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Do You Know Who You Are?, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Isaiah 1:10-18, Luke 19:1-10

Isaiah 1:10-18
1:10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
1:11 What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
1:12 When you come to appear before Me, who asked this from your hand? Trample My courts no more;
1:13 offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation -- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
1:14 New moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
1:15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Luke 19:1-10
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it.
19:2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.
19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.
19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because He was going to pass that way.
19:5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
19:6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome Him.
19:7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."
19:8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
19:9 Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.
19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Whatever happens in America as a result of the Nov. 2nd national election, the stress and strain of coming days makes it most important that you know who you are. For it is on that basis that we make crucial life decisions. Who we are determines our entire approach to life and its highs and lows. We forgive, support or lash out at other people depending upon who we think we are as we come into contact with them.

In today's scripture readings, in Isaiah and Luke, we find two different responses. God had judged the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they recognized His authority over them not at all. Maybe, for just an instant of time, they thought they had the powers that God has, but He shut them down, permanently.

In Luke, Jesus comes to town and the man thought by all to be a sinner, judges himself as a sinner, but Jesus Christ speaks words of comfort to Zaccheaus, and ignores the judgment of the self-righteous; ignores even their judgment of Him.

The rulers didn't know who they were. The tax collector Zaccheaus knew who he was. In fact, he knew he was short, so he climbed a tree just so he could see Jesus. He knew who he was. Jesus knew who he was. The man's neighbors only thought they knew who he was, because they didn't know who they were. Do you know who you are?

It really is important that we have a clear understanding of who we are because our response to Christ, our understanding of Him, is filtered through our vision of who and what we are, and many have altered views of Christ you will not find in the written, inspired Word of God.

They are like the man who figured there must be some magic in the Bible, and to avail himself of it, all he had to do was pick out a verse and do what it said. So blindly he pointed to a verse. It was Matthew 27:5, which said that Judas went out and hanged himself. Well, that sort of shook him so he blindly pointed to another verse, Luke 10:37, which said "Go and do thou likewise." When you don't know who you are, and you don't know Jesus Christ, you are just up for grabs.

Listen to what Oswald Chambers says in "My Utmost for His Highest" -- "That Christ died for me, and therefore I am completely free from penalty is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that 'He died for all' (2nd Corinthians 5:15) -- not, 'He died my death' -- and that through identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted as a gift to me. The substitution which is taught in the New Testament is twofold -- 'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' The teaching is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me."

Oswald Chambers ends his lesson with a reference to Galatians 4:19-20, where we read Paul writing to the Galatians, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!"

Paul feels the pains of a mother with a stillborn child, seeing that those to whom he preached stopped at the point of thinking Christ was for them, without coming into the fullness of Christ by having Him formed in them. The Galatians knew about Christ from Paul, but they were now listening to others who played upon their emotions, and kept them from moving on to experience Christ.

They thought they knew who they were, but because they now listened to the siren sounds of the world, they were not who they thought they were.

We might use the common zipper as an example. The zipper on our jacket works a wonder to quickly and firmly close the jacket around us and keep out the cold breezes. Unless it gets off-track. Once a snag in the cloth gets in the way, or a hurried movement interferes, the zipper gets off track and does not work correctly. It will not advance and it will not go back. And it does not keep out the cold breeze.

When we not only know about Jesus Christ, but follow His example to experience Him, we can then fully experience the gift of life that God intends for us. Before God Almighty we wear the white-robed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We walk in His will for us, and nothing touches us that does not pass through His hands first. We are not promised that our existence here will be trouble free, pain free, or filled with riches and sweetbreads, but we are promised that He will go through it with us, and, as Mark Twain once alluded to it, ours is "the confidence of a Christian with four aces."

Do you know who you are, or do you only think you know? Are you so caught up in capturing and enjoying what is "good" for you that you have ignored God's warnings about who you are in His eyes? The rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah ignored God's judgment to their own peril, and destruction. The short-of-stature Zaccheaus accepted who he was, and changed, for which God blessed him.

This world does not adapt itself to our wishes, but often buffets us about with difficult lessons and misadventures. What is going on right now in the social structure of the United States of America is creating difficult times for many people, especially in the economic arena. Food, medicines, all the items necessary for life are rising in price, even as jobs and the opportunities to earn a living are disappearing.

Some counsel changing all this through the ballot box, even as reports surface of illegal voting practices. Some counsel change through the law, even as judges have begun to change the laws without the benefit of legislation. Some counsel that freedom and change comes from the barrel of a gun, and call for armed revolution.

Psalm 20:7 cautions us, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." The lesson of the Bible is that prayer changes people, and then people change things.

Do we know who we are as people of the Living God, as followers of Jesus Christ? I think we do, for again and again I see quoted 2nd Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Do we indeed know who we are? Are we "...My people, who are called by My name..."? If so, then we know what we must do. The very word of God could not be more clear. So, who are you? Do you know?

Amen.

It's Happened Before, Will It Again? Your Call.

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Lamentations 1:1-6

1:1 How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
1:2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.
1:3 Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
1:4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter.
1:5 Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the LORD has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.
1:6 From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.

Recently I attended the funeral of a friend, where someone expressed the thought that God should keep His arms around the deceased and give him special care to "make up for all he suffered and all that seemed unfair."

In a perfect world, that would certainly be expected. Right would never be overcome by wrong. Good, decent people would not be taken advantage of by thieves and swindlers and people who didn't believe in being fair. And God would count all the nice things we do to our credit, and balance out our sins.

That, after all, would be fair.

And wouldn't it only be fair if America managed to survive all the neglect it has suffered at the hands of those who live within its borders, who enjoy its God-given freedoms and protections, while ignoring Almighty God; drinking deeply from the well without giving thought to replenishing its waters. Only fair?

But I remember an old country adage that says "fair" is where you find the Ferris wheel and where you take the pig every summer to win a blue ribbon. There is no other kind of fair.

My experience in this life tells me that's pretty much true. How about you?

As for seeking justice from God by having Him balance things out, I'd run from that like a scalded dog. It really isn't justice we want from Almighty God, but mercy.

What has all this to do with our scripture? Allow me to substitute a few words in verses one and two for the sake of illustration:

"How lonely sits the nation of America that once was full of people and jobs! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal, financially beholding to other nations. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies."

There are few things that happen in our time that are new, and this is not new. Actually, the same might be said for Israel right now, and Great Britain, and others.

No, life is not fair. If it were, someone has said, we would never learn anything new.

How did America come to be full of people who want, want, want and never give back, give back, give back? What happened to all the jobs? How did the nation with "In God We Trust" stamped on its money, and with Christian mottoes adoring so many of its official buildings in the nation's capitol city -- how did such a nation of people become the nation that murders more infant children than any in the world? The nation that takes from those who productively support the nation and gives to those who have no legal right to be in that nation?

How did America put into place national leaders who claim to worship the Christ, but turn their backs on previously approved national days of prayer, who lie blatantly to the American people, who break their promises to the electorate while blaming others for their misdeeds? How could these things come to be?

There is nothing new under the sun. This has all happened before. No one should be surprised that it is happening again. All down through the history of mankind, through the history of nations, where there is power the righteous and the evil will contend for control. Greed, personal privilege, and avarice will take the field and claim the right of power. Pride, lust, gluttony will lead to sloth and defend itself with anger.

All through history, elaborated upon in the Bible, nations, armies, powers rise and fall as they unite to build themselves up, then drown in their own wretchedness.

It was precisely to avoid such predictable circumstances that the original founders of the United States of America set up a balance of power and organized a government that is "of the people, by the people, for the people." In fact, the first few line of the U.S. Constitution make clear its purpose: " We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

This nation's earliest documents make it crystal clear that this nation was founded on the idea of the free and unencumbered worship of Almighty God, and that government was established for the organized benefit of America's citizens. Somehow the government has become all important and the individual rights of its citizens became less important.

How did we reach this point, with all the checks and balances our forefathers put into place to protect us from ourselves?

Well, let's see.

This is the country settled initially by those seeking freedom to worship as they chose, not as the government required; the Christian Bible was one of the first texts recommended for all schools; in Washington, D.C., the Capitol Rotunda was for many years used as a site for worship services by four different Christian churches, and worship there was first initiated by President Thomas Jefferson. We also have a U.S. Constitution which guarantees us certain "God-given" rights.

And yet, Christian prayer is forbidden in our public schools today, the Bible is not allowed in most schools, the public celebration of Christian holidays is not allowed on most public property and in many schools; lawsuits regularly stop Christian invocations at public meetings, luncheons, even sporting events. Meanwhile the false religion of Islam is promoted by legislators, promoted even in public schools, and so-called ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ urge us to respect and revere the religion of Islam.

We have a President who has attended only one Christian church worship service during his two years in office, he has on two occasions refused to support National Prayer Day events unlike the two previous Presidents, and instead has held at least two public Islamic prayer events at the White House, as well as celebrating the major Islamic holiday of Ramadan at the White House, which this year coincided with Sept. 11th, America's 911 day of mourning.

The original question I posed was, how did we reach this point, with all the checks and balances our forefathers put into place to protect us from ourselves?

We reached it, I believe, because we were not paying attention. We took our eyes off the prize and our minds off praising God. Our attention was diverted by cable TV with its 4,000 stations of entertainment and sports, by easily accessed porn so no one knows, by skipped meditation and prayer times, all separating us from time spent with He who loved us first, with the God who cares enough that He sent His very best, taking our attention away from our own duties in the due concern for the health of our nation, giving free rein to those overcome by the power of their position, turning their back on We the People, and on the God who brought America to greatness. It has all become very confusing.

The Christian writer Oswald Chambers has written, "There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you."

It was Almighty God who brought America to its position of prominence in the world, to a level of wealth so we could afford to reach out to others in need and offer them the hand of Christian love, food, medications, strength in their time of weakness.

And I believe it is Almighty God who has brought us to this point in our history, that we might turn to Him once more, come to Him in prayer and worship, that we might return America to its position of greatness, if not for our sakes, for the sake of the world which needs America to be great once again.

It is not that we of America are so wonderful, so decent, so much more intelligent, helpful, or even prayerful than any other nation. But it is as Paul writes to the Philippians in chapter 3, verse 13-16: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

".....what we have already attained."

God has richly blessed this nation. It can be great once again, if we who worship the One God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will bring to life the promise of God's answer to Solomon's prayer in 1st Chronicles 7:14, if we will stand firm for what is right and what is just before God, if we will draw others to worship God and preserve what God has given us.

Might does not always make right, and right does not always prevail over evil. If we choose to exempt ourselves from the responsibility of God-given citizenship, choose instead to wring our hands and cry "Woe is me," and decline to use the very tools God has set before us for the protection and preservation of this nation He has blessed, then we can look forward to the very real playing out of that portion of our scripture in Lamentations 1:4-6 -- "The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer."

America is one of the last bastions of true freedom for the individual worshipper of God. If we will not work for a transformation of our own government on November 2, if we will not speak out for what is just and right before God, and if we will not ensure that others who worship God get to the polls on November 2nd and clean House and Senate of those who serve themselves and not God, then we deserve what comes.

This wonderful experiment in freedom and liberty does not deserve extinction, our posterity certainly does not deserve it, but those who will not ensure the survival of freedom, justice, and integrity not only do not deserve it, but will not have it.

" Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions..."

Let us "live up to what we have already attained" in Christ Jesus. Your call.

Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for October 4-11, 2010
Monday -- Exodus 3: 7-22
Tuesday -- Jeremiah 31:23-34
Wednesday -- 1st Samuel 18:1-5
Thursday -- Hebrews 8:1-12
Friday -- Hebrews 13:1-21

Saturday -- John 15:1-17
Sunday -- Micah 1:2, 2:1-10; Psalm 26; 2nd Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

Doing No Harm Won't Do It

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
16:20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
16:21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
16:22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
16:24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.'
16:25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
16:26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'
16:27 He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house--
16:28 for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.'
16:29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.'
16:30 He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
16:31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

From who-knows-where comes the story of the epitaph carved into the ancient tombstone which read:

"Remember, Friend, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, soon you shall be
Prepare for Death, and follow me."

