Baptist City Blog

When You Can't Do Anything Right

1 Samuel 18:29

"And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually."

Have you ever known a person that no matter what you did you couldn't do anything right for them? David must have felt that way with Saul. The whole situation with David and Saul started when he killed Goliath. After defeating Goliath, the ladies of the city sang that Saul slew his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. That did not set well with Saul. Though David had nothing to do with this song that the ladies sung, that was the incident that turned Saul against him. After that time it didn't matter what David did; he couldn't do anything right for Saul. When he played the harp, he didn't do it well enough. When David skipped a dinner engagement with Saul and his men, it was taken personally. Looking through the whole incident, you can see that David became bewildered because he couldn't do anything right. Though it was not David's fault, he had to deal with Saul for quite some time.

Whether or not you deal with a person like this right now, eventually you will have to deal with one. This situation doesn't have to be of your own making, but it will happen. I know I have had my fair share of situations like this. You can seemingly do everything in your power to try to make things right, but the more you do, the more you seem to frustrate the situation. Let me give you some ideas on how to deal with a situation like this.

First, don't take it personally. Again, it may not be your fault, so you cannot take it personally. It is very easy to get to the point where you take everything this person does personally. If you do that, then you will only exacerbate the situation. You can't take it personally because you don't know what the person is facing. They could be facing serious problems in other areas of their life, and you happen to be the one who takes the blow for their situation. Simply determine not to take what they do personally.

Second, be sure you don't retaliate. When I look at David, he had every opportunity to end the situation by retaliating, but he allowed God to take care of the situation. When you retaliate, you will only make the situation worse. There will probably be many times when you will have to bite your tongue or hold yourself in check to keep from retaliating, but you won't regret suppressing any retaliatory actions.

Third, ask God to change the situation. Whenever situations like this happen to me, I always ask God to change the person who needs changing. I have found in most situations that God has to work on me as well as the other person. God allows situations like this in our lives to better us. If you will be open to the idea that you could be in the wrong, then God can change the areas where you contributed to the situation.

Finally, do good for the person. Though the person may not want your help in anything, they can't stop you from doing good for them. Find something where you can help them. It doesn't always have to be in the area of giving things to them, it could be in the area of doing something for them behind the scenes. God could use your efforts to turn the situation around.

Whatever you do, don't give up on trying to turn a relationship like this around. Always do right no matter what they do. When you become frustrated to the point of quitting, then be honest with God and tell Him how you feel. If you will continue to work on repairing this situation, eventually you could benefit from turning a tumultuous relationship into a great relationship.

Unrepentant Repentance

1 Samuel 15:24

"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice."

Saul was commanded by God to completely destroy the Amalekites. You would think this command would not be that hard to follow. Saul was told that he was God's tool to repay the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when coming out of Egypt. This command was not just a command to have a sentence fulfilled, but it was also a test to see if Saul would completely obey God.

When reading the story, you learn that Saul did not obey God. He and the people saved the best of the sheep, oxen and spoils. Saul saved King Agag as a trophy to show his strength. No matter how they justified their actions they were wrong because they didn't obey all of God's commandments. Samuel approached Saul about his disobedience, and his response to his sin showed his unrepentant heart. Though Saul said, "I have sinned:...," his actions showed that he was not truly repentant for what he did.

Your response to your sin shows whether you are truly repentant for what you did. There are many people who audibly say they are sorry, but their actions show the opposite. I like to say that they have unrepentant repentance. Their repentance is simply a show of words, and God is not interested in a show of words. He is interested in them getting things right with Him. Obedience is more important to God than anything else. Saul's response to his sin shows some very clear signs of an unrepentant heart.

The first sign of an unrepentant heart is that you try to cover your sin. In verse 13, Saul's first action was to cover up what he did. An unrepentant person will always see if they can get away with their sin. They will try to go on as if nothing happened, but something did happen. The core attribute of a lack of repentance is to get away with your sin at any cost.

The second sign of an unrepentant heart is to blame your sin on others. Verse 21 shows Saul blaming his sin on the people. When covering sin doesn't work, an unrepentant person will blame their sin on others. Your sin is not someone else's fault; it is your fault. Saul was blaming the people when he should have been looking at his own actions. An unrepentant heart will always try to deflect attention away from its own sinful actions.

The third sign of an unrepentant heart is to give excuses for your sin. In the verse above, Saul blamed his sin on a fear of the people. It really doesn't matter why you sinned, it is the fact that you have sinned and you know it. You can give any excuse as to why you sinned, but it all comes down to the fact that you sinned. Unrepentant people do not want to face their sin, so they will justify it anyway that they can.

