A Secure Foundation

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus in concluding His “Sermon on the Mount” speaks of the wise man and the foolish man.  Both of them have built their houses and there is no distinction in the houses.  Outwardly we may not see any difference.  Both of them would face a storm but the consequences of that storm would be drastically different.  The wise man’s house stood firm but the foolish man’s house fell with a great fall!  Why the difference?  Because the wise man built on the rock and the foolish man built on the sand.  The passage is also clear regarding the rock, it is the fact that he has heard and obeyed the sayings of Jesus Christ.

Though there may be many applications to individuals enduring the “storms of life” because of their obedience of Christ that is not to be the primary understanding of this passage.  The storm in this passage would be God’s final judgment.  We learn this from the context of the passage.  Backing up to verses 13-14, we learn that there are two paths in life the narrow way that leads to life and the broad way that leads to destruction.  Verses 15-20 tell us of the differences in the fruit of individuals. The following section then tells of those who seemingly have done all the right things even “serving” the Lord, yet He says “depart from me I never knew you.” 

I challenge you, “Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation?”  God’s judgment is coming and the results of that judgment all depend upon our response to Christ.  Are you ready to face Him? Is your foundation secure?  We can be assured that the storm of His Wrath is coming. Will your house stand? 

End of Year Evaluation, New Year Motivation

Another Christmas is past and the year draws to a close.   Families all around are cleaning out the remnants of Christmas.  Let me encourage you as you do to evaluate whether Christ had first place this past Christmas, and whether he had first place this past year.

Yes, the New Year is a great time to evaluate our lives.  Where have we been and where are we headed?  This takes some careful examination.  Imagine a ship or plane captain that is only one or two degrees off as they chart their course over the Atlantic.  It seems like it makes no difference yet when they reach shore they will find they are hundreds of miles from where they had planned.

Life is similar.  We must carefully examine where we are going.  What may seem OK from a daily perspective in light of eternity may find us far from where we thought we were headed.

One of the first things to examine is how much am I allowing the Word of God to impact my life.  It should be our compass that helps us determine where we are headed.  Not only do we have the responsibility to be reading and studying the Bible but we have the responsibility to be under the teaching of God’s Word on a regular basis.

Some evaluation questions to help me see how I am doing:

11.   Have I been reading/studying God Word on my own?

22.   Am I faithfully attending Church?

33.   If so, are the messages at church driven by teaching of Scripture based upon the message of the original author to the original recipients?  Or are they based more upon the opinions of the speaker?

44.   Do the people that attend church with me have a passion for the Scriptures?  Do they bring their Bibles to church with them? Are they following along in their Bibles as the pastor preaches? Do they get concerned if the message of day is not based upon the text of Scripture?

55.   Am I willing to respond to the teaching of God’s Word and personal study?  Do I confess and forsake sin?  Am I concerned with being obedient to Jesus Christ?

66.   And most importantly, have I place my faith in Christ by asking forgiveness of my sin believing that Jesus Christ blood is the only thing sufficient to cleanse me and make me acceptable to God?  To trust in anything else whether it is baptism or any other works will not work.  In Revelation 20:13- 15 God’s Word makes it clear that at the final judgment all those judged on their works alone will be cast into the Lake of Fire.  It is those who put their faith in Christ that are saved by God’s grace(Eph. 2:8-9).

I hope that these few words help you set your course straight for the next year and many to come. 

Sparks Highlights 4-11-12

****Sparks Highlights****    We have been learning over the last few weeks why Jesus can be trusted as our Savior.  Now, when we put our faith in Him as our Savior – what comes next?    We are told in John 3:16 that if we believe in Jesus as our Savior we will have everlasting life.  But Jesus also claims that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  The belief is more than just accepting that Jesus is who He says He is – it is about surrendering your life to Him.  When we truly put our faith in Him and understand to truly take to heart why Jesus gave His life for us on the cross, that belief is confessing our sin, turning our life to Him to let Him lead us and change us.  That is the being Born Again that Jesus is talking about in John 3 where we were studying tonight.  Your Sparkle’s caterpillar and butterfly are just an example of that change.  Caterpillars are a living being that changes itself into a butterfly – it metamorphoses in the cocoon to become a butterfly.  It is still the same living creature – it just looks different and acts different as a butterfly – it is born again in a sense as new appearance.  That is just like us when we let Jesus change us – we are still the same living creature, but when we are born again by our surrender and His changing us – we are the same living creature, but we act different – and look different to others when they see that change.  What a great time to make a change in your life, if you haven’t already – be spiritually born again this spring season – when the physical world around us is sprouting new life, so can you in Christ Jesus.   

You are welcome to join us anytime at Sparks!    You can also check out the AWANA program at           www.fbc.littletonil.org.    

Mrs. Jennifer Schroeder, Mr. Roger Fox, Mrs. Barb Stein.

The Walking Dead - Spiritual Zombies!

Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV) ¹And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul is making clear here the dire position that man is in before salvation.  Though Hollywood may be thrilled with the ideas of Zombies, spiritually the idea of the living dead is not amusing.   Before salvation man is “dead” in his trespasses and sins.   A trespass is a willful breaking of God’s law, and a sin is “missing the mark of God’s holiness.”  The spirit that works in all who continue to walk in disobedience to Christ leads them to follow their own fleshly desires.  These actions are the trespasses and sins that result from following Satan, the prince of the power of the air.  This life of disobedience puts us under the wrath of God.  John 3:36 says, (ESV) “³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”   Under God’s wrath as children of obedience is the position of every person until God works in their life to make them alive.  

Dead men don’t do anything.  They just lie there.  The same is true spiritually; a dead man cannot place faith in Christ, but when God in His great mercy imparts life, regenerates a person, He places that person in Christ Jesus.  “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God.”  This gift of faith that allows us to believe in the risen Son comes only by the grace of God.  There is nothing in us as a “child of disobedience” that either earns of deserves this gift of salvation. Therefore, we have nothing about which to boast, simply a gracious God to be thankful to in that he “made us alive” giving us the faith that we might believe.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton    FW # 54