pray to God.

Gentiles were not allowed in the Temple itself or in the areas where the sacrifices were done.  They had a special place.  That was the place that the Jews chose to turn into a market. 

They didn’t have a concern about the Gentiles.  They thought the temple was all them about their needs.  But God was clear that the Temple had a place for all nations to worship.  This is why Jesus was angry.  There was a place for everyone in the temple; it wasn’t just all about the Jews.

Look at how Jesus reacted in this parallel scripture from the Book of John:

John 2:13-17 (NKJV)
^2:13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. ¹⁵ When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. ¹⁶ And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" ¹⁷ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

He made a whip and whipped them out – to drive them out.  The disciples were watching this and they remember the scripture in Psalms 69:9, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.”

Jesus wasn’t always the gentle, comforting person we think of, Jesus confronted the Pharisees, “You white-washed tombs”! “You painted sepulchers full of dead man’s bones”!  You look good on the outside but you’re corrupt on the inside!  He has a zeal for the purposes of God.  God’s purpose for the temple wasn’t just so the Jews could worship – It was a house of prayer for all nations. – The Gentiles too!

We come to church thinking, “it’s all about me!”  God has given me this place to get comfort.  God says this is a place for all nations.  Are you even concerned about God’s purpose, or is it all about you?  Look at this scripture:

Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)
^16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus is describing the facts of His crucifixion, but Peter doesn’t want to lose Him.  Peter loves Jesus.  He loves the comfort of being in His presence, but Jesus confronts that – He called him Satan.  “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter, you’re only thinking of yourself.  It’s not about you Peter, it’s about the purposes of God!

God’s purpose for Jesus was to die on the cross, to redeem all of mankind.  The Cross was for all men, so was the Temple.  That's also what the church is for.  It’s not just for the comfort and warm feelings of God that we feel.  Its purpose is to bring other people to Jesus.  Jesus was eaten up with zeal for the purposes of God. 

The early church had revival because they looked outward.  They had all things in common.  They shared with each other.  They cared about each other.  How come you resist praying for each other?  Why do you avoid outreach?  Sometimes people are there physically but you’re more of a distraction than a help.  You don’t encourage your brothers and sisters to come.  Do you even notice that some people aren’t attending regularly anymore?  People come and get saved but no one encourages them or prays with them.  It’s not all about you! 

If Jesus walked into your church during service, what would He do?  Would he start tossing tables?  Would He make a whip of cords?  Would He call somebody Satan?

How Many Will Have to Die?

I want to turn into another direction for a moment.  I want to look at Israel in the battle for the Promised Land.  God does a miracle and brings them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.  Now they have to fight for it, so God gives them a plan to defeat the walls of Jericho.  He also tells them that the spoil of the land belongs to Him.  It’s a type of tithe; the first fruits.  All of the Gold, all the precious things that belonged to the people of Jericho are to be left on the field of battle, they belong to God.  Those things are His, but look at what happens:

Joshua 7:1 (NKJV)
^7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

Achan saw the wonderful things that God had reserved for Himself and he couldn’t resist taking some of them.  He buried them in his tent.

Joshua 7:21 (NKJV)
^7:21 "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

He’s thinking about himself:  A beautiful garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of Gold.  He couldn’t resist it.  The Bible says he coveted it:  Lust, selfishness, he was only thinking of himself. He wanted the precious things of God, only for himself.  Look what happened as a result.

Joshua 7:4-5 (NKJV)
^7:4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. ⁵ And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Achan was selfish.  He wanted those beautiful things for himself.  It was all about him and his needs, but look at the outcome:  thirty-six people died as a result of his selfishness. 

Joshua 7:11-12 (NKJV)
^7:11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. ¹² Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

Is God serious about our sin?  Oh, you bet He is!  Because of Achan’s sin of putting his needs first thirty-six people died.  Innocent people died because of his selfishness.  Maybe some of them were people that he cared about.  Maybe some of them were friends and family.  They were fellow soldiers.

Maybe Achan needed those things.  Maybe Achan was looking out for his family.  Whatever the reason thirty-six people died because he was selfish. 

How many will die because of your selfishness?  How many co-workers and classmates?  How many friends and family members?  How many will pass into an eternity in Hell because you can’t be obedient?  You do realize that God has a commission on your life; a purpose for your life?  God has called you to reach others.  “Go and preach the Gospel”, that’s a command.  Not doing it is disobedience and that’s a sin.  It’s selfishness and that's also sin, and it will cause other people to end up in Hell. Here’s the really hard part.  God will hold you accountable for that.  Achan and his entire family were stoned and burned to death. Not just Achan, his entire family – perished.  It’s a terrible sin to put what you want over the purposes of God!

Go And Sin No More!

Okay, I’ve done the cutting.  I’ve opened wounds.  I’ve probably made some people angry.  I don’t want to do that, but God woke me up with this – Every point, every scripture.  I had to get up and write it all down so I wouldn’t forget.  I have to be obedient to what God speaks to me.  I don’t want to put my desires over God’s purpose.  If God is going to wake me up with this I have no choice but to preach and post this.

I’ve learned something in sixteen years of preaching.  If I’m going to cut, I need to heal.  So, here’s the salve, here’s the medicine, here’s the grace.

Jesus is at the Pool of Siloam – People went there to be healed.  There was a man who had come there for many years and he’d never been healed.  He was still suffering:

John 5:5-8 (NKJV)
^5:5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" ⁷ The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." ⁸ Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."

Jesus sees this man and asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” Immediately the man goes into all the reasons he hadn’t been healed.  “No one helps me.  Someone gets in before me.  I can’t do it on my own.  I need help and no one will do it.  I want to be well but I have reasons.”  Who’s he thinking about?  He’s having a pity party.  Jesus wants to do a miracle for him but he can’t take his eyes off himself and his suffering.  Finally, Jesus tells him to take up his bed and walk.  Jesus had grace in the midst of the man’s sin.

Selfishness is sin.  In fact, selfishness is the root of all sin.  The love of money is the root of all evil, right?  The love of money is selfishness – I have to get my slice.  Keep your hands off my stack.  It’s what the Jews at the Temple loved!  It’s what Achan loved! It’s selfishness. 

Jesus had to die because of it.  It’s the reason the Pharisees turned Him over to Pilate.  They wanted to hang onto their money and power.  Selfishness put Him on the cross, but look at His almost last words, “Father forgive them!”  Forgive them for their selfishness and envy.  Forgive them, for murdering innocent blood.  Forgive them; they don’t even know what they’re doing.

At the pool of Siloam, Jesus ran into the man he healed again and He said to him:

John 5:14-15 (NKJV)
^5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." ¹⁵ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Go and sin no more!  He was made well and his sin removed.  We’re all here because we need Jesus’ grace.  We’re all here because we want his comfort and blessing.  Your comfort is found in your repentance.  Your blessing is found in His purpose.  He has a purpose for you and your church.  The purpose of the church is the salvation of others.  Let’s not be like the Jews and Achan; callous and selfish.  Repent, be made whole and sin no more!