Archive for the ‘Truth’ Category

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

30 Sep

What’s the Big Deal?

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

I don’t know what kind of response to expect from this next commentary, but I’ll take my chances: Milrae and I went to the hair salon recently to get our hair cut, and group of young women were discussing some pastors who had refused to marry couples that were living together. At the end of the discussion, one young lady wondered aloud, “What’s the big deal?”

I couldn’t keep silent, so I said this: As a pastor, I would have to take the side of those other men, and I believe that a couple should live apart until marriage. Needless to say, the conversation came to a rather abrupt end. I would like to take this opportunity to expand on my statement.

First of all, God’s word says couples living together outside of marriage are living in sin. This is not news, and this sin is no more or less a sin than any other. As with any other sin, it is forgivable. Also, statistics have proven that living together before marriage leads to a greater possibility that the marriage will fail. Most pastors I know who choose not to bless that kind of relationship, would be glad to conduct the ceremony if the concerned parties would confess the sin, repent of it, and live apart for a time as evidence of that repentance. You see, in God’s eyes, and in his plan for marriage, it is a “big deal”, even if the culture we live in tells us it doesn’t matter.

Speaking the Truth in love,
Pastor Jerry

9 Sep

No One Else

Posted by sandhillspastor in Baptism, Bible, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith, God's Word, Salvation, The Good News, Truth.

It was a very good week for me. Thursday, I drove to Topeka, Kansas for a meeting, with my traveling partner of the last 49 plus years by my side. We spent the night in a nice motel, went to the meeting, and drove six hours home. It was a rare opportunity for some quality time together. It was great to see old friends and make some new ones.

Yesterday (Sunday), I was privileged to baptize a young lady from our church. She invited Jesus into her life a couple of years ago, and recently felt led to publicly express her faith by way of water baptism. Congratulations, Autum!!

The following has some bearing on the meaning and significance of baptism to the the Christian.

Along the highway Friday afternoon, there was a sign that said, “Jesus saves as no one else can”. I would rephrase that to read, “Jesus saves. No one else can.” I might even go so far as to have it read, “Jesus saves. No one, or nothing else can.”

Some folks believe salvation comes from doing good works, or joining a church. Or, they might have the idea that holding to some tradition is important to gain eternal life. And, I know of some who have the belief that baptism saves.

Here is the truth from the scriptures. Salvation is by faith in Christ alone. In the book of Acts, we are told “there is no other name by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). When Peter preached the message of salvation through faith in Christ, it says “those who believed his message were baptized” (Acts 2:41). Belief in the message of the gospel comes first, baptism follows, and is a public testimony to that faith.

Please don’t depend on anything for your salvation except faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He died for our sins, once for all. There is no other who can save us. Praise God, who raised Him from death to eternal life!
Once again, I welcome your comments and questions. Send them to me at lakecitynews@gmail.com.

In His Love,
Pastor Jerry

2 Sep

No Higher Power

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

I’m in the office at Lake George this morning. We drove up yesterday afternoon (Sunday), and mowed the lawn before a late supper. The view is prettier knowing I can enjoy it without first mowing for several hours. Looking out the window, I don’t know how far one would have to drive for better scenery. Tomorrow it’s back to reality, but for today we’ll just enjoy this place. God is so good!

Many of the things I see and read on my computer screen leave me wondering how some people make it through life. I see comments about a “higher power”, or some reference to “positive thoughts and energy” going out on behalf of a person or a situation, and I wonder, don’t these folks know about God or Jesus?

The only higher power I know is the Highest Power. He is God, there is no other. Positive thoughts and energy might help you get out of bed in the morning, but to get you through the day and through life, you need God.

Hear the word of the Living God: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9). “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).

In the New Testament, it is Jesus Christ who is shown to be our Savior. He who was God in human flesh, coming to die for our sins so that by faith in him we would be saved. God raised him from the dead, how high a power is that?

It seems to be somehow easier to invoke the name of some mysterious “higher power”, or some sort of “positive energy, than to call on Jesus Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit. It saddens me, to see well meaning people trying to encourage those in great sorrow and trial, with empty promises of some vague higher power.

Call on the Lord in times of trouble. There is no other. In Psalm 50:15, God says this; “Call upon me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Simply His,
Pastor Jerry

26 Aug

Accept No Substitutes

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

Do you remember the ad claims for some of the “butter substitutes”?: “Tastes just like butter”; I can’t believe it’s not butter!”; “Everything’s better with __________ on it!” I have always wondered if the substitute claims to be “just like” the original, what is the reason for the substitute?

So, the margarine substitute tastes like butter? Then what is wrong with just using butter? If God gave us butter first instead of margarine, does it mean he made a mistake? Why didn’t he just create margarine? The same thought applies to the claim that some exotic meats taste “just like chicken.” Thanks, but no thanks, I’d just as soon have chicken as rattlesnake, or alligator. Substitutes just aren’t the same.

The same line of thought can apply to self-help literature. When God gave us his Word, I believe it was for a purpose. Listen to the psalmist as he writes in Psalm 119… “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (verse 9); “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (verse 11); “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (verse 105). “Direct my footsteps according to your word, let no sin rule over me” (verse 133).

Exchanging the Bible for any other publication may seem like a good deal, but His plan is for us to pattern our lives on His Word, and nothing else. I have nothing against good literature of every kind, but those all have to be held up to the mirror of scripture. Libraries and bookstores are full of books that claim to have the answer to life’s problems or that want to show us the right way to live, but compared to the Bible they fall far short of being really helpful.

Self-help books, or God’s help Book. Which one do you think is the most helpful? Accept no substitutes.

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

19 Aug

Still Standing

Posted by sandhillspastor in God, God's Word, Truth.

I am amused when people say they can pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe. Some even refuse to believe any part of it, nor do they even believe in the God of the Bible.The Bible is not a book of feel-good information. It is God’s eternal and unchanging word. It is not a cafeteria, which we may browse through and choose which part to believe and obey, discarding the rest.

The Bible says “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5). Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

People have tried to destroy the Bible for centuries and it is still here , and it is still true. There is an old hymn I like to sing, called “The Bible Stands.” There is a line that says “The Bible stands like a mountain towering far above the works of men; Its truth by none ever was refuted, and destroy it they never can.”

God’s word says, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:25).

In 2012, for it’s final print edition, Newsweek magazine ran an article that tried to refute the authenticity of the New Testament. How interesting; it is Newsweek that is out of print, not the New Testament.

How about you? As you read this, how do you see the Bible? Is it your road map for the journey of life, or is it just a collection of stories, not relevant for our time? I would hope it is an important part of your everyday life and that you read it every day, so that you can get to know its Author personally.

Standing on His Word,
Pastor Jerry

5 Aug

The Wrath of God

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, God, The Good News, Truth.

As we get older, we find ourselves bemoaning the fact that things are just not the way they used to be. Sometimes new things are better than the old, sometimes not. In the past, I have at times been critical of what is called Contemporary Christian Music, or CCM. The reason for that criticism has been the lack of sound biblical doctrine in a fair share of that style of music, as compared to the older hymns.

This past week, it was reported that a major church denomination had elected not to include a modern hymn in its new songbook, because a line in that song was deemed offensive. The offending part of the song mentioned the “wrath of God”, and the committee decided that didn’t fit their image of a “loving God.” I’m quoting the article here: “Not wishing to portray a wrathful God, the committee requested permission from the song’s writers to change the line to speak instead of God’s love.” Permission was denied, so the song was removed.

There are those who insist the God of the New Testament is different than God in the Old Testament. They would have us believe only in the Old Testament does it speak of the wrath of God. In the New Testament, from John’s gospel to Revelation, we read of God’s wrath. We also read of God’s love.

Here is the truth of the matter: According to the Bible, sin arouses God’s wrath and demands payment. God is the righteous judge. He is also a loving and just God; in fact he loved the world enough that he sent his only Son to die that we might live. Jesus paid the penalty, God’s wrath was appeased, and all who will believe are saved. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

We sing of the wrath of God, and of the cross, and of the blood of Jesus. These do not exclude God’s love, they magnify it! And, we can sing: “In Christ alone my hope is found…On that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied…Here in the death of Christ I live!

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

22 Jul

Believe the Book

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

We’ll be taking a couple of days off to try out the camper. This is a trial run, the first since we acquired it last fall. It’s been awhile since we have gone camping, so we’ll see how it goes. I can tell you we aren’t going far, just in case it doesn’t work out.

As I was learning the ins and outs of getting the camper ready, I found the owners manual to be almost useless. There are references to procedures that do not apply to that particular piece of equipment. And, nowhere does it give specific instructions on how to connect the supply hose to either use city water, or to fill the supply tank. Even more important, there is no label identifying the connection to flush the “black water” tank. In a few days, I’m sure I’ll be able to rewrite the manual with more than general information.

I’m glad God’s instruction book gives us clear instructions about how to live, and about the way we are to maintain our relationship with Him. The ten commandments leave no doubt about His will for us. Read through them. They are quite specific, and notice–they are not called the “ten suggestions.”

Commands given by Jesus, and in the writings of the apostles leave no doubt about Christian living, though many people today claim the Bible is not clear on many issues. I don’t think the Bible could be any more clear when it speaks of how a Christian is to conduct themselves. Here are just a few examples:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). “We should not be idolaters…We should not commit sexual immorality…and do not grumble…” (1 Corinthians 10:7-10). “Carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

I could give a more complete listing, but our space here is limited.

Using the reasoning, “the Bible isn’t relevant to our times”, some folks are even “rewriting” the Bible, but I can tell you they are going to be in trouble someday. God has specifically addressed this issue in Revelation 22:18-19… “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book…”

Unlike the owners manual for our camper, you can believe the Bible, it is God’s inspired, unchanging Word.

Trusting His Word,
Pastor Jerry

6 May

Famine In The Land

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

In preparing for Sunday’s message, I was reminded that as a society, we in America have neglected our spiritual heritage so long, that we are now in what the Bible defines as a “famine of hearing the words of the LORD.”

“The days are coming,” declares the sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).

I believe in many of our churches today, there is a famine of hearing the words of God. I also believe there are millions of people searching for the Word of the Lord and they are not finding it.

In truth, God gave parents the responsibility of seeing that children are brought up with a real knowledge of the Lord and of his Word. I fear that unless we begin to take charge of our families and their spiritual health, we are headed for disaster.
From the apostle Paul we read, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The word “exasperate” can mean to “provoke to anger.” Could it be that the reason for so much anger in our society is the famine of the Word of God?

Although the command is directed at fathers, in today’s family the mother can be seen as equally responsible for bringing up the children in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Finally, although this famine, or lack of knowledge of the Word of God is real, I believe it is not to late to turn it around. If we parents (and grandparents) will take back our God-given authority in the family, and return to the reading and study of the Bible, we can make a difference. And maybe, just maybe, we will again become people of the Word, and followers of the Lord.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Jerry

11 Mar

Sin’s Definition

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Evil deeds, Forgiveness, God's Word, Sin, Truth. Tagged: , .

Dear friends,
On the home scene, life remains busy. If there is a time in life when we are not busy anymore, it hasn’t appeared on my horizon. The change to daylight saving time supposedly gives us more daylight hours, and I’m going to need every minute.

I think it is clear to most people that it is not popular these days to talk about sin. Sin, as described in the Bible, is minimized, glossed over, white-washed, or ignored, but few people are willing to call it disobedience to God’s commands.

Here is a case in point: The television series “The Bible” is airing this month. I did not see all of the first installment, but I will. I did read a review of that episode. In it the reviewer stated that people watching it would get the idea that Sodom and Gomorrah were judged and destroyed for their lack of hospitality. When I read the account in the Bible, I come away with the understanding that those two cities were destroyed because of rampant sexual immorality, including the sin of homosexuality, and others. There were not even 5 people in the cities who met God’s standard of righteousness.

I believe the lesson here for us is this: If we don’t preach and teach that every word in his Book is faithful and true, we are setting ourselves up for a similar judgment at some point. Those ten commandments are not the “ten suggestions.”

Sin is sin. To call it anything else is to call God a liar (1 John 1:10). The good news is Jesus Christ died on the cross to provide forgiveness of sin, no matter what the sin. God forgives all who come to him on the basis of the shed blood of his Son. The end result of this, according to the apostle, is that the one who trusts in Christ will not continue in his or her sin. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).

Let us call sin what it is. Follow that up with confession. Confession is agreeing with God that we are sinners. Then, ask his forgiveness, trust his Son Jesus to save you, and as Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” And if you should sin again, which you may very well do now and then, do as we are instructed in 1 John 1:9… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Forgiven,
Pastor Jerry

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