From time to time I listen to WJOX, a local talk sports station.  Paul Finebaum seems to have taken it upon himself to prove to the state of Alabama that Mr. Gambling, Milton McGregor, is a fine outstanding man to whom we should all bow down and slobber.  During the short time I listened to callers and Mr. McGregor go back and forth I kept hearing them talk about how much gambling would do for our State.  They said it would help the schools, it would help unemployment, etc.

I have one word to prove them wrong–MISSISSIPPI!  Recently the great state of Mississippi was ranked 49 our of 50 in terms of education and when CNNMoney added the District of Columbia into their survey–Mississippi was ranked 38 out of 51.  Florida was 39 and Georgia was 43rd.  The gambling money sure seems to helping our neighbors doesn’t it?  Don’t drink the gambling kool aid!  The people who stand to benefit most from gambling in Alabama are men like Milton McGregor.

What comes to mind when you think about October 31? If the first thing that comes to your mind is Halloween…I am afraid we have not done a good job teaching you Christian History.
492 years ago today, was a day that changed the course of the church for all time. On that day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Chapel. His desire was to begin a debate about abuses that he saw by the Papacy and the church. He had no
intention on beginning a new church or even a movement. He simply wanted to see the church “reformed” that is re-formed by God’s word and in the image of Christ.
Out of the Reformation came five “battle” cries. These expressed the basics of the Gospel for their day. They have not changed over the past 491 years . . . indeed over the past 2000 years . . . though we sometimes forget them or we let other things push them aside. The
five battle cries of the Church then are the same battle cries for the Church today:
Sola Scripture — By Scripture Alone
Solo Christo — By Christ Alone
Sola Gratia — By Grace Alone
Sola Fide — By Faith Alone
Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone belongs the Glory

I’ll close with a clip from a movie on the life of Luther and by saying along with Luther in regard to the five battle cries–”Here I stand.”

Years ago I saw Les Miserables and it was without a doubt on the most powerful experiences of my life.  The musical is based on Victor Hugo’s book and is a story of Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean was sentenced to 19 years hard labor for stealing bread and the experience left him a hard and bitter man.  He breaks out of prison and ends up in a bishop’s home, but he returns the kindness of the bishop by stealing his family silver.

Valjean is brought back to the bishop by three policemen–one word from the bishop and he would be in prison the rest of his life, but the bishop said, “So here you are!  I am delighted to see you.  Had you forgotten that I gave you the candlesticks as well?  They’re silver like the rest, and worth a good 200 francs.  Did you forget to take them?”

Valjean was released and the bishop insists on giving him the candlesticks and said, “Do not foget, do not ever forget that you promised me to use the money to make yourself and honest man.”  The power of that kind act transformed Jean Valjean.  He was never the same.

Throughout the story Valjean is chased by Javert.  Javert is a detective who is consumed with justice and with the thought of punishing Valjean.  A time comes when Valjean could have taken Javert’s life, but he refuses and the kindness goes against every thing Javert stood for so he took his own life.  One sinner was transformed and one self-righteous man was destroyed over an act of kindness.

There is no greater act of kindness than that which was expressed to us on the cross.  It transforms the sinner, but destroys the self-righteous!

I’ll close with one of my favorite songs from the musical.  It’s a concert version of it, but is great.  (Almost as good as hearing Kim sit at the piano singing it!)

I’ve been studying the love of God all week in preparation for Sunday’s sermon.  I’ve found so much information that I could not possibly share it all, but I did want to share this quote from a sermon Spurgeon preached.

But now, think of the truly earnest missionary; think of such men as Carey, or Moffat, or John Williams,—men who give up all the comforts of life, all the hopes of emolument, and go forth amongst a barbarous people, to suffer insult, perhaps to meet with death for Christ’s sake. They bravo the terrors of fever and pestilence; they pass through jungles; they dare tempestuous seas; no mountains are too high, no weathers are too stern to deter them. They force their way into the center of Africa, or high up amongst the Esquimaux, if they may but tell of the love of Jesus to dying men. It may seem very wonderful to us, but if you come to think of it, compared with what Christ has done for them, they may, and they usually do, sit down and confess that they have done nothing whereof to glory. They have done only what it was their duty to have done, and they all confess that they fall short of the service which Christ deserves. Though we might say, in a modified sense, “Herein is love,” yet, after all, it is but faintly spoken, for it is but comparatively true.

