Pastor Guy's Blog

Home Church Service 3/6/2021

These sermons began as devotionals for my family as we met during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We have now begun to include our friends and the devotional has now become a full sermon. We are also recording our service and will begin posting those videos in the near future.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”                        Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

It seems that everywhere we go these days we can be seen by others, no matter what we are doing. With smart phones getting smarter every year, everyone carries a camera and video recorder with them at all times. Even if you wanted to do something without being seen in public, it is almost impossible to do so today. There are times when this is invaluable, say for instance, capturing a crime on video. By and large though, privacy is out the window because witnesses are everywhere!

Our passage looks at a different kind of witness, the kind of witness that provides inspiration and encouragement. The witness we look at today is the witness of those who have, by faith, gone before us with full faith in God. In our world today, there has never been a time when our Call to Endure has been more timely or more important.

With a great cloud of witnesses, we lay aside every encumbrance, the sin that entangles us and fix our eyes on Jesus. Just as He endured the cross and despised the shame to sit at the right hand of the throne of God, we consider the One who endured hostility that we might not grow weary and lose heart in our Call to Endure.

Those who have gone before us issue a Call to Endure as we shake off the things of this world with its sinful desires, to focus on Jesus, the source of faith and follow His example to remain strong in faith and heart.

As we consider the encouragement of this passage, we must ask ourselves, “Why is a Call to Endure given?”

A Call to Endure is given to fix our eyes on Jesus, remembering His suffering that we might be encouraged and strengthened.

1). Our Call to Endure requires inspiration and discipline.

We have a great cloud of witnesses that surround us or envelope us. These witnesses have participated in the race BEFORE us! They have run this race and have won by finishing – enduring to the end!! They endured great temptations against looking, touching, thinking and feeling. They have endured great trials including suffering, loss, hunger, disease, persecution and abuse. They endured against all kinds of opposition including family, friends and neighbors.

These faithful believers who now surround us are also spectators of this race, watching and cheering us on, as we run the race. They watch, with great interest, to see how we will run the race. They watch to see if we lay aside those things that encumber us, that is, do we strip off, take off or remove the weight of this world. In the athletic training sense, it is shedding excess body weight. Here is it referring to those things that may seem innocent in and of themselves, but they slow down the Christian in their race of faith.

This includes things like seeking entertainment instead of fellowship and communing with God. There is nothing wrong with having fun or a night out with friends, it is when this takes the place of reading and studying your Bible and having times of personal prayer and worship, that we run into problems. Seeking material possessions of the world – clothing, cars, toys, power, position, fame – instead of seeking God, is another weight of the world we must shed. While we need to be aware of and maintain the necessities of life, an abundance of things that only speaks of our worldly success, gets in the way of growing our relationship with God. Listening to and watching music, movies and television shows that clutter our minds with inappropriate thoughts and images, these things only serve to distract us from being fully focused on God.

This cloud of witnesses watches to see if we can remove what entangles us. Do we have the discipline it takes to unentangle ourselves and run with endurance? Picture for a moment, someone trying to run a race with clothing so loose it flaps in the wind entangling arms and legs, clinging together, making it difficult, if not impossible, to run freely. This is a picture of sin tripping up the Christian in their effort to run the race of faith. There are sins that are common to all believers, but this exhortation is speaking to specific sin, the particular sin that entangles and throws the believer. Each believer must ask themselves, “What is the sin that so easily entangle me?”

The answer could be any number of things; pleasure, the tongue, pride, the flesh, possessions, sports – what is it that consumes your time and energy and keeps you from following God – fully and wholly? We are to run this race with endurance – or patient endurance. This is perseverance, steadfastness and fortitude. Endurance is not a passive word, it is active, it does not allow us to sit back and put up with the trials of life, but rather it is the spirit that stands up and faces the trials of life. When trials come to those who are justified, they are stirred to action – to rise and face those trials head on!

A Call to Endure is given to fix our eyes on Jesus, remembering His suffering that we might be encouraged and strengthened.

2). Our Call to Endure requires focus on the supreme example of Christ.

Believers who have run the race, who have trusted God and endured, are a great witness to us. This is the point of Hebrews 11, the chapter we call the Hall of Faith. We can still see this great faith in God in believers around us today. But it is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the supreme example of patient endurance. In fixing our eye, we are also to fix our mind on Jesus. All runners, whether in a sprint or marathon, find a fixed point on the horizon, near the finish line. This is the prize they have so diligently trained and prepared for – they NEVER take their eyes of the prize!

