Why Gambling Is So Dangerous

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Topical Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

The Supreme Court recently struck down a federal law that prohibits sports gambling. The landmark decision gives states the right to legalize betting on sports. New Jersey plans to be the first state to offer legal wagering on the results of a game. Delaware, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are expected to follow suit.

My purpose today is not to debate the legalities of sports gambling. Rather, it is to focus on gambling in the context of biblical truth and God’s best for us.

Understand the promise and power of gambling

According to the American Gaming Association, gambling in the US is a $240 billion industry employing 1.7 million people in forty states. Why is gambling so popular?

The former Director of Gaming Enforcement for the state of New Jersey told a conference that the success of Atlantic City was tied to how well it sold its “only products.” He explained: “That product is not entertainment or recreation or leisure. It’s really adrenaline: a biological substance capable of producing excitement—highs generated usually by anticipation or expectation of a future event, especially when the outcome of that event is in doubt.”

According to a chief regulator of the industry, gambling is not only a drug, but a mind-altering drug. One author calls it a “controlled substance.”

Psychologists offer several reasons for the popularity of gambling in our culture:

  • It provides a sense of partial reinforcement we crave. “I’ll get lucky next time” is a powerful lure.
  • Some fall for the “gambler’s fallacy” of believing that a string of losses makes a win more likely.
  • The illusion of control causes many gamblers to believe that they have some power over the outcome, whether picking numbers in a lottery or blowing on dice before throwing them.
  • Loss aversion is a major motivator: we feel more pain over losing $100 than joy over winning $100. When a gambler loses money, he or she is motivated to keep gambling to recover what has been lost.

Solomon observed, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty” (Proverbs 28:19 NIV). He added, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV).

Paul warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Beware the plague of addictive gambling

As many as 750,000 young people have a gambling addiction. People between the ages of twenty and thirty have the highest rates of problem gambling (defined as “an urge to gamble continuously despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop”).

People who abuse alcohol are twenty-three times more likely to develop a gambling addiction. An estimated 50 percent of those with gambling problems commit crimes to support their addiction.

According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, there is evidence that pathological gambling is an addiction similar to chemical addiction. Winning at gambling has been compared neurologically to a cocaine addict receiving an infusion of the drug.

Those who are pathological gamblers are highly likely to exhibit other psychiatric problems, including substance abuse, mood and anxiety disorders, or personality disorders.

Problem gambling has also been linked to increased suicide attempts. A report in the United States by the National Council on Problem Gambling showed that approximately one in five pathological gamblers attempts suicide. The council also reported that suicide rates among pathological gamblers were higher than for any other addictive disorder.

Step-based treatment programs now exist for problem gamblers. Anti-addiction drugs are being tested on gambling addicts as well.

Does the possibility of gambling addiction mean that all gambling is wrong?

Many substances and activities can become addictive. The fact that some people are addicted to their cell phones does not mean that cell phones should be illegal.

But it does mean that you should absolutely know your limits and be aware of any inclination toward gambling addiction. This online test is one way to determine whether you have a problem or not.

Scripture teaches, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 NIV). This text does not mean that no one should ever drink alcohol. But it does mean that no one should ever get drunk. Then alcohol becomes the primary determiner of our actions rather than the Holy Spirit.

The same principle applies to any substance or activity, gambling included. If gambling rather than the Spirit is controlling your life, stop and get help now.

Trust God’s power over temptation

Now to our text. Scripture promises, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

From this remarkable text we find four crucial imperatives.

One: Expect to be tempted.

You will never face a unique temptation. Human nature doesn’t change, so Satan’s strategies don’t change. What worked against our ancestors works against us. We should expect to be tempted, because this fact is common to the entire human race.

Two: Respond to temptation in the power of God.

While we should expect to face temptation, we should also expect to defeat temptation: “He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Notice the definite article: “the way of escape.” There is always a way out, no matter what temptation we are facing.