The fourth sign of an unrepentant heart is that you are worried about people's perception of you. Saul asked Samuel to bless him for the people's sake. Saul never got it; the problem was his sin. An unrepentant heart will always try to salvage their reputation instead of dealing with their sin. They are more concerned with what people think about them than what God thinks about them.

Christian, whenever you sin admit it. The only person you hurt by not truly repenting is yourself. You can put on a show of repentance, but a truly repentant heart will eventually be seen. Do you have something you've done of which you've not repented? Always remember that repentance shows the attitude of your heart. A hard heart will not repent, but a contrite and soft heart will.

The Emptiness of Chasing Bread

Ruth 1:6

"Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread."

There was a couple I knew years ago who seemed to be a very good Christian family. They were involved in the church, and they seemed to be one of the stalwart families in that church. I was preaching a revival meeting in the church where they attended and noticed that they were not there. I asked the pastor where they were, and he responded that they moved to another area because the husband accepted a new position on his job. Amazingly, a few years later I preached in the church where they moved their membership. While I was in that meeting, they requested to talk to me. They told me that their move was a mistake. The husband told me that he thought making more money would enable him to do more for God, but he realized after losing his children that he made the wrong move. Though they found a good church to attend, they left the will of God for their lives because they chased bread. The bread they thought would fill them left them empty.

Naomi and her husband made the same mistake. Verse 1 tells us that they left Bethlehem-judah because there was a famine in the land. They moved to the land of Moab to avoid the pains of the famine. Their intent was not to stay, but to pass through the land until the famine was over. Yet, they didn't pass through, they ended up staying for awhile to their detriment. They left the will of God for bread, but they found the bread did not satisfy. While in the land, Naomi's husband passed away, her two sons married heathen women, and eventually her two sons died. After all these tragedies, she moved back because she heard the "LORD had visited his people in giving them bread." Her whole life was about chasing bread, but she found out that chasing bread left her empty. The bread that she thought would fill her left her in a state of emptiness and bitterness. Chasing bread did not give her what she wanted.

Let me remind you that chasing bread always leaves you empty. You don't follow a job, you follow the will of God. You don't move to a new location because you can make more money, you move to a new location because that is God's will for your life. You must remember that God's will is not based on your finances or the economy. Just because you can do better financially does not make it God's will. Many people have chased bread only to find themselves living a life of regret.

Christian, God can take care of you in the famine as well as He can in times of plenty. If you start chasing bread, you will never stop chasing bread. You will find that no matter where you go, there will always be a place where you can make more money or acquire a better position. Instead of chasing bread, you need to trust God that He can take care of you right where you are. If you are honest with yourself, you will probably see that you have everything that you truly need.

Let me encourage you to place your roots in the will of God. Don't look at money and prestige as a determination to relocate, but always base a move off God's will. It is in God's will that you will find the fullness of life. If you chase bread, you will end up like Naomi, empty and bitter. Be satisfied with what you have, and determine that the only thing that will move you is God's will.

What Makes You So Different?

Judges 11:6

"And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon."

The story from the verse above is interesting in the fact that Jephthah was not originally wanted by those whom he eventually led. Jephthah was the son of a harlot. The people in his home town did not want him because he represented something for which they did not want to be known. However, the Scriptures say that Jephthah was "a mighty man of valour." This attribute of Jephthah was eventually the key that caused him to be wanted from his people.

The Ammonites declared war against Israel, and Israel had no one to lead them. It is amazing that the person who came to their mind was Jephthah. Though they originally cast him out because he was the son of a harlot, they now wanted him because he had something that they needed. The attribute of his valour is what caused these people to want his leadership.

This is one of the greatest secrets to life. No matter what your background is, you can get people to follow you if you have something they need. When you have something different than everyone else, then that will cause people to want to know you. If you know something that someone else does not know, and something that they want to know, then they will allow you to lead them so you can teach them what they do not know. If you know someone whom people want to know, then they will allow you to lead them so they can know that person as well. If you have something that people want to have, then they will follow you so they can learn how to get what you have. This is one of the greatest things that divides successful people and organizations; they have something that others would like to have.