As Christians running the race of faith, Jesus is the prize we are and have been training and preparing for, therefore we must find a fixed point on the horizon and NEVER take our eyes of the prize – the Lord Jesus Christ!! He Himself has run this race and He has shown us how to run the race. Jesus has run the race as the Author and Perfecter of faith. As the Author, He created, began and originated the Christian race. As the Perfecter, He completed the race, running it to the finish.

What is pictured here is Jesus running the course of life perfectly – sinless, perfectly righteous and obedient to God the Father. He finished the course living a perfect and righteous life. Therefore, Christ is our supreme example of faith in God – He created as the Author and completed as the Perfecter – the Christian race for all believers. While our inspiration can be drawn from the cloud of witnesses gathered around us, Jesus found His inspiration in the joy set before Him.

There are many ways to express the joy set before Jesus but what really motivated Jesus was the joy of redemption – this is what brought Jesus to earth in the first place! The day of redemption when Jesus will be united an exalted with all believers; the day of redemption when Jesus will realize all the glory and joy for which He dies and what His death was meant for. The day of redemption when the salvation of all believers from every generation will be completely and perfectly fulfilled; the day of redemption when those who love Jesus will rule and reign with Him forever!

Jesus is the supreme example of discipline. Jesus followed all of the rules of this race including obedience to death in order to create the Christian race. His obedience to God was perfect; He ignored the shame associated with the cross to finish the race; He blazed a path of perfect righteousness and provided faith that is acceptable to God. Jesus did all of this willingly, so we too must endure believing and obeying God the Father no matter the cost – even if it means dying a martyr’s death.

A Call to Endure is given to fix our eyes on Jesus, remembering His suffering that we might be encouraged and strengthened.

It seems that everywhere we go these days we can be seen by others, no matter what we are doing. With smart phones getting smarter every year, everyone carries a camera and video recorder with them at all times. Even if you wanted to do something without being seen in public, it is almost impossible to do so today. There are times when this is invaluable, say for instance, capturing a crime on video. By and large though, privacy is out the window because witnesses are everywhere!

Our passage looks at a different kind of witness, the kind of witness that provides inspiration and encouragement. The witness we look at today is the witness of those who have, by faith, gone before us with full faith in God. In our world today, there has never been a time when our Call to Endure has been more timely or more important.

Jesus never promised that running this race of faith would be easy, in fact, He told us just the opposite, that we would find trouble in this world. There are times, as believers, we will be tempted to focus on the trials we face, some may even be tempted to renounce their faith. But it is exactly at these times we must consider – or think about – all that Jesus endured to finish the race ahead of us.

Consider what it would be like today for Jesus to be born to an unwed, young mother, in the worst possible conditions – perhaps a crack house – to parents who are less than poor. His life was threatened as a baby; He moved around so His parents could avoid those who wanted Him dead; He was raised in a place that was considered despicable and His father died while He was young. Hard enough in the first century but can you imagine the taunting and ridicule He would face in our hate filled society of today? And then, when He did die, it died the most humiliating death possible!!

By fixing our eyes on Jesus and considering all that He has been through, all that He did willingly on our behalf, we should find the inspiration to fight on – to not grow weary or lose heart. As we face trials – hardships and discouragement – we must not lose sight of the bigger picture – WE ARE NOT ALONE!! Jesus haws finished the race as the Author and Perfecter of faith!

May your eyes be fixed on that point in the horizon, near the finish line, never removing them from the prize as we press on in a world that continues to grow darker and more hated filled each passing day.

Amen and Amen.

Home Church Service 2/27/2021

These sermons began as devotionals for my family as we met during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We have now begun to include our friends and the devotional has now become a full sermon. We are also recording our service and will begin posting those videos in the near future.

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”                                                                2 Peter 1:5-9 (NASB)

Who among us, as kids, didn’t want to build a fort, out of sheets and blankets, in mon’s living room? Or take an old refrigerator box and build a spaceship or fort of carboard? How many of us spent endless hours in the cold days of winter building snow forts for snowball fights?! There is something about building things, especially when we are younger! Those of us who are older as sure to remember Lincoln Logs and the ever-popular Erector Sets but the one building block we all know is Legos!! It might be that you have stepped on one or two as a parent even! But Legos have morphed into something different altogether. Legos still appeals to young and old alike and now Legos comes in sets aimed at adults to build anything from motorized vehicles to the gigantic Lego creations of aircraft carriers! Yes, young and old alike enjoy our building blocks!