In classical Greek, this phrase referred to a way out of the sea. One commentator pictured God’s promise this way: a ship is approaching a rocky shore and facing inevitable shipwreck. Suddenly it slips through a gap in the coast and sails into security and peace.

“Endure it” means “bear up under it.” The temptation will not go away, but we will be able to withstand it. This was true even for Jesus: after he defeated the enemy’s temptations in the wilderness, the devil “departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

Three: Ask for the help you need.

Our text promises that “God is faithful” in every moment and need we face. “Faithful” translates the Greek word for “trustworthy, dependable, reliable.” We can always count on our Father to be all he promises to be:

  • “The Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
  • “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
  • “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
  • “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5).

Because he is faithful to us, he will always give us what we need to obey his word and will. In this case, “he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.” If there is a temptation you cannot defeat in his strength, you will not face it. This means that every temptation you face is one you can defeat in his strength.

However, you must ask for what you need. Jesus counseled his followers to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). He promised us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). But we must ask, seek, and knock. God honors the freedom he gives us and will not force his help upon us.

F. B. Meyer noted that “the greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” What temptations do you need to seek God’s help in defeating today?

Four: Go to God the moment temptation strikes.

When we expect to face and defeat temptation by seeking the help of God and his people, we position ourselves to receive all that we need for spiritual victory. But we’re not done. We must then take “the way of escape” our Father offers us. We must choose to “endure” the temptations we face.

In other words, we must choose to obey God as he works in and through our lives:

  • Scripture teaches us to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). But we must choose to flee.
  • We are told to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). But we must choose to resist.
  • We are warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). But we must choose not to love money.

Billy Sunday: “Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.” Rick Warren noted that “every temptation is an opportunity to do good.” But we must want to do good.

If you don’t have the strength to choose to obey God, you can ask for that strength. If you don’t have the faith to believe that his will is best, you can ask for such faith. Whatever you need, you can ask God to provide. But then you must choose to use his help.

As we work, God works.

Conclusion

Gambling, whether legalized betting on sports or any other form of wagering, can become a powerful drug. It can easily become addictive and lead to other destructive behaviors. And it can deceive us into believing the lie that we are in charge of our circumstances and our lives.

Only the gambler knows if he or she is wagering for fun or from an insidious motive. Thomas Watson was right: “Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages.”

Every time.

Why Give Thanks

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Topical Scripture: John 6:1-14

There are only thirty-seven shopping days left until Christmas. If you’re wanting to get started, you might consider a giant infrared healing clam at a cost of $14,000. Or twenty-four-carat gold shoelaces for $19,000 (the silver version is “only” $3,000). Or a glass pool table for $73,000. Batman fans might spring for the Bat Golf Cart at $28,500; I’m sure that would look good tooling around the lake.

If someone you love is looking for a new car, you might consider the McLaren Elva. Only 399 are planned, so you’ll need to order one now. It has no roof, windscreen or side windows and goes for a mere $1.8 million.

In a world of such prosperity, where we have so much that we have earned and purchased and produced, why give thanks to God?

A familiar story

Our story begins: “After this Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.” (v. 1). There was a “mountainside” in the area (v. 3), but also “much grass in the place” (v. 10), indicating one of the hillside areas bordering the Sea of Galilee.

Luke tells us that they “withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida” (Luke 9:10). This town was situated on the northernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee, just east of center, where the river from Lake Semochonitis empties into the Sea of Galilee.

Meanwhile, “a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick” (v. 2). “Large” translates mega, demonstrating the size of this gathering. In response, “Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples” (v. 3).

It was springtime, for “the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand” (v. 4). Then, Jesus looked up and saw “that a large crowd was coming toward him” (v. 5a). Our Lord had already spent the day with them, teaching them many things (Mark 6:34). In the course of the day, he “welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing” (Luke 9:11).

