“When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials….

The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me.…the only thing that would comfort was this verse:

“Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me….
The Bible tells me so.”

The old pastor stated, “I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children’s hymn ‘Jesus Loves Me’ (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best.”

“Here for you now is a Senior version of Jesus Loves Me”:

JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.

(CHORUS)

YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME.
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I’ll go
On through life, let come what may,
He’ll be there to lead the way.

(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
“Have no fear, for I am near.”

(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life’s victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I’ll understand His love.

(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.

(CHORUS).”

My question for you today is “DOES HE KNOW YOU LOVE HIM?” Have you told Him today?  Have you SHOWED Him today?

Deuteronomy 28… 

¹ If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: ³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

 ⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

 ⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

 ⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

 ⁷ The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

 ⁸ The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

 ⁹ The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

 ¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

This is a great question that I think a good many Christians ask when attempting to grow in their Christian faith.

Other relevant questions include:
Why don’t I feel closer to God?
What am I doing that is holding me back?
Why isn’t my church growing?

The answer, I believe, can be found in Acts 2:1  “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” This simply and purely shows us the example that we need to follow as a church and as individuals. The Apostles, in this case, were together, in fellowship, but also in unity.

How many times today are we in conflict with each other, within our church, and within our own body? We struggle. With sin in our lives, we are in a fierce spiritual battle where evil is attempting to overcome the good in our life. Yet, if we simply allowed God to work in our lives, listening to His guidance, then maybe we wouldn’t have it so hard. Then, and only then, can unity help us to grow together, accept each other (despite past experiences and emotions), and we can start allowing the Holy Spirit to work a good work in us. Revival may break out and the growth of the church may go far beyond what we could ever imagine.

So, how do we start? With you. And me. We have to start within ourselves. We can’t expect others to change if we aren’t willing to change. There has to be a start to our change and the best place is inside ourselves. One by one we can affect change and help others through us. So let’s not wait any longer. Let’s begin the process now. It’ll be a great journey – living with the Holy Spirit hovering over and around us the whole time.

What is the result of such a change? Acts 2:43-47 finishes the story of this miraculous moment in time: 

⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Sometimes we get in trouble because we don’t fully read instructions when assembling a toy or attempting do-it-yourself repairs around the house. I know my wife has told me many times that “If you had only read the instructions….yah-di-dah-di-dah.” Well, unfortunately, I have to admit that she was right (most of the time…ok, all the time). Anyway, there are so many things in life that we could do so much better if only we read the instructions.

Wait, you say….

There’s not an instruction booklet on every little thing. Well, there is! It’s called the Bible. Here’s the thing: we fail to read ALL the instructions.

Point in case: Jesus said 

“If you ask anything…I will do it” – John 14:14

Well, here we go with a case of failing to completely read the instructions. The entire verse reads:

 ”If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:14.

Ok, so simply, we need only to ask in prayer: “Jesus, I want…” and wam-o-bam-o, it’s done!

Well, again, NO. We have failed to “understand” the instructions . . . and again, we have failed to fully read all the instructions. First of all, we need to ask for God’s Will – that is what’s meant by “in my name.” If we read all the Scriptures, Jesus tells us in the Lord’s Prayer “Thy Will be done” – not ours. That prayer is an example for us to follow.

The remaining instructions remind us that our life is no longer ours, but God’s. Therefore whatever we ask should be something that God can benefit from, not us.

Therefore next time you need some help, pull out the instruction manual (the Bible) and read about how life is supposed to be done.  It was written for a reason.  Use it!

Now for the women that read this anyway – I hope that you at least got something out of it – cause I’ve now proven that it’s not just men that don’t read instructions – but women also. 

 ⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. – Galatians 6:7-10

When we remember to look to God for advice and encouragement, it’s easy to be reminded that we MUST do good.

The Lord blesses us in so many ways. Yet, we are blind to many of those little blessings that only He can provide. And according to Scripture, we must continue to do good in order to reap continued blessings. Do not grow weary, do not get tired, but instead, allow the Lord to refresh your spirit and assist you in doing good.

Yesterday I was listening to the Chris Tomlin song, “I will rise.”  If you haven’t heard it, it’s a great song!  Listen here:

Let God lift you up. Allow Him to help YOU say that “I WILL RISE!” Only through His blessings and perfect gift of Salvation do we have such a wonderful future ahead of us. Therefore, let all of us do “good.”

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  – Romans 8:35

The good news is that the answer is NO! Sin only separates us from God when we allow it too. How does it work then? We know that God and sin cannot be present together, for God is Holy. However, we do sin, and as many youth testified last night, many of us sin every day. Does this mean that God isn’t with us EVERY DAY????

Well, that comes back to choice: our choice. If we decide to sin everyday, then I believe that God has to be absent from us. However, if we “inadvertantly” sin, but quickly confess it, repent (turn away) and try to follow God again, then God won’t be far away from us. He’s kind of just waiting around the corner, asking to be in your life.  

The problem with sin is not so much that we do it, but that we do it regularly. Jesus showed us that living a sinless life IS possible – He did it! He was the example of how to live. He didn’t judge others, He didn’t condemn people, He didn’t hate anyone, He didn’t do what He wanted to do as a human being . . . No!

He did love everyone, He did lift everyone up, He did what God wanted Him to do.