In our passage, Peter is looking at a different kind of building block. The building blocks Peter is looking at are building block for A Growing Faith, a faith that is increasing in several area’s and leads us to a true faith in Christ Jesus. These blocks to build one upon the other but unlike normal building blocks, there is no true sequence for adding them to your moral standards. You might think you are working in one specific are, when boom! You realize what you are experiencing growth in a different area!

A Growing Faith only begins with faith. To this we supply the qualities of moral conduct, that we are neither useless or fruitless in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; for those lacking these qualities are blind or short-sighted forgetting their purification from sins.

Faith is the starting point of A Growing Faith. We grow our faith in steps, adding Christian characteristics, building one upon the other, which leads to a deeper understanding in Christ Jesus and remembering the forgiveness of our sins.

As we examine the list of Christian qualities, we must ask ourselves, “What is the purpose of A Growing Faith?”

The purpose of A Growing Faith is to add building blocks that increase our faith, increase our knowledge and remember the forgiveness of sin, all found in Christ Jesus.

1). A Growing Faith is a faith that add Christian qualities step by step.

The Christians moral standards are to be high above those of the world around us.

Faith is the first quality Peter lists, for without our faith in Christ, we are no different from the world around us. This faith brings us into the family of God; however, we do not stop there! As believers and members of fallen humanity we have work to do. Peter adds seven more qualities we are to add to our faith, the first being moral excellence. Moral excellence means our moral standards must be high above those standards of the world around us. This means, as Christians, we add lifestyle that mirror that of our Lord Jesus. Next, we are to add knowledge.

The knowledge Peter speaks of here is not the knowledge of God that leads to salvation but rather the knowledge of God that leads to wisdom and discernment that enables all believers to live godly lives. This is where we walk in the Spirit allowing Him to guide and direct us throughout the day. The next quality listed is self-control. That is the mastery over our sinful human desires we experience in evert aspect of life. In self-control we learn the attitudes that do not come to us naturally and channel our natural desires towards God’s will and God’s desires.

Now we add perseverance, our ability to endure suffering or evil treatment WITHOUT giving up our faith! This comes forth from faith in God – His goodness and His sovereignty. We trust in His plan and His purpose, His love and concern for us. From perseverance we turn to godliness. Godliness, in the Greek culture, was the primary word for religion and referred to the correct attitude towards God and people – performing obligatory duties. In this list of qualities, the word describes an awareness of the presence of God in all of life – this is the lifestyle that exemplifies Christ and is empowered by Him. We must have a right relationship with God and people.

Peter concludes his list of qualities with two Greek words for love. The first is Philadelphia, which we know to mean brotherly love. In non-Christian circles this is referred to as the affection between family members. Here, Peter extends this meaning to include the family of God – our brothers and sisters in Christ. The list concludes with agape love, the highest form of love, the kind of love shown, by God, towards us in the giving of His only Son, Jesus Christ – it is a self-sacrificing love.

The purpose of A Growing Faith is to add building blocks that increase our faith, increase our knowledge and remember the forgiveness of sin, all found in Christ Jesus.

2). The result of A Growing Faith is a true faith found in Christ Jesus.

True faith in Christ is useful, fruitful and remembers the forgiveness of sin.

The eight qualities listed by Peter are to belong to all believers. They are never to be static, that is, just simply having them, they are to be increasing. These qualities can only be grown by practicing them in our everyday lives. As I mentioned earlier, while these qualities are listed in a sequence, there is really no practical way to add or supply them in sequence. For example, knowledge that leads to wisdom and discernment is something that we will experience throughout our lifetime. Whereas brotherly love should be shown and evident continually.

Having these qualities, says Peter, will keep us from being useless or fruitless. To be useless means to be idle and slothful, literally “out of work” and caries the same meaning as James 2:20 – faith without works is dead. To be unfruitful means to be barren, unproductive and refers to a life crowded with pleasures and cares. If we have these qualities and they are increasing, Peter says, they will lead to true knowledge of Christ Jesus.

As believers, of course we know Jesus! But our knowledge must bear fruit. Our faith must move beyond simply what we believe, it must become our imperative and an active part of who we are and what we do. Faith in and knowledge if the Lord Jesus must lead to growth in these qualities which causes the believer to make a difference in the world around them and to persevere to the end.