Then “Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?'” (v. 5b). Philip was from Bethsaida (John 1:44), the nearby town. The disciples had already urged Jesus to send the crowd away so the people could find food (Mark 6:35-36; Luke 9:12). But Jesus wanted to meet their need and to teach Philip a lesson as well; John tells us that “he said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do” (v. 6).

Mark quotes the disciples’ concern: “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late” (Mark 6:35). Even if bread were available, it would be extremely expensive to purchase for such a large crowd. Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite (John 6:7). This would be two hundred denarii (the literal Greek); the denarius was a Roman coin worth about eighteen cents, the usual pay for a day’s labor. As a result, we can calculate that between 5,000 and 10,000 were in the crowd.

At this point, Andrew stepped in: “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish'” (vv. 8–9a). He had “barley loaves,” a kind of inferior bread used mainly by the very poor (cf. Ezekiel 13:19). “Loaves” were not like ours, but were flat, round sheets of bread which could be carried easily. A fried tortilla might be the closest example in our culture.

His “two fish” were small dried fish, applied to the bread as a kind of dressing. They were similar to sardines. Andrew’s question is understandable: “what are they for so many?” (v. 9b). It was all the boy had, but he gave it all to Jesus.

Our Lord responded: “Have the people sit down” (v. 10a). They sat “in groups, by hundreds and by fifties” (Mark 6:40). This was an act of faith on the part of the giant crowd as daylight faded and they had no food in sight. It was also an act of faith by the disciples, as they sat the people down for a feast which the disciples did not have to give. They reclined in the posture taken at a feast, not a fast meal on the go.

The people could do so because “there was much grass in the place” (v. 10b). As a result, “the men sat down, about five thousand in number” (v. 10c). Mark tells us that “and those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matthew 14:21). This was an astounding crowd, as the neighboring towns of Capernaum and Bethsaida probably had a population of only two to three thousand each.

An unfamiliar prayer

Then “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted (v. 11). He would have used the typical Jewish invocation, “Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, who causes to come forth bread from the earth.”

The other gospels say that Jesus “blessed” the food (Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; Matthew 14:19). Here we find the origin of the Christian custom of “returning thanks” or “saying the blessing.” Actually, we “ask the blessing”—we do not “bless the food,” something only God can do.

Such an attitude of gratitude is appropriate whenever we eat: “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4–5). Paul taught us: “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

After Jesus returned thanks, he “distributed them to those who were seated.” Apparently, the miracle occurred as the food was distributed, so that the disciples kept giving but did not run out until the people had “as much as they wanted.” This was a rare privilege for impoverished people who often had only enough food to survive, not enough for a feast. But Jesus met their need and more.

And all of this happened after Jesus gave thanks to God for the food he then provided.

Three life lessons

From this familiar story and unfamiliar prayer, we find these life principles:

All we have comes from the One who made all that is. The lunch was provided by the boy to the disciples, but by God to the boy. All that we have comes from the one who made everything from nothing. You and I did not earn the right to live in America rather than North Korea, or to have avoided physical handicaps others must face. Our ability to work and produce comes from the God who enables all work and production. Every breath we take is his gift.

A skeptic told God he could make a better world than the Lord could. The Lord accepted his challenge. The skeptic stooped down and scooped up some dirt to get started. God said, “Get your own dirt.”

Giving thanks for what we do not have positions us to receive what God will provide. Jesus gave thanks for this feast before it became a feast. He thanked God in advance for what God would provide. When we face challenges, we should do the same. As we thank God for what he will do, we position ourselves to receive his best.

C. S. Lewis solved a mystery for me regarding prayer. It seemed illogical that we should pray about what has already happened or has not yet happened. But Lewis points out that God is not bound by time. Thus, a prayer you offer today was known to him three years ago and may have been part of what he did then. The same with prayers today and events in the future.

When we thank God for what he will do, our prayers become part of what he does. Public gratitude leads others to faith in the God we thank. Jesus’ prayer of gratitude was heard by the disciples and all who were present. When they saw the miracle that followed, “they began to say, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world'” (v. 14).

Five thousand families saw him give thanks to God for what God had not yet done, then receive all that God would do. His attitude of gratitude would mark their lives for the rest of their lives.

If people see you giving thanks for what God has done or for what he has not yet done, they will be marked by your attitude of gratitude. Some you may never know will know your faith, and they may make it their own.

Conclusion

Why should you develop a greater attitude of gratitude? Why give thanks to God for what you have, when you worked hard for it? Why thank him ahead of time for what he has not yet done?

Because all we have comes from the God who made it; giving thanks positions us to receive God’s best; and others will see our faith and may come to our Lord.

For what are you thankful today? For what should you be thankful today?

Will you make time each day across this thanksgiving season to experience the power of gratitude?

I am reminded of A. O. Collins, my major professor in college and one of the most gracious and grateful souls I have ever known. No matter what he was going through, from his wife’s Parkinson’s disease to his various physical challenges, he lived every day with smiling grace. I never saw him have a “bad” day.

One time, he was traveling back to Houston late at night and stopped at a rest area. He was attacked by a knife-wielding robber who cut his face and hands. He came to school the next day wearing bandages placed by the emergency room where he spent much of the night.

We were all shocked and grieved, but Dr. Collins had his usual smile. “Well,” he explained, “I’m glad he only took my wallet and not my life.” He was grateful for what he had rather than angry for what he lost.

Let’s join him.

Why God Needs Fathers

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Why God Needs Fathers

Genesis 46:1-7

Dr. Jim Denison

A father came home from work to find his little girl brushing the dog’s teeth with his toothbrush. He was horrified, and asked her what she was doing. She said, “Oh, don’t worry, daddy, I’ll put it back like I always do.”

Fathers deserve a day.

You’ve heard the bad news about men and fathers: one in two American children is growing up today in a home where their biological father is not present; just a quarter of adult men attend church regularly; only slightly more ever read their Bibles; only a third even claim to be “born again.”

The clear pattern from years of family counseling is that a bad or absent father can harm the education, personality, vocation, and future of his children. For example, almost all the members of Chicago’s street gangs come from homes with inadequate fathering.

Here’s the good news: it has been proven that good fathering strengthens children and homes in every way. Self-esteem and individual identity, definition of purpose and direction, a basic sense of worth all derive first in a family from good fathers.

A child psychologist spent years studying the faith of children and comparing it to their relationships with their fathers. Here is his famous conclusion: “No child will think more of God than he thinks of his own father.”

What an awesome responsibility, and privilege, we have been given!

What would Joseph’s father say to all of us who are fathers, and all of us who are the children of fathers? Here’s the basic point of our study today: where the father goes, his children will follow. Let’s see if this is true for Jacob and for us, and what it all means to our lives and families.

An example to study

Jacob’s story is one of the real roller-coasters to be found in the word of God, and his family rides every up and down with him. His name means “deceiver,” and his story proves its accuracy.

He is born the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, one of the greatest men in all of Scripture.

But he plunges quickly into family deception. As a young man, he cheats his brother Esau out of his birthright, and later deceives his blind and elderly father into giving him the blessing his brother deserves. As a result, he must flee from his brother for his very life, and runs to his uncle in faraway Mesopotamia.

Now things move up, however. On his way to Canaan, God finds Jacob at a place called Bethel. The Lord reveals himself, and covenants to bless him and his posterity.

But soon he slides down again into the depths of deceit. His uncle deceives him into marrying both Leah and Rachel; he tricks his uncle and increases his herds and possessions; finally he runs from his uncle as he ran from his brother.

But again God finds him, this time at a place called Peniel. He wrestles with Jacob until daybreak, and changes his name from Jacob (“Deceiver”) to Israel (“One who wrestles with God”). This is in many ways the high point of his entire story.

Now the slide begins again. His daughter Dinah is defiled by a man named Shechem; then his sons deceive the Shechemites and kill them all. Jacob says to them, “You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land” (Genesis 34:30). But they are only following their father’s example, going where he has led them.

Finally Jacob returns to Bethel, where he first met God. Here he leads his family to rid themselves of their foreign gods, builds an altar to the Lord God, and worships him. And again, his family follows him.

But the downward plunge comes again. Now Joseph’s story begins. Is it any wonder that his brothers would enslave him and lie to their father? Any wonder that this family would spend twenty years in dysfunction and pain? What their father was, they became. Where he led, they followed.

But God is good. He restores their family through Joseph, and preserves Jacob’s nation and people. Along the way, he gives us an example we can learn from today.

Where the father goes, his children usually follow. Now, what does this fact say to us today?

Principles to practice

Be what you want your family to become. Hear the word of God: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

And then this text: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Lead your children as God leads you.

A father decided to stop drinking the day he staggered home through a snowfall, turned, and saw his little boy walking in his wandering footprints in the snow.

Be the spiritual person you want your children to become. If your family grows to be exactly what you are spiritually, will that be a good thing? The chances are that they will.

Give your family the time love requires. Hear the word of God: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). “Training and instruction” refer to the idea of nurturing love, of time spent in the things of God, of time invested in their lives and souls. Love takes time. For children, the two are synonymous.

A priest surveyed the children in his parish, asking them which they would choose: time with television or with their father. 92% chose time with their fathers.

A friend sent me a touching story about a little boy who asked his hard-working father how much he made per hour. His father was tired, and upset with his son’s question. Finally he said, “I make $20 an hour.” The boy then asked, “Then could I borrow $9?” His irritated father said, “You just want some of my hard-earned money to spend on more toys. When will you stop being so selfish?” He sent him to bed without the money.

Soon he calmed down, and began to feel sorry about the way he had spoken to his son. He went into his bedroom, apologized, and gave his boy the $9 he asked for. The boy was very excited, and pulled a wad of dollar bills out from underneath his pillow. “Why did you want more money if you already had some?” his father grumbled. “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.

“Daddy, I have $20 now. Can you play with me for an hour?”

Lead with the result in mind. The famous management principle also applies to parenting: begin with the end in view. Remember always that you are molding eternal souls. What do you want them to become?

Hear the word of the Lord: “Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done” (2 Chronicles 26:4). Uzziah became what his father wanted him to become. What do you want your children to be like? What end do you want to produce?

What kind of family will you wish you had when your life is done? Start with that end in mind. Begin now.

A family counselor named John Drescher once listed ten things he would differently if he were starting his family over. See if one of these resolutions applies to you:

Show my children more that I love my wife. Laugh more with my children (Oscar Wilde said, “The best way to make children good is to make them happy”).Be a better listener (the average child asks 500,000 questions by age 15).Seek to be more honest, admit mistakes, be human. Stop praying just for my family, and start praying more for me, that I would be the man God wants me to be. Try for more togetherness (counselors surveying a group of junior high boys for two years found that they spent 7.5 minutes per week with their fathers). Do more encouraging. Pay more attention to the little things.Seek to develop a feeling of belonging. Seek to share God more intimately.

Conclusion

The best advice I can give to any father today is this: guard your heart. Keep your heart close to Jesus.

This week I’ve been reading in the book of Numbers, and have been so impressed by God’s daily leadership in the life of Moses. God tells Moses what to do about each and every situation; his cloud leads the people by day and his pillar of fire by night. The text says, “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites setout, and at his command they encamped” (Numbers 9:17-18).

This past Monday, it occurred to me—they could follow God because they were close to him. They stayed under his cloud and by his fire. They stayed close enough to be led in his word and will.

Are you close to Jesus today? Can he lead your family through you? Are you guarding your heart for your sake and theirs?

Do you have a father who is close to God? Have you thanked God, and thanked him? Do you have a father who needs to be closer to God? Have you prayed for him?

