Archive for the ‘Truth’ Category

21 Apr

On Hollywood and the Bible

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, End Times, Faith, God's Word, Truth.

We received a little rain over the weekend. It wasn’t much, but we can hope this is the beginning of some late April Showers that will bring on those May Flowers.
There is a lot of discussion of new movies that have been recently released. I have some thoughts on these, and I will tell you up-front that I have not seen any of them personally. Some folks I respect have seen them, and I trust their perspective.
Here a just a couple of my thoughts based on others’ observations:
“Noah”. From what I have read and heard, there is very little material here that is actually based on the biblical account. It appears the film is grounded somewhat in environmental issues, including the idea that due to global warming there will be another flood that destroys the earth. As I read the Genesis account, God promised Noah there not be another flood. God said this in Genesis 9:15, “Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever a rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
What is promised, is that the earth will be destroyed by fire. Peter, writing in his second letter, says this, speaking of the flood: “By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-7).
“God Isn’t Dead”— I knew that. l didn’t even have to visit the local theater, because I read it in His Word.
This might be a good place to remind ourselves of what was revealed to John in his vision of the Revelation; “I warn everyone who hears the word of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).
Finally, I don’t believe we need Hollywood to explain the Bible to us. The Bible does a very good job of explaining and defending itself.
Standing on His Word,
Pastor Jerry

14 Apr

Resurrection is Coming!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Easter, Eternal Life, Faith, God's Word, Praise, Salvation, The Good News, Truth, Worship.

Saturday, it was 70 degrees, and a beautiful day. Sunday began with rain that changed to wet snow and high winds. The high temperature for the day was in the low 40’s, by late afternoon, it was near freezing. It must be spring in the Sandhills.

This week brings two events that mark the foundation of the Christian faith. Those two being Good Friday, and Easter. Good Friday is important because it was the day the Lord Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “He was delivered over to death for our sins…” (Romans 4:25). The apostle Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).
Easter (I prefer Resurrection) Sunday commemorates the raising of Jesus from the dead. Peter puts it this way: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3).
Without these two, our faith would be useless, and we would have no hope for eternity. Paul sums it up in this way: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).
I’ll close with this little poem:
“Easter time is here again
and bunnies everywhere,
Don’t salute a substitute,
there is no holy hare.
So colored eggs and jelly beans,
don’t mean a bunny thing,
Cause bunnies do, what bunnies do
and have no gifts to bring
So Easter time’s the time to know,
a lie could not survive.
And here’s the proof in gospel truth;
JESUS IS ALIVE!”
[William F. Heffner]
Because He Lives,
Pastor Jerry

24 Mar

Life Demands Change

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Change, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, The Good News, Truth, Uncategorized.

After last week’s little mystery statement, I suppose I should enlighten you a bit. As you may know, I am fond of saying “change happens”, and we can adapt or resist, but it happens. Several months ago, we decided to sell our Lake George property. As a by-product of that decision, we now own a small property at Ericson Lake, just outside of Ericson Village. I think that is all we can tell you at this point. More will follow at the proper time.

Over the last two weekends, I have attended a meeting of our two-state Baptist Convention’s Mission Board, and, what is called a “Normative Church Leadership Conference.” Both of these events had a measure of focus on the need for change. Churches face change as the culture changes. Church leaders see the need for change in means and methods of ministry, as long as the message stays true to the scriptures.

In our businesses, we must change to meet the demands of customers, and the requirements of governmental regulations. In our personal lives, change comes with the different stages of life: High school to college, newlyweds to parents, parenting to being grand-parents. The list goes on.

In our spiritual lives, we are to expect change, as well. When a person believes that Jesus paid for our sins through his death on the cross, and is spiritually reborn, we are told that person becomes a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As we grow spiritually, we are encouraged to leave the “milk” stage and move on to the “solid food” of the gospel, this, too, involves change (Hebrews 5:12-14). Also, the Word says we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). This would involve changes in our attitudes and actions based on our deepening relationship with Him. “You were taught…, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). As we grow up in the Lord, change is not only good, it is necessary.

Changed and changing,

Pastor Jerry

3 Mar

Contend for the Truth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Faith, Service, The Good News, Truth.

I began to write this on Friday. It is now Saturday, and it is snowing lightly, the temperature is dropping, and I’m trying to think about spring. It may be my age, but I really don’t enjoy the cold. In the “old days”, we just went out and got our work done, in all kinds of weather. It seemed easier then. Now, on to some thoughts about God’s Word.

Jude, the brother of Jesus, urged his fellow Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Why? Because “certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4).