As we have read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, or some other history of the saints, and conned the story of their confessing Christ before the Inquisitors, singing joyful hymns when their bones were out of joint upon the rack, or standing boldly up upon the blazing faggots (In Spurgeon’s day this word was used to describe a bundle of trigs or sticks to be burned!) while their flesh was being consumed, still testifying to the preciousness of Christ, have we not said, “Herein is love”? Well might we say so as we contrasted our love with theirs; but after all, if you will but think a minute, it is a little thing for a man to be willing to burn to death for one who saved him from everlasting burning. ‘Tis sharp work, but it is soon over, and the reward makes up for it all, while grace sustains the sufferer under the fiery trial. There is nothing, even in the love of martyrs, worthy of praise when compared with the exceeding love of Christ. These are stars; let them hide their heads in the presence of the Sun. These are all sweet flowers; yet compare them not with the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley, whose fragrance fills both earth and heaven. Those whose spiritual senses are qualified to judge forget all else while they stand entranced before this one gathering up of everything, that is lovely, and cry, “Herein is love!”

Oh! this love of Christ; it is beyond all degree, standard, or compass. In comparison with it, other love, high and noble as that other love may be, dwindles into insignificance.

Yesterday I shared a few thoughts from Sunday’s sermon on Romans 11:33-36–specifically on the phrase, “Oh, the depth of the riches adn wisdom and knowledge of God!  The next phrase is, “How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”  I like the way the KJV translates that section, “His ways are past finding out!”  Make sure you understand this—everything God does is for a purpose.  Everything He wills to happen is willed for His glory.  Every single thing that is done is done through God’s great knowledge.  God owes us no explanation—He is God and He has the right to do what He desires to do. 

You and I must understand this one thing—God knows what we will never know.  God understands what we will never understand.  God does what we can never do.  God is actively working for His glory and we simply cannot understand Him except for that which He has revealed to us. 

It’s interesting—Paul isn’t overwhelmed by what God hasn’t revealed—Paul is overwhelmed by what God has revealed!  Wesley said, “Show me a worm that can fully comprehend man and I’ll show you a man that can fully comprehend God.”  I like that, but a worm has a better chance of comprehending us than we will ever have of understanding God. He is God and there is no one like Him! 

I love what one preacher said, “God is deeper than our minds can fathom…Trying to understand God is like trying to empty the ocean with a tiny bucket.  Dip your bucket in a thousand times and you haven’t made a dent in the vast expanse of water.  Your bucket is too small, your arms too weak, and the ocean is too large, too wide, too deep.”  Those who know the most about God will confess how little they actually know.  If you find someone who has God all figured out—know this for certain—they know very little of God.

I have been preaching on the attributes of God for the last few weeks.  (You can listen to them at the bottom of this page.)  Sunday we looked at the Omniscience of God and I shared the following thoughts,

Think about God’s knowledge.  “He knows everything: everything possible, everything actual; all events and all creatures, of the past, the present, and the future.  He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell…Nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be hidden from him, nothing is forgotten by him…His knowledge is perfect.  He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything.” (AW Pink)  God knows everything there is to know.

Nothing ever occurs to God.  He is never astonished, He is never astounded, He is never surprised.  He never has to learn anything.  Think about it—He knows when the sparrow falls to the earth and He knows the number of hairs on our head.  (For some of us that’s a running count!)  He doesn’t have to count them—He just knows them.  He knows what you will say, what you will think, and what you will do before you ever do it.  He knows everything about you personally.

He knows all the facts stored up in every computer and in ever library and beyond that.  He knows what happens in every molecule, every atom in every galaxy and on every star.  He knows the movement of every particle of every nano-second of eternity.  He knows everything that has ever happened, He knows everything that is happening, and He knows everything that will ever happen.  He sees an action and knows everything that led to that action and every ripple that will happen as a result of that action and He is in control of every ripple! 

“Oh, the depth of the knowledge of God!”

As the father of four I have changed my share of diapers, but this is one funny video to start off your week.

Yesterday Mark and I were able to spend the day with over 300 fifth graders talking about what we do at FBC.  It was a great opportunity to talk to them, but it was also a reminder of how much we need to be reaching out to the students in our schools.

We spoke to 10 different classes and closed each time with a time for questions. During one of the classes a student told us that his father had just died and then another student told me that her mother and father divorced right after she was born and she hadn’t seen him since.  After the class she came up to me and said, “I haven’t seen my father because he is in jail and will probably stay in jail all of his life.”  She opened up and told me why he was in prison.  I have to tell you it made me want to take her home and introduce her to the love of Jesus.

It’s amazing to see what our students are going through.  Sixth graders are having sex, eighth graders are claiming to be homosexuals, and that is just what we see on the surface.  What is going on behind the scenes? 

Often the Church is faced with difficult circumstances.  What do we do when children have children?  Do we shun them?  Do we push them away?  Do we ignore them?  Think about it—what about baby dedications?  What about baby showers?  What do we do when the babies are having babies?

I have determined that I will lead FBC is going to err on the side of grace.  We can celebrate the birth of a child without celebrating the circumstances.  We can rejoice in the life of a child without ignoring the sin that might have brought it forth.  That doesn’t mean the church condones sin, but it does mean we celebrate forgiveness and life.

