All week I have been pondering that question.  Someone in the church mentioned to me after Sunday's sermon that it is true that we need to show love and deference to the weaker brethren, but shouldn't they "grow up?" 

 That is a valid question.  Yes they should.  How do they grow up?  I met this week with a financial planner.  He said that when he talks to people he assumes they know nothing of things like annuities and bonds.  What does he do about it?  He takes the time to explain what each one means.  I told him I do the very same thing.  I have questions regularly about things like Bible versions, tithing, music, marriage and divorce,  etc.  What do I do about it?  I could grow frustrated with people and say there is a never ending ignorance out there, or I can be patient and show them how God thinks about the subject.  People grow by being taught and by them being willing to do what the Bible says.  A hearer alone is not enough according to James.  You must be a doer too.

 People have to grow...

We are entering into (Sunday mornings) one of the most hotly contested debates of the past 2,000 years--Christian Liberty!  What are my rights as a Christian?  Are the applications of the past proper for the time we live today?  Issues such as the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, tattoos, yoga, martial arts, music, and the list can go on and on.  How do you know whether it is your right or not??? 

There are a few points we need to look at from the outset: 1)Do the matters we are dealing with have Scriptural direction (explicit or implicit) 2)These matters may not have a short answer or a simple answer 3)Is your approach one of, "I know the answer, but 'they/you' just don't get it"--pride 4)not all the answers are going to have the same conclusion 5)Are you entering in with a genuine willingness to learn from God and submit to His leadership, or are you stubborn in your way, not willing to show love to the brethren?

 When dealing with Christian liberty the approach is of utmost importance.  Most believers will not have the same conclusions on matters, but they should have the same approach.  First we need to remember what it says in I Corinthians 6:20 that you are "bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit."  You are a child of God and your liberty is based upon God's will for your life and His character (which we know based upon His revealed Word).  I like to illustrate it this way; say my daughters come to me and ask if they can play with their toys in the bathroom.  I tell them they can play with their toys anywhere in the house, except the bathroom (the bathroom has so many germs and other negative possibilities--floating their toys in the toilet, throwing toilet paper, etc.).  Then my children argue with me about not being able to play in the bathroom.  They are missing the boat that they have more than 50 times the square footage available to them in the rest of the house.  So often as believers we get caught up in our "Christian liberties" so much that we miss the freedoms we have. 

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This past Sunday I preached a message from I Corinthians 10:1-13.  It is a sobering passage that deals with the failures of God’s Children, Israel.  God showed himself faithful in leading them through the Red Sea, feeding them in the wilderness, and in providing water for them.  Yet they questioned Him and complained about their circumstances.  Most of them died in the wilderness (all but Joshua, Caleb and those under 20). 

The Bible says that this passage was written for our example.  It was written so we learn from their mistakes.  But, how many of us complain when we don’t have money to do something (that really isn’t a need), or that hard times have fallen upon us and we don’t know what we are going to do?  When we respond that way we are following the example of the Israelites rather than learning from their ‘bad’ example.  We need to trust the Lord through all times.  James said you are to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” (NKJV) That takes a spiritually mature individual. 

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I am sure that when you saw the title of this blog you were thinking this would handle the theological study of sin.  However, that is not the subject of what I am writing this time.  Instead it is me attempting to say what I meant to say last night, but was not clear in my delivery.  How do I know this you might ask?  I had some lengthy discussions with some friends after the service.  I am grateful for their insight. 

Let me share some background.  Each month this year I am preaching on a topic that coincides with our verse for the month (something we have worked on for a number of years here at CBC).  This month happens to be submission.  The verses we are working on are James 4:6b-8a.  This week I was in I Peter 2:13-17 and even making some limited application through 3:7.  Of course I Peter 2:13-17 has to do with our submission to the government.  However, I was attempting to show the attitude of submission from the passage not so much the practice.  I think I put the emphasis (although not intentionally)...

Remember when you were a “kid” and you had certain expectations of say your summer vacation, a trip to an amusement park, seeing your dad on the weekend or any number of situations?  You would get so excited about whatever it was that you were going to do.  Did you ever have those expectations shattered?  It can leave a deep wound from which many will never recover. 

