The Greatness of Grace

This is one of those sermons that when it is over if you can say, thank you LORD I am not like the people he was talking about then this message was not for you.  It could be that this message is just for me and not you at all.  So if it upsets you, angers you, or make you feel uncomfortable, then it is for you.

Grace Greater Than All Our Sin Lyrics: FORGIVENESS
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

To understand God’s grace is to understand outside our human understanding of Grace.

1. Grace used as a noun (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

2. 
Used as a verb, do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence.

I am not one to watch commercials but I saw this commercial about a bleach pen.  If you had a stain, just pull out the pen and rub it on the stain and it would be gone. Sometimes we treat grace like a holy bleach pen. Oops, I made a mistake. Let me grab my bleach pen of grace. Quick prayer to blot out the stains. And off we go as if nothing happened. Yet grace is so much more than a holy bleach pen. So much more than a moment where we seek forgiveness for our sin. Grace isn’t meant to be just a moment-by-moment "my bad" cleaning. Grace is meant to be a movement of God in and through our lives. Grace not only results in an internal change in our own lives; it also moves us toward actions that result in external changes in the lives of others.

Grace is a terribly misunderstood word.  Some of the most detailed theology textbooks do not offer any concise definition of the term. Someone has proposed an acronym: GRACE is God's Riches At Christ's Expense. That's not a bad way to characterize grace, but it is not a sufficient theological definition.

One of the best-known definitions of grace is only three words: God's unmerited favor. A. W. Tozer expanded on that: "Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving."

Grace is not merely unmerited favor; it is favor bestowed on sinners who deserve wrath. Showing kindness to a stranger is "unmerited favor"; but doing good to one's enemies is more the spirit of grace.

To help us understand Grace today, I want to share with you a few scriptures that have been difficult for some to understand.

Luke 6:27-36  Read

Grace is not a dormant or abstract quality, but a dynamic, active, working principle:  "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation…and instructing us" (Titus 2:11-12).

It is not some kind of wraith like blessing that lies idle until we deserve it. Grace is God's sovereign will for all sinners (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Grace is not a one-time event in the Christian experience. We stand in grace.

Romans 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The entire Christian life is driven and empowered by grace: Hebrews 13:9

It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods.

Peter said we should "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

So, we could properly define grace as the free and benevolent influence of a holy God operating sovereignly in the lives of undeserving believers.

We heard the story of the two sons, where the younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my inheritance I am supposed to receive someday. So the father divided his wealth between his two sons. A few days later the younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country, and there he wasted his money living like a fool. After he spent everything he had, there was a terrible famine throughout the country. He was hungry and needed money. So, he went and got a job with one of the people who lived there. The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs. He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything. The son realized that he had been a fool.

He thought, ‘All my father’s hired workers have plenty of food. But here I am, almost dead because I have nothing to eat.  I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But let me be like one of your hired workers.’  So he left and went to his father.

While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him. So, he ran to him and hugged and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So, they began to have a party.  The older son had been out in the field. When he came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.  So he called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’  The boy said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the best calf to eat. He is happy because he has his son back safe and sound.

The older son was happy and so excited his brother was home--- oh, you read the story.  He was angry and would not go in to the party. So, his father went out and begged him to come in.  But he said to his father, ‘Look, for all these years I have worked like a slave for you. I have always done what you told me to do, and you never gave me even a young goat for a party with my friends. But then this son of yours comes home (notice he did not say my brother) after wasting your money on prostitutes, and you kill the best calf for him!  His father said to him, ‘Oh, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But this was a day to be happy and celebrate. Your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.  It is time to be gracious, not angry.

I hear Jesus saying, “Give him your cloak also. I’m reminded of Noah, Noah found grace in the eyes of God. But not only Noah, but also his 3 sons and their wives get in the ark too.

The thief on the cross.  Forgiveness plus grace.  “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”  You see, Grace goes beyond forgiveness…

Some of us understand that God forgives, but I wonder sometimes if we really understand His grace.

If you do understand it, “God bless you”, because many have never truly understood what Grace was. Some think Grace and Forgiveness were the same things. To some they sound like the same thing. “I had grace, so I forgave them.” Some think when you forgave someone, you had grace on them. But what I want to talk about is a church that is capable of the same kind of Grace that God has shown to us.

·        A grace that prefers the other person. In honor preferring one another

·        A grace that is not a me first attitude. It is not my way or the highway

·        A grace that goes beyond forgiveness. It is forgetting the past.

·        A grace that supports and comes along side people who do not deserve it. 

Is it possible that this church could be a church that is full of Grace?  It is one thing to be a friendly church but it is greater to be a gracious church.  The real question is …

·        Are we capable of showing grace to other people as well as the household of faith?

·        How will our church ever be a grace church if we are not a Grace people?

When Jesus was talking about our enemies and how we are to treat them how much more gracious should we be to our Christian brothers and sisters?

Some of us haven’t gotten forgiveness down pat yet, how will we ever get to grace?  There is this attitude that I forgive you but I will never forget what you have done, is not forgiveness.  If you keep bringing up the past you have problems with forgiveness.  That is what the devil does.  God has a sea of forgetfulness.

Micah 7:18-19 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.  He will again have compassion on is; He will tread our iniquities under foot, Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

If we are to say to our enemies and those who have disrespected us more than just I forgive you as taught by our LORD by adding grace to our actions it will look like this: 

·        I forgive you and I want to bless you… Here’s my cloak!

·        You stole 50 dollars from me, but I forgive you and by the way, here are another 20.

·        It’s the father putting a ring on the finger of the son who wasted his inheritance.

·        You wasted everything I ever worked for, but here’s a ring and a fatted calf and a celebration because the son that was lost has come home!

·        Grace goes far beyond Forgiveness.