The believer who refuses to grow is short-sighted, that is they are focused on the world around them rather than the bigger picture of eternity and becoming more Christlike. These believers are intentionally closing their eyes to the light of Christ, much like we all do at the first light after waking, blinking our eyes to allow them to adjust, however these believers leave themselves spiritually blind by keeping them closed. These believers forget their purification – their baptism in a public show of faith and a desire to live for Christ, their profession was their cleansing from past sin and a break from their old sinful lifestyle.

The purpose of A Growing Faith is to add building blocks that increase our faith, increase our knowledge and remember the forgiveness of sin, all found in Christ Jesus.

We have all felt the urge to build something as kids. From the blanket fort in mom’s living room to the snow fort in the winter months to the most popular building block of all time – Legos we all like to build. Today Legos even has segs aimed to the adult Lego builder making such things as motorized vehicles to the huge in scale aircraft carriers! Yes, young or old, we all like to build!

In our passage, Peter is looking at a different kind of building block. The building blocks Peter is looking at are building block for A Growing Faith, a faith that is increasing in several area’s and leads us to a true faith in Christ Jesus. These blocks to build one upon the other but unlike normal building blocks, there is no true sequence for adding them to your moral standards. You might think you are working in one specific are, when boom! You realize what you are experiencing growth in a different area!

Because of God’s promise that believers will escape corruption and share in Christ’s divine glory, we are to make every effort for high moral living. Peter states this by using the phrase, “applying all diligence” or “making every effort” in some translations. This comes from the Greek word meaning “to work alongside.” This means that while Christ provides the power and divine nature, believers must make the effort to use that power to set aside our sinful nature and desires and seek the qualities Peter has listed.

Peter says we are to “supply” or “add” these qualities to our faith. In the Greek culture to “supply” or to “add” was used to describe a wealthy person who could pay the wages of his chorus singers as well as paying for a lavish set and production expenses in cooperation with a poet and the state. Here it describes the generosity believers must have in giving their effort and in cooperation with God in adding these qualities. In other words, second best effort simply isn’t good enough!

What this looks like in our everyday life is simple. We should and must put as much effort into our spiritual growth, the growth of these qualities and our walk with Christ Jesus as we do the party we are having when NASCAR comes on Sunday afternoon. Or as much effort as we make in planning the next fishing trip with our buddies. Or the time and effort we put into making a shopping list, looking for the perfect gifts for family and friends each and every Christmas.

The point is this, we would not dare think of skimping on any of the above-mentioned activities, but when it comes time for the spiritual work of becoming more like Christ, we simply do not have the time, we are too tired, busy or stressed to even think about reading our Bible, much less doing something to practice the qualities that Peter insists will make us useful and fruitful. As always, the choice is yours. You can choose to remain stagnant and chase after the empty thrills and frills of the world, burning energy and time for things that will leave you useless and unfruitful, or, well, you can expend some of that energy on becoming more Christlike by practicing the qualities outlined in this passage. Either way, the choice is yours. I pray you will hear God calling you to begin the rewarding work of putting these qualities into practice and become more like His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen and Amen.

The Battle of the Mind

Home Church Service 2/13/2021

These sermons began as devotionals for my family as we met during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We have now begun to include our friends and the devotional has now become a full sermon. We are also recording our service and will begin posting those videos in the near future.

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  Romans 8:5-8 (NASB)

Before we dig into our passage this morning, let me introduce the two main players in our passage, they are the Carnal’s and the Spiritual’s.

Let’s begin with the Carnal’s. They arrive at the church service each week at approximately the same time, this way everyone knows when to expect them; they enjoy at least one cup of coffee and sample a variety of the baked goods provided by the Hospitality Committee; they enter the sanctuary at the same time every week, sitting in the same pew or chairs they have occupied for 20+ years now; they are careful not to make eye contact with the pastor before they are ready for him to greet them; they expect the church service to go as planned with everything in its appointed place, the proper number of hymns and of course a 20 minute sermon that is easy to listen to and will not make them uncomfortable or give them unnecessary concerns about things around them. And heaven forbid if the church service goes long and ruins lunch! The Battle of the Mind has begun!

Now let’s meet the Spiritual’s. They start their day with prayer, praying for the worship service, they pray with and for the pastor; they seek out visitors to welcome and make them feel comfortable. As worship approaches, they begin looking for a seat, perhaps with an anxious visitor or someone who looks downcast; they are not concerned with making certain all the elements are in place or even how long worship lasts, they are there to praise, glorify and give thanks to the One who has sustained them throughout the week; they will be found helping clean up after the worship service; once again they pray with and for the pastor; they offer rides to those who need them and on occasion, they even buy someone a late lunch – and the guest gets to pick where they eat! The Battle of the Mind has begun!