Sound familiar? Every day, we see evidence that our culture is slipping away from any perception of the existence of a moral compass such as is found in God’s word. There is much evidence that many who claim Christ are watering down, or revising his gospel, in order to “keep up with the times.” The Bible warns us that these things will happen.

The Christian faith does not change with the course of time; we are still to contend for the truth. Those early disciples of Jesus Christ were killed for their faith. Believers around the world today are also dying for the same reason. Someone has said, “The church today has no right to insult the memory of the martyrs by making friends with unbiblical teaching which they bravely opposed with their lives.”

In the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy: “Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” (2 Tim 1:8). “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men (and women) of courage; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). When God’s people were faced with a powerful enemy, the prophet told them, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

Will we be popular when we stand for truth? Far from it, we will be scorned and mocked, called names and persecuted in other ways. Can we be any less committed than those who have gone on before? I pray we are not.

Standing on His truth,
Pastor Jerry

3 Feb

Prosperity Gospel?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Truth.

We had a rather uneventful week, something that is unusual for us. The next few days appear to be more of the same. I believe there will be at least six weeks of winter, and then it will be spring. This has nothing to do with a large rodent, it’s just the way God planned the seasons.

I will admit I watched the Super Bowl. Afterward, I wondered why I wasted the time. I did not watch the half-time show, since I was pretty sure the Gaither Vocal Band was not on the program.

If you read these commentaries each week, you know my purpose is to share the truth of God’s word. You also know that I am an observer of social media, in particular Facebook. Today, I will share some of those observations.

First, I see Christians who re-post those memes that promise blessing for reposting, and missed blessings for scrolling past them. I believe superstition is at the heart of these things. I, also believe, God is more concerned with whether or not we trust him to provide our needs, than if we are faithful to re-post everything that pops up on our Facebook page. In fact, He has stern warnings about following superstitions and man-made traditions. “Have nothing to do with godless myths (superstitions) and old wives’ tales; rather train yourselves to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7).

The second thing is the number of professing Christians who follow the teaching of the prosperity gospel preachers. God does not promise health and wealth to everyone, and if this is my best life, why am I looking forward to heaven? We are promised trials and suffering if we follow Jesus Christ: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2), and, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith…may be proved genuine…” (1 Peter 6-7).

Here is an insightful comment from an article on the so-called prosperity gospel: “The very thought that God owes us a relatively trouble-free life, and the anger we feel when God doesn’t act the way we believe he is supposed to act, betray a heart that expects God to prosper us because of our good works. That’s the prosperity gospel.” (9Marks Journal)

Meditating on His Truth,
Pastor Jerry

20 Jan

Living in Sin

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Forgiveness, God's Word, Marriage, Sin, Truth.

I had the privilege of officiating at a wedding this weekend. Weddings are such fun times, and I appreciate the chance to be involved. While researching my message to the couple, I came across these statistics: In 1990, 50 out of 1000 divorced or widowed persons chose to remarry.

In 2011, that number was only 29 out of 1000.
Here are a few other numbers from the article in USA Today. Unmarried couples of all ages are moving in together. According to 2012 census data, 37 percent of those who live together have been married before. Between 1990 and 2012 the percentage of unmarried couples living together more than doubled, from 5.1% to 11.3%. A generation ago it was called “living in sin”, today it is called “cohabitation.”
The reason I bring this up is to remind us that God had a plan at creation, and he has never changed his plan. The Bible says to live together outside of the bond of marriage is sexual immorality (the old term was fornication). There is no exemption for the divorced or widowed. I must insert here, that Jesus said divorce is a sin. The Bible also teaches that confessed sin will be forgiven (1 John 1:9). Also, according to scripture,the death of a spouse frees a person to remarry (1 Corinthians 7:39). We who are older may try to blame the younger generation, but who is their example? Retired people are also involved in cohabitation.
As always, I must apply scripture to my thinking, so here ya’ go: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality…For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).
When we deliberately disobey God’s commands and refuse to repent of our sin, we are in danger of judgment. Those are God’s words, and his word is unchanging.
In His amazing love,
Pastor Jerry

13 Jan

In Defense of Life

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Sanctity of Human Life, Truth.

Dear friends,

It is good to return to a “normal” schedule after all the busyness of the holiday season. We’re probably not any less busy, but it is at least somewhat predictable from week to week. This week, I have an appointment with the dermatologist to see about a spot on my lip that isn’t healing. After having a cancerous spot in the same area a few years ago, I tend to be a bit cautious about these things. Also, this week, Alex hopes to get his learner’s permit to drive.