Are you blessed with the privilege of fatherhood? Never sell short the influence of your life on the eternal souls of your children. This is life’s greatest responsibility, and privilege.

Let’s give Charles Spurgeon the last word today: “On the mantelshelf of my grandmother’s best parlor, among other marvels, was an apple in a bottle. It quite filled up the body of the bottle, and my wondering inquiry was, ‘How could it have been got into its place?’ By stealth I climbed a chair to see if the bottom would unscrew, or if there had been a join in the glass throughout the length of the bottle. I was satisfied by careful observation that neither of these theories could be supported, and the apple remained to be an enigma and a mystery. [Later on,] walking in the garden I saw a bottle placed on a tree bearing within it a tiny apple, which was growing within the crystal; now I saw it all: the apple was put into the bottle while it was little and grew there.”

Guard your heart. Where you lead, your children will likely follow. This is the promise, and the warning, of God.

Why Jesus Had To Die

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Why Jesus Had to Die

Dr. Jim Denison

Jesus fulfilled all Old Testament prophecies about his death during Holy Week. Such fulfillment is a powerful argument for his divinity, and for the trustworthiness of Scripture. If any book makes promises it does not keep, we are justified in dismissing the rest of its truth claims. But if a book’s prophecies rendered centuries earlier are clearly fulfilled in history, we can consider the rest of its claims to be reliable as well.

So, what are the chances that one man could fulfill the promises Jesus kept? Mathematician Peter Stoner once calculated the odds of one man’s fulfillment of just eight of the Old Testament Messianic predictions: one in 10 to the 17th power (one followed by 17 zeroes). That number would fill the state of Texas two feet deep in silver dollars. Stoner then considered 48 of the Messianic prophecies, and determined their odds to be one in ten to the 157th power. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection kept promises his Father made centuries earlier, demonstrating his divinity and his authority over time and eternity.

Now let’s ask one more question: why did he do it? Why did he have to die? Why did his Father have to make such a plan for his Son? This is a question and subject which have been discussed for 20 centuries. I am asked this question often. What difference did it make that someone died on a Roman cross 20 centuries ago? How could his death affect my life today? How is Good Friday relevant to this Friday? Let’s think about this issue together.

Why Jesus died

In short, Jesus died to solve a problem which we could not solve ourselves. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us, no exceptions. Your last sin includes you in this group. The pack of gum I stole as a kid earned my membership into this society.

What happens to those who sin? “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). The penalty for the crime of sin is death. The Lord warned Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: “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 2:17). They did, and they did. When someone sins against the holy God of the universe, someone must die for that sin. That’s just how things are.

So God could watch his children spend eternity separated from him in spiritual death and hell. Or he could provide a sacrifice to take our place. But that sacrifice must be sinless, or his death would pay for his own sins. I cannot use the same money to pay your house note and mine as well. Only a sinless, perfect person could take our place, his death paying the penalty for our sins.

There’s been only one candidate for this job, only one Person in all of human history who never sinned–only one “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). That Person was God’s own Son. So he and his Father decided before time began that he would come to our world and die in our place. He would “bear the sins of many” (Isaiah 53:12). That’s why he came, and why he died.

You and I were on Death Row for our sins. Jesus went to the execution chamber for us. He took the fatal injection we deserved, and died in our place. Now, what does his death mean for you and me today?

Why his death still matters

Jesus’ death is as relevant today as when it first occurred, for several reasons.

If you’re not a Christian, Jesus’ cross means that you can become a forgiven child of God today. You don’t have to find a church and join it, be baptized, turn over a new leaf, or try harder to do better. You don’t have to learn four noble truths, or practice five pillars, or wait through multiple reincarnated lives. You don’t have to learn and obey the Law, hoping to justify yourself before a holy God.

If you will turn from your mistakes and failures, asking God to forgive you for them, inviting Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord, he will answer your prayer. Guaranteed. There’s nothing else you have to do–it’s all been done. You can have the assurance of eternal life right now. Then you will worship with a church, read the Bible, pray, serve and give–because you are God’s child, not to become one. Because you are loved, not so you will be. Because you are forgiven and accepted–not to earn what Jesus has already purchased for you.