I am well aware there are people who hard to understand why they act the way they do.  They are spiteful, petty, malicious, and downright hard to love and we call them our brothers and sisters.  They are not in the class of enemies.  So, how much more gracious should we be towards them?  

My advice is pray for them that the LORD open their eyes to see that they are mean, spiteful, petty malicious and downright hard people to love.  It may be that the LORD has just been waiting for someone to pray for these people so He could send the Holy Spirit to open their eyes to their ungracious actions.

If we can ever become a church that extends Grace to everyone, we will be a Church that others say, Behold, how they love one another.

Nature- The Weapon of the LORD

Ezekiel 14:13¬14 "'Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,' declares the LORD GOD."

Jeremiah 12:4  “How long is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, Animals and birds have been snatched away, because men have said, "He will not see our latter ending."

Back one month ago I wrote about the number of natural disasters that had occurred up to July 2017.  In the month of September alone there have been 27 natural disasters that have covered fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding. All over the world people are seeing an increase in natural disasters.  It is time, we as humanity, focus on what the LORD is saying to us.

Again, for the past decade, it has been obvious that the LORD has been trying to get the attention of the American Christian.  There is within the church, in general, this attitude that in the future the End Time scriptures will be fulfilled.  The problem with this type of thinking is the future is now.  While the country is fighting over whose statue to take down, and what a terrible president we have, our nation is faced with serious issues that will bring this country to its knees.  It is not China, Iran, North Korea or Russia that should be our concern; it is America that we should be concerned about.  The evil that has invaded out nation is destroying us.

The natural disasters should be an eye opener to the need of returning to the LORD.  These are not normal disasters.  Hurricane Harvey just broke the record for rainfall in the continental United States, Hurricane Irma is so immensely powerful that it has been called “a lawnmower from the sky”, vast stretches of our country out west are literally being consumed by fire, and the magnitude-8.2 earthquake that just hit Mexico was completely unexpected.

America is burning and we don’t see the seriousness of what is happening.  California is on fire.  Oregon is on fire. Washington is on fire. Montana is on fire.  All around the world fires are destroying large areas.  British Columbia is on fire.  Alberta is on fire. Nova Scotia is on fire.  Greece is on fire.  Brazil is on fire.  Portugal is on fire.  Algeria is on fire.  Tunisia is on fire.  Greenland is on fire.  The Sakha Republic of Russia is on fire. Siberia is on fire. 

Texas and Florida are under water from the hurricanes.  India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, experience record monsoons and massive death toll. Sierra Leone and Niger experience massive floods, mudslides, and deaths in the thousands.  Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia are crushed in the death grip of a triple digit heat wave, dubbed Lucifer.  Southern California continues to swelter under triple digit heat that shows no sign of letting up.  Northern California continues to bake in the triple digits.

Yellowstone volcano is hit with earthquake swarm of over 2,300 tremors since June, recording a 4.4 quake on June 15, 20017 and 3.3 shaker on August 21, 2017.  5.3 earthquake rumbles through Idaho. Japan earthquake 6.1 possible tsunami.   Mexico's earthquake of 8.2 created tsunami warning. 

 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma (biggest ever recorded), Jose and Katia are barreling around the Atlantic with 8 more potentials forming.  Harvey and Irma could be a breaking point. At $556 billion, the Houston metropolitan area’s economy is bigger than Sweden’s. New Jersey could easily fit inside the region’s sprawling footprint, where Harvey dumped 34 trillion gallons of water, as much as the three costliest floods in Texas history combined. The Harvey response alone eventually could double the $136 billion in government aid spent after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans. An estimated $1.73 trillion worth of real estate was in the path of Irma’s hurricane-force winds, according to the University of Wisconsin’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies.

We won’t know the true extent of the damage that has been caused down in Florida for many days, but we do know that much of the state is already without power. The widespread outages stretch from the Florida Keys all the way into central Florida. Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest electric utility, said there were nearly 1 million customers without power in Miami-Dade County alone.  Nursing Homes are feeling the impact of the loss of power.  There are now reports of deaths occurring in nursing homes from the lack of air conditioning.

In the end, the federal government will likely step in and spend a lot of money that it does not have to rebuild and restore the communities that Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have destroyed. But we are already 20 trillion dollars in debt, and it is being projected that we will continue to add another trillion dollars to that total every year for the foreseeable future.  At some point, this debt will simply become completely unsustainable.

I am not an economist nor do I have a vast knowledge of the stock market but given history of booms and bust we are rapidly approaching a bust.  In 2008, many people lost a large portion of their retirement, I was included in that group. As there is more and more demand on the government to pay for these disasters there will be a breaking point where there will no longer be funds to rebuild what has been destroyed.  The major disasters will keep on coming.

The major natural disasters seem to just keep on getting bigger, and they seem to be hitting all over the world more frequently than in the past. The disasters are arriving with greater frequency. Counting Harvey, the U.S. this year has experienced 10 weather-related events each costing $1 billion or more. But it is imperative that we all begin to understand that something has fundamentally changed.  Our world has become much less stable, and “apocalyptic events” are starting to hit us one after another. 

There are many ministers today that will tell you that the natural disasters are not the judgment of God.  What is happening is the normal course of nature. In the 37th chapter of the book of Job, we are given a description of how God controls the “course of nature.”  Job explains how the LORD controls all of nature and how he uses the wind, rain, and snow.  “He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.”  If Job could see how the LORD used nature for correction and mercy, maybe we should pay more attention to what is happening.

Nature is controlled by the LORD.  “From the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.” (Is. 29:6)

Scripture shows us that God uses natural disasters, such as tornadoes and earthquakes and floods and forest fires and famines and volcanoes, to judge mankind for his sinful ways.  As lawlessness increases in a nation, so do the natural disasters.  When we have record evil we will have record disasters.