To which some concerned soul had scrawled in addition:

"To follow you, I'm not content
Until I know which way you went!"

All across America, and even around the world, there are decent men and women living quiet lives, giving others a square deal, not making any waves. They don't cheat, they don't lie, and they don't take more than they think they deserve. For some that means a mansion that requires caretakers, for others a modest home and limited social obligations. They do not harm. Or do they?

Dr. Luke's subject in these verses of scripture inspired by Almighty God is the interaction, or lack of it, between two men, two creations of God, two members of the social strata of long ago.

The one has limited resources and cannot even care for his medical condition, apparently having no home except to sit at the gate and beg for his daily food to eat. As Luke tells the story, this man has no reward here on earth, but after his death, his is a grand reward in heaven.

Luke contrasts that, then, with the story of a man of quite some substance. He is of such lofty grandeur that if he ever noticed this fellow Lazarus, he probably dismissed him immediately from his mind. Dwelling on such social tragedies do not lead to victorious plans and accomplishments. Better to close your eyes and move on, and hope he does so as well, was perhaps his thought.

Luke offers us no evidence this rich man ever did Lazarus any harm, it's just that he never did Lazarus and good. Out of his abundance, he never once offered Lazarus so much as a wet finger dipped in water to cool the poor's man's fevered tongue. And yet this, indeed, is what the rich man asks of Father Abraham that Lazarus do for him.

Too late, far too late, the rich man learns of his foolishness, learns that his objectives were all off-target, learned that since he enjoyed himself and took his ease on earth, rather than sharing with others, he is offered no such reward in heaven.

The rich man wasn't such a bad guy. He just didn't help anyone when he could have, and it was counted against him.

As Luke's parable goes, the rich man knew enough to call out to Father Abraham for help after his death, so it can be fully assumed that he knew enough about Father Abraham, and the Living God, to know what was expected of him before his death. But he would have none of it. He would enjoy himself and take his ease, and such poor beggars as Lazarus were welcome to the hindmost, to nothing.

But we are much smarter than the indolent rich man. We have the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, not to mention Paul, to shed light on the path, to show which way to go, to avoid the traps and snares with which this life is replete.

For we in this generation have learned both by study and by example that not only are we tripped up easily by our own propensity to sin, but the Father of Lies, the enemy of God, desires to take our soul. But by doing the things God tells us to do, and by avoiding the things He tells us to stay away from, we can not only be a blessing to others here on earth and glorify His name, but we can be prepared for the glorious life to be lived across the eternal ages, in His presence.

First we need to stay close to His word, read it, understand it, digest it, and find a way to put it into action. We can begin with 2nd Chronicles 20: 3-4 and 29 where we are admonished to seek Him, know the will of God, and know that He will fight for you.

Read Isaiah 58:6 and know that the God who loves you will shatter strongholds for you.

But knowing is not always doing. The rich man knew what he should have done, but he did not do it. The wisdom of God is contained in His inspired Word as made available to us through the faithfulness and the shed blood of saints. But the action is within you and I. We have the gift of choice; free will. Will we be seeking that finger dipped in cool water to slake our outrageous thirst? Or will we be found offering a cup of cold water to the deserving and undeserving alike? Whichever it is, God will see, and God will know.

Your mind, body and spirit are built of God for service. Don't waste it on self-serving. May God richly bless your efforts in His behalf.

Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for September 27 - October 3, 2010
Monday -- 1st Samuel 2:27-36
Tuesday -- Hebrews 11:1-31
Wednesday -- Hebrews 11:32-12:2
Thursday -- 2nd Timothy 2:1-13
Friday -- Revelation 2:8-11

Saturday -- Matthew 25:1:30
Sunday -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 101; 2nd Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

We Are America!, by Michael Konkel

We Are America!

It took someone who dabbled in witchcraft, an unlikely favorite daughter of Delaware, to remind us that while everyone is thinking and saying that we need to take back America, we are America! Christine O'Donnell told us that and it rang true for me. It rang loud and clear, true for me.