Why should people come to your church? What makes your church so different than others? Just because you have a church and stand for the truth doesn't mean that people will come; however, they will come if there is something different about your church that they would like to have. I am not talking about compromising what you believe, but there must be something that stands out about your church that draws people to stay. Your friendliness should be friendlier than any other church in town. Your sermons and Sunday school lessons should be more helpful and relevant than any other church in town. Your spirit should be happier and more attractive than any other church in town. When your church has something that others churches do not offer, then you will find that people will want to come to your church.

Furthermore, if you personally offer something that others cannot offer, then they will allow you to lead them. If you would learn to increase your knowledge in many areas, then you would find that you would have knowledge that others do not offer. If you would hone a skill, then you will find that you have something that others do not offer. If you would get a great attitude that others want to be around, then you will find that people will want to follow you. The key to advancement in any field or ministry is to have something that others want so that they will follow you.

I challenge you not to settle for the status quo. I challenge you to acquire something in your church, ministry, marriage and personality that others do not have. Whether it's something you know, or someone you know, or something you have, this is what causes people to want to follow you. The whole reason to get people to follow you is to be able to point more people to Christ. Begin your journey today to acquire something that others don't have so they will allow you to lead them to become what Christ wants them to become.

The 4/14/13 FBC Hammond bulletin is now up at www.baptist-city.com.

• You Can Live in a Skyscraper
• Prepare But Don't Plan
• Get To Know God
• Wow, How, Mock

These four sermons for the week of 4/07/13 are now yours to enjoy at www.baptist-city.com.

Using a Faulty Compass

Leviticus 18:24-25

"Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants."

I remember a story from years ago how Dr. Lester Roloff and Dr. Jack Hyles flew to a revival meeting together. Dr. Roloff flew his own plane, and Bro. Hyles rode with him on the trip to their meeting. Somehow Bro. Roloff got off course on his flight. He couldn't figure out why his instruments were not working. After much analysis he found out the cause of his problem. He had a small metal can on the dash of the airplane, which altered the heading instrument. The instruments worked off magnetic headings, and with a metal can on the dash, the compass gave him a false reading. Literally, the faulty compass led them off course.

There are many in Christianity today who use a faulty compass to measure morality. They look at how wicked the world is, and they surmise that they are not as bad as the world. Their compass for morality becomes the morality of the world. The mistake they make is that they should be using the Scriptures as their moral compass. It really doesn't matter what the world will and will not justify, the only thing that matters is what the Scriptures say.

In Leviticus 18, God sets the moral compass for the Christian. Though these moral laws were initially given to the children of Israel, God never changed them. God expects the Christian to live by these laws of morality. When you read the list of sins God doesn't want us to commit, you will see some very disgusting sins. In fact, God says that these sins are the very sins that caused other nations to fail. These sins eventually led to their destruction. This list includes the sins of adultery, sodomy, prostitution and many other horrible sins. The nations before Israel legalized these sins, and their acceptance of them led to God's judgment. God commanded Israel not to use these other nations as their moral compass.

God also shows how to keep from committing these sins. When you look at the beginning of the chapter, you will find that God uses the word"nakedness" several times. God told Israel in order to avoid these horrible sins you go to the root of the problem and avoid seeing nakedness in your personal home and society. "Nakedness" is defined as anything above the knee. This was not just a command to the women, but also to the men. God told them that they would be able to keep morality in their nation and homes if they would avoid seeing "nakedness" at home.

Christian, don't use the world as your measuring stick for morality. The world is a faulty compass. Just because you are home doesn't make it right to be indecent. You need to make sure that your children are always decent. Decency should be expected in your home. This keeps the home from losing its morality. I am not just talking about decency in what you wear, but I am also talking about decency in what you see. Be careful that you don't have one rule for decency in what you wear, but another rule for decency in what you see.

Just because your measure of decency is not as bad as the world's, it is still wrong if your measure of decency doesn't match God's compass for decency and morality. I encourage you to take a good look at what you allow yourself to see and wear. Always remember that the world is a faulty compass by which to measure your decency and morality. Decency and morality should only be measured by the true compass of the Word of God. If your compass is different from God's Word, then you have a faulty compass. A faulty compass in life will lead you to an undesirable destination. Let God's Word be your compass, and It will lead you to the destination of decency, morality and true happiness.

"While Obama is parading the parents of these Newtown kids everywhere and urging them to speak to everybody, the victims from Benghazi are still being told to be quiet, to shut up, to not ask anymore questions." -Rush
 

A Sacred Position

Leviticus 8:2-3

"Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

In the Scriptures, the office of the priest was a very sacred position. There were several qualifications a person had to meet before they could be a priest. In the verses above, God set aside Aaron and his sons to fill the priesthood. When this great event happened, God told Moses to gather the congregation so they could see the great detail God had for the priest. This event was to show the children of Israel the sacredness of this position.