Ethical Holiness

We are living at a time when there are questionable ethics in every aspect of our society.  The Bible has much to say about ethical conduct for those who consider themselves a follower of the laws of God.  The terms ethics and morals are virtual synonyms.  Ethics is what is normative and absolute.  It refers to a set of standards around which we organize our lives, and from which we define our duties and obligations.  Morality or mores is the shifting behavioral patterns of society or culture.

The LORD was developing a nation that was based on the ethical holiness of GOD.  The moral laws in the 19th chapter were not just commands of conformity.  They called for just, humane, and sensitive treatment of others. The elderly, the handicapped, the poor all were to receive consideration and courtesy.  The laborer was to be paid promptly.  The stranger was to be shown the same love given to fellow citizens.  The ethical treatment of people was not with overt behavior but with motive; vengefulness and bearing a grudge was condemned.  How our society has changed from how the LORD intended for us to act.

Regarding the aged or elderly. I can remember when the elderly was respected.  People would hold doors for them, offer them a seat, allow them to first in line; they were respected.  The elderly was thought of as wise and insightful.  Here in the 19th chapter, we are given this command: Show honor to old people, stand up when they enter the room.  We are to stand upon in the presence of the aged, show them respect and doing this you show reverence to God.  Manners are not taught to children today.  When an elderly person is speaking to you, stand up.  Don't walk in front of two elderly people talking.  Don't interrupt elderly people who are in conversation.

There was a time when people looked up to those who had been around the block a couple of time or more.  They had a certain knowledge and skills that society thought as useful.  I remember holding my teachers in high regard and having respect for most of them.  Sure, there were those you couldn't stand, but for the most part, you treated them with respect.  You would not even consider cussing out a teacher or calling them a name to their face or threaten them with violence.  When did we lose our respect for the elderly?  I am not trying to make this a generational issue but is does seem that every generation has less respect for the elderly.  I am aware there are some who have been taught to respect their elders, I am speaking about the one who doesn't.  What happened in their life that made them so disrespectful?

Our traditions are part of who we are, and many seem unimportant to the culture today, but they are the connection to the past.  Some of our traditions are like Grandma's quilt.  It is thread bare, hard to clean, and not very warm in the winter.  A newer quilt would be much better, warmer, easy to clean and even fits the bed.  We don't throw out Grandma's quilt because we want to hold on to the past.  The same with customs of honoring the elderly they are our connect to the past and should be honored.

At the beginning of our country, there was no place for the handicap.  They were treated differently.  It was until some people set out to change the way the handicap has been addressed that legislation was enacted in 1973 to change how there were treated.  In 1975, Education for All Handicap Children Act provided education free for any child living with a disability.  In 1990, the American With Disabilities Act protected from discrimination from employers.  Do these laws work to give a better life?

People with disabilities are four to ten times more likely to be a victimized than people without disabilities.  Most crimes against the disabled are not reported.  Caregivers often do not believe them when they do report abuse.  Most programs for crime victims are not available to much disabled because of accessibility. The FBI and the National Crime Victimization Survey administered by the Depart of Justice does not include people with disabilities.  

Do we need laws to tell us how to treat people; apparently, since children are not taught at home?

In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of poor in our country.  When President Johnson declared war on Poverty it was a no-win situation the War on Poverty has cost $22 trillion -- three times more than what the government has spent on all wars in American history. Federal and state governments spend $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars on America's 80 means-tested welfare programs annually.

Even though the war on poverty has been a failure, the poor in this country are far better off than other countries.

Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, at the beginning of the War on Poverty, only about 12 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed the air conditioning.

Nearly three-quarters have a car or truck; 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks. 

Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite television.

Two-thirds have at least one DVD player, and a quarter has two or more.

Half have a personal computer; one in seven has two or more computers.

More than half of poor families with children have a video game system such as an Xbox or PlayStation.

Forty-three percent have Internet access.

Forty percent have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV.

A quarter have a digital video recorder system such as a TIVO.

Ninety-two percent of poor households have a microwave. TV newscasts about poverty in America depict the poor as homeless or as residing in dilapidated living conditions. While some families do experience such severe conditions, they are far from typical of the population defined as poor by the Census Bureau. The actual housing conditions of poor families are very different. 

Over the course of a year, only 4 percent of poor persons become temporarily homeless. At a single point in time, one in 70 poor persons is homeless. 

Only 9.5 percent of the poor live in mobile homes or trailers; 49.5 percent live in separate single-family houses or townhouses, and 40 percent live in apartments.

Forty-two percent of all poor households own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

Only 7 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Sweden, France, Germany, or the United Kingdom. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)  Could it be that our changing definition of poor has contributed to the problem? 

1.2 billion people live off $1.25 a day.  Poor people in developing countries spend 60-80% of their income on food.  3 million children die from malnutrition every year.

Imagine if every child between the ages of 0 and 4 in the states of Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and D.C. died in 2017. It would be utter chaos.

Maybe the government needs to teach family responsibility, support the family unit instead of breaking it up.  Nearly two-thirds of those classed as living in poverty are single parent families.  It is easier to get government assistance when you are a single parent.  Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us.  Does that mean we ignore them and treat them with disrespect? No.  We need to help free them from the bondage of poverty.

I am about to wander into an area that has already caused me to offend some people.  I have been told I lacked love and was a poor example of a Christian.  That may be true but what I believe is not based on my belief system but the word of God.  

So, let us tackle the subject of how do we treat the stranger.  Countless Bible studies have been conducted in America using the passages of scripture about the "stranger" and the "aliens" in our country.  The 19th chapter of Leviticus is the foundation for some of this discussion.  

Let us read from the Bible Lev. 19:33-34.  Christians were supporting the "stranger and illegal alien" stop right there and decide they know all they need to know about their duty as Christians towards the illegal alien.  We are to treat them like one born among us, according to the Bible.  That means the benefits of citizenship.

But wait, they have developed some terrible theology- not to mention politics.  Liberals have taken a scripture out of context, by not understanding what is being said to whom about whom.  The question is how do we deal with the "stranger or foreigners"?  Before we start quoting scripture, we need to define the eight words which are translations of the word stranger, strangers, foreigner, sojourners or alien and how they are used.  Without this clarification, we have scriptures that appear contradictory and inconsistent.

These laws were given to make a distinction between the Hebrew people and the non-Hebrew.  The strangers were not permitted to worship with the Hebrews.  They were not to come near the Tabernacle if they did they were to be put to death.  They could not participate in the Jewish Passover.  They were to stay separated from Hebrew people.

The command is to treat the stranger well because they knew what it was like to be a stranger.  Here is a significant difference between the Hebrews and those coming illegally into our country.  In the beginning, the Hebrew was the guest of the Egyptian Pharaoh.  Later they would be oppressed by a ruler "who did not know Joseph."  They were not trespassers or lawbreakers; they were not there in Egypt illegally.  In fact, in Genesis 46:28-34, they were not to offend their host in any way.  God loves the stranger and so should we.  They are to be treated with respect and dignity.  They should not be mistreated.  They should be given food and clothing as they need.  That is the message of the Bible- treat the law-abiding foreigner and aliens with love and compassion.

Those who came into the land of the Hebrews were expected to obey Hebrew law.  They were treated differently than the Hebrew citizen.  They could not own property; they could be bought and sold as slaves, strangers were charged interest on loans, strangers would be put to death if they violated the law of worship.  

So, if we are to follow the teachings of the Bible, those who come into this country come by invitation only.   Foreigners can never own property, they will be put to death if they disrupt our worship, are not to offend the citizens of this country, and they cannot celebrate our religious holidays.

We have an ethical obligation to follow the command of God regarding our fellow man.  We can always expect those who have no regard for the law to disagree with us.  I find it difficult to understand why someone would take away from their family and give to someone who disrespects them.  I find it even harder to understand how someone can willingly give away the future of their children to criminals?  We have all witnessed on the news the stories of those in our country illegally who have taken the life of someone's son our daughter.  How is this justified?

As Christians, we do have an ethical and moral obligation to treat people with respect, but we are not obligated to assist those who are lawbreakers.  Let me again say, The moral laws in the 19th chapter were not just commands of conformity.  They called for just, humane, and sensitive treatment of others. The elderly, the handicapped, the poor all were to receive consideration and courtesy.  The laborer was to be paid promptly.  The stranger was to be shown the same love given to fellow citizens.  The ethical treatment of people was not with overt behavior but with motive; vengefulness and bearing a grudge was condemned.  How our society has changed from how the LORD intended for us to act.

When Jesus stated the next great commandment was to "Love your neighbor as yourself, He was saying an Old Testament command found in verse 18 of chapter 19.  This scripture is what has been called the "golden rule."  There are both negative and positive forms of this "rule," but all of them demand that we treat others with the same kind of treatment we want for ourselves.

At the beginning of chapter 19 of Leviticus God gave this command, "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."  There is no doubt a great distance between the holiness of God and the holiness of man, yet, God urges us to close that distance by keeping the commandments of God.  Jesus said, If ye love me you will keep my commandments."  The Law of Holiness is not addressed to a selected group of individuals.  It is applied to the entire community of Believers.  The Law aims to create a holy people who live their lives in a display of consecration to God in their day-to-day relations in all their affairs of life.

In chapter 18 verse 21 it states, "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." In chapter 19 verse 12 the same expression is used, "‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord."  To profane, the name of the LORD is to impair His reputation among the non-believers.

When Christians agree with, tolerate, or condone actions that the LORD has said are a violation of His commandments they profane the name of the LORD.  During the time, these commands were given people would sacrifice their children to the god Molek. Sacrificing to Molek is no different than those who sacrifice their children to the abortionist. Christians who agree with, tolerate or condone abortion profane the name of the LORD.  Murdering an innocent child is to profane the name of the LORD.  How can the LORD bless a nation that both believers and non-believers support the killing of innocent children?

In the book of Ezekiel, when the people of Judah brought punishment upon themselves, they profaned the name of the LORD.  The Gentiles regarded the defeat of Judah as a defeat of Judah's God.  The reason the people of Judah were in exile was their God was not powerful enough to protect them.  So, the reputation of God was profaned.  

How the LORD is viewed by the non-believer is not His worry, it is the responsibility of those who call themselves Christian.  Christians must live and act as to win respect for Jesus Christ among those who are non-believers.  Any behavior that brings public disgrace on Christians is taking the name of Jesus Christ in vain.  As a representative or witness of the LORD, any action that enhances the dignity and honor of Christianity is the sanctification of the Name of the LORD.

In conclusion, morality or mores is the shifting behavioral patterns of society or culture.  We have been given a warning about living a "moral" life. The morality of the end times is given to us in Paul's second letter to Timothy, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away."  These are the behaviors that exemplify our society.

As a Christian, we are to live holy lives based on God's ethics. Ethics is what is normative and absolute.  It is the standards around which we organize our lives, and from which we define our duties and obligations.  The command to be a holy people is based on ethical living.  The ethical standard was given to us by the LORD for the normal life of the Christian.  The commands are absolute and not based on the cultural morality.  The LORD says today, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."

America 2017

For the past decade, it has been obvious that the LORD has been trying to get the attention of the American Christian.  There is within the church, in general, this attitude that in the future the End Time scriptures will be fulfilled.  The problem with this type of thinking is the future is now.  While the country is fighting over whose statue to take down, and what a terrible president we have, our nation is faced with serious issues that will bring this country to its knees.  It is not China, Iran, North Korea or Russia that should be our concern; it is America that we should be concerned about.

Ezekiel 14:13­14 "'Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,' declares the LORD GOD."

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why do so many bad things keep happening in America?

Those who know me understand my passion for protecting our clean water source.  Water is the source of life, without it, we would cease to exist.  Yes, I know that we have the same amount of water that we had at the beginning of creation.  However, we have not been good stewards of that water, and we have less clean water than we had 100 years ago.

Most Americans have never heard of the Ogallala Aquifer, but it is absolutely critical to food production in many areas of the United States. The water from this massive underground lake is used to irrigate much of America's Great Plains. From 2011 to 2014, 8% of the total 2.92 billion acre-feet, has been depleted, an overall decline of about 267 million acre-feet.  At this rate, the water supply will be gone in a few short years.

So why is that a bad thing? Well, the Ogallala Aquifer is a gigantic underground lake that stretches from southern South Dakota all the way through northern Texas, covering approximately  175,000 square miles.  If it is gone, the era of "pivot irrigation" in the region will be over. That would mean that the Great Plains could quickly turn into the Great American Desert. America could very well see a return to the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. Are you prepared for that?  

Conditions in the American West, especially in the Dakotas and northeastern Montana, are dire. The government’s own data, gathered by the US Drought Monitor indicate an “exceptional drought” condition in patches of these three states. Here’s the definition of that rating: “Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses. Shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies.” Scary.

The drought is so bad, in fact, that an estimated seven out of ten farmers in these areas have chosen not to even attempt to bring their wheat to full harvest, instead baling it early to create hay. That strategy drastically reduces the amount of wheat to be made into flour on the open market and also reduces the income of those farmers.

Sadly, the United States has only enough grain stored up to give about a half a loaf of bread to every man, woman, and child in the United States. How long do you think that is going to last in the event of a major emergency?

Ranchers and farmers are struggling with the lack of water already.  What will happen if the drought continues to move south across the United States?  Land use is aggravating the impact of drought when water users like farmers and landscapers, power plants, and urban populations must all draw from limited water supplies. Because of this, drought can impact everything from the availability and cost of food to the cost of electricity over a wide region. When comparing single events, i.e., one hurricane compared to one drought, drought is the most expensive natural disaster.

In North Dakota, it was reported on August 22, 2017,  that some ranchers are resorting to drilling new wells as the previously established wells have dried up. In South Dakota, reported impacts include: dry dams or unusable water, lack of well water, failed hay crops, and wildfire danger. In Nebraska, it was reported that crops are beginning to stress due to the lack of rain.

It was reported on August 22, 2017, that 98 percent of the topsoil moisture in Montana was rated very short to short and 90 percent of subsoil moisture was rated very short to short. The USDA reported 67 percent of the state’s pasture and rangeland was in poor to very poor condition. It was also noted that livestock sales have been accelerated 3 to 4 weeks ahead of normal due to the extreme lack of moisture. Wildfires have resulted in poor air quality. The Lolo Peak fire has scorched 32,000 acres thus far.

Added to this is the increased number of natural disasters that have taken place already this year.

In 2017 (as of July 7), there have been 9 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events included 2 flooding events, 1 freeze event, and 6 severe storm events. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 57 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. 

This does not include the latest hurricane, Harvey.  It is estimate $24 billion dollars in damages have already occurred.  Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research, said that he would place it among the top eight hurricanes to ever strike the U.S. “A historic event is currently unfolding in Texas,” Aon Plc wrote in an alert to clients. “It will take weeks until the full scope and magnitude of the damage is realized,” and already it’s clear that “an abnormally high portion of economic damage caused by flooding will not be covered.”

Over the past 5 years, there has been an increase in the number of natural disasters. These disasters are each in the billions of dollars.  The LORD is trying to wake us up.

The old saying, "when it rains it pours," is certainly applicable to the United States right now.

Already faced with some of the biggest economic problems in a generation, America is also being forced to deal with horrifying natural disasters, rapidly  growing  environmental  nightmares and agricultural problems that could end up being absolutely unprecedented. So why do so many bad things keep happening to the United States? Does there come a point when the economic damage from all of these disasters just becomes too much? After all, how much can the "biggest economy in the world" take and still remain standing?

In looking back over some of my sermons forty years ago, my concern was with a sleeping church.  Many churches today have become no more than a social or service club.  I struggle with how spiritually blind Christians have become.  America was once the Christian lighthouse of the world, but that’s all over.

The LORD has brought judgment upon this Nation, and we are so blind we cannot see.  We have had our focus diverted by those who manipulate the news media.  We have lost sight of who we are as a Nation.  We have allowed our sins to go unchecked until our country; it is filled  with hatred and evil.  The spiritual leaders have made the message of the Gospel little more than a means to pad their pockets.  This is also the judgment of the LORD on this Nation

Zechariah 11:16 "For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs . . .” (Because the spiritual hoofs have been torn off our people by self serving church leaders who know not God, we no longer know how to walk the Christian walk.)  Instead of repenting, we continue in our sin.

Just before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the godly sighed and groaned over the abominations committed in their midst, but do we?

Ezekiel 9: During the time of the prophet Ezekiel, the LORD spoke to Ezekiel about the condition of Israel.  The LORD was angry and sent angels to mark the people who groaned over the abominations which were being committed.  Those who were not concerned about the sin and evil going on the LORD sent angles to kill them.  The LORD told the angels that  it didn’t matter if they were elders, young men or young women, children or mothers—you must use your weapon and kill everyone who does not have the mark on their forehead. Don’t show any mercy. Don’t feel sorry for anyone. The Death Angels started at the elders in front of the Temple.