If you are a believer, Jesus’ cross has set you free from yours. You’re no longer on Death Row. You’re a free man or woman. The jury is in, the Judge has pronounced the verdict, and you’re freed from jail, free to go from death to life. Now when you turn from your sins and ask God to forgive them, he does. And he forgets them. He remembers your sins no more. As Corrie ten Boom put it, God buries your sins at the bottom of the sea and posts a sign over the spot which says, “No fishing.”

For us all, Jesus’ cross means that God loves us. How do I know? He must–he sent his only Son to die for us. He watched his Son’s tortured execution. He transferred our guilt and sin to his sinless Son. He did it all for us.

Think of it. Before God made you and me, he knew we’d sin. The Garden of Eden was no surprise to him at all. He made us, knowing that we would cost him the life of his Son. Would you do that? He sent his Son into the world they made together, knowing he’d die there. Would you do that?

He watched the religious leaders conspire to arrest him. He watched them parade into the Garden where his Son prayed, “Let this cup pass from me” as he sweated blood. He watched it all, and did nothing. Would you do that?

He heard the blasphemy of the religious authorities. He cringed as they tore open his Boy’s back with their whips and gouged his head with their thorns. He raged as they spit on his face and mocked his royalty. His heart was pierced as their nails pierced his Son. He wept as his Son wept the words, “Why have you forsaken me?” Would you do that?

The cross proves how much God loves us. Sacrificially, completely, without condition. As you are, where you are, no matter who you are. Right now.

Conclusion

Will you accept God’s love, or would you send his Son to the cross of rejection once again? Will you share his love? Never again see people through your eyes. See them through the eyes of God. See them as one for whom Jesus died. One for whom God killed his Son. Love them with his love. Tell them about his love.

And see yourself as one loved by his Father in heaven. Base your self-esteem on that fact only. One day your money will be gone–your car and clothes and house and work will be gone–your friends will be gone–the world will be gone. And when it’s all gone, God will love you still.

I must close this essay with the hardest story I’ve ever heard. But it may be that nothing else will make you feel the love of God as this true story does.

John Griffith grew up in Oklahoma with the dream of traveling to faraway places to see exotic sights. That dream crashed with the stock market in 1929, the Great Depression, and the Oklahoma “dust bowl.” He finally packed up his wife and tiny baby boy and their few meager belongings, and drove to the edge of the Mississippi River. There he got a job working at one of those great railway bridges that crossed the mighty Mississippi.

The year was now 1937. John brought his eight-year-old son, Greg, to work with him. His boy wanted to see what his daddy did. Greg was wide-eyed with excitement as he watched the gigantic bridge go up. He watched in wonder as huge boats steamed down the Mississippi.

At 12:00 noon his father put up the bridge. There were no trains due for a while. They went out together, a couple of hundred feet down the catwalk to the observation deck, and sat down. They opened their brown bags and began to eat their lunch. The time passed.

Suddenly they heard the shriek of a distant train whistle. John Griffith quickly looked at his watch and saw that it was time for the 107, the Memphis Express with 400 passengers. He knew he just had time to lower the bridge. He told his son to stay where he was, jumped up to the catwalk, ran back, climbed the ladder to the control room, and went to the lever which controlled the bridge. He looked up the river to be sure no boats were under it.

Suddenly he saw his son. He had tried to follow his father to the control room, and fell into the huge box which housed the giant gears operating the massive drawbridge. His left leg was caught in the gears. John knew that if he pushed the lever, Greg would be killed. What could he do?

He saw a rope in the control room. He could rush down the ladder, tie the rope, lower himself down, free his son, and lower the bridge. But he knew there wasn’t time. He would never make it back. And 400 people on the trail would die.

