Music from the services of FBC Hammond on 4/03/11 is now up at www.baptist-city.com.
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Warning Signs
Luke 22:61
"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."
Warning signs are set up to keep you from hurting yourself. Everyday you see warning signs, but in many cases we pass by them without even noticing them. I recall when I took my drivers training they showed a video of a person driving down the road. After a few short minutes they stopped the video and told us to write down the last four signs that we saw. It was amazing how the whole class missed a couple of signs because we were not paying attention to them. If you don't pay attention to the warning signs that you pass by, then you will find yourself in serious trouble.
Peter had some warning signs that sin was around the corner, yet he never heeded these signs and found himself in bitterness of soul. Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to destroy him, but he thought he was too strong to be overcome by sin. The verse above is a result of not paying attention to the warning signs. There were three warning signs that Peter faced and ignored that you should be aware of in your Christian walk so that when you see them you can quickly change your ways.
First, Peter was sleeping through his prayer life. Christian, when you find yourself not praying like you should, sin is around the corner. You may think that you will be fine, but prayer is the only way we get God's help to overcome temptation. Let me ask you, how is your prayer life? Do you find yourself rarely praying? One of the warning signs of sin is a prayer life that is lacking.
Second, Peter was resisting the will of God. When the crowd came to take Jesus, Peter was the one who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the soldier. It was God's will that Jesus die for the sins of mankind. Peter was resisting God's will when he should have been submitting to God's will. Do you find yourself resisting the will of God? For instance, do you resist God's will to tell others about Christ? Do you resist God's Holy Spirit when He speaks to you during the preaching? When God's will is not what you like, do you resist or submit? When you resist God's will you will find that sin is not too far away.
Last, Peter followed afar off when he should have followed closely. The last warning sign before you find yourself committing sin is being distant with God's work. What I mean by this is you stop doing things that you used to do for God. When living for God becomes a hassle, then you are following afar off. When you have to do something for God instead of getting to serve God, then you are following afar off. When your joy in life comes from worldly possessions and affairs more than it does from God, then you are following afar off. Sin is just around the corner!
Christian, do you see any of these warning signs in your life? If you do, beware that sin is around the corner. Don't pass by the warning signs and not heed them. Many people have passed by the warning signs to find themselves picking up the pieces after sin destroyed them. Don't let that be you! When you see the warning signs in your life, then correct what needs correcting so that you don't end up like Peter who "went out, and wept bitterly."
The four sermons for the week of 3/27/11 now await you at www.baptist-city.com. You will love them!
Little Rock, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a voter-approved initiative that barred gay couples and other unmarried people living together from serving as adoptive or foster parents.
via cnsnews.com
We are so becoming as Sodom...it is frightening. You may remember that it did not end well for Sodom.
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In the Mean Time
Luke 12:1
"In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
When you read Luke chapter 12, you must remember that Jesus did not preach this sermon at a time when everyone liked Him. No, the sermon that Jesus preached in this chapter came at a time when people were trying to find a way to kill Him. In fact, in the verse above the Scriptures say, "In the mean time..." Even though there were people in the crowd trying to catch Him saying something that they could use against Him, He continued His ministry and did not allow their judgmental ways to stop Him.
Throughout life you will find times when people will do everything in their power to try to destroy you. Most of the time it is not because they hate you, it is because they hate the One Whom you serve. Christian, we are in a spiritual war! Though you may not be able to see the war with your eyes, you must trust the Scriptures that warn us that we are constantly at war with the Devil. Because of this, there will be times when people will do hateful things and will try to catch you doing something that they can use against you. In the mean time, there are some things that you should do.
First, in the mean time, don't run and hide. One of the reasons why your enemies are being so hateful is to get you to run and hide. Like Nehemiah, you must not come down from your work and hide from those who would try to destroy what you are doing for God. Most of what the enemy does is to try to bluff you into running. Don't run just because people are out to destroy you.