In The Battle of the Mind we choose flesh or Spirit, death or life and whether we will submit to God or forever remain His enemy. In The Battle of the Mind we choose to be carnal or spiritual, the world or God’s kingdom and whether we spend eternity separated from God or in His eternal security.

As we examine our passage this morning let us keep this one question in mind, “What is the purpose of The Battle of the Mind?

The purpose of The Battle of the Mind is to determine who we are, what we will do and how we spend eternity.

1). The Battle of the Mind is carnal versus spiritual.

The focus of the mind is either self-focused or God-focused.

The focus of our minds and the thoughts we entertain in our minds will determine who we are and what we do. If our thoughts are always impure or filled with debased ideas. If we fixate on the physical and material things of the world, we will become worldly, chasing after material things to fill the void in our souls. If, on the other hand, our thoughts are pure and filled with God and the things of His kingdom, we become spiritual – godly and righteous! We become how we think.

The mind of the flesh, or carnal mind, is the mind set on the flesh, our body or self. This is the mind we are born with. The mind of the flesh is given over to the flesh, meaning that its only focus is flesh or self and the worldly desires and urges of self; the full attention and pursuit of the carnal mind is only for self, its only desire is to taste and take part in the actions of self. The carnal mind focuses upon the immoral, violent, material and physical things of this world. Sex, money, power, position, possessions and fame are the focus of the carnal mind.

The carnal mind will also focus on the commendable things of a refined society. Things like education, moral, upright and cultured purposes deemed acceptable and “good causes” become the pursuit of the carnal mind – this, however, is all done independently of God, using these “good causes” as their “good works” and service to find good standing before God. These are the things the carnal mind may focus on, but they are done without God and thus, there basis is in the world and, once again, finds its focus on the physical and material.

The carnal mind can be found in the church – there is little, if any, stress upon the relationship with God; there is little, if any, stress put on knowing God, that is, believing and understanding; there is little, if any, stress on walking and living with God – the focus of the carnal mind in church is church tradition, rituals and ceremonies, and the welfare of the church – saving money for a rainy day – and the projects of the church, such as supporting a food pantry with donations of food or money but not being a physical presence or supporting a building project through money donations.

The mind of the Spirit or spiritually minded, is the mind that has been renewed by the Spirit of God. This means the mind is possessed, controlled and/or dominated by the Spirit. The spiritually minded focus on developing spiritual character and fruit; the spiritually minded focus upon carrying out the ministry and mission of Christ Jesus; the spiritually minded focus upon knowing, believing and understanding God; the spiritually minded focus upon being increasingly conformed to the image of Christ; the spiritually minded focus upon taking every thought and imagination captive in obedience to Christ.

The spiritually minded go out of their way to serve others. They seek the best for others first while knowing they are secure in the love and care of the Father. The spiritually minded rise early to spend quiet time alone with God before the world becomes a distraction; the spiritually minded read and study the Scriptures daily; the spiritually minded have their minds focused on God and the coming return of His Son; the spiritually minded are focused on loving, serving, praising and glorifying the One who has called them into fellowship.

The spiritually minded are also found in the church. They may not be as visible, for they are the ones serving in the background, or doing what they do for the sheer love of how they are serving. They seek the welfare of others through their service, perhaps it is someone on the hospitality committee making coffee and preparing snack each morning before worship; perhaps it is the tech guy that is never seen; perhaps it is the members of the worship team as they lead others into the presence of God; they are found in the prayer warriors of the church – they pray with and for the pastor and those in need throughout the week – these are the spiritually minded.

The purpose of The Battle of the Mind is to determine who we are, what we will do and how we spend eternity.

2). The Battle of the Mind is death versus life and peace.

The mind focused on self leads to death while the mind focused on the spiritual leads to life and peace.

The carnal mind is opposed to God and all He does and all He is. It is not pure or lasting, it is filled with corruption and thinks only of self. The carnal mind dwells in death as it opposes God. And so, it will dwell in death for eternity. The carnal mind is warned its fate is death – spiritual death throughout eternity, fully separated and cut off from God. The carnal mind is warned it cannot ignore God now and expect to hear from Him in eternity. The carnal mind is warned, it cannot focus on self now and God in eternity.

