Mon, 21 May 2012 19:24:57 -0800WeeblyMon, 14 May 2012 08:06:15 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2012/05/living-on-purpose-in-the-doldrums-of-life.htmlIt is an interesting time of year - when graduations are coming to a close - vacations are beginning to gear up - students are leaving for home and for summer Christian programs and mission trips - and the rest of us are getting ready to move into summer.  It can be a time when we can lose focus spiritually.  The vast majority of us thrive on structure in our lives - and it is times like these when our normal structure in life can break down or begin to change.  The reason this affects our spiritual lives is because, if you are like me, part of my structure in living is my quiet time.  Even this can be affected with the result that we can experience a kind of spiritual doldrum period at this time of year. Doldrums were the areas in the ocean where there would be little or no wind to power the sails of a ship. It was during those times that a ship had to have its routines - so that it would be ready to continue its journey when the wind would return. One of the most important things to be done in doldrums would be to maintain the proper heading and direction. If the sailors did not do this the ship would drift aimlessly off course during this time.  In a similar manner it is important for us to have our spiritual disciplines so that when spiritual doldrums hit, we will be doing things to keep us growing and make us ready to take full advantage of other times when the winds of the Spirit pick up again and create fresh passion in what we do. Having these disicplines in place helps us not to drift aimlessly for weeks at a time and wind up badly off course in our walk with God.  In an effort to help us avoid this, I would like to encourage that we do a few things.

First, let me offer a word of exhortation.  A lot of us have a tendency to grow in our spiritual lives more out of passion than out of purpose.  I am not against passion in spiritual growth, but it is not an effective long-term motivation for spiritual growth in your life.  What I mean by this is that passion comes and goes but what lasts is commitment.  Whereas we may have several times a year when we have a great passion to have a quiet time and to minister to others - the problem comes when these spiritually passionate moments subside and we are left with what we are committed to in life.  You will burn out if all you function by is passion and emotion alone. There has to be commitment or purpose to take over at some point to have balanced spiritual growth.

It is a very important thing to make time to write down your purpose in life.  Some may groan at this statement - but when the doldrums hit this will be invaluable to you.  It is during those times that you can revisit that statement to give you long-term motivation in walking with the Lord.  What is even more helpful is to write out what things you should be doing daily to accomplish your ultimate purpose in life.  A GPS can show you where you will wind up when you arrive at your destination - but it functions by giving you turn by turn directions to get there. We need this to help us with those "choice by choice" directions to get us to our ultimate goal.

When doldrums hit in my life - I am reminded that my goal in life is to, "Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to glorify Him by how I live in my marriage, family, church, and community."  This is true whether I have great passion or not. Then I am reminded of my turn by turn directions to get there. These are building blocks to "love the Lord" and to "glorify Him in all I do." Therefore to accomplish this I have committed to have a daily time alone with God where I talk to Him and read His Word  - i.e. maintain a regular quiet time.  I have also committed to love and lead my wife and children with daily practical acts of kindness and service.  A couple of other building blocks are to make sure Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro is the best loved and taught congregation in our city - and - that I am working to build men as disciples of Jesus Christ.  

It is these things that keep me on track in the "doldrum times of life."  In an effort to help me know exactly what to do - I've broken these down further into smaller things I try to do - so that even when I am "down and out" I still know things I should be doing to accomplish goals and live for God's overall purpose in the life He has given me. Let me give a couple of examples. To mainitain my time with the Lord, I will read my Bible daily - reading 5 chpaters in the Old Testament, a psalm or a proverb, and 1 chapter in the New Testament. Recently, I've also committed to praying through a Psalm each day - to help me not degenerate into a rote list of prayer requests. There are other ways to break down the other commitments in my life. Things I can see and know whether I am doing the right things or not. Therefore when things slow down and I can lose my focus - I know that I can read these things and know how to not just survive doldrums - but even thrive in them.  May God give all of us grace to thrive, not only in times of passion, but also in every other period of life as we strive to live "on purpose."
]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:24:07 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2012/04/romney-is-a-christian-joel-osteen-said-so-groan.html     Recently Joel Osteen did an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN.  During the interview Blitzer asked Osteen whether he viewed Mitt Romney, a possible Republican candidate for president, as a Christian.  Osteen’s answer is a sad example of the lack of biblical discernment that is practiced in our post-modern Christian community.  Osteen said, “When I hear Mitt Romney say that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that he’s the Christ, raised from the dead, that he’s his Savior, that’s good enough for me.” The pastor also went on to say that he wants to be “inclusive” and welcoming to those who claim they accept Christ.  Osteen also stated in the interview that despite some differences, he sees Mormons “as brothers in Christ.”