While my hometown newsrags, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and the Fort Wayne News Sentinel continues their heinous diatribe of all things liberal and progressive, day in and day out, it had me wondering if the truth was every going to be able to shine through to my fellow citizens here in Indiana. Last election, Indiana turned into a blue state. I was crushed....not because Indiana voted in the majority for a black man because I would love to have been part of the history that would bring the presidency to a person of color. If there had been a decent person of color running for president, I would have been part of that history. Trouble is in Indiana, particularly in the cities, people are getting fed a steady stream of liberal garbage, are content and set in their ways, and fail to venture beyond the main stream media to get an idea about what is really going on in the country and the world.

Even today, I have a number of acquaintances who biggest goal in life is to improve their golf handicap. Many believe that tolerance about everything, not making waves, is the way to 'love thy neighbor'. In my own family, I have a sister who had a son, my namesake and nephew, Michael, who died of HIV/Aids which he acquired as an active homosexual man. Just today, after we exchanged e-mails regarding that froot loop Bill Maher, who she thinks is funny, whom I know to be a gay man with a hateful personality, and I said so....she commented, Oh so you think Michael is in hell.

If Michael gave his heart and life to Jesus Christ, repented of his sins before he died then I believe he is with Jesus Christ today and I told her this. And maybe Michael did this...I don't know, we did not live near each other. But this is the way we are....maybe your sister is a lesbian or your girlfriend has had abortions, because we love those people, we do not regard the truth of God's word but rather take the side of these sinners. This we do to our detriment. There are scriptural/biblical truths. God is known as the Alpha and the Omega, the one who sees the beginning from the end and vice versa and He has absolutely no reason to change His mind nor His word which are provided by the 66 books of our bible. These books and their authors were inspired by God's Holy Spirit to write the words therein...these words will not change and God's word will never return void. Of everyone anywhere, God is the only entity who says what He means and means what He says, all the time.

Today I tell you that I agree with Christine O'Donnell that WE ARE AMERICA! Our danger is found in the words even our founders have provided for us to consider. John Adams tells us that "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Benjamin Franklin adds "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters".

Daniel Webster speaks quite frankly on the subject when he tells us "....I am committed against every thing which in my judgment, may weaken, endanger, or destroy (the constitution)....and especially against all extension of Executive power; and I am committed against any attempt to rule the free people of this country by the power and the patronage of the government itself....".

We are at that crossroads America. In just 6 weeks from now we will vote and we must vote in numbers and we must vote with diligence and be vigilant to all the shenanigans of those who will certainly not play by the rules of our free society. If we are not diligent and vigilant then heaven help us as Samuel Adams puts it: "The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy the gift of heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it. While, on the other hand, if we are universally vicious and debauched in our manners, though the form of our Constitution carries the face of the most exalted freedom, we shall in reality be the most abject slaves."

Abject slaves....this is what President Obama has in mind for us as he continues his drive to destroy our Constitution, our Republic, our way of life and our livlihoods. Do not be fooled by Obama finally stepping foot in some church this past weekend....his advisors have told him that political symbolism is necessary now more than ever. See instead, the fruit that he bears, and of course, you will know what kind of tree he truly is.

We are a nation of sinners and yet we all know that while we are in that condition that Christ laid down his life for each of us. People can turn from their sin and repent and a nation can do likewise. I particularly wish to call on my fellow Christians (captial "C" Christians), not those in name only, to take God at his word as found in II Chronicles 7:14..."If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Like I said, God's word does not return void.

Finally, regarding Christine O'Donnell, and I admittedly stole this from Glenn Beck when he asked is she a good witch or a bad witch fully aware that Chris Coons, her opponent is an avowed Marxist and there are only bad Marxists....no good ones. I intend to pray for her to find the light that is Jesus Christ and know that there is meaning in likeminded people doing the same thing. I would pray for her as quickly as I would pray for that generation alive today who seems to worship all things having to do with 'vampires' and other forms of Satanic worship as well.

WE THE PEOPLE, us Tea Party folks, are now supposed to be on the defensive from the Obama administration....I say, bring it on Prez....truth is on our side. I read the back of the book and I know how this is going to end....we win!