Second, in the mean time, continue doing what you've always done. Don't change your routines just because people are out to destroy you. Whatever you did to become successful is what you must do to stay successful. If you change your routine, then you allow the enemy to have their way. When the enemy is trying to find a way to destroy you, keep preaching, soul winning, walking with God and living the way you have always lived. Daniel kept his routine when he knew people were trying to destroy him, likewise, you must keep doing what you've always done.
Last, and in the mean time, help people. The whole purpose of the ministry is to help people. Keep influencing people for right by helping them. It is hard to destroy someone who is helping people. Yes, it may be a little tough as you look over your shoulder and see the enemy watching everything you do, but you must keep helping those whom God sent you to help.
Christian, if you do anything for God in your lifetime, then you will have a time when someone will be out to destroy you. When this happens, take the advice above and follow it. Remember, God is in control! God is stronger than the enemy, so if you do what pleases Him, then He will continue to guide and help you, "In the mean time..."
Listen to this great Hyles-Anderson College Chapel message by Dr. Bob Hooker!
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The Hearing of the Heart
Luke 8:18
"Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have."
The ability to hear with your heart will ultimately determine what you do with the Word of God. We often see people who get saved and do well for a while, but after a period of time they stop serving God, and some drop completely out of church. Though most people never start out wanting to quit on God, many do quit and hurt the work of the LORD.
In the verse above, we find the answer to the problem is to make sure that you have a heart that hears. The parable of the sower is about a man who sowed seed and the results of where the seed fell. According to this parable, the seed is the Word of God. The seed fell on four different types of surfaces: way side, rock, thorny ground and good ground. In each of these instances, the surfaces show what type of hearing the heart of that person has. It is vitally important that you make sure your heart is hearing God's Word. Let me show you the problems that cause the heart to be hard of hearing.
First, being unsaved will cause the heart not to hear. In verse 12, you will notice that the person is unsaved. One of the biggest reasons people don't understand the Scriptures is because they are not saved. Only the Holy Spirit of God can explain the Scriptures to you. When you are not saved, you will have a hard time understanding the Scriptures. If you never understand what you read in the Scriptures, then I would advise you to be sure that you are saved. If you can't remember a time when you put your complete trust in the shed of blood of Jesus to save you, then you need to get saved.
Second, a sinful heart will cause your heart not to hear. In verse 13, you will notice that God talks about temptation. Those who live a life of sin will have a hard time understanding the Word of God. Sin is like noise that will keep you from clearly hearing what the Scriptures are trying to say. You need to quiet the noise that keeps your heart from hearing by getting rid of your sin.
Third, a worldly heart will keep you from properly understanding the Scriptures. In verse 14, you will see that those who are wrapped up in the affairs of this world have a hard time hearing God's Word. Christian, if your life is wrapped up in money, pleasure and possessions, then God's Word will be muffled, and you will not hear It clearly. When you listen to the world more than you do to God, then you will find your heart having a hard time hearing what He wants you to do.
Last, an honest heart is the answer to hearing God's Word correctly. In verse 15, God talks about the "honest and good heart." When, in your heart, you desire to do right more than anything else, then God can clearly speak to you, and you will understand. Until you come to the point when all you want to do is serve God, then God's Word will not be as clear to you as It should be.
I ask you, what type of heart do you have? The determining factor of how clearly you hear and understand the Scriptures is determined by your heart. Don't allow the world and sin to silence the voice of God's Word to your heart. Get rid of sin so that your heart can clearly hear what God wants you to hear.
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The Beatitudes Principle
Luke 6:20
"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God."
A very important principle for life is taught in the beatitudes that I fear most people miss. The principle that is missed is that in order to enjoy something, you must partake of the opposite. For instance, God says that you must be hungry before you can be filled. You must weep before you can laugh. You must have hardships before you can rejoice. In other words, you will never enjoy anything to its fullest without experiencing the opposite as well.
It is important that you learn this principle and teach it to your children. For instance, your children need to learn to work before they can play. Too many parents allow their children to play all the time without working, only to find the children frustrated. Your children will enjoy their play time more if they must work before they play. My parents always made sure that I had my chores done before they would let me play. They were simply teaching me that I would enjoy my play time better if I worked.
