Is It Time To Rebuild?

Years ago, when my wife and I were newly married, we bought our first house. That first house had some real problems.  The main one was that whoever built it did not take the time to put a footing under the foundation.  Therefore, the house had settled on one end.  The 20 foot living/dining room dropped about 12 inches from one end to the other. It took an incredible amount of time and effort to try to get that house back to level.  Eventually, someone had to come and dig out the old foundation, and put in a new footing and foundation, so that the house could be solid.

Today I see many families struggling.  They will say things like, “My kid is on suspension from school.”, “Our marriage is falling apart.”, “My kids won’t listen and obey me,.”, and the list goes on…

When you get a chance to talk with them and challenge them, you realize that their lives and families have a foundation problem.  They need to return to the Biblical principles, and teaching, and Jesus Christ in their lives and families.  Matthew 7:24–27 (NKJV) ²⁴“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Some of you may think that you are fine, because the storms of life have not yet hit, but they will.  Many others are facing the storm and seeing their homes beginning to sink. and oOthers are seeing them collapse.  I want to let you know there is hope!  Remove the foundation that is allowing your life and family to fall apart, and start rebuilding on the Rock of Jesus’ teachings.  I am not here telling you it will be easy. It will be harder than rebuilding the foundation of our house, but it will also be more rewarding when you are done.  I also am not telling you to do it alone, in fact, I will work to help you in this process, or connect you to someone else who will point you to the Biblical principles that are needed in the life of you and your children.  Don’t put it off, because the longer you wait, the more difficult the job becomes.  If your children are young the job will be easier than if they are old, if you are working from multiple generations of the improper foundation your work is cut out for you, but don’t lose hope.  Do the job “one brick” at a time, then slowly and surely, you will see the benefits of your efforts as you submit to God’s Word in your life and family!

For assistance contact: First Baptist Church 309-257-2290 or littletonbap@mtcnow.net

Putting Value in the Church by Exhorting One Another

Our focus this week has been Putting Value in the Local Church.  We have been discussing many of the “one another” commands of Scripture because as we obey them we will not only find the local church valuable, but we will make it more valuable to others.

Today we continue in Hebrews 10:24- 25.  Hebrews 10:24–25 (NKJV)

^24”And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

²⁵not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Yesterday, we were challenged to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”  Vs. 24   Today we are going to move into verse 25 and see that we are to be “exhorting one another”.  This exhortation “implies speaking in God’s name and with the Spirit’s power.” ^[1]  In order to live lives that are worthy of the gospel we need to be challenging one another as we speak God’s Word  as Paul did the Philippians in Phil. 1:27.

The reason given for the importance of this is because “the day approaching.”  The day is the “glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ” referred to in Titus 2:13.  Just like the passage in Titus 2, Hebrews is challenging us to have lives that reflect the image of Christ in order to have a spotless bride ready for the bridegroom. 

Yet, believers are not often open to exhortation and having areas of their lives revealed that must be cleansed and changed.

Think through this illustration with me.  If you were at a wedding and were sharing the last few minutes with a bride before she walked down the aisle and you noticed a big blotch on her dress, would you say something?  Of course you would.  And when you said something she try to figure out anything possible to get that dress clean.  She would never say, “Oh be quiet; it is none of your business what is on my dress.  Just keep your mouth shut and mind your own business.”

Yet, it is not unusual when believers are challenged by others about a spot in their life that would not reflect a “spotless” bride. 

We indeed are called to exhort, what is interesting is that the same root word for “exhortation” is also translated “comfort.”  The manner of our exhortation is important so that an individual is not blown away by it; but the fact that it must be done remains because we are looking for that Day when Christ returns, and we want to reflect that spotless bride as we await the Bridegroom. 

The video version of this is available at www.youttube.com/churchoflittleton    FW # 36

---

^[1] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1995), 781.

Committed to the Lord Psalm 25

Psalm 25:4–5 (ESV) ⁴Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. ⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25 shows us David in the midst of distress and then what he was doing to keep that distress from becoming despair.  We are learning in this Psalm that David avoids having his distress become despair by putting his confidence in the Lord, by being committed to the Lord, by choosing to have integrity by confessing sin, and he chose to know the fear of the Lord.

In this short article we will only look at how David chose to be “committed to the Lord”.

Just at David chose to be”Committed to the Lord” we to can Choose to Make our “Commitment to the Lord”

In Verse four David Said “Show Me Your Ways” … “Teach me your Paths”.  David wanted to have an informed mind.  He wanted to know what God’s desire for his life was.  Romans 12:2  “Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  Becoming conformed to the image of Christ as our mind is transformed is not guaranteed to be easy.  In fact, it may take much work, yet if we are to be committed to the Lord we must have an informed mind.  We need to know how God would have us to live.

David continued in verse five saying, “Lead me in Your Truth and teach me”. Not only did David want an informed mind but he wanted a conformed life.  He wanted a life that was committed to following the way that God would lay before him.

Our commitment to the Lord will be shown through the Scripture we are willing to obey.  Do we seek Godly counsel?  Can we support our choice of behavior or response with Scripture?  Or are our decisions driven by emotion?

Psalm 119:9–11 (NKJV) ⁹How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. ¹⁰With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! ¹¹Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

I hope today that each one who reads this will be committed enough to God to desire an informed mind and be willing to live a conformed life.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton  FW #18

First Word # 2 : Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1–2 (ESV)

1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

In these familiar verses we are reminded of the blessing that God promises to those who do five things.  Three are negative and two are positive.

The first is that he promises a man will be blessed (happy and content) if he chooses not to walk in the counsel of the wicked.  So we must ask ourselves, “”when I have a difficulty or a problem to whom do I go to receive counsel?  Who do I send my child to for counsel at school?  Do they have Biblical and Godly goal in mind for my children?”

The second negative challenge is to avoid “standing in the way of sinners”.  Do I place myself continually where I am going to be influenced and taking part with those who have no desire to be honoring God with their lives or their speech?

The final negative challenge is not to sit in the seat of scoffers.  Do I avoid placing myself under the instruction and admonition of those who scoff at God and those who don’t live for him?

If I choose to spend enough time with those who are living in opposition to God that they affect my life, I will end up following them in their way.  And the end of the Psalm makes it clear that these “sinners” will not stand in the Day of Judgment, nor with the righteous, but that the “way of the ungodly will perish”

On the positive side, the first challenge is to delight in the law of God.  Can we say that we delight in God’s law?  We might say that we delight in ice cream or chocolate, but what about God’s law.  Is it a drive of our emotions and passions to be able to have time in God’s law, God’s Word?

David’s delight in the law of God brought him to the second positive challenge to have a “blessed” life.  “In His law he meditates day and night”.  When we have time for our mind to wander, to think about whatever it is that pleases us, where does it go?  Does it go to God’s Word?

For those who do, God promises great blessings in this passage.  He says we will be like a tree that never has lack of water so there can always be fruit and that our life will be prosperous, because a life guided by God’s Word will bring glory to God in everything that is done.  Our prosperity may not look like what the world and the ungodly one’s  are looking for, but the opportunity to live for God and glorify Him in our lives is worth the eternity that we will get to spend getting to know God.  For, our present life is nothing but a vapor that quickly vanishes away., according to James in Jam. 4:14  

The videdo of this can be seen at http://www.fbclittletonil.org/First%20Word.html