The carnal mind is warned, it cannot have its will now and God’s will in eternity. The carnal mind is warned, it cannot have a worldly mind now and a spiritual mind in eternity. The carnal mind is warned, it cannot choose self now and be saved in eternity. The carnal mind is warned, it cannot reject God now and be accepted by God in eternity. What the mind chooses now, the choice has been made.

By contrast, the spiritual mind is with God and for God, working to complete the ministry and mission of Christ Jesus. It is pure and will last an eternity with its Creator. The spiritual mind dwells in life and peace and stand with God. And so, it will be for eternity. The spiritual mind is comforted and assured its fate is life and peace for it is a mind filled with life and peace. The spiritual mind is full of meaning, purpose and significance; the spiritual mind is filled with assurance and confidence; the spiritual mind is filled with joy and rejoicing; the spiritual mind is filled with knowing, believing and understanding God; the spiritual mind is filled with spiritual fruit – love, joy, peace, kindness, etc.

The spiritually minded are at peace with God, knowing beyond doubt their sin has been forgiven; the spiritually minded are at peace because they know they are acceptable to God; the spiritually minded are at peace because they experience the day-to-day care of God and His guidance in life; the spiritually minded are at peace because their eternity is secure in Christ. What the mind chooses now, the choice has been made.

The point is this – whatever the mind chooses will continue in eternity. If your mind chooses self/flesh over God, then the choice is made. If your mind chooses to focus on self and reject God, then the choice is made. If your mind chooses to focus on the physical and material and ignore God, then the choice is made. If your mind chooses its will over the will of God, then the choice is made. The choice is yours, you can choose to focus on self and death or you can choose to focus on God and life.

The purpose of The Battle of the Mind is to determine who we are, what we will do and how we spend eternity.

We met our friends the Carnal’s. They arrive at the church service each week at approximately the same time, they enjoy the coffee and the baked goods provided by the Hospitality Committee; they enter the sanctuary at the same time every week; they sit in the same pew or chairs every week; they are careful not to make eye contact with the pastor too early; they expect the church service to go as planned with everything in its appointed place; , and of course a 20 minute sermon that is easy to listen to and will not make them uncomfortable or give them unnecessary concerns about things around them. And heaven forbid if the church service goes long and ruins lunch! The Battle of the Mind begins!

Then we met our friends the Spiritual’s. They start their day with prayer; they pray with and for the pastor; they seek out visitors to welcome and make them feel comfortable;  as worship approaches they begin looking for a seat, perhaps with an anxious visitor or someone who looks downcast; they are not concerned with making certain all the elements are in place or even how long worship lasts; they will be found helping clean up after the worship service; once again they pray with and for the pastor; they offer rides to those who need them and on occasion, they even buy someone a late lunch – and the guest gets to pick where they eat! The Battle of the Mind begins!

The truth is, the Spirit of God can transform the human mind. The Spirit of God can refocus the mind to the things of God and His kingdom; the Spirit can refocus the mind to life and peace; the Spirit can refocus the mind to the assurance and comfort of knowing you are secure in God’s care and guidance in life; the Spirit can refocus the mind to a secure eternity spent living in the will of God. The Spirit of God can fill the mind with meaning, significance and purpose.

So, how do we move from a carnal mind to a spiritual mind or safeguard our minds, so we do not fall into a carnal mind? Everything begins with prayer. Paul encourages us to “pray without ceasing,” and that is and should be the long-term goal of every Christian. But let’s not bite off more than we can chew. Begin with a set time and place to meet with God. Choose a time and place that fits best with your schedule and that will give you the fewest interruptions and excuses not to pray. You might choose to find someone to help you through the tough times when you just don’t feel like praying. This is a good thing to have because the tough times will come.

Next, choose a good devotional book. This can be something as simple as a fifteen-minute reading or something that goes a little deeper into the text, but once again, choose something that fits for you. Now you must choose to be consistent in your effort. Things happen and you are going to miss a day here and there, but guard against going a week without spending time with God. Once again if you choose to have someone to help you get through the tough times, this is when it will pay off!

Next, you might choose to join a small group for Bible study or find a directed Bible study from one of the many sources online. Studying God’s word is the best way to get to know and understand Him. As your study becomes deeper and the Spirit begins to transform your mind, you might choose to journal your thoughts on passages and books for future study. These are but a few tips to help you move from the carnal mind or safeguard your spiritual mind from falling into the carnal mind trap. Choose what works best for you, choose the place and time to meet God, choose to be consistent, and choose to allow the Spirit to refocus and transform your mind. But the choice is yours and whatever you choose, choose wisely, for once the choice is made, it is made for eternity.