     Let’s look at these statements with a little biblical discernment.  Mormon doctrine teaches that Jesus and Satan were spirit brothers and sons of God before the spirit of Jesus was given a body by Mary in Bethlehem. The Mormon “Book of Moses” presents Satan and Jesus as contending for the privilege of taking a body of flesh in order to become the redeemer, with Jesus winning the contest. [See Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4.]  Mormonism also teaches that Jesus was the physical son of God the Father and Mary, and that there is nothing in His life more than what is attainable by anyone else. 

     The Word of God teaches something radically different.  We learn that Jesus is God eternally, not just a spirit brother who won the contest to become our redeemer.  Mormons hold that Jesus is little more than an angelic being who won a sort of WWF contest with Satan so that he could get a body and be the redeemer.  Had Satan won this “redeemer match” . . . he would have been our savior!  What a horrible perversion of biblical truth!  Jesus Christ is THE creator (John chapter 1) and He created Lucifer—who subsequently fell and was cast out of heaven when he desired to be God.  The Word of God also teaches that Jesus was NOT just the physical son of God the Father and Mary.  He was physically a man—yet was God of very God as well.  Unfortunately pastor Osteen has not grasped this radical difference. Therefore he has validated Gov. Romney as a Christian without adequately questioning just which Jesus he received.  The maze of Mormonism is solved by having them define the Christian-sounding words they use—for they often have radically different meanings than those used by classic Christianity.  Truly this is where we learn that the devil is in the details (especially when it comes to who else was in the devil’s family!)  But, as pastor Osteen said, he is far more interested in inclusion.  But inclusion without examination will lead to a fatal dilution of true biblical doctrine.  But that is what happens when we do not practice biblical discernment.  We tend to value inclusiveness rather than truth.  Yet from what I read in the Bible about the final judgment—God is not exactly inclusive.  He doesn’t just want us to “get along,” He commands us to “get right.” That is not possible with a Jesus who is the spirit brother of Satan.  That requires a Jesus who is the God-man.  It requires that Jesus be God of very God, sinless, spotless, and able to die as a payment for our sins.  That, though, requires more discernment than pastor Osteen is willing to obtain.  This requires asking questions - hard questions - discerning questions - questions that separate - questions that promote truth.  It requires discriminating between the Jesus of Scripture and the Jesus of Mormonism.    It is my hope that one day Gov. Romney meets a pastor who is far more concerned with his eternal destiny than in getting kudos from the folks at CNN for his inclusiveness.  

]]>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:19:37 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2012/04/post-mortem-analysis-of-sin-james-113-16.htmlHave you ever sinned and wondered afterward, "How in the world did I get here?"  That is a common thing with a lot of believers - and honestly - too common to me to be too comfortable with it.  But that kind of moment is one where we need wisdom.  The wisdom we need is an understanding of the very question we've asked.  How did we get there?  If we don't know at the moment - we need to know.  The reason we need to know is because unless we know how we got to a point of sin, we will probably not stop sinning in this way.  The best way to deal with this is to know the steps to how we got there.  Let me share something with you that is very helpful to me when I  struggle and fall into sin occasionally.  I call it a "post-mortem" analysis of my sin.

James says this to us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." James 1:13-15

It is good to take a closer look at the day or days leading up to your sin.  What I found was that often I was either being set up or was setting myself up for a fall.  The first thing James tells us is that we are NOT being tempted by God.  Too often we think, "God, why did You do this to me?  Why did you have this temptation come my way?"  We think God is responsible for our circumstances - at least these that surround sinning.  God is most definitely Sovereign over all things - BUT - He does not tempt us.  Not blaming God for our problems is a huge first step towards freedom.

James does mention where all this comes from in life.  He says that we are "tempted by lust" and then when we don't respond to it properly we are "carried away" by it.  First comes temptation - from which I must flee!  Lust here is not referring to sexual sin exclusively.  It is referring to a strong desire that arises out of our self-centered and self-honoring fallen nature.   If I find myself not responding and reacting to these intense fleshly desires immediately. (which I usually did not in this process) my heart would begin hardening to God, to His Word, and to the promptings and warnings of the Holy Spirit.  I was not being responsive to Jesus.  Left unchecked, these strong desires would grow and I would find myself being "carried away by lust."  Soon I would find that not only was I being tempted - but because I was "lingering" - I soon was carried away by my lust into sin.  

Let me ask you something at this point.  Ever have one of those times when you think, "Man it was like I was unable to stop - like I was being carried away!  Well - unfortunately - that was exactly what was happening.  You did not stop sin at the point of your own desires being perverted from the truth.  Therefore they became so strong that you felt like you could not resist.  It was like someone else was controlling you.  That is the power of sin and lust.  It is powerful - and will dominate you if you do not resist early and often.  At this point you are having lust conceive in your heart - and that conception is about to give birth to sin.   

