Environmentalism

1 Cor 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The body we have is perfectly suited for the environment we live in. I guess this (at least in part) explains why some get so upset when they see potential changes to our present environment. (Perhaps we would no longer be so well-suited to a changed environment?)

IF the environment was to somehow be changed in such a way that we could no longer survive due to the design of our physical bodies, do you suppose keeping a list of rules (the Law) could affect the body in a way to allow it to survive the un-survivable environment?

No, some sort of adaptation would have to be made. The body would have to be changed to handle the new environment. On the moon, men have to wear moon-suits. In outer space, men have to wear space-suits.

In heaven, men will have to wear heaven suits. The human body as presently designed is unfit for the kingdom of heaven.

The Bible describes this as a ‘heavenly body’ or a ‘spirit body.’ What will this body be like? Well, the best example we have is the body of the resurrected Christ, Who was indeed resurrected bodily. The Bible declares Jesus to be the “first-fruits” of those who are being saved, and that, “when we see Him we shall be like Him.”

Jesus was raised in a physical body which could be touched and He also ate food. There was definitely a physicality to His resurrected body - but He could also pass through walls and He could suddenly appear in a distant place only to instantly disappear again. He could also make Himself unrecognizable and then instantly recognizable. To me, this sounds really cool, and is something I really look forward to. The big question is: How do I get one of these spirit bodies, if keeping a list of rules won’t do it? The answer is I must be born again. To get a new body I must have a new birth.

 -  Pastor Bill

Cultural Divide

Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. 15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." 

Psalm 50:16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, 17 Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? 18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. 19 You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.

There is a cultural divide presented in Psalm 50, written by Asaph, one of David’s worship leaders. (I have separated the verses to make this divide apparent.)

The cultural divide is between the Godly and the Godless, and it filters down all the way into the present day. I suppose this divide has always been present in some form or other, going all the way back to Cain and Abel.

Cain desired to present to God the fruit of his pride, and Abel desired to give God a sacrifice of all God had provided him.

Their hearts could not have been further apart. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, and he rejected Cain’s. Cain got mad at God and killed his brother Abel. Cain’s descendents turned away from God, eventually becoming completely Godless, and were destroyed in the great flood.

There is an important clue present in the story of Cain and Abel, and it is that the Godless, no matter their apparent profit, will not survive. This is the theme of Psalm 50. No matter the apparent victory of the Godless you may find yourself in the midst of, they will not survive, and - that the Godly shall be delivered - no matter how woeful their circumstance may presently appear.

Appearance can be very deceiving, as when the Godless quote scripture to justify their Godless cause, in an effort to appease the Godly. Psalm 50 assures us God sees and God knows those who know Him – as well as those who do not. You may fool the people, but you cannot fool God.

These are very trying times for Godly people in the United States of America. We have been through a 150 year period of the erosion of faith. We are being told the country was “not founded on Christ,” and that, “the founding fathers believed in the separation of church and state.” We are being told these things by very important people – as they pass un-Godly legislation determined to create dependence on government and not on God. We rest in knowing this: God sees.

 -  Pastor Bill

Fairest Lord Jesus

Psalm 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. 3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. 4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; The peoples fall under You. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. 8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

Among the descriptions of Jesus found in God’s Word, the most romantic, (with the exception of the allegorical presentation found in Song of Solomon,) is found right here in Psalm 45.

This is the “passport photo” of the Messiah, so He may be recognized upon entrance to the nation – and upon entrance to the heart. Setting the nation aside for the moment, (and what took place as Jesus appeared in Israel,) the more important point of entry IS the heart.

It is all well and good to recognize and identify the historical Person of Christ. I was in that position for (basically) all of my life – even prior to being saved. That the nation of Israel failed to recognize Christ did not really affect my own belief in the historical Christ, as I was raised in a church which taught that Jesus was real. He was truly the Son of God, and He truly came to earth.

In conversation with friends in the workplace or wherever, I was confident to speak up and say that, “I believed in God,” or that, “I believed in Jesus.” I really did. (I think.)

But it had no affect on my life. It was an external belief that was sort of an abstract impression. I was concerned about my eternal destination – but I never really did anything about it. I was concerned about taking the Lord’s name in vain – but not enough to keep from doing it.

It’s a funny thing how we keep ourselves at arms length from eternity. Belief in a historical Jesus will not get you there. The truth is, Satan believes in the historical Jesus. But there’s something more the LORD desires we grasp, and that is belief in Christ to the extent we receive Him in our hearts. For that to happen something romantic has to take place…A romance which causes us to totally let go of ourselves…the abandonment of love everlasting. Look at this photo of Christ and receive Him in your heart. You’ll always be glad you did.

 -  Pastor Bill

Such a Deal!

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. 6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 7 Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." 9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. 10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.

There is a bargain that takes place at the center of the transaction that leads to salvation. The bargain involves what God offers to us and what we offer to Him.

Have you ever thought about it like that? He provides us EVERYTHING - what is of utmost beauty and value in the entirety of the universe - and we offer Him what is worthless - even LESS than worthless: all of our sin.

God gives His only begotten Son and we give Him our lying, cheating, stealing, idol-worship, hatefulness, ignorance, wickedness, vomit and putrefied sin.

No person could ever conceive of such a great ONE-sided deal, (which speaks directly of the Godliness of the whole process.) At once, The LORD provides the ultimate form and example of love, yet does not overlook the justice due. How wonderful, how grace-full is the love of God?

And yet, we look on and say, “I dunno… I’m not sure… I’m concerned about what I might have to give up.”

Really and truly, this is the primary concern of those who sit in their seat and refuse the grace of God Sunday after Sunday: What I might have to GIVE UP? God gives us His undying love and grace through the death of His Son, and we give Him our hatefulness, wickedness and spite – and our doubt…All the while wondering about the wisdom of making such a deal? What more could God offer? All we need to do is receive it to believe it. Remember what Jesus said? “Come and see!”

 -  Pastor Bill

Wealth Beyond Measure

Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.

We are presently enduring a season which has made all of us much more aware of economic forces. When things are going well, we are much less likely to pay so much attention to things like deficits and debt and bothersome stuff like that. When we are experiencing a surplus, we are in a much easier position to say, “Praise the Lord!” Our praise in those seasons is based upon our understanding it is God Who has provided, and so we praise Him. This is entirely appropriate.

But it is also God Who is providing in the tough economic seasons, when our praises tend to dwindle and to sound more like pleas.

I am constantly amazed how patient is with our (my) human nature - but then – we are His creation after all, and He knows our frame.

He knows that when we have less, we will look on at those who have more with a sense of longing. Those who were ‘wealthy’ heading into this economic crisis still seem to be wealthy, and they still seem to be doing fine…but, “Oh, what about me?!!”

God has a present and abiding desire to prove to His kids He is all they need. For those who have looked away from God and made financial gain, the Word teaches us they are not rich – they are bankrupt. God teaches us not to look on at the wealthy with any sort of longing whatsoever, (for good or for bad.) God teaches us wealth is found in knowing Him. Period. There is no wealth found outside of relationship with Him, and those who are truly wealthy know the Creator of it. Contentment is only found in knowing Christ. This is why David can truly say, “A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.”

-  Pastor Bill