Though today the office of the priest in the tabernacle has been done away with, I still believe that we can look at that position and realize it can symbolize the office of the pastor. Though the Scriptures teach that every believer is a priest, and that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, I also believe that God wants us look at this illustration and see how we should treat the office of a pastor.

The priest was the representative of God to the people of Israel. Likewise, the pastor is the representative of God to the local New Testament Baptist church. Because of this, I believe we should not treat that position lightly. Let me give you some thoughts about how we should treat this position.

You will notice that God wanted the congregation to see the ordaining of Aaron and his sons. I believe this was to show the families of Israel how important the position was that Aaron and his sons held. The office of the pastor should not be treated lightly. Just like it was the responsibility of the parent to bring their child to see Aaron ordained as priest, I believe you also should make sure your child understands the sacredness of the office of pastor. Parents must be careful about tearing down their pastor with words. So many parents wonder why their children have no respect for the church or the pastor, but they tore him down every Sunday on their way home from church. What do they expect? You must make sure that your children hear you saying positive things about your pastor. Pray for your pastor with your children. Let your children hear you praise the sermons the LORD gave him. Let your children do special things for their pastor. I am not trying to lift up a man, but I am trying to lift up the position. Every Christian needs to be careful to treat the office of the pastor with the sacredness it deserves.

Furthermore, pastors should not take their position lightly. You should not use your position to abuse people. You must understand that when you abuse your position, you turn people off from Christianity because in their mind you represent God. Many people don't separate the actions of their pastor from God. Though this is wrong, this is simply a fact. As a pastor, God will hold you accountable for how you treat your position. God killed Nadab and Abihu when they didn't treat their position and duties as they should, and God will hold every pastor accountable for how he conducts himself in the sacred position.

Finally, let's be careful not to attack every preacher for the actions of a few. Though a few men may have abused their position, most men of God treat their position with dignity and respect. Be sure that your family understands the importance of this position by how you treat your pastor and honor his position. The best way to do this is to daily pray for your pastor with your family.

Three Keys to a Happy Life

Exodus 22:1

"If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep."

Happiness is not a possession that can be bought or obtained, but happiness is a result of actions performed. This world is constantly trying to find the key to happiness, but they avoid the very thing that tells how to have happiness which is the Word of God. The world often thinks that happiness is obtained through possessions, when the Scriptures teach that happiness comes as a result of doing something right. You will notice the difference between the two ways is that the world's way to obtain happiness is through selfishness, and the Scriptural way to obtain happiness is through unselfishness.

In the Book of Exodus, God gives the laws by which man should live. God wants man to be happy, so He gave them laws by which to live so they could have happiness. If anyone should know how we can be happy it should be God, because He is the One Who created us. God categorizes His commandments into three areas, which in these three areas are the three keys to happiness. Let me show you these three keys.

The first category of laws that show the keys to happiness are the laws of spirituality. God teaches in His Word that you will never be happy without having a right relationship with Him. The laws of spirituality are simply laws which show how mankind can have a right relationship with God. You can try every other way to be happy, but you will not find it until you make sure you serve the LORD. You may think that God has too many rules by which to live, but those rules are the very key to having a right relationship with Him. If you want true happiness in your life, then you MUST make sure that your relationship with God is right.

The second category of laws that show the keys to happiness are the laws of morality. These laws show you how to live with yourself. Being moral is more than just being right with God. Morality is living in such a manner where you can live with yourself. The laws of morality are there to help you to not to have regrets later in life. Christian, the Devil may try to trick you into believing that losing your morality is where you find true happiness and fun, but the Devil never shows what the person's life is like when the season of sin is over. Living a moral life is important so that you can be at peace with yourself. If you live an amoral life, you will find that regrets will constantly nag you for the remainder of your life. If you want true happiness, then you must live a moral life.

The third category of laws that show the keys to happiness are the laws of civility. These laws show you how to live with others. In Exodus 22, God goes into great detail on how to treat others right. This is simply being civil with each other. When you treat others right, you will find that you can happily live with others.

Summarizing the keys to happiness simply comes down to this, having a right relationship with God, others and yourself. You will find that these three keys result in happiness. If you get one key wrong, then all keys will be wrong. All three must be right to find true happiness in life.