My prayer for you is that you choose to allow God to be your focus, to be at peace and in life with God the Father, now and in eternity.

Amen and Amen.

This is the first in a new sermon series titled “Preparations of the Heart.” This series is meant to help us prepare our hearts for Passover and the Spring Feasts and Holy Days.

Home Church Devotional 2/6/2021

These devotionals were written during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic when area churches were not allowed to meet for fear of spreading the coronavirus. They were used in place of a full sermon as my family and I gathered for worship and communion.

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” 2 Chronicles 7:12-16 (NASB)

The hope that is typically associated with the beginning of a new year was quickly shattered as the calendar page turned to January 2020. The New Year began with wildfires, caused by drought, still burning out of control and intensifying, in Australia. They would continue to burn for a further two months. In February 2020 came the news of a locust attack in North Africa. Local news media and residents alike reported the locust came in “biblical proportions.” Also, in January, the World Health Organization, also known as WHO, sounded the alarm on a virus as an international concern. By March 2020 the coronavirus, named COVID-19, officially became a pandemic.

The convergence of these three events drew our attention away from the earthquakes and severe weather continuing around the world, these events seemingly becoming commonplace and no longer noteworthy. What made these three events so “special?” Why did they garner more attention than other events around the world? These three events – drought, locust and disease – were meant to shake the world – and particularly the United States – and issue a Call to Return to God and His standards and commandments.

As we begin this morning let us keep one question in mind, “What is the purpose of a Call to Return?”

The purpose of the Call to Return is to bring back those who have turned away from God?

1). The Call to Return includes warnings of judgment.

Warnings come through the heavens, through nature and through disease.

Many in this country have either forgotten or never really knew the history of this nation. We all know and celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but we seem to have forgotten or never knew that this country was founded on the pattern of ancient Israel, complete with a covenant made with God and sealed in prayer, including the blessings and curses of a typical covenant. You see, at one time the United States was the most prosperous, powerful and most respected nation in the world. During the 1980’s the United States became the last superpower standing – God has truly blessed this nation and at one time He chose us, the United States, for Himself as a house of sacrifice.

Sadly, the United States has slowly turned away from God and the foundations that made us the greatest nation on earth. God has been trying to get our attention since September 11, 2001 and the terrorist attacks on our soil. That’s another lesson for another time, but we have missed the Call to Return for far too long now. The year 2020 marked the nineteenth year the United States has turned a deaf ear to the calling of God. Through terrorist attacks and economic collapse, we resisted and ignored God’s call, and so came January 2020 and the ante was upped.

In 2020 we witnessed events that have never before been seen together, converging at the same time, around the world. We saw an historic drought, beginning months earlier than normal, leading to historical wildfires that burned millions of acres of land and killed countless animals caught in the fires; we saw swarms of locust in North Africa that were reported to be of “biblical proportions.” It now appears that the locust also left behind a surprise for this year, millions of eggs that will hatch and will be, perhaps worse than last year’s swarm. Then came the outbreak of the coronavirus – named COVID-19 – and a worldwide pandemic. God has shaken the world trying to get the attention of His people.

The three converging events are all signs and warnings of judgment meant to bring people to repentance. The productivity of the land is related to the obedience of people. Drought is sent to bring people to repentance for disobedience. Locusts are a symbol of what God’s judgment will be like – being overwhelmed by a large and powerful army that goes everywhere and cannot be stopped. And disease, or pestilence, is sent as punishment for the failure to fulfill covenant obligations and to bring people to repentance.

The purpose of the Call to Return is to bring back those who have turned away from God?

2). The Call to Return includes instructions for repentance.

Repentance begins with humility, moves to prayer and seeking God and results in a turning away from wicked ways.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is, at this moment in time, one of the most common Scriptures being posted on Facebook. In all of the posts I have seen, the last line is always the same. “God bless America!” My question is always the same, “Why would God bless America?” It’s as if people are thinking, “If I post this, then God will see it and be nice to us.” But the first part of the verse is the most importance part of the verse. It is the first part that tells us what we must do to receive God’s blessings. Four words summarize what we must do to receive God’s blessing, humility, prayer, seek, repent.

Humility is being free from arrogance and pride and having an accurate estimate of ones worth. Sadly, the pride in the United States has turned fully into arrogance. We seem to think that man is the be all and end all of the world. We think far too much of the achievements of humans, great as they may be, to realize we are still just dust. We must return to our dependence on God and stop relying on self.