The LORD told Ezekiel, the sins of the country had filled the cities with crime.  The people had disregarded the LORD for so long that they came to believe the LORD could not see their sins.  The action of the LORD was  not to show any mercy or feel sorry for them. They brought it on themselves. They were getting the punishment they deserve.

Do you believe, the LORD of hosts, is going to act different now, just because you go to your spiritually dead church on Sunday, know the four spiritual laws and have said the sinners prayer?

The Lord is putting the above mark on many today. If you have that mark, you know it, because you recognize the lateness of the hour, Romans 13:11 “. . . knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.”

Not All Quakers are Christian

I know the title will not make some Quakers happy.  I open the door for disownment by Friends who are Universalist.  However, this does not really bother me.

Several years ago (2003) I was faced with a decision to stay or leave the Yearly Meeting  I had been a pastor in for over 20 years.  It came down to condoning whose theology would be acceptable.  I made the decision that I could no longer support the leadership of the Yearly Meeting and made plans to leave.  However, the church I was pastoring made the decision they could no longer be part of the same Yearly Meeting, they made the decision to leave and to keep me as their pastor.  I have been able to continue my ministry in our community.

It was a difficult decision as a pastor of a church we had grown to love, but we could not in clear conscience continue to support the denominational leadership. Hardly ever does any minister face a decision quite as momentous as leaving the denomination that you have given so many years of service.  Having given consideration to the ramifications of a lost ministry within my community, the division of families within the church, the number of non-members who would not understand why decisions were made, and the possible demise of the church, yet, despite such possibilities, I left everything in God’s hands.  I made a clear and unfaltering decision that I would not compromise with unbelief and immorality found among some of  the churches and leadership of the yearly meeting.  I made the decision having taken into consideration the consequences to my own spiritual life if I were to be faithful to the message I have proclaimed during my ministry.  The Word of God binds me, as I see it.  I had to obey God, not men nor organizations.  Does the Word of God preach separation from unbelief and apostasy?  I cannot say for you, but I can say for myself: I will not go on in compromise.

It became evident that the leadership was not going to abide by the Essential Truths as taught by Orthodox –Friends), I am bound by the Word of God.  It is spiritually unsafe and dangerous to do anything against the Holy Spirit.  It was in a spirit of prayerful concern I made my choice.  So, in the words of Martin Luther, “Here I stand.  I cannot do otherwise.  God help me! Amen.”

That was in 2003.  Much has changed since then. Our church became independent.  We have grown in membership; God has blessed us financially, spiritually, and we have become a refuge for Christians of like faith giving them a place of worship.

On the other hand, instead of drawing closer to the LORD those who practice “another gospel” are slowly dying.  I am sure there are many within the church that have seen the powerlessness of the repetition of Bible verses, used as the basis for Christianity. They have a form of godliness but lack the power.  Authentic spirituality radiates from inside individual hearts, not collective tongues, or church buildings. Our current condition of the Church in general lays bear a system busy with perpetual committees, new programs that rely on man’s abilities rather than the Holy Spirit. Many within these churches are confused about where to look for real answers.  Many satisfy themselves with spiritual placebos and politically correct sermons. Self-appointed shepherds don't recognize the truth. But the most telling aspect of the drifting away is not the failure to guard the flock, or the ineffectiveness in the spiritual, social, or political realms, but its struggle with identify sin as sin.

The centuries old substitutes of words, verses, and chapters, platitudes, plaques, and songs will never suffice. No surface modifications will work, not even if every member agreed to live in unity. The only change to come from symbolic, meaningless gestures will be worse, turning into much worse. A silent, persistent truth fills the church that has forgotten the LORD. It says, there is an absence of a genuine connection to Him who gave rise to the Church. Christ is standing outside the door of the church knocking to come in.

This generation has been told such deep lies that all the efforts now are aimed at restructuring a belief system to fit their illusions and rid them of a guilt coming from a condition they have declared doesn't exist---sin. This prevents them from calling out to God who they need more every day.  We are admonished to repent.  But the question is, Why?  If all are going to heaven and Christ may not even be divine, what is the point?  The very doctrines they expound are destroying their belief system and leaving them with hoplessness.

I know that the issues facing the Church today, are theological ones and that our theology determines, not the emphasis merely, but the character of our message and the end and purpose of our ministry. In a word, I believe that the issue is between the gospels of Jesus Christ, attested by Christ and His Apostles, and recorded in the New Testament, and another gospel, which is not a gospel, but a perversion of the truth as it is in Jesus. This other gospel is the product of a theology that is, at every vital point, diametrically opposed to the doctrine we hold and results, not in a diluted gospel merely, but in a negation of all that is distinctive of Early Christians.

Paul said, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Tit. 3:10-11).

The word translated divisive (hairetikos) in this context (cf. v. 9) denotes a person who follows teachings and practices that are contrary to Scripture. Heretical teachers are divisive for they seek followers of their own perverted doctrines. Paul obviously is not referring to atheists and pagans but to people who are part of the church. Can a person cause schism in an organization that is not a unified body? Can someone divide that which is not first united? A church must protect itself against false teachers by first a private warning and then if necessary  disownment. Such men who refuse to heed the warning and repent are “self-condemned” (Tit. 3:11). They are sinners and wicked men (Mt. 18:17). The apostle John wrote, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 Jn. 10-11). “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17). “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars” (Rev. 2:2).

Speaking as an Orthodox Quaker, I acknowledge that the doctrines of the trinity, the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus, biblical inerrancy and salvation by grace alone are essential doctrines. When a church denies the doctrine of the divinity of Christ that church is labeled a cult. People are then warned to stay away from its teachers.  When churches deny biblical inerrancy (as the universalistic Quakers have done and continue to do), they call our LORD a liar and destroy the very foundation of all biblical truth. The results are individuals that deny the Virgin Birth, the miracles of our LORD and the literal, historical bodily resurrection of Christ. All such individuals are apostate and wicked. All Christians who refuse to leave such a denomination are participants in its sins and are guilty of supporting antichrists. Paul says, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith” (2 Tim. 3:5, 8).