The next step is to give birth to sin.  The strong desire, left unchallenged, has now dominated our minds and our actions.  This means we are about to sin - to choose to disobey God - to choose to disregard Scripture - even to choose to silence the protest of our conscience as we act out in a way that is in defiance to God's standards and commands.  The result of this will be death.  Spiritually we will feel dead.  There will be a grieving of the Holy Spirit and a deadening of our ability to discern what God desires.  Rather than being led by the Spirit - we are allowing ourselves to be led by the flesh.  The Spirit's fire will be doused within us - we may even feel things like a lack of desire for the Word - an aversion to prayer - and plenty of condemnation.  Yeah - pretty much plenty of death is available to us at this point in our sinful escapade.  

A "post-mortem" analysis of sin asks the following types of questions.  

1. What was I allowing myself to linger over in what I saw, what I thought, what I considered, or even what I fantasized about?"  
   
2. What was I doing that led up to the strong desires that came upon me?
3. Was I watching, listening, participating in anything that weakened my desire for God prior to sinning?
4. Was I neglecting time in the Word, prayer, fellowship prior to the sin?  (One of the things that I see most in my post-mortem looks - is that I was neglecting either my quiet time - or prayer.
5. Was there any kind of incident where I became angry, bitter, or unforgiving toward someone?
6. What kind of thoughts were going through my head?  Did I seek to combat them with Scripture?
7. Was there any direct link between the temptation - and anything I've done in the last 24 hours?

When we do this, we will most likely find and identify the things that led up to our sin.  We will see things like television shows or movies that led to lustful thoughts.  We may find that we were wandering from God for days before this thing hit.  We will often find that our minds were definitely NOT being renewed with the Word.  And one other "usual culprit" will be bitterness and unforgiveness - especially when it is toward a brother or sister in Christ - or a close family member.   

The last step in this "post-mortem" analysis is to identify the activities or choices made that led to sin.  But that will not be enough.  We need to deal with these things.  There is a very simple truth here we must grasp.  We CANNOT do these things and remain pure.  We MUST address these things with the Word and with repentance and a purpose to act differently in the future.  This will be the way to turn a sinful situation into one that will not only instruct us - but will in large measure - protect us from things that will lead us into sin in the future.  It will also help us to greatly lesson the areas where we feel that when we take a small step - we are gone - because sin has such power over us so quickly.  Think of it as CSI - Jesus.  The Lord takes apart the crime scene (here a sin-scene) and examines it to show us all the evidence that points to us acting in ways that are going to end up embracing sin and ungodliness.  That will be more valuable to us than gold! ]]>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:30:33 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2012/03/the-god-who-will-break-your-leg-if-necessary-a-warning-and-encouragement-concerning-besetting-sin.htmlDid you know that God loves you so much . . . that He will break your leg if necessary?  Let's explore this for a few moments now - shall we?


"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. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.""

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.      Hebrews 12:1-11

- There are situations that will overwhelm us - and make us lose heart in our battle against sin.

- We fight these battles two ways - remembering Jesus' conflict AND

- Remembering God's discipline . . . and this is a very strong possibility for us if we are sinning currently in some way.  We should ask a simple question if we are involved in a besetting sin.  Is God disciplining us though all this - or another way - are we miserable in this sin? 

- If that is the case - rejoice!  He is working with you to train you to hate sin - and love Him.  He is absolutely committed that you will not have ANY lasting joy in sinful choices.  Sin provides no real, lasting joy - maybe something momentary - but nothing lasting.  The things is when God is dealing with us - our enjoyment in sin will be far, far less.  God is disciplining us - spanking us if you will - or as the text says, "He scourges every son He accepts!"  (Whoa - scourging - isn't that what they did to Jesus before the cross?  YEP!) 

- God does this so that as we are TRAINED by it - there will be NO JOY or ENJOYMENT of sin - and a growing disposition to only embrace righteousness.  God graciously ruins us for sin - so that the only place we will find joy - is in HIM!

- The passage tells me He does this - He spanks the FOOL out of me - so I will be a sharer in His holiness.  Oh, yeah, I remember all "the fool" that needed to be lovingly disciplined out of me - because, unlike all the other really godly people in the world - I have a great deal of "fool" in me (sarcasm alert!).  Actually, we all have a tremendous amount of "the fool" in us that often can only be dealt with by having it revealed to us - then exposed in our actions - and eventually crucified by the cross.  The "fool" in us will never submit to God - nor can it - the fool in us (also known as flesh) is opposed to God and His Word - it won't and it can't submit to God.  Those controlled by the flesh (or the fool in us) cannot please God.  Sooooo . . . I cannot please God as long as I subscribe to being a fool and acting the fool by turning to self rather than turning to Him. 

- So glad for the last part of this - NO DISCIPLINE IS PLEASANT FOR THE TIME, BUT PAINFUL! - When I read this, I thought, Hallelujah! at least God knows this whole process is kinda painful! 

But keep reading . . . BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT - uh oh - there is a training process going on?  Yep, there is - to simply spank a child without a training process is just beating a rebellious little toot - but God is working toward something!  He is seeking to get the "fool" out of us.  He wants us to live by His grace and strength - not by our flesh - or "the fool" in us.  