Sermon -- The Truth, or The Lie?, by Pastor Ed Evans

Posted at: Christian Church Online

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Scripture: 1st Timothy 2:1-7

2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,
2:2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.
2:3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
2:4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2:5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human,
2:6 who gave himself a ransom for all--this was attested at the right time.
2:7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

We have before us part of Paul's letter to Timothy regarding how he should conduct himself in Ephesus. You don't need to read many of Paul's letters to Timothy to realize that as a father loves a son, Paul loved Timothy. It was important to Paul that Timothy know not only the truth from the lie, but that he know how to distinguish the truth from the lie.

Since these letters from Paul to Timothy and to the churches have come down to us through time, intact, it would appear obvious that God the Father has an interest in we, His sons and daughters in this age, amidst these confusing events happening around us, know and be aware of the same kinds of things Paul shared with Timothy.

Paul was a trained expert in things religious, having studied under the very best of that age. He knew power and he knew how to speak truth to power. Perhaps even more importantly, he knew how to discern truth and lift it out from among the growing lies of that age, even as the Father of Lies planted lies more believable than the truth.

Matthew Henry writes in his commentary on these passages, "Sin had made a quarrel between us and God; Jesus Christ is the Mediator who makes peace. He is a ransom that was to be known in due time. In the Old Testament times, His sufferings, and the glory that should follow, were spoken of as things to be revealed in the last times. Those who are saved must come to the knowledge of the truth, for that is God's appointed way to save sinners: if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it."

Now, some 2,000 years away from Paul's letter to Timothy, we find ourselves in a similar situation. "...if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it," Matthew Henry wrote. That truth stands, down through the ages just as it did when Paul wrote to Timothy, in verses 3 and 4, that God our Savior "desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." But as Matthew Henry reiterated, "if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it."

Our scripture today begins with the issue of prayer and everyone's need for prayer. We take for granted our access to the Father for our needs, to pray for the needs of others, to seek wisdom, insight, to ask for protection and leadership in our lives, to ask for healing, for intervention in our lives and the lives of others.

But what of those people outside our circle of family, friends and acquaintances?

Paul urges "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions..." And Paul does this "so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity."

We may or may not like or approve of those who have power over us, those elected or appointed to positions over us, but we still owe them the respect of their office. If they misappropriate their appointed responsibilities, we need to remove them from office. But in the meantime, we should pay rapt attention to Paul's advice.

Why? Because prayer doesn't change things; prayer changes people, and people change things. It was for people Christ went to the cross, not for situations or events, but to reunite people with God the Father.

The 17th century theologian Albert Barnes, best known among Biblical scholars for his "Barnes' Notes on the Bible," wrote of Paul's urging that we pray for those in power, "... while all people should be the subjects of prayer, those should be particularly remembered before the throne of grace who are in authority. The reason is, that so much depends on their character and plans; that the security of life, liberty, and property, depends so much on them. God has power to influence their hearts, and to incline them to what is just and equal; and hence we should pray that a divine influence may descend upon them. The salvation of a king is of itself of no more importance than that of a peasant or a slave; but the welfare of thousands may depend on him, and hence he should be made the special subject of prayer."
Incidentally, the scripture translation used here is from the International Standard Version, but in many translations, and commentaries, the word "dignity" is translated "honesty." As honesty, the reference is to our duties toward our fellow human beings -- of whatever station in life -- the decent relationships we owe to one another through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Matthew Henry, again, elaborates, "The disciples of Christ must be praying people; all, without distinction of nation, sect, rank, or party. Our duty as Christians, is summed up in two words; godliness, that is, the right worshipping of God; and honesty, that is, good conduct toward all men. These must go together: we are not truly honest, if we are not godly, and do not render to God His due; and we are not truly godly, if not honest."

The real problem in our current age, however, goes not to the issue of not praying enough, or not praying about the right people or issues, and certainly not to whom we respect or don't respect.

I submit to you the real problem is that we in this age are ignorant of scripture. In his second letter to Timothy (2nd Timothy 3:16-17), Paul writes, " All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." If all scripture is "God-breathed", given of inspiration by God, and God is truth, then we can rely on the truth of scripture. But how are we to know when something is a lie if we have ignored knowing the truth of the matter?