Now, imagine the Lord’s disciples.  Their Teacher, Master, Friend and “Savior” had just been crucified and placed in a tomb.  You get the full feeling from the disciples who were on the road to Emmaus.  They were crushed.  They expected Jesus to set up His kingdom and remove the oppressive ruling of the Romans.  He was their hope!  Now He was gone.  Or was He?  That was God’s plan all along.  That’s what Jesus spent His time explaining to them on that road to Emmaus.  He took the Old Testament and expounded it to them.  He told them what it said about “Himself.”  What a great Bible lesson it must have been. (The Word Himself describing what...

                Confidence, assurance, sureness are a few words that make us think of something that is certain.

When you are confident you perform much better.  I love to play sports.  One of my favorite sports is baseball/softball (I’m getting too old to keep up with the fast pitch game).  I enjoy playing all aspects of the game (offense and defense).  Over the years of playing I have gained confidence in my ability through hard work, patience, practice, winning and even losing (there are many lessons to be learned through losing).  However, if you placed me on a softball field with a ladies fast pitch softball team I would not be very confident. (For more reasons than the fact that I would be out of place as a man.)  Why?  Because I have never faced a pitcher who was so close to me, moving with such ferocity, and pitching a ball with so much speed from an underhand release point.  I would actually doubt my abilities in such a situation. 

In 1 John 5:13-20 we have several certainties of the Christian...

When you hear the phrase, “draw a line in the sand,” what comes to your mind?  I see that phrase as a “tough guy” kind of a metaphor.  When a line is drawn in the sand it means that you have a decision to make.  It means that you will need to make a courageous decision that comes with a high price.  It may cost you your life.

Such was the case in Exodus 32.  The Israelites were frustrated at the length of time Moses was up on the mountain.  They turned to their leader Aaron who thought quickly of a way to assuage their anger—make an idol.  So many things are wrong with both their decision making and Aaron’s.  First, no one thought of praying when they were frustrated.  Second, they forgot the God who delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians (Pharaoh’s workload and the Egyptian army). Then no one questioned Aaron’s decision to make a golden calf.  Was there not one man who would do right? 

We live in a politically correct society today.  We fear the consequences of what the world might think...

How well do you know God?  Last night my brother Joe (Missionary Pastor in Abergele, Wales, UK) brought a message on the subject of God’s glory.  It was a study in the first 5 verses of John 17.  He used an illustration of a canyon that British explorers discovered in the 1800’s.  For millennia people had no idea of the existence of this canyon.  Did that mean it did not exist?  Of course not.  It was simply not discovered.  But the fact of the existence of a canyon really has little to do with its glory (not that the fact of its existence is not important).  See its glory is in what is known about the canyon.  For instance, Joe mentioned that the depth of the canyon was so deep that if you could turn Mt. Everest upside down and place it in the canyon  you would still have over 1 ½ miles of water above the mountain.  With a fact like that you begin to understand the glory of the canyon.  The same is true with God.  The more you know about Him the more glorious He becomes.  And as you behold His glory you find...

Character is becoming one of those lost arts of our society.  People today are enamored with individuals like Rex Ryan, the brash New York Jets coach, or pop music award winners like Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson.  What do all these individuals have in common?  They have all been on the news for things that most people would not consider good character qualities. 

There is an account of a man in the book of Acts (chapters 6-7) by the name of Stephen.  He was a man of impeccable character.  It is said of him that he was of an honest report.  He was full of faith and the Holy Ghost—a spiritual man committed fully to His Lord.  He was also used of God to perform miracles for His glory.  With the knowledge and wisdom spoken of in Acts 6 of Stephen he must have been a diligent man in his study of God’s Word.  He was a man of conviction as he stood up to men of the synagogue who vehemently disagreed with him concerning Jesus.  He did not alter his beliefs due to the pressure of influential men.  What were...

Imagine going to school and students doing everything they are supposed to do.  Or, going to work and everyone is always on task—the boss never has to write anyone up for an infraction.  Or, imagine your children always doing exactly what you want them to do; they never question you when you ask them to take out the trash, nor when you tell them it is time to find something else to do other than being on Facebook. 

Many think that scenarios like the ones above are of a utopian society.  The Lord Jesus said in His sermon on the mount, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.”  He also commanded in Leviticus 11 and then again in 1 Peter, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”  When believers submit themselves to the commands of God two obvious things happen: 1) they show that they are true children of God (I John) 2) they influence others around them (salt, light, Mat. 5).  One man wrote about the Welsh Revival of 1904, “holiness was sought, not enforced.”  When we are walking in the Spirit...