AFTERWARD IT YIELDS THE PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!  This is what God is going after in this process.  Just a quick question for anyone in besetting sin (as if I do anything quickly!).  You at peace right now?  (your answer is NO - I know this because I've been where you are!)  Obedience yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness - disobedience yields painful discipline - and a general sense of, "this stinks!" 

Now here is the kicker.  When Christ bought you from the slave market of sin - and made you a son through Jesus Christ . . . God bought you for the purpose of owning you (which He does anyway) - but now as a son.  He who began this work in you . . . WILL COMPLETE IT UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS!  What does this mean?  It means, that God is actively going to ruin you for the world.  You belong to God . . . and He is GOING to finish what He has started in you.  You can either enjoy this journey - and learn to obey Him - or be miserable for the rest of the process.  The fact is He is utterly committed to you - to make you like His Son.  He will do this even if He has to make you miserable in the process - even if He has to make your life one that is filled with problems - difficulties - disasters - roadblocks - and even to the point of breaking your bones (remember the lamb that is around the shepherd's neck - yeah - that was the one who would not quit wandering off.  The GOOD shepherd would break that lamb's leg - so that it had to be around his neck for weeks.  The shepherd did that so that the lamb wouldn't be killed - and so that he learned the shepherd's voice better than any other in the process - which, by the way, was why David prayed in the midst of his sexual sin in Psalm 51, "let the bones which You have broken rejoice.")  Yep - God will even break your leg, if that is what it takes to finish the work of His grace begun at salvation.

That is where I will finish today - with the verses directly after the ones I've been quoting.  

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.   Hebrews 12:12-13

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God will break your leg to have all of you!  Don't make Him do it.  Believe me, He will!  He has done some things - or better said - allowed some things to train me over the past 30 years of knowing Him.  Learn to be strong in Him - and let Him get "the fool" or '"flesh" out of you!  He is only doing this because of how much He loves you.  But please know this . . . His love is strong!  He WILL pursue you.  Getting involved with Him through salvation is the best thing that has ever happened to you!  But it is a love that is so strong - that it will take your breath away - and at times . . . even break your leg.  

]]>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:06:18 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2012/01/what-kind-of-men-are-we.htmlWhat kind of men are we?  That was the question I had to ask myself after reading a couple of things today.  The first was a quote by John Stuart Mill.  He wrote the following about war,

     "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degrading state of moral and patriotic
     feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to
     fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance
     of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."   - John Stuart Mill - 


When I read this I honestly wondered about myself.  In light of what we face as a nation, can I say that I am not guilty of a certain "moral and patriotic decay" that shies away from the war for the very soul of our nation at present?  There is a battle for the soul of the United States and it rages every day.  Some would have us move toward being a nation that is based upon a philosophy of Socialism where the state becomes the caretaker of all within it.  We are walking in that direction and fast destroying the once great nation given to us by God and our forefathers.  It is said that Socialism only works until the government runs out of other people's money to spend.  That is quickly coming upon us each day that we do not rise up to the moral, social, political, and spiritual battles that surround us.  

Let me better define the war of which I speak.  It is my hope that it will never descend into a war of weapons where the outcome is dependent upon which army destroys the other.  But at present it is a war of ideas.  A war that is fought with words and actions based upon those ideas.  There is a greatly decayed moral state in America that must be addressed if we are going to survive as a nation.  Nations fall not because of conquerors who fight from without - but because of moral decay and destruction within.  We must first stand against the moral decay that is rotting us from the inside out.  That means fighting the battles that rage in our flesh.  It means once again valuing honesty, integrity, honor, hard work, faithfulness, and a host of other character traits which are far more often mocked by our godless society than glorified.  It also means recapturing our homes as the primary place where education takes place.  It is in the home where morals and godly character must be taught.  More than this it is where moral character must be displayed by fathers.

Such an endeavor will mean that we have to fight and war against some things.  I will list several here.  Please understand that we can either realize war is what MUST take place against these things - or we will lose.  We can either fight in this war - or remain one of Mill's miserable creatures who live only for their own safety, security, and comfort.  If we do, we will have to rely on other, more godly and principled men to maintain our freedom.  My concern is that there are not many such men left in this hour - possible not enough to stem the tide of moral decay and political tyranny.

First, we must fight and war against our own pacivity men!  It is the easiest thing to start out days at the mercy of the clock.  What I mean by this is that we get up so late that we do not have time to get quiet and meet with God.  We must awaken early enough to spend time with Him - both in reading God's Word and in praying for ourselves, our family, and our nation.  This is where is HAS to start.  Men, we need to war against the moral decay in ourselves.  If we do not, we will have nothing of substance to give in the war that rages all around us. 