All throughout the Old Testament God is spoken of as being truth. In the New Testament, John 1:17 reminds us "For while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. From John 4:24 we learn, "God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

John 8:32 gives us this promise: "And you will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free." To which we can add John 14:6 for clarity, where Jesus says, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me."

Knowing truth has perhaps never been more important than in this age, for Satan, the Father of Lies, is working very hard at misguiding those ignorant of truth, at misleading those unaware of truth, of leading into open rebellion against God those who will not seek out truth.

Harken back to Matthew Henry's words: "Those who are saved must come to the knowledge of the truth, for that is God's appointed way to save sinners: if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it."

The lies that would rule us are already among us, and you are going to see them showcased as truth more and more blatantly in the days to come, on the TV, in the news, in ads and interviews and movies. Not only Islamic Imams, priests, of the false god Allah would have us believe that Allah and Jehovah God are one and the same, we are seeing more and more people who claim to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ giving credence to this false idea. If you know anything at all of the Book of Revelation, this idea has the very scent of hell about it.

Revelation, chapters 17 and 18 document the rise and fall of one world religion, one world government. Those who neither know nor understand truth will likely be caught up in the religiosity of it all, and forfeit eternal life through their ignorance.

Now, there are also those who read, hear, skip across scripture just enough to lead themselves astray. So there is some question about whether or not the Church, the Bride of Christ, will go through this period of Tribulation described in the Book of Revelation. The letters to the seven churches make it plain the church will not, but here's the rub. I suggest that all of the church today is not necessarily covered by that promise. In other words, all that claims to be Christian today is not of the true church. This is suggested in the Revelation letter to the church in Thyatira in Chapter 2, and in Chapters 17 and 18, beginning with the first six verses of Chapter 17.

It is my urgent hope that if there are any here who still believe it is not important to understand the truth of scripture, just this bit of enlightenment will disabuse you of that notion. God has given us the information He knows we need to get through this age safely. We ignore it at our peril.

Jesus has told us there will be many who will claim to be the Messiah, many who will claim to have truth, claim to lead us to God. If we do not know the truth, how do we separate the truth from the lie?

All throughout life we will find it is so much easier to be ruled by the lie than to struggle with the truth. The lie will seem so much easier to live with, look better, taste better, feel better, meet with so much less resistance than the truth, have so many more supporters, and cost less.

Please, pray frequently, fervently, and faithfully that you might know the truth.

For here is the truth of the matter. The lie is a sin. And sin will take us further away from God, keep us so much longer, and cost us more than we ever intended. But if we do not know the truth, how shall we know the lie?

Amen.

Morning Worship Services for September 19, 2010

Invocation

Almighty God, You who created me and called me to Yourself, pour out Your Holy Spirit on me today so that I may be a wise steward of these precious gifts. In the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.

Read Psalm 3

Sermon for Sunday, September 19, 2010: "The Truth, or the Lie?"
Scripture: 1st Timothy 2:1-7

Prayers for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "Draw Thou My Soul, O Christ"

Lucy Larcom, 1872
Copyright: Public Domain

Scripture: John 12:32

Draw Thou my soul, O Christ, closer to Thine;
Breathe into every wish Thy will divine;
Raised my low self above, won by Thy deathless love,
Ever, O Christ, through mine let Thy life shine.

Lead forth my soul, O Christ, one with Thine own,
Joyful to follow Thee through paths unknown;
In Thee my strength renew; give me Thy work to do;
Through me Thy truth be shown, Thy love made known.

Not for myself alone may my prayer be;
Lift Thou Thy world, O Christ, closer to Thee;
Cleanse it from guilt and wrong; teach it salvation’s song
Till earth, as Heaven, fulfills God’s holy will.

Benediction

Go forth now as God's servant. Remember God's presence often and draw strength from the knowledge that the One who calls and sends also sustains. Amen.
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Daily Scripture Readings for September 19-26, 2010
Monday -- 1st Kings 17
Tuesday -- Luke 12:1-21
Wednesday -- Luke 12:22-32
Thursday -- 1st Timothy 6:1-19
Friday -- 2nd Corinthians 10:1-18

Saturday -- Philippians 4:10-19
Sunday -- Joel 2:23-30, Psalm 107:1, 33-43; 1st Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31