That’s HARD! Well, not really…. What we need to do is have a change of focus.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

We must have a re-adjustment in our attitude and a whole new outlook in life! Take time today to pray to God, not just for forgiveness of your sins, but for a whole new focus on life. Many times when we are sinning and want to come back to God, we merely confess our sins, turn away, but then slowly revert back to our old ways of sinning (I know – because I’m just as guilty as anyone else). However, if we change our outlook, if we change our true desires in life – it may serve to take our focus off of “not sinning” to focus on “doing God’s Will.”

It’s been proven that if you try not to do something, that your mind stays focused on it, and the human body desires that which it is told it can’t have. So let’s try instead to forget the sin, (after all – God’s already forgiven you once you ask), and instead focus on doing right, focus on what God wants you to do. The old saying “WWJD?” – try it out – What Would Jesus Do?

“Now He can help those who are tempted, because He Himself was tempted and suffered.” – Hebrews 2:18

Now this Scripture alone may not be that comforting to us, because it doesn’t mention what Jesus had to endure. Well, let’s just step back for a second and see what He did endure:

“Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After spending forty (40) days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. Then the devil came to Him and said, ‘If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.’ ” – Matthew 4:1-3

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to miss  a meal. In fact, I get a little irritable when I’m hungry. Here, Jesus went 40 days and nights without food. Think He was a little hungry? Have you ever gone just one day without eating? It’s sooo hard! I believe that if I was in Jesus’ shoes, I would have made some food to eat . . . somehow.

But Jesus said NO! He would not allow Himself to be tempted. Why? He wanted to show us an example of NOT giving in to the devil. Not giving in to temptation. Yes, He suffered, He was tempted, but He did NOT give in to temptation. He was still obedient to God.

He served as an example for us. We can trust Him! We can rely on Him. We can truly ask Him to help us and He will. He may not answer our prayers the way we think they should be answered, but His plan is much more divine and perfect, where our ideas are limited and probably don’t consider the true problem we are having.

Allow God today to solve your problems. He is ready and listening.

“He hears us whenever we ask Him; and since we know this is true, we know also that He gives us what we ask from Him.” – 1 John 5:15

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. . . . 
the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- . . . the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  ⁸ Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. . . .¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” – Genesis 2:4-17

In the very beginning, God created LIFE. Just following life, God created CHOICE. When he placed man on earth, he gave man the opportunity to name all of the animals, and gave him Free Will. God told Adam about the trees in the Garden of Eden, but allowed man to make a choice over whether to eat from them or not. The command God gave was to NOT eat ”from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

God still gives us choices EVERY DAY! It is those choices that determine our destiny. Some choose to follow their own way. They struggle with life, don’t understand why they are under stress and why “bad” things happen to them. Others choose God.  They are under stress too, but devout Christians understand that “bad” things happen to help strengthen their faith and help them help others through their hard times.

As I continue reading up in preparation for VBS this week, I find that the truth behind this passage is not so much about God’s “creation,” but about the invention of CHOICE that God gave us. We need to remember, however, that these choices were not given without guidance. God gave us the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, so that we might have some direction in life. He gave us CHOICE to see how we would react. We all know that our actions determine consequences. And many times we say “I’m prepared to accept the consequences.” Yet, HOW can we be prepared to accept the consequences when we truly don’t understand how drastic the consequences are?

If we choose sin, the Bible is very clear on the consequences

^{Romans 6:23} For the wages of sin is death.

Is that sin that YOU want, really worth dying for? Not in a literal sense, but in a truly physical sense?

¹“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-4

God is very specific in many instructions. Here, Jesus states “when you give to the needy” ….  He is not simply saying to do it, He is implying that this is something we already know to do in our own heart. He doesn’t have to remind us to do it, but simply guides and directs us how to do it: in secret. Don’t make a big stink about it and go bragging to your friends or co-workers – as Nike says “Just do it!”

According to a  google search, “Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution….” Persecution involves the act of pursuing another ”in a manner to injure, grieve, or afflict; to beset with cruelty or malignity; to harass; especially, to afflict, harass, punish, or put to death for adherence to a particular religious creed or mode of worship; To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.”

All those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. – 2 Timothy 3:12

When I read this Scripture, initially I am upset, and depressed. Here we are, mere humans, trying to follow Christ, and God tells us we WILL be persecuted! Well that doesn’t sound fair? After all, we are the ones who are TRYING to live godly lives. Why should we be punished “harassed,” systematically mistreated, or “punished?”

Well, I believe the reason is to help strengthen our faith. For we know that we WILL overcome them. We have been persecuted in the past and have made it through. God reminds us through Timothy that we will endure:

What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all – 2 Timothy 3:11

What you may not have noticed in these passages is the order of the Scriptures. I have listed them purposely in reverse order. The correct order flows from the bottom Scripture to the top Scripture listed. Why did I do this?

Simply, I wanted to remind everyone that it is important not to remove Scripture from its context. Many times, especially this week, I was reminded by others about “Bible truths.” However, when I was told the “truth,” I was only told a misrepresentation about the truth.

For example, you may have heard the old adage “money is the root of all evil.” This is in FACT written word for word in the Bible, as is “There is no God.” HOWEVER…the first Scripture actually reads “THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil – 1 Timothy 6:10″ and the second scripture actually reads “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ – Psalm 14:1″

So when you are living your daily life and somebody attempts to harass or persecute you through the use of Biblical Scriptures, don’t fall for trickery and deception. When someone presents you with a supposed Bible “truth,” investigate it fully, pray about it, and allow God to rescue you from doubts and questions. He will strengthen you through the harassment if you allow Him to do so.