Second, we must war for our marriages and our homes.  I ask a simple question men.  What is the state of your relationship with your wife?  Do you cherish her?  Do you nourish her with the Word?  Are we patterning for our children and those around us a delight in God's institution of marriage?  One of the most blighting scourges that is rotting our nation from within in the state of marriage and family in our land.  We can either decry it and weep on the devastated landscape around us - or - we can begin to labor to restore the ancient foundations by loving our wives and loving our children.  And that being said, what is the state of your role as "father?"  Do YOU inspire your children with your lifestyle - and with your regular teaching.  If we do not want a "nanny-state" we must then take on the rearing of our children and not leave it to the state and to the educational system.  Do you speak to your children of the morals they should embrace?  Even more - do you yourself display them to your children?

Third, we must fight and war against the rule and reign of entertainment in our lives.  I have nothing against entertainment - unless our devotion to it outstrips our devotion to God, our family, God's church, and our country.  Too often we sit and decay simply by allowing the entertainment industry to speak to us - then for us in our homes.  Think of their values men.  Think of what you've seen and heard on television and in movies.  Then realize that they not only reflect the moral decline in our nation - the urge it to continue to new heights.  

Lastly, are you warring for godly leaders in our land.  I find it disturbing that over and over again we are told that morals in a man do not matter when it comes to electing our officials.  A man can stand and say that he wants to lead our nation - indeed take an oath to do so - when he has not even honored his oath and covenant to his wife!  Such men should be questioned much about these things.  I understand that we all need God's grace - but do we not have men among us willing to run - who have not cheated on their wives . . . while being an elected official of our land.  The Democrats defend President Clinton while he commits adultery in the White House - and the Republicans now defend Newt Gingrich while he does the same in the position of Speaker of the House.  We must fight for principled men to lead us.  If neither party is willing to put up such men should we not so war against them with our words, our financial contributions, and our direct involvement until such men are put forward?  We will not see change - godly, moral, principled change - until we demand it.

Men, I know this has been a long article - and I also know that many of us suffer from moral as well as family and patriotic failures of our past.  But there truly will not be change until we passionately seek it.  May we not be the pathetic, overindulged, and unwilling miserable creatures that John Stuart Mill described above.  May we instead be the men who are willing to war against the culture - war against our own self-indulgence - and war for the reviving our our own hearts, marriages, families, churches, and nation.  There are some things worth dying for in life.  So I ask once again, "What kind of men are we?" ]]>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:20:05 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2011/12/you-da-man-part-6-silencing-gossip-and-slander.htmlMay God give us grace to be able to silence the slander of fools who speak out against our brothers and sisters in Christ.   I am about to write some very controversial words—so you might want to prepare yourself—or—set this article down or put it in the trash now.  If you have not done that, let’s proceed and talk about the sin of gossip and slander.  For several weeks we’ve been looking at the seven  “I wills” of the godly man in Psalm 101.  This week’s article deals with how the godly man handles slander and gossip.  These things one and the same because gossip spreads information to everyone except the person with whom they have the problem.  They may even be spreading accurate information, but since it is not being used to reconcile with or confront the person involved, it is destructive.  We’ve all be unfortunate enough to watch relationships damaged badly by this kind of thing.  Some of us have even watched entire churches torn apart because people did not go directly to the person with whom they were offended. 

How does the godly man handle slander and gossip?  Psalm 101:5 says this, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will I destroy.”  The word “destroy” here is a little unfortunate in its translation.  What is being destroyed in the Hebrew is the actual slander of gossip.  The word means to silence someone.  Therefore the godly man, when hearing slander of someone or gossip about them silences the speaker from going on about the situation.  

I remember a very godly man who taught me about slander and gossip saying that when he began to hear one brother speak against another—or share an offence, he would listen for a few moments until he could speak.  He did this out of respect for the person speaking to him.  Then he would say something like this, “I know that this hurt you or was offensive, but biblically you should not be sharing this with me.  You should be meeting with him—sharing it with him—and seeking to either reconcile the situation or offer rebuke if he is clearly sinning.”  After saying this he would offer to get the two men together and help them work out their problems.  If the brother would continue to try to tell him more about the offence at that point he would again politely, yet firmly say that he was not the one needing to hear this.  He would reiterate the biblical truth he did before while adding that he did not want to hear any more unless it was in the other party in the offence.  What he was doing was silencing the slander and gossip.  But he was doing much more.  He was offering an opportunity for reconciliation and healing to take place.  He was healing a breach that had happened in the body of Christ—and was grieving the Holy Spirit.  These are the actions of a godly man who has made the commitment, “I will know no evil.”  May God help each of us to be such a man.

]]>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:10:06 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2011/12/you-da-man-part-5-the-seven-i-wills-of-the-godly-man.htmlFor a couple of weeks now we have been looking at Psalm 101 and the godly man.  This week I want to do an overview of this Psalm and bring out a key trait of the godly man.  In Psalm 101 we see a pattern that is important for us if we desire to be godly.  Note throughout the Psalm you see David stating, “I will” over and over again.  He actually makes this statement about 7 different things in this chapter.  I call these 7 things “The Seven I wills of a Godly Man.”  Before we are done with the articles on this Psalm we will look at all 7 of them.  But for this week we need to get the idea of what David is doing here.