Likewise, your home and life will not enjoy laughter to its fullest if there is no time to weep. You could plan times to weep by visiting people in the nursing homes and hospitals. I am all for laughter, but there must be a time to weep so that laughter can be enjoyed to its fullest.
If you want your love to be greater, then you must also hate. I know this sounds strange, but love without hatred is a shallow love. For instance, I love my wife and daughter, and anything that would hurt them I hate. If I don't hate what would hurt them, then I don't love them the way that I should. Love needs hatred as must as hatred needs love. One without the other is wrong.
Likewise, young married couples need to learn that before they enjoy the luxuries of life, they need to struggle for a while. Those who enjoy everything at the beginning will end up getting themselves into trouble. The strongest marriages are the marriages that struggled in the early years. Those years of struggling together allowed them to enjoy the pleasures of life greater. Too many young couples immediately want the nice house filled with new furniture and two new cars sitting in the driveway. If they want their marriage to be more fulfilling, then they would be wise to wait until they can afford these things. Struggling together will give your marriage more fulfillment.
Christian, I am simply trying to get you to see that you will never quite enjoy life until you apply the beatitudes principle of partaking of both sides. Grace needs truth, love needs hatred, play needs work, pleasure needs struggles, patience needs tribulation, joy needs sorrow, laughter needs crying, etc. Be careful about only enjoying one side of life. Realize that you must partake of both if you want your life to be truly fulfilling.
Did you know that burning the Koran is worse than burning the Bible? That’s what MSNBC guest and Time Magazine world editor Bobby Ghosh told host Chuck Todd on Friday. According to him, the Koran is directly from God, while the Bible isn’t. Mediaite offers a transcript:
via theblaze.com
But of course there is no bias in the media. Well, at least when there is, it is in the favor of our adversaries.
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And Peter
Mark 16:7
"But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."
The story from the verse above occurred after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James went to the tomb with spices to anoint the body of Jesus. When they arrived at the tomb, they noticed that the stone had been rolled away. When they entered, they saw a young man sitting in white apparel on the right side of where the body of Jesus was laid. The young man informed them that Jesus had risen from the grave, and they were to go and tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.
In this statement to these ladies, the young man, by the commandment of Jesus, didn't just tell them tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee, but he said, "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter..." There was a reason that he said, "...and Peter." The reason was because Peter had denied Christ and certainly felt that Jesus would no longer want to use him. Yet, the verse above shows us that Jesus still had great things planned for Peter, even after he fell.
Unfortunately there are many people in the Christian life who feel that they are no longer useful because of some sin they committed. They, like Peter, feel that their sin would keep Jesus from ever using them again. Yet, you must remember that only Satan would want you to think this way. Throughout the Scriptures you will find that God used people even after they committed a horrible sin. Sometimes God simply has to remind us that He still has something in store for us just like He did with Peter.
I was recently talking to an individual who used to be greatly involved in their church. This individual had experienced the pain of sin. They told me that they didn't know what else they could do for God. As I heard this, I reminded them that they were not the first person who had experienced the touch of sin, and that God could still use them if they would allow Him to do so.
Maybe because of your sin you feel like Peter. Maybe you feel that there is no way that God could use you because of your sin. Let me remind you of two words, "...and Peter." Yes, if God could use Peter again then He can use you again. You are not the first person who has been touched by the destructive hand of sin. You must not allow Satan to feed you the lie that you are beyond ever being used by God again. God can use you again!
Furthermore, if God is going to use you again, then you must go and meet with Him. If Peter would not have gone to Galilee to meet with Jesus, then we would have never heard about him again. Instead, throughout the New Testament you see God using Peter in a mighty way. He was used again because he went to meet Jesus in Galilee.
God wants to use you again, but you must get up from where sin has left you and go meet with God again. What I mean by this is that you must take the initiative to get up and get involved again. Yes, you will have to face those who know what you have done, but if you will get involved again in the LORD's work, then He will use you.
Maybe the greatest two words in the Scriptures for those who have committed sin are the words, "...and Peter." Always remember that God wants to use you again, but you must meet with Him if that is going to happen. The ball is in your court, what are you going to do with it?