This section mostly will apply to Quakers.  However, it may  apply to others as well.  Consider an area over which there is NOT agreement among current Quaker pastors and theologians—that is the discussion over whether or not universalistic Quakers are part of the body of Christ.   Is universalism a genuine form of Christianity that has some deficiencies and errors that do not strike at the heart of the Gospel? Or, is it a damnable heresy? Are the errors so fundamental that the true Gospel of Christ is denied? Although it has been fashionable during the last few years or so for Orthodox pastors and writers to speak of Universalistic Quakers as our brothers in Christ and to regard their churches as true churches of Christ, such speaking and thinking is not based on the teaching of Scripture or logic. Rather, such thinking is often based on sentiment, (they are good people, and many are my friends, they can’t be that bad).  People have a desire to fit in with current popular opinions, a desire to appear loving and friendly and the idea that Universalism is really Christian. People who really believe the tenets of Universalism, who hate the true Gospel, are not one bit closer to salvation than the rankest Jehovah Witness for both believe that salvation is achieved not by the grace of God alone but by a cooperative effort between God and man (synergism).

Universalism denies the effects of sin. The Bible teaches that man (as a result of the fall) is depraved and totally unable to respond to the Gospel without a prior work of sovereign grace. All men are dead spiritually (Eph. 2:1-5), hate the truth, hate Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:19-21), dwell in darkness (Jn. 1:4-5), have a heart of stone (Ezek. 11:19), are helpless (Ezek. 16:4-9), are slaves of Satan (Ac. 26:17-18), and cannot see or comprehend divine truth (1 Cor. 2:14). Universal Quakers deny the plain teaching of Scripture by holding to the old semi-pelagian notion that man is not dead but merely spiritually sick.  The whole point of denying man’s spiritual inability is so that the “first and chiefest part in the work of their salvation may be ascribed unto themselves; a proud Luciferian endeavor!”

Universal Quakers deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. While they loudly proclaim that we will all be saved by God’s love alone, they explicitly deny this truth in their doctrine of salvation. They do not believe Jesus Christ is the only part of the plan of salvation.  They explicitly reject the biblical doctrine of atonement, that Jesus Christ by His sinless life and sacrificial death perfectly satisfied God’s justice, thus meriting and procuring all the saving graces: regeneration, faith, repentance, sanctification, and glorification for the believer.

If an individual says, Jesus Christ is not the means of salvation and reconciliation with God the Father to save a people unto Himself, that faith is not a gift of God, that God does not draw sinners unto Christ, God’s un-judgmental love will not condemn souls to hell, then that individual is a dangerous heretic, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a false prophet. The apostle Paul said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).

Among Quakers there are different degrees of faithfulness to God’s word, there are different degrees of declension and corruption, and there are churches that are remaining faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ while others are moving backwards. There are even different degrees of faithfulness in different congregations within Friends meetings.  When choosing a church, you should look for a church that is as close to the biblical standard as possible. This is a difficult subject because no church is pure. Every church has defects. All churches are made up of saints and sinners. Yet, when churches obstinately depart from various important doctrines and cannot be won over to the truth through biblical means, Christians are justified in separating themselves from such an ecclesiastical body. However, they should do so “decently and in order.”

A church or denomination, which does not take church, discipline seriously, which allows sinful behavior and false doctrine to function unimpeded in the body is heading toward apostasy. The study of church history is to a large extent a study of what happens to churches, which refused to discipline false teachers.  Men who tolerate evil because of cowardice, or a false view of love, or a false understanding of unity are not fit to be pastors or elders or leaders. Further, men who rule arbitrarily as if authority originates from themselves instead of Christ and His word also are not qualified to govern Christ’s people.  Do not submit yourselves to such men. Does this mean that yearly meetings must function perfectly, or that leaders do not sometimes make stupid mistakes? Of course not. But when dangerous doctrines are repeatedly and openly tolerated (e.g., universalism, and denying essential Scriptural truths, etc.) the writing is on the wall.

Virtually all Friends churches today are deficient in certain areas. Even the apostolic churches that we read about in the Epistles and in Revelation had some serious problems with sin and doctrine. Although as church members we should not expect or demand instant holiness, we do have a duty to strive for the reformation of the church. The best way to avoid schism and preserve the peace of the church is to diligently work for its purity both doctrinally and ethically. Leaving a church is a serious matter that should only occur after all attempts at reformation have failed.  Believers should never separate themselves from a church, which, though still far from ideal in its exercise of discipline, was making a valiant effort to reform and purify itself according to the word. Further, we cannot expect a perfect church this side of heaven. It is, therefore, necessary that all believers embrace the true religion; and, in particular, that they deny none of those fundamental articles of faith which are necessary to salvation. It is not to be supposed that the members of any society have a perfect agreement in their views about all religious matters; for that is hardly to be expected in this world.  A person does not have to believe all the non-essentials of the church. However, once joined, such a person is required to not spread unbiblical opinions in the church.

The Bible makes frequent reference to false teachings, and it is often within the context of refuting heresy that its positive doctrinal material is cast.

There are also warnings about those who proclaim another Jesus or a different gospel, or who introduce a spirit other than God's Spirit (1 Cor. 15:3-5; 2 Cor. 11:4;

The denial of Jesus Christ's coming in the flesh is regarded as from the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:1-6). There are warnings about people who cause dissensions by teaching doctrine directly opposed to what Christians already know to be true (Rom. 16:17; Tit. 3:10-11). There are warnings about those who claim to love God but do not love God's people (1 John 4:20; 5:1), and who deliberately break away from the teachings of the church on the basis of perverted doctrine (1 John 2:19). Finally, there are warnings against adding to or taking away from the words of prophetic Scripture (Rev. 22:18-19) or twisting the Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16).