A godly man rejects a passive life—and chooses to actively pursue his relationship with God, as well as actively    oppose and renounce evil in his life.  This is an example that we do not need to miss because it highlights something that is not being emphasized in our day.  Men need to reject passivity and accept the role of leadership in their homes and in society. There is no place where this is needed more than in the area of spiritual leadership and development.  If you will note, the seven “I wills” of a godly man have to do with moral and spiritual choices.  Too many men grow up thinking that church, God, and spirituality are the stuff of women—and that their mothers and wives will take care of that area.  But this is wrong and diametrically opposed to what we see in Scripture.

God desires for a man to grow up, lay aside his toys.  Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 13:11 when he writes the following words, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”  Paul wrote this in the context of defining what love really is.  When you read this chapter you realize that love is a choice, not a feeling.  Love is a choice to deny yourself, die to what you want at the time, and live for the benefit of someone else.  The “Seven I Will’s” of a Godly Man” are choices.  They are choices that require men to die to themselves—and die to their passivity about things in life.  They choose instead to pursue a path of godliness, holiness, and love of God first, in their own lives, and then in their family.  In order to do this, many men will have to put down the toys of their youth—and begin to live for God—and then live the life of a servant of God and serve their family.  You cannot do this when you are too busy playing with man-toys like video games, fantasy football teams, and other things that dominate your time.  You will have to “do away with childish things” and give yourself to choosing  to love others.  A great start is to act on every character trait mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13—and apply it in your relationship with your wife, children, co-workers, friends, fellow church-members, and neighbors.

Guys, God has a role and the purpose for us to fulfill.  We live in a time when MEN are needed desperately in our homes, in our churches, and in our society.  Too often we have made our wives and other women fill a role God meant for us to fill.  Let us rise up from in front of the television or the computer—and become the godly men we were meant to be.  Let us be like David and make some rock-hard “I wills” in life—make choices that will make an eternal difference!
]]>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:53:40 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2011/11/you-da-man-a-godly-mans-commitment-about-evil.html     May the Lord give you the same attitude He has when it comes to sin and wickedness.  For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at the commitments of a godly man. This week we will look at Psalm 101:4.  Here we read of a declaration by the godly man. "A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil." Let's take a closer look at this powerful declaration and learn of this commitment of the godly man.

     The godly man is committed to watching over his heart, making sure that it is in not becoming perverse.  The Hebrew word is "iqqesh" which means to be perverse or crooked.  This word speaks of a perverting of religious truth that speaks to our morals. It describes someone who twists truth so as to redefine morals. This downward redefinition makes evil and     godlessness far more acceptable.  When this kind of perversion of truth happens, a society will be gradually dumbed down concerning biblical moral standards. The godly man departs from this kind of perverse heart. He wants to have such perversity leave, go away, or turn aside from him. This kind of intense statement cannot be toned down - or we will lose the seriousness of it. The godly man wants nothing to do with the kind of perversity and deception that attempts to change godly morals. He sees such a step for the complete evil that it is.

     Moral degradation abounds in our society - and has been for over 50 years.  It has been championed since the fall - with varying degrees of success. We guard against it is by guarding our hearts. Israel tried to keep itself from sin - but it  only resulted in the Pharisaic self-righteousness of Jesus' generation. They had ample laws to try to guard the people from sin, but laws alone will not accomplish this feat. There has to be a guarding of the heart on an individual basis for us to be delivered from evil. One must call upon the Lord - and ask Him to protect our hearts from such things. There must be a grace oriented change, not just dedication to stricter laws and rules.

     The godly man makes a strong commitment. He states that he will know no evil. The word “know” here is the Hebrew word "yada." This word means to know something relationally and experientially. There is no way that we can be free from any influence of evil. That would require us leaving this world. But when evil presents itself, we can refuse to learn more. We can refuse to experience evil or weigh whether we will choose it or not. The mind of the godly man is made up - because the Word of God guides him. He will NOT know any evil experientially. He will not embrace a relationship with evil where he seeks to understand it better. His commitment and his heart is steadfast. He will know no evil - period!

Do you have the heart of a godly man? Do you have deep within you a bedrock of commitment NOT to listen to anything that will seek to pervert God's ways and God's Word? Are you standing with a heart and a head that says, "I will know no evil?" This is the heart of a godly man - therefore it is also his commitment too. He will not bend on this - for he knows that compromise with evil is how the truth is perverted - and sin raises its ugly head in his life. He chooses a strong stand here because anything less than a strong stand will most likely become a place where the wicked one will enter and eventually gain a stronghold. As committed as you are to Jesus - so also be committed to departing from perversity that mannifests itself in a twisting of the truth. Do this and you will also, in dependence on the Spirit and the Word, know no evil.                   