Prayer is our means of communication with God and it is especially important to those who are covenant partners. Remember our country was founded on the pattern of ancient Israel complete with prayer and a covenant that was accepted by God. This is a call for true prayer, prayers of confession, repentance, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. True prayer will invade all that we do, it will be our way of life rather than simply a part of our life. We pray without ceasing!

These four steps must be taken first, they form the foundation upon which God will build His blessings. Blessings become curses to those who ignore the Call to Return and continue in their fixed ways of pleasing self. This is a radical change meant to shake us out of our slumber and awaken to the danger we have placed ourselves in and is about to come upon us.

The purpose of the Call to Return is to bring back those who have turned away from God?

3). The Call to Return includes details of the promises when the call is obeyed.

Obedience results in our prayers being heard, forgiveness of sin and healing of the land.

Obedience is the key in all things; we must be obedient in keeping the commands of God; we must be obedient in going where God leads us; we must be obedient to do the work God has laid out for us; we must be obedient in all things. The result of our obedience is being heard by God in heaven. God is still on His throne and is sovereign over all things within His created universe. Though we are but dust, He will hear our prayers offered in obedience and confession, the first step of obedience.

As our obedience continues and our repentance seen in word and deed, God forgives our sins and covers them. This is the difference between those who repent and those who do not. A believer has their sins removed, covered and they are not counted against them. Those who do not repent do not have their sins removed and they are counted against them. Forgiveness of sin is important not only in this age but for the age to come. Forgiveness of our sins puts us in right standing with God further allowing Him to bless us more than we can ever imagine.

As our sins are forgiven, God begins to heal our land. Remember, the productivity of the land is linked to our obedience. If we truly want our land to be healed, we must be in obedience to God. This productivity is not limited to just drought and crop production in general; it includes the severity of our weather, including hurricanes; extremes in temperatures all are affected by our obedience or lack thereof! God uses everything at His disposal to issue a Call to Return to Him.

God still loves this country and wants nothing more than to bless us once again. Peter writes a word of encouragement in 2 Peter 3:9 reminding us that God does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance. To bless us we must be in good standing with God, repentant and obedient and then He will once again pour out His blessings upon us. This is true for both the individual and a nation.

God accepted the covenant offered by our founding fathers and He has held to His end of the covenant. He has blessed us richly even in those times when we stumbled. But as we have slowly turned fully away from Him, He has had to send warnings to shake us out of our slumber. God accepted the United States as a house of sacrifice because we were patterned after Israel. And now that we too have fallen into sinfulness as a nation, we too will feel the full impact of the curses felt by Israel in their disobedience and sinfulness.

The purpose of the Call to Return is to bring back those who have turned away from God?

The hope that is associated with the beginning of a new year was shattered in January of 2020 by the convergence of three events – drought, locust and disease – turning our world upside down and forcing the closure of businesses, the loss of jobs and income, the moving of schools to an online platform and those businesses who were able moved to online platforms as well. Our focus was redirected from other events that continued around the world. Still today, we continue to fight through a pandemic of sorts, though not to the extreme we saw at the beginning of 2020. Why were these three events so riveting?

The convergence of these three events were meant to be a wakeup call, particularly to the United States. They were to be a Call to Return to God, to get back to our foundation and the standards that made this country, at one time, the greatest country in the world.

The work we have to do is before us. We must, as individuals and as a church body, repent. First, we repent for our sinfulness. We have an ability, in this country, to label our sin anything but sin. Yes, we all know about murder, theft, adultery and lying but even still many of them are labeled something different. We change the names, so we are not held accountable. Adultery has become an open marriage. Abortion is now a choice. Same sex marriages have become a right, when in reality, marriage is NOT a right for anyone. Drunkenness and drug abuse are addictions, and while this may be true, there is something far deeper happening. The sin of pleasing self is at the center of many of our addictions, choices and actions.

So, if we want healing in our country; if we want God to bless our land once again; if we want things to be back to “normal,” then we must first humble ourselves before a holy God, repent of our sinfulness, both individually and nationally, and do a complete 180 degree turn and run back to God. This must start with us, right here, right now. God will hear from heaven the prayer offered in obedience and repentance.

As we move through the remainder of this year, may we all be found in repentance and obedience to God that He might hear us and bring blessing upon our nation once again.

Amen and Amen.