Looking over these warnings from Scripture, we may classify heresies into six major categories:
1. Heresies about revelation — teachings that distort, deny or add to Scripture in a way that leads people away from truth
2. Heresies about God — teachings that promote false gods or  distortions of the true God.
3. Heresies about Christ — denials of His Divinity, His genuine humanity, His true identity as God.
4. Heresies about salvation — teaching salvation by works; denying the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection; and so forth.
5. Heresies about the church — deliberate attempts to lead people away from the fellowship of true Christians; utter rejection of the church.
6. Heresies about the future — false predictions for which divine authority is claimed;

Although heresies tend to fall directly into one or more of these six major categories, heresies can, in fact, occur on virtually any doctrinal subject. Nor should it be thought that the New Testament gives us a complete catalogue of all possible heresies. In our day there are literally thousands of clever distortions of Christian theology that deserve the label heresy, and they can be seen as such apart from being explicitly anticipated and identified as heretical in the Bible. The Bible teaches us what is absolutely essential, articulates principles as to what is basic to sound Christian faith and what is nonessential, gives us a wide variety of examples of heresies, and expects us to exercise discernment in evaluating new and controversial teachings when they surface.

Furthermore, it must be realized that as the church progresses through history and deepens its understanding of Scripture, heresies, in general, are becoming more subtle, more deceiving, more easily mistaken for authentic Christianity.

For example, modern-day heretics who reject the Old Testament are rarely as frank about it as the second-century heretic Marcion, who simply denied that the Old Testament was in any sense Scripture (he also discarded much of the New Testament). Instead, they adopt a method of interpretation, which, while formally admitting that the Bible is God's Word, in effect makes the Old Testament irrelevant to the Christian, which is contrary to the clear teaching of the New Testament (Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16).  This is the same heresy that gives to us the idea of a “continuing revelation” while ignoring the written WORD.

In short, heresy is any doctrine which the Bible explicitly labels as destructive, damning error; or a doctrine which the Bible instructs is not to be tolerated in the church; or any doctrine which, even if not mentioned in the Bible, utterly contradicts those truths which the Bible indicates are essential for sound Christian faith.

The leadership in many churches today is creating turmoil of division and dissension, by judging those who have strong Biblical beliefs as dissidents who are unloving, unkind, judgmental and unstable and preying upon the weaker Christian.  Church leaders are developing an environment ripe with condemnation of Biblical beliefs.  How long can we halt between two opinions?

Here is an observations of the present- day “Christian”-- they lack moral courage. Moral courage involves the willingness to speak out and do that which is right in the face of forces that would lead a person to act in some other way.  For one to have moral courage, they must first have the courage to stand for the core values of the Christian doctrine.  Most Christians have an aversion to speaking about their faith, much less standing up for what they believe.  Moral courage is essentially an act it is a reflection of one’s character.

Moral courage comes from moral wisdom.  The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD.  The fear of the LORD is foundational to true wisdom.  All other types of learning are worthless unless built upon a knowledge of the LORD Himself. 

Solomon understood the importance of building the right foundation when he wrote Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  A wise person fears/reverences/obeys the LORD; a fool despises God’s instruction and cannot be told what to do.  The wise person has a foundation on which to build the moral wisdom to have the moral courage to do what is right.

The connection between the fear of God and wisdom means we cannot possess wisdom if we recreate God in our own image. Too many people want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody. But, if we redefine the LORD as a god that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God Almighty is far greater than that, and the fear of the Lord begins when we see Him in His majesty and glory.

One of the major deterrent to moral courage is that of spiritual incompetence.  Spiritual competence requires a knowledge of the written WORD in order to respond to a moral problem unrestrained by emotional passions.  How often have you heard, “I know what they did is wrong, but they seem like such a nice person.” Spiritual competence, which comes by being Spirit led gives the believer insight into the situation at hand and the spiritual wisdom how to react to the situation.  When confronted with a situation that may require hard decisions and deterrent to moral courage is that of risk aversion.  Moral courage requires the willingness to take a risk that leaves one exposed to ridicule and mockery.  Standing for our Christian beliefs requires moral integrity.  This is the courage to speak out against what is wrong and sinful when others might see us as inappropriately crossing the line and oppose us for taking a stand.

Christians should understand that we should not be fearful of confrontation.  It is important to remember any confrontational situation can only be won when one has the moral courage to face what is wrong.  Our Nation is in moral decline because as Christians we have lacked the moral courage to speak against the evil of the day.

The amount of moral courage we have is directly related to our certainty.  When we lack certainty in what we believe is shows in our communication skills.  Often you will hear Christians talk about how they feel uncomfortable about being assertive.  Assertive behavior is an honest, direct, and appropriate expression of one’s thoughts, feelings, or opinions.  The reason to be assertive is to bring about a behavioral change in the other person.  As Christians, we allow others to be assertive in their actions because we are fearful of offending. This fear or anxiety has resulted in many Christians remaining silent in their testimony for Truth.  Moral courage is a means to triumph over fear by the certainty of our actions.

Today we need moral courage to overcome our fear and stand up for the core doctrinal beliefs of the Christian faith.  Overcoming our aversion to taking a risk and developing an assertive attitude will help us enhance our moral courage.  This can only be done by Christians taking the time to gain the knowledge of God’s Word and learning that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. 

 I would offer to you the challenge to return to the old landmarks of the past, which empowered the Church for service, gave victory in the life of the believer, and turned the world upside down.