]]>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:10:08 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2011/11/you-da-man-part-3-are-you-fighting.htmlI wanted to take a one week break in the midst of this series of articles to ask a simple question.  That question is this, "Are you fighting?"  That may seem like an interesting question to ask - but it is very applicable to the battle of being a godly man.  Let me quote a pamphlet with that same title, Are You Fighting? which was written by J. C. Ryle.  

"There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians . . . but you never see any 'fight' about their religion!  Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring they know literally nothing at all.  Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable; but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible.  It is not the religion which the Lord Jesus founded, and His apostles preached.  True Christianity is a 'fight.'"

As we've walked through Psalm 101 we've seen some pretty strong language used.  One might even say that this language is the language of conflict - of battle - of war.  My answer to this is simple - IT IS!  Our fight is perennially one against the flesh, the world, and the devil.  These three are our main enemies - and if we are not engaged in a fight with them - we are most likely enslaved by them.  One thing the Bible promises to us is that these enemies will not be idle.  They are constantly looking for ways to make inroads in our lives.  They want to set up beach heads that will serve as launching pads for further incursions into our lives morally and spiritually.  What I am trying to say is that if we are not having any "fight" in our religion - we are losing a battle of which we not even aware.

Raging all around us currently is a war currently for the souls of the men of our nation.  The main front of that battle is for the menl of the church.  But even that front has multiple avenues where we are being attacked.  Let me mention a few (and please know that in no way is this seeking to be an exhaustive list).  

#1 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your eyes?  I know this is a battle that seems to rage everywhere you go.  From the grocery store where they put immoral magazines right at the checkout lines (and no I am not referring to Playboy, but to the women's magazines and tabloids in saying this - anyone want to argue with me biblically on this point?) to the television, to movies, to the way that women dress in our society, the battle is raging.  But guys, we need to fight with our eyes - by turning them away from lust.  Jesus put it this way, "if you right eye makes you stumble - rip it out and throw it from you."  That sounds like a fight to me?  But are we fighting?  May God grant us grace to battle the lust of the eyes daily.  I know that it is tough - and that at times we grow weak - but we cannot give in to the immorality of the world - the lust of our own flesh - or the lure of the devil in this.  We need to FIGHT!  

#2 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your mind?  This is closely related to the first - but it is important.  What is filling your mind?  The world will offer you a smorgesboard of things to fill your mind - and none of them will draw you closer to Christ - or encourage you to walk in His ways.  Our flesh will rise up and fight getting into the Word - but do it anyway.  With younger men this battle rages through the world of games - both on game consoles and on the internet.  The amount of time that is wasted by our young men in this pursuits is monumental.  Hours upon hours are spend filling our minds with worthless quests into an electronic world that provides escape from the real world.  The frightening part of all this is that these escapes are from reality - and from the real issues of manhood that should be wrestled with at this age.  To bring this up, I realize, is to possibly alienate myself from a whole younger generation.  But unless someone says something - we are going to either delay an entire generation from becoming real men - or - lose them altogether.  We need to fight for our minds.

#3 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your morals?  Here is a third area where we are being destroyed by the world, devil , and the flesh.  I am speaking about pornography and gratifying our flesh.  Recently I went to a sight that helps men get free from these things - and saw that they have had over 320,000 clients come to their site for help.  According to their reasoning - this represents about 1 in 10 of the men in the church who struggle with these sins.  If that is accurate - we have a problem in our country.  There is reason to believe that somewhere in the rage of 3 million men, IN THE CHURCH, have these problems.  I am not saying this to make you feel condemned, but rather to call all of us to action.  If we are not free - we need to be - as soon as possible.  Once we get free - we need to continue to FIGHT - not just for ourselves - but for our brothers in Christ as well.  

#4 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your integrity?  This goes beyond the battle in our minds - to the battle for our daily actions in our jobs, our homes, our churches, and anywhere else we walk.  This is the fight to take what we learn from the Word and make it a part of our lifestyles.  Here is the reason why so much is falling apart in our society - a lack of integrity.  Every scandal at its core happened because someone somewhere did not maintain their integrity.  When you multiply that times over 350 million Americans - you are going to have serious problems.  Are you willing to fight for integrity - even when your competitor does not?  Are you and I willing to trust the Lord to prosper and keep us afloat - even if we do not cut corners and "cook the books" for our benefit?  The worst crisis we face as a nation is not financial.  Our worst problems are not healthcare, jobs, or security.  Our key crisis is one of integrity.  Without men of integrity our nation will not continue to stand.    Will you be one of the first to embrace God's call to integrity - and fight for it even though many other men around you will not?  