Every time I hear about a young girl having a baby I do two things—first, I rejoice that they didn’t choose to abort.  How many times has a young mother to be chosen to abort a child to keep from being shunned by the people who should love her?  If we are not careful, we can get so caught up in being pro-life that we promote death.

The second thing I do is hope that they will give up the child for adoption.  I cannot think of a greater gift of love that a young mother could give than to take her child and give him to a couple that isn’t able to have a child, but are more than able to provide a loving home for the baby. 

Many young moms choose to keep their child and rear their child and many have been very successful doing it.  As children of God we must commit to showing the same grace that God has demonstrated to us.  We must also commit to doing everything we can to bring up our children in the Lord so that they can live holy and pure lives.  There is rarely a day that I don’t pray for my four girls to be healthy, happy, and most of all holy.  Will you join me in that prayer?

Yesterday we looked at Acts 16:11-34 and saw how the power of the Gospel reached down to three totally different people.  Lydia, the rich merchant; the demon possessed slave girl; and the Roman jailer.  Today, I want to look at how God pursued each of them.

 He reached Lydia through Bible study.  She was seeking God, but had not found Him.  She was praying and reading, but didn’t know the truth.  Paul shows up and sat down to teach them.  Look at what the Bible says, “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”  Literally it says, “The Lord opened her heart so that she could get it.”  There is always a balance in Scripture between God’s sovereignty in salvation and our responsibility to respond. 

We are dead in our sins and cannot respond unless God opens up our heart through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.  We just cannot get there on our own any more than a dead person can revive himself.  It must be done by an outside force.  Someone must stand on the outside of the tomb and say “Come forth.”  Paul understood that principle—he didn’t need gimmicks or tricks—he planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.  Mere human persuasiveness doesn’t truly save anyone—God must open the heart.  Once her heart was opened—once she got it, the Bible says she responded and was baptized. 

The slave girl was different.  Paul didn’t stop and try to do Bible study with her—she was demon possessed and crazy, but at the same time we see God moving in her life.  She was following them—she stayed close to them.  Why didn’t she run from them?  God was using the message Paul proclaimed to draw her in, but something radical had to happen.  She needed a heart change.  Paul brought her to an encounter with God and cast the demon out of her in the name of Jesus.  Paul focused on her master and replaced him with the only One worthy of ruling our lives.

The jailer was indifferent.  The slave girls owners saw their profit going down the drain so they started a riot—“These Jews…”  “us Romans…”  the crowd joined the attack and they were stripped and beaten—the Bible says they were “severely flogged.”  He was told to guard them carefully.  He took them to the inner cell—their backs still bleeding from the beating and put their feet in stocks, which was just another form of torture.  He was ruthless, but he was going to meet God through the faithful witness of the men of God.

In that jail cell Paul and Silas seemed to be the captives, but in reality the jailer was the slave.  They started praying and singing hymns to God—they were demonstrating true joy.  This same Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Rejoice always…”  He didn’t just preach it—he lived it.  Can you imagine the other prisoners who were listening?  Can you imagine the jailer?  He was used to curses and hatred, but here he finds true joy—joy not based on circumstances.

Then the earthquake comes—the chains fall off and the doors come open.  The most amazing thing to me is that none of the prisoners left—they wanted to know the source of their joy.  The jailer sees it and knows that his life is going to be taken so he plans to kill himself, but Paul shouts—“Don’t harm yourself!  We are all here!”  Can you imagine it?  Most prisoners would love to watch their guard die, but Paul calls out to him.  The man responds to God’s calling by rushing into the cell and saying, “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  God was moving, but he had to respond in faith.

Do you see how far God was willing to go to get this jailer?  He allowed Paul and Silas to be beaten and thrown in jail and He sent an earthquake to get them.  So many times we would throw up our hands and say, “Where is God?”  But Paul knew the meaning of his words, “God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.”  It was through their suffering that the jailer could encounter the atonement provided through Christ’s suffering.

The truth of the matter is we are all slaves to something.  Lydia was a slave to success, the girl was a slave to a demon, and the Roman was a slave to duty, but Jesus is in the business of setting us free.  The earthquake just demonstrates to us once again, there is nothing that can hold the one God wants to set free.

So what can we learn from this?  First, regardless of how different we may seem—the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.  It is a message for everyone.

Second, we can take that message knowing that God has already gone ahead of us.  We can rest in that—He is the one who opens their hearts, He is the one who causes it to grow.  We are responsible for sowing, watering, and harvesting when we can.

Finally, the Gospel brings people together.  Who was Paul before he was encountered by Jesus?  He was Saul—circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee and a persecutor of the church.  Do you know what he prayed every morning as a Jewish leader?  “God, I thank you that I was not born a woman, a slave, or a Gentile.”  Talk about change—he went from praying that prayer to reaching a woman, a slave, and a Gentile—baptizing them and forming a church.  The Gospel is the power to change lives.  Has it changed yours or are you still a slave?  Do you want to be set free?  You can—through the power of Jesus.