Each year, as January rolls around, we are reminded that since 1973, abortion has been legal in this country. We are also reminded of the millions of unborn who were sacrificed on the altar of convenience. It is a sad commentary on our culture when we have to have a Sunday set aside to recognize the Sanctity of Human Life. Somewhere we have discarded God’s command that all human life is sacred. From Genesis to Revelation, God placed a high value on people at all stages of life. He has not changed.

The following is from an article by Russell Moore, president of The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, written last January: “I hate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, because I’m reminded that we have to say things to one another that human beings shouldn’t have to say.

  • Mothers shouldn’t kill their children
  • Fathers shouldn’t abandon their babies
  • No human life is worthless, regardless of skin color, age, disability, or economic status.

The very fact that these things must be proclaimed is a reminder of the horrors of this present darkness.”

God says, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). As human beings are created in the image of God, killing a person is an attack on God: “…in the image of God has God made man” (Genesis 9:6). The Bible places a high value on all human life, including the unborn.

I pray we, the people, would repent of the sin of abortion, and return to the moral and ethical standard of our God and His Word, the Bible.

In defense of the innocent,
Pastor Jerry

6 Jan

We Are Not Gods

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, God, God's Word, Sin, The Good News, Truth.

My lovely wife and I were able to get away for a few days last week. We went to Lake George on New Year’s Eve, and upon arriving, found there was no water in the house. I was convinced it must be an electrical problem, because I had “fixed” all those places where the pipes had frozen in the past. Long story short, the pipes had actually frozen, showing me that all my preparations were not as secure as I had assumed. In spite of the water issue, we had a good week, and celebrated the arrival of 2014 over a steak dinner with two of our dearest “old friends.”

Inspiration for this weekly letter often comes from some really strange sources. The following is from the label on an anti-antiperspirant sitting on my bathroom shelf: “We Are All Judges Of Ourselves And My Verdict Is Champion.” Another part of the label has this bit of wisdom: “Believe In Your Smellf”*
Therein lies the problem for many people today. We judge ourselves and declare that we are okay. We might even go so far as to judge ourselves “superior”, or “wonderful”, maybe even “excellent”, or “champion.” We are filled with pride over our “self-worth.” In effect, we are setting ourselves up as gods.

What does God think of all our self-exaltation? Let’s look at some verses from His word: “You shall have no other gods before me” (#1 of the Ten Commandments). “There is no one righteous, not even one…there is no on who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). There are numerous verses where God says, “The Lord is God; besides him there is no other.”

 There has been much emphasis on concepts like “self-worth” and “self-esteem” over the years, but I wonder, wouldn’t we be much better off if we would put God in his proper place, and ultimately base our own worth on our relationship with Him? After all, he thought we were worth sending his only Son to die for us.

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

*[Trade Mark of Proctor & Gamble]

9 Dec

The Light of Christmas

Posted by sandhillspastor in Advent, Bible, Christmas, The Good News, Truth, Worship.

Continuing the Christmas theme, I was noticing the many displays of Christmas lights soon after Thanksgiving. Actually, some were up and ready even before Thanksgiving, but that is another subject altogether.

My thought was this: All the festive lights of all the houses in the world cannot equal the Light we celebrate at Christmas. May I share a few verses concerning this Light?
The prophecy of Isaiah 9:2 is that God would send a Light. Read it with me: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” He expands on the prophecy in verse 6; “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”
In the New Testament we find these words: “There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (John 1:6-9)

Jesus testified about himself: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Finally, these Spirit inspired words from the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

The light of the world is Jesus. May all the bright lights of the Christmas season remind us daily of this truth.

Walking in His light,

Pastor Jerry

11 Nov

Religion or Relationship?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Eternal Life, Faith, Salvation, The Good News, Truth.

I admit to checking facebook more than I should. Every now and then, a post will just grab me and the only thing I can do is to comment on it from a Biblical perspective. This morning, I read a statement from someone I do not know. Here is a paraphrase of what he said: “I’m going to attend church today, maybe a little religion is what I need these days.”

The man who posted this, named the “church” he would be attending, and I can almost guarantee what he would find in that setting is “religion” that is totally dependent on man made ritual and tradition.

Religion has been described as “man’s effort to reach God.” In the context of this idea, I have to return to the statement made by Jesus. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In reality, the person needs Jesus, not religion. There are many “churches” that offer religion. What really matters is not religion, but a relationship with God, and that is only available by placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul warned of religion based on man-made tradition. These are his words in Colossians 2:8; “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Proverbs 16:25 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Man’s efforts to save himself are futile. Salvation is not found in man-made religion, but in a personal relationship with the Son of God. “There is no other name given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Religion or relationship? Which do you claim today? I pray you have made the correct choice.

In His amazing love,

Pastor Jerry

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »