The Living Stone that Causes Stumbling, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-10

2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-
2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
2:4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and
2:5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
2:6 For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
2:7 To you then who believe, He is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,"
2:8 and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This past week the children of the King, you who have become "God's own people" have been stressed and dressed down for not believing a lie.

The TV Cable wires, radio broadcasts and newspaper printing presses were burning up with the news that the world was ending on May 21st and the earth would be destroyed!

Oh my! Oh gosh! Holy cow! Yikes! Whatever will we do?!

The almost comical rush of media lemmings off the very edge of wisdom and sanity brought to mind the old two-line poem: "When confused, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!"

An 88-year-old civil engineer and radio network owner, Harold Camping, had declared the world would end at 6 p.m. -- local time all over the world in a rolling earthquake beginning in New Zealand -- and he had spent $2 million dollars putting up billboards to let everyone know. TV screens filled with wide-eyed followers declaring "It's true. He knows. Make peace with God, now!"

Of course, it's easy to say all that now, right? I mean, here it is May 22nd, a day later, with no rolling earthquakes, no appearance of our Lord, and so now we can laugh and make jokes about it. Got news for you. We could do that before.

I won't go into Harold Camping's entire history, it's out there on the Internet if anyone wants to look at this late date, information that was there all along about how many times he had played this same game, and the destruction of the world never came. What do you call a prophecy that doesn't come true? I'm not certain, but you don't call it a prophecy. Prophecies happen.

But there's an even better reason we should have been able to laugh and joke about it during that "stressful" week leading up to May 21st. What's that reason? The reason is because we are children of the King. Because we believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in the inspired Word of God.

If you are going to believe in such "prophecies", such false claims, then you are going to have to forget about Jesus Christ, because you are going to have to believe that He lied to us in Matthew 24:36 where, speaking to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, sitting beside a fig tree, Jesus described what would happen during the last days, ending with, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Jesus thought it important enough to repeat His warning just two verses later: " Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour."

In the context of that conversation with His disciples, just a few verses earlier, still there on the Mount of Olives, Jesus warns His disciples, in verse 11, that many false prophets will appear and "deceive many people." Mr. Camping has said the world was ending before, in the 1980's, again in 1994, and now, again; always false.

He has also for years been telling people not to attend church, claiming the Holy Spirit has abandoned churches, and relating how there was silence in heaven because no one was being saved. Oh please, how gullible do you have to be, how ignorant of scriptural discernment do you have to be, to be so easily led away from the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your understanding of holy scripture?

Harold Camping builds his entire false prophesy upon his private interpretation of Ecclesiastes 8:5. He takes that verse out of context and twists it to mean what it was never meant to mean. In fact, the true irony is that the context of chapter 8 is about the limitation of man's knowledge, how much we do not know, cannot know.

It's always possible, of course, that whatever Mr. Camping meant to accomplish, God meant for His own purposes, and perhaps many people came to accept Christ because of the actions of this false prophecy.

But sadly, it is more likely this debacle of false prophecy, for many, undermined what little they knew of Christ, and convinced them that, like Camping's claims, there was nothing to the claims of Christ. This is pleasing only to the god of this world, who delights in such false masquerades of the true Christ.

It is our individual responsibilities, as followers of Jesus Christ, to know enough about the inspired word of Almighty God that we can discern the true from the false. Our natural senses should alert, out of our own learned wisdom about God's word, when people begin twisting and misusing His word. For example, Camping twists scripture to change the dates of Jesus' birth and death, the times of Noah, and other events. For what purposes? Well, for one thing, to disagree with Bible scholars makes news, and Mr. Camping writes and sells books. Publicity also generates advertising sales, and Mr. Camping also has a $22 million dollar radio network.

So, how should Christians react to all this?

First, let us accept that there is a war in heaven. We have God's word that tells us that. Satan and his demons are the enemy of God. God's word tells us that. For that reason, Ephesians 6:12 explains to us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

When that verse was posted on Facebook recently, someone responded, "Honestly I would like this, but I don't like the war. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, but I don't have to like it."

As I read that response, my jaw dropped. What? Do they believe we have a choice in this conflict between good and evil? Okay, that's enough, no more conflict between good and evil. We're not gonna do war no more. Satan, settle down and be nice. God, Satan says he'll behave so You and all Your angels can stand down and take a break.

Now, it is true according to God's word, that when we get to heaven there will be no more sin. But that means that those who want to do sin, who seek sin to do, they won't be there. But here in this life, we are still up for grabs by the enemy if we do not have the life of Christ within us.

But, if we do have Christ, we have a compulsion to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Love, purity, all the good things have come. As 2nd Corinthians 5:14-15, 17, tells us, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again ... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the news has come!"

Those renewed in Christ have no reason to be concerned about this date or that date, but we can merely accept Jesus' word, that no man knows. Our job is to do as Jesus in Mark 16:15 instructs us, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'"

Note that there is nothing there about packing up and waiting for His arrival, nothing about making arrangements for who will take care of our pets left behind, who will get our house, our car, our fortune. He who loved us first will see that we are taken care of, but first, we need to share His love with all the world. Of course, that will not always be easy, for as we do move into the end times, the persecution of Christians will increase, even as we are seeing in China, India, Pakistan, and Africa today

In the case of those described in verse 9, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people," we will have the empowerment of the sons and daughters of God; we will have steadfastness and the living truth; the "living stone" which causes others to stumble.

The inspired Word of God makes it clear that there is "the judgment" coming, that God sees and God neither ignores those who become His enemy, nor those who accept His Son. His Word is clear, and true, and deadly to those who ignore Him, even before "the" judgment gets here. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that "the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword."

Let the false prophets do their worst. We the sons and daughters of the royal family have work to do, a mission for the sake of Christ, and the Word of God, which false prophets attempt to use against us, is a two-edged sword in the hands of the believer. Know your sword. For having received mercy, through the Word we now offer Christ to the world, and His hand of mercy.

Amen.

Stained Glass Masaquerade!, by Pastor Bernie Lutchman, Jr.

Pastor Ed Evans is down with a viral infection, which gives you the opportunity to hear from an on-fire-for-Christ, spirit-filled preacher by the name of Pastor Bernie Lutchman, Jr. Enjoy and praise God.

STAINED GLASS MASQUERADE!

Is YOUR church partying with this crowd?

By Bernie Lutchman

Bernie Lutchman's Family Ministry

www.bernielutchman.blogspot.com

Many so-called Christians or even the real Children of God – the “ekklesia” (or the Body of Christ) miss out on SO MUCH! In fact WE JUST DON’T KNOW!!

We don’t know the Power of His Might.

We don’t know the Power of His Creation.

We don’t know the Presence of His Power (think about that for a second!)

We don’t know the Possibility of His Promise!

And why don’t we?

Why are we PEW-OCCUPIED but not wholly SANCTIFIED?

Why is a fat lazy nation BUT NOT a HOLY NATION?

Why do we have the most immaculate neighborhood but don’t act like a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD?

I’ll tell you why – we’ve been seduced by the god of this world and do not even know it! “What?? How dare you, an untrained and uneducated (I’m a seminary dropout – PRAISE GOD!!) street evangelist says that about our beautiful church buildings and pastors? Don’t you see we have the best carpets comforts, cafeterias and chandeliers? Can’t you see we are full every Sunday, baptize regularly and have the best youth groups in town?

“Sure they text during the sermon, but that’s the latest evangelism tool!!!”…..

First of all, I (Bernie Lutchman) did not say any of this! Read the entire New Testament and then camp of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 to see what the HEAD OF THE CHURCH – the Living Word of God – JESUS says about our churches in America and the west…..and you say “well that was 2000 years ago!!” No! A thousand times NO! That word from King Jesus was for the church for all time and apart from some weird cults and personality driven churches, almost every modern evangelical church in America lives in Laodicea!

What does this mean? Here is what Jesus Himself said in Revelation 3:17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked”.

The first order of business after reading this admonition from Christ is to search our hearts and let the Lord reveal our own shortcomings, so we can go about trying to fix them!!

There are many books and articles which can be written about the state of the modern church, but what I feel a burden for after a prayer meeting last evening, was the state of the modern church HEART!

PROPHETIC PASSAGE!

The passage the Lord laid upon my heart the following passage while in deep prayer over a certain other concern! I showed it to the event host who was amazed as it confirmed something for us. Here is the prophet Haggai from chapter 1: 2-9:

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”

This admonition was about the Temple!! The House of the Lord here on Earth! We who are saved…truly saved….are the NEW TEMPLE…the abiding place of the Holy Spirit of God! We fellowship corporately in a man-made structure called the Church, but we ARE the true ekklesia. We are the true church….or we are supposed to be!

In the above passage from Haggai, the Lord is speaking directly to us through His living, breathing Word!

Take your average medium sized town and city – where the majority of Americans live and work. If the average unsaved individual (most people) were to look at your church building (or as Haggai says “paneled houses”), what would they say about you? Would they say that this particular church and its members care about the poor, sick, needy and lost and they would love to visit during your next community outreach?

OR…would they think we’re a bunch of well-dressed in our suits and khakis every Sunday; drive in our nice cars, leave after 1 hour and 34 mins and never say a word about evangelism, missions, outreach or the lost…until the next Sunday morning’s harmless (and technically correct) sermon?

Unfortunately, it is the latter! That’s right! We’re a bunch of stuck up elitists sitting around waiting for a non-existent Pre-Trib Rapture!! Yes, I went there – there is no such thing as a pre-Tribulation rapture…a topic for another day!

WE DON’T:

We don’t Pray – unless someone sends out a prayer chain request for a medical or other emergency on the phone or email.

We don’t even TALK about prayer. We don’t have prayer services or solemn assemblies. We even tell people they are “in our thoughts and prayers” which is absolutely meaningless as we’re lying! We don’t pray for them! If we did, we would find a place to begin the Travailing Intercession process by praying with them IMMEDIATELY!

Next, we don’t Evangelize! We talk about the Great Commission and may even write a check for $20 to Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse, but won’t share Christ at work or give someone a book or even act concerned if a coworker has a problem with their son/daughter flunking out of school. And forget street evangelism! That passing out tracts or being there to talk to someone about Jesus is for those “other guys and gals”.

It is no wonder that most American church leaders NEVER lead a soul to Christ, while having the best study curricula, fancy vacation bible schools and more!

We don’t do Missions. What? “But we write a check for that couple living in Ghana or Cambodia..” What ARE YOU doing? Missions is not something a selected called few do in poor Third World countries. The minute you step out your door, you’re in the biggest mission field ever! Take King Jesus….wherever he stopped, there was His Ministry – the Woman at the Well; the Rich young Ruler; the Roman Centurion etc.

It is getting so bad that the biggest mission field sign is NOT over the Exit door as we leave on Sunday morning, but the BIGGEST MISSION FIELD sign is over the door leading to the Sanctuary!

This lack of Faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and His Word…even while we have nice harmless worship music and accurate preaching…has produced some horrible fruit….and this will lead to HARSH JUDGMENT on Judgment Day!

Here is what 1 Peter 4:17 “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins with us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

This should scare any pastor/elder or deacon…but it does not! Judgment will start with church leadership who see their “good” works will go up in flames and will be grateful they’re even IN heaven!

MODERN CHURCH, SAME OLD BAD FRUIT:

Here is why: First, the rate of Divorce is higher INSIDE the church than the general population! Church members are sleeping around and fornicating and watching pornography like there is no tomorrow!! They think the Grace of God will cover a multitude of their sins!

Second, abortion and premarital sex are just as bad INSIDE the church as in the general population, as a result of this mindless fornication paradigm! My friends who run a ministry dealing with pregnant teens and young adults report that almost ALL their clients come in looking for an abortion and claiming they are Christians and go to such and such church!!!!!! Do you get what this means? Are we getting it now?!

While inward looking church leadership have their heads in the sand, their sheep are in the thicket, ripped apart by the thorns…and the elders can’t see it (or won’t). So you know what happens? Say a teenage girl gets pregnant and is shamed in her own church….they just move to another church more welcoming...because not every church is full of people who are not sinners or make mistakes!

Third, according to extensive proof from massive research by Britt Beemer and Ken Ham, we already lost the next generation of youth from Grade 6 and up!! Read the amazing book “ALREADY GONE”! While these kids come to Sunday school with their parents because they have to, we have already lost the battle for their hearts for Christ and the Faith to the world! We have them for one hour per week…the devil’s playground has them the rest of the week!

This is the demographic more likely to believe gay marriage is right; abortion is okay; sex and drugs and rock and roll is fine because Miley Cyrus says she is a Christian and lives that lifestyle.

This is the demographic that will post profiles on Facebook and MySpace saying they are “Jesus –lovers”; since contemporary “Christian” songs which hardly mention Jesus if ever and will more likely than not, post a semi-nude or compromised unchristian photo of themselves on Facebook or Twitter!

Even worse, this is the proven demographic which says, according to both Barna and the Pew Foundation – 57% of these evangelicals think there is another way to heaven than Jesus! Did you hear that? Our children and youth are coming out of our nice, well-behaved conservative churches thinking only 43% of what we say is right!! What kind of preachers do we have in America???!!

What kind of church leadership would produce the next generation – 57% of them- who think the 300 millions demonic Hindu gods, or Islam or Zoroaster or that rock by the stream can get them into heaven! Remember – judgment begins in the House of the Lord – the church!

Fourth and final point – all of this spiritual incompetence – both by design and accident – is a result of the lack of proper teaching of the Creator and His Creation. When we have more and more people believing in evolution and then saying they’re Christians, we have Corruption, period! A person CANNOT BELIEVE IN BOTH CHRIST AND EVOLUTION!! A true believer saved and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, will never attribute God’s creation to some massive blob exploding off a big bang ape crawling out of the sea in ancient Egypt 300 gazillion years ago…but more and more so-called Christians believe that lie from the pit of hell, via Charles Darwin!

The reaction of several church leaders I know in my own travels locally mostly is stunning! Instead of trying to fix the problems, seek Divine Guidance so God gets the Glory or go back to the Basics of the Faith, these pastors and leaders hunker down, grab even more of what they THINK IS THEIR TURF and cut off real men of God in their congregations who are the remnant that fully grasp this evil and urgency of the hour! They cut off and ignore the hurting teens, women and men in our offices, homes and even churches... and the Quiet Desperation of their people and while continuing with their Stained Glass Masquerade!

We Are Easter People, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: 1st Peter 1:17-23
1:17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.
1:18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.
1:20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.
1:21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
1:22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.
1:23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

Let me start right out with the title of this sermon. We are Easter people. We are the people of the resurrection. Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, buried and rose again. He is the resurrected Christ. When we are baptized, we go beneath the water and rise up again, sharing with Him symbolically the resurrection from death to life.

We are the people of Easter, the people of the resurrected Christ.

But Peter is telling us that if we are going to follow God, we need to follow Him all the way while we are here on this earth, living as though we expect God to be the impartial judge that He is. We need to draw near to God until His presence overcomes our pride, our ego, and our self-interest to the point that we praise Him even for the difficulties and tragedies of this life.

For we are a special people, as followers of God, set aside for His purposes. We walk in the righteousness of the Son, Jesus Christ, redeemed from sin by His shed blood on the cross. People look to us, watch how we respond, to see if God is real in our lives.

But this is not like trading in a coupon for a free bag of chips. Not something we can pick up now, lay it down when it pleases us for some special desire we wish to satisfy, then pick it back up again. This is a life given over in violence and blood, to save us. This is blood that oozed from the scourged back of the Son of God, who allowed them to do that to Him, for you and I. This is a body racked with pain as bones strained against sockets, while muscles and sinews gave way and screamed in agony. This cost the Son of Man and Son of God something, something terribly painful. Then there was the darkness of death as He was taken down from the cross and laid in a cold, borrowed tomb.

So Peter reminds us, "Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart." And it is here we stumble around so badly.

That car in the other lane cuts you off, someone grabs your parking spot, someone takes out their anger on you, you are falsely accused, you fall into temptation and succumb to it, life isn't fair. So the first time you have a chance to unleash your anger on someone else, to make their life unfair, well, there you go. So much for loving your neighbor as yourself.

There is so much evil in the world most of us have no idea what's out there waiting for us. If it were not for the protecting arm of our Lord and Savior, life wouldn't even be worth hanging around for. If we had any idea -- and some of you who have traveled abroad, perhaps in the military, indeed do -- we would not add to it. Because none of us has any idea what load the other guy or gal is being ground down with. We might wish they had our troubles, but if we had theirs, we would want ours back.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we walk a fine line where loving our neighbor is concerned. We are told not to judge one another, but we are to be conscientious with the truth, to avoid people who would tempt us, use us, and draw us away from God.

John 12:47-48 gives us Jesus' example when He advises us, “If anyone hears My words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day."

So on the one hand Jesus is saying don't judge others when they deny Jesus Christ, for God will take care of that. But on the other hand, He is also saying we who follow Him are to keep His words. And as to keeping His words, 2nd Timothy 2:15 gives us wise counsel: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." For if we are rightly dividing the word of truth, we will save ourselves a great deal of consternation and confusion, and be able to share truth and clarity with others.

There is across this nation at this moment a mistaken effort to align Islam with Christianity by those unschooled in the ability of "rightly dividing the word of truth." They mistakenly believe that both Islam and Christianity spring from the roots of Abraham. They do not, and the "evidence" that they use is colloquial, not historic.

Part of their argument is that Islam also speaks of Jesus, and it does. But our crucified, risen Lord is considered a prophet by Islam, not the Son of God and not resurrected. Muslims teach from their Qu'ran that Jesus will return to earth and rule the world from the Islamic Qu'ran, not from the word of God.

Anyone who has studied the Qu'ran knows it is full of deception, permission for and advice to lie, full of the abuse of young girls, the oppression of women, and advocates violence against those who will not worship their Allah.

When pressed regarding this, Muslim priests, called Imams, respond that the Bible is also full of violence. And they are correct, except the violent wars of the Bible are documented as history, not advocated against those who will not worship Jesus.

It is also worthwhile pointing out that the love, hope and peace of the Olivet Discourse and the Sermon on the Mount found in the Bible are nowhere found in the Qu'ran.

There has never been, and will never be, anything like the living word of the Living God, of which Hebrews 4:12 tells us "The word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of the thoughts and the intents of the heart."

There is no truth or love like there is in the Living God.

There is no forgiveness like that gift of eternal life given through Jesus Christ.

There is no future, no hope, no promise like that of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

If you know the word of God, in all of its entirety and context, God-breathed, then you know that. It stands alone. Exodus 20:1-7 is a listing of God's original Ten Commandments to us, and the very first one is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." And the second is like to it, that we shall have no images or likeness to which we will bow down and serve. There is only one Living God, and He is found in neither Islam nor the Qu'ran. Nor is His Son, Jesus who is the Christ, nor the Holy Spirit.

In days of old, the people of Islam called Christians "The People of the Book," because we held so closely to the inspired word of God. And they were right. We still must hold very closely to the true word that God has given us. For in the culmination of that precious Book known as the Bible, we find the mystery of the ages coming to fruition in the New Testament -- just as today's scripture says He was "destined before the foundation of the world" -- the virgin birth of the Son of God, His walking among us as the Son of Man, his healing and teaching, and His death, burial and resurrection; the mystery revealed. The reason we will forever be Easter people.

Now, if you are not certain that you belong to Jesus Christ, that there is enough evidence to judge you a person of the Book, or an Easter person, you need to take care of that right away. For there is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, one death on the cross that took away your sins -- if you will accept that gift from Jesus Christ -- and one destination for those who believe in Him. Everything else misses out on Easter.

Amen.

We Can Afford It, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Psalm 16

16:1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
16:2 I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You."
16:3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
16:4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
16:5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.
16:6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
16:7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
16:8 I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
16:10 For You do not give me up to Sheol, or let Your faithful one see the Pit.
16:11 You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Perhaps some of you remember an old hymn that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up, away beyond the blue."

That's us. That's you and I; all of those whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We have placed ourselves in the hands of Almighty God, and our future is assured. In troubles we take refuge in Him, we have nothing of value outside of Him. Today's scripture reminds us that it is God who gives us counsel, a good heritage, and as long as we keep Him always before us, we shall not be moved, our heart is glad, and our soul rejoices.

With such a future assured, what have those who love Him have to worry about, to be concerned about, to be angry or upset about? In fact, the Son of God instructs us to approach everything with love, even those who would be our enemies.

Right now, all across our nation, believers and non-believers alike are being divided into opposing groups as anger, betrayal, suspicion and a raft of other emotions sweep aside good sense, all unity, all common demand for ethics, morals and character in the conduct of our societal relationships and our governing bodies. The dividing is being done by those with something to gain from turning Americans against one another, turning Christian believer against Christian believer.

Some people become self-righteously angry when the nation of Americans is spoken of as one of exceptional ability and blessing. But history has shown the United States of America to be populated by individuals of, indeed, exceptional ability, creativity, foresight and leadership. Originally created upon the belief that all men are created equal before God, and endowed with certainly inalienable rights, America has been a Godsend to downtrodden peoples around the world, as this nation has shared its wealth, it natural desire for freedom, its food with the hungry, its healing with the sick, its riches and resources with those in need.

America has also seen the seamier side of life take root on its shores, as well, as the greedy, the criminal, the lascivious, and those who would gorge themselves on the misery of others, have wormed their way into positions of power and influence and obligation. For believers, the written word of God has warned us to avoid even the appearance of evil, in order to keep clear of exactly what has fallen upon us. In James 4:7, we read, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

But we've not resisted. We've been drawn into the muck and mire of evil by our desires for more and better and sweeter, turning our back on the needs of others, and compromising what we knew to be just and right in order to satisfy our desires. And in doing so we have poisoned the well of future generations, we have set aside the promised joys and protections of Almighty God, we have cut our own Achilles heel, we have stabbed ourselves in the back.

America is awash in misery and debt even now, entire families out of work and losing their homes, going hungry, creating the long lines at church food pantries and employment agencies, and outlets for the public dole, and the missions for the homeless.

Satan has not done this to us. Evil has not set a snare and trapped us. With our unbridled desires for self-satisfaction, for pornography, for the agreeable killing of infants still in the womb, for the abuse and misuse of innocent children, for the mindlessness of illicit drugs and the relief from our sense of responsibility through legal potions that numb the mind for a time, and kill us before our time.

In a war that began in heaven, a conflict spoken of in Ephesians between monumental good and evil, like the cowardly soldier we have shot ourselves in the foot to get out of the battle before us. But we cannot get out of the battle. We are the battle. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

This is a battle every living human being is in. No one is immune, no one opts out, no one gets away.

So I put to you, if we are all in this war between good and evil, and we cannot get out of it, if in not choosing sides we are actually choosing a side, then why would we not choose God's side? Why would we not put ourselves in His all-powerful hands, and follow His leadership? If we are of a sane, logical mind, it simply makes good sense to accept the gift God has given us in Jesus Christ, and follow God's instructions to us, to guide us through this war against evil.

The next step is to find out what those instructions are, and to follow them.

However, while I absolutely encourage you to give yourself over to God, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I will not embark upon a full lesson here regarding what His instructions to us are. What I will address here are those instructions relevant to the times which are upon us, the disaster about us and before us.

For I am of the considerable opinion that so very much of what Jesus taught and said and stood for is wrapped up in the words we read in John's gospel, chapter 13, verses 34-35: "“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

Who is it that we must love? One another. Jesus said this at a feast of love, while He still walked this earth as a human being. And so we are to love one another with a human love, but not "just" with human love. For Jesus went on to say, "as I have loved you." Later on in John 17:21-23a, Jesus prayed, " that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and You in Me — so that they may be brought to complete unity."

We are to love one another that we all might come to unity in Christ; all in Him. All in one. In Him we have nothing to fear. In Him, even with differing opinions about what to have for breakfast, for what newspaper to read, or even in whom we should place our earthly leadership, through love for one another we are still one, one with Christ, one with the Father. It is all about unity, then. Love places us in unity.

Through love, then, we can afford to be generous with our understanding of those who differ with our opinions, we can afford to love even those who would be our enemies, we can afford to stand alone, with Christ, and still be in the majority. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Nothing, then, can separate us from His love, so we can afford to be kind, understanding, and accepting of even those who would be our enemies

I pray we may come together, in love if it be at all possible, but certainly in unity in Christ to stand against the enemies of Almighty God, against those who would create mischief and disunity in this nation and this world created by the hand of God, for even in the end of all things, nothing can separate us from the love of God, so that as believers we of all people can afford to be generous with our love, as He loved us. Amen.

Do We Live, or Die, for Christ?, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

3:1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
3:3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
3:4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

This being Easter, I wish I could preach on four different texts, but I don't think anyone would sit still for a sermon that long. But in addition to today's text in Colossians, I would recommend to you Acts 10:34-43, where Peter speaks to living in the name of Jesus Christ, being commanded " to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." And also both John 20:1-18 and Matthew 28:1-10, for these are both beautiful accounts of the disciples', and Mary's, discovery that Jesus, who before their very eyes died the death all human beings will know, is now alive again, risen to new life, and at this point time, only the angels of God understand it and are not either dismayed or frightened by what they see.

Gloria N. Harris, in her book, "Angel Chasers," writes "In particular, angels are curious about our salvation. The Apostle Paul, speaking on salvation said in 1st Peter 1:12, 'Even angels long to look into these things.'"

Seems odd, though, doesn't it? For the one witness even as Jesus was rising from the dead, throwing off the wrappings and folding and laying aside the napkin, was an angel. It was an angel who rolled aside the stone and sat on it, nearly scaring the life out of the Roman soldiers guarding that tomb. And it was an angel who sat in the empty tomb, waiting to give the news to Mary that the Lord of Glory was not there, He was risen. So what would angels be curious about?

Their curiosity stems from the fact that the angels of God have never sinned. Christ did not die for them. They "know" about salvation through Jesus Christ, but they don't know what it feels like to have your sins forgiven, to receive the new birth.

Explains Gloria N. Harris, "They are curious about such things and want to study, examine and analyze to understand how we can endure such things and continue in the hope and peace only God can give."

What I've always found interesting is that the Greek word translated "look into" actually describes someone stooping over to look, so that you get a picture of the angels peeking over the clouds to see how we deal with this salvation business, about which they are so curious. And in the history of mankind, it is a monumental event. It is in Acts 10:42 and 43 that Peter put the imprimatur of God's planning and the wisdom of the prophets of old on what has just taken place.

And all the while you and I, for whom God's great plan of salvation was designed and intended, we often take it for granted, while many of those in mankind throw it aside completely.

For those of us who fear God and believe in His Son as Savior, there is a paradox here in that Jesus Christ, the infinite, died that the finite, might live. And believing in Him as Savior then, with our sins forgiven, we are called to die to all sin that we might live in Him.

So the question arises, then, are we to die for Christ, as He died for us? Or are we to live for Him.?

After all, following His death, resurrection and His return to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, a very real persecution ensured involving Jesus' disciples, and continues to this day.

Among the disciples, only John, the beloved disciples, escaped being martyred. In the years following the death of Jesus, holding to faith in Him became a torturous experience for the disciples and for many Christians. Stephen was stoned to death in Jerusalem, 35 AD. Philip was crucified in Phrygia, 54 AD. Barnabas, burnt to death in Cyprus, 64 AD. Peter, crucified in Rome, 69 AD. Paul, beheaded in Rome, 66 AD. Matthew beheaded in Ethiopia, 60 AD. Mark dragged to death, Alexandria, 64 AD. James, clubbed to death in Jerusalem, 66 AD. Thomas, speared to death in Calamina, 70 AD. Andrew, crucified in Achaia, 70 AD. Only John, brother of James, son of Zebedee, died a peaceful death in Ephesus during 100 AD, after having been exiled to the island of Patmos by Roman Emperor Domitian, then released, living until the reign of Emperor Trajan.

But take note, the Bible is not a manual for how to die a good death for Jesus Christ, or how to be a good martyr for Almighty God. However, the God-inspired Word handed down to us through antiquity is, almost line by line, a manual for how to live for God, how to live this life so as to be filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in the steps of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:1-4 tell us that since we "have been raised with Christ," we are to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." We are told "set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth," because in Christ, we have already died, "and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

It should be no wonder to us that we read in 1st Peter 2:9, " But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light," nor that we are admonished in 2nd Corinthians 6:17, " "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

Christ came among us teaching, healing, encouraging, loving, and died on a cruel cross that we might live the life He lives before the Father. And living, that we might die to sin and be alive in Him, wearing His righteousness before the Father, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession...."

The nine words of Song of Solomon 6:3 make it clear for all the world to know that I am His, and He is mine. An eternal union, and all because of Easter morning, an empty tomb, and a risen Son of Almighty God. Thank You, Father. Amen.