These are just four areas where the battle rages - or should be raging.  What is sad is that many shun the fight.  They just want a comfortable life - one without difficulties or the struggles it takes to "fight the good fight of faith" the Bible presents to us.  But as long as we remain on a fallen earth - filled with fallen people - who do fallen things - and who promote fallen lifestyles - there is going to be a fight.  So hear me brothers as I seek to encourage you today!

Brothers in Christ . . . we are called to be MEN OF GOD!  We are called out of this present darkness into His glorious light to embrace the conflict that WILL begin the moment we are saved.  We are not perfect - but we are in the process where God is perfecting us!  We are not sinless - but oh how we are called to both hate and battle sin in our lives.  We are called to put on the armor of God - daily putting each piece on so that we can stand - and after we have fought to the last ounce of strength which God provides - to keep on standing!  We cannot afford to quit!  We cannot afford to be lazy and undisciplined!  We fight for our families!  We fight for our children - esepecially our sons, who are watching and begging us to be men they can follow!  We fight for the church - the bride of our Lord - the pillar of truth - and the manifestation of God's grace - and the place where the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ should shine forth the brightest!  

But in this hour, my blessed brothers, we are fighting for our lives!  The devil and his world system feel they are on the brink of victory.  They flex their muscles through the media and government thinking that they will win the day.  We face onslaught after onslaught - attack after attack - and battle after battle.  They fight us personally in our minds - relationally in our homes and churches - and morally in our national discourse.  But like those who have stood in what seemed like impossible battles - we stand.  Like the 300 Spartans who stood alone against the invaders who landed on their shores - we stand against hordes of those who fight against our God and against His Word.  But know this, brothers, we will stand.  We will stand upon the Word of God that has faced countless attacks and yet stands firm as the revelation of God.  We will stand upon the grace of God in the gospel that has won millions upon millions in every generation - under every form of government - in every trial - and under every type of oppression.  Finally, we will stand with our Lord Jesus Christ - Who has vanquished sin, death, and hell by His cross.  Who has stood strong against the attack of every false prophet, every false philosophy, every false religion, and every falsehood the devil has thrown at Him.  We will stand in Him knowing that He has won the victory - not just at the end of the age - but He has won the victory in every generation.  Now is not the time for us to faint.  Now is the time for us to FIGHT!   ]]>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:54:42 -0800http://www.calvarychapeljonesboro.org/5/post/2011/11/you-da-man.html     May the Lord grant you grace as you are a “man of integrity” within your own home.  We continue this week in our look at the man of integrity from Psalm 101.  This week we are going to focus on what a man of integrity “looks at” within his home.  The Psalmist states the following about his desire to be a man of integrity—one who “gives heed to the blameless way.”  He says at the beginning of verse 3, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.”  Let’s take a look today at what it means to have the sight of the blameless way in our eyes. 

     The word “worthless” here is from the Hebrew word “beliyyaal” which has as its most basic meaning that of utter worthlessness.  The word always has a very strong moral component to it and therefore has the idea of wickedness and something that is good for nothing at all.  In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) this word was used as a personal name for Satan.  Those who were of the most corrupt and godless character were called, “sons of beliyyaal,” and were seen as being in rebellion against God’s moral authority.  Therefore the blameless man who seeks to maintain integrity in his home is careful not to put anything that is morally worthless and base before his eyes.  Note also that he does this by making strong choices against it.  He has a will SET in God’s direction—a will that is SET according to God’s moral compass and the Word of God.  This will not be easy in our society.  It requires hard choices—and choices that may seem legalistic to others around you.

     How do we live this way then?  How do we live as men who do not want to set any morally worthless thing before our eyes?  First, we must set the Word of God before our eyes—for through His Word God will begin clearly defining what is and is not morally worthless.  Here are a few.  In the Old Testament we are told not to look upon the nakedness of    anyone other than our wife—and that is to be done in the marriage bed as a holy thing.  Well, that pretty much rules out R-rated movies (and for that matter a large number of PG-13 rated ones where the nakedness of others is paraded   before us on a regular basis.)  Then there is the passage in Ephesians that says, “. . . And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting . . . “  Filthiness is defined by the Amplified Bible as obscenity or   indecency.”  So, all things which are in these categories are out as well.  I hate to say it, but this pretty much rules out probably 90-95% of what is on television and what is in the movie theaters.  Here is where we will hear the accusations of legalism come out.  But those who do this miss that Scripture tells us that it is the “grace of God that teaches to say no to ungodliness.” 

     Let me ask a question at this point about the moral sloppiness that is based on this “non-teaching” grace of today.  Where has it led us?  How is it morally in the church today?  Has the practice of being lenient with our eyes brought great blessing to our marriages?  Has it blessed us with great moral fiber and steadfastness?  The eyes are the windows into our souls.  What we allow to pass through them has the ability to bless us—or torture us with temptation and unnecessary trials.  A man who desires to be blameless and maintain integrity in his home will guard his eyes, and make sure that he places NOTHING worthless before them.  This is part and parcel of why he continues as a blameless man.

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