He heard the whistle again. He could hear the clicking of the train’s wheels on the track. He was a father, and this was his only son. But he knew what he had to do. He lowered the bridge.

Why does the cross matter? Because when the executioner stood over the body of God’s only Son, spikes in hand, his Father made the same decision. And he did it for you.

“For God so loved the world….” Are you grateful?

Why Lying Is Not a Game

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Why Lying Is Not a Game

Exodus 20:16

Dr. Jim Denison

Hollywood Squares was one of television’s longest-running game shows, airing from 1966 to 1989. Now they’ve brought it back, with Whoopi Goldberg in the center square. The format is very simple: celebrities answer questions, and the contestants decide whether they’re lying or telling the truth. It’s a game made out of lying.

No wonder it’s popular in America.

A recent New York Times article reported that 91% of Americans say they regularly don’t tell the truth (did the other 9% lie?). 20% admit they can’t get through a day without conscious, premeditated white lies.

When I worked as a graphic artist during seminary, I had a customer who kept a “lie book” in his pocket. Whenever he told someone a lie he would write it down, so he could remember it the next time he saw that person.

The commentaries claim that this is the commandment of the ten we break most often. Do you agree? Raise your hand if you’ve never lied. Be careful—don’t lie.

The psalmist lamented, “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception” (Psalm 12:1-2).

What is “false testimony”? Why do we commit this sin? Why is it wrong? What can we do about it? These are our questions today.

What is a “lie”?

We live in a “post-modern” culture, where truth is considered to be subjective and personal. There’s no “right” or “wrong,” just what’s right or wrong for you. No absolutes—which is itself an absolute statement. So, let’s be clear—what is a “lie”?

False words are, of course, lies. We lie when we tell half-truths, when we exaggerate, when we misquote, when we slander others and gossip about them.

False appearances are lies. The psalmist said of his people, “they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse” (Psalm 62:4).

Sometimes we gossip in spiritual guise. “Pray for the Does, they’re having marital troubles;” “I’m concerned about the Joneses, their son (or daughter) is really struggling in school.” We pretend to care, which is a lie.

Any time we create a false appearance, we’re lying. I remember an episode in the old M.A.S.H. series, where Hawkeye the doctor strikes out with a new nurse assigned to the unit. The next guy through the door asks her out and she accepts. Hawkeye asks his buddy, “What does he have that I don’t have?” “Sincerity,” they reply. “Sincerity,” he says—“I can fake that.” No, you can’t.

Withholding the truth is a lie. Listen to Leviticus 5:1: “If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.” The sin of silence is as real as the sin of speech.

Last, rationalization is a lie. Everyone’s doing it; it won’t hurt anyone; no one will know. It’s just a “white lie.” But “white lies” are an oxymoron.

In a Peanuts cartoon (August 1997), Charlie Brown says to Linus, “We’re supposed to write home to our parents and tell them what a great time we’re having here at camp.” Linus answers, “Even if we’re not? Isn’t that a lie?” Charlie Brown explains, “Well … it’s sort of a white lie.” To which Linus asks, “Lies come in colors?”

No, they do not.

Why do we lie?

Let’s ask our second question: why are such lies and deceit so common?

The first sin in the Bible was telling a lie. In Genesis 3 we read that the crafty serpent asked the woman if she was allowed to eat from any tree in the garden. When she answered, he lied, “You will not surely die” (v. 4). So she ate, and he ate, and eventually they both died. As will we, unless Jesus returns first. The first sin in the Bible is a lie.

The last sinners named in the Bible are also liars. In Revelation 22 Jesus says to John, “Outside [heaven] are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (v. 15, emphasis mine).

The psalmist said, “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies” (Psalm 58:3).

Why are lies so common to us?

One answer: we lie to compensate for our own failures.

We have some sense of the way things should be, of life as God intended it. But we know that we are not living this way, that we have sinned, fallen, failed. So, we compensate. We create a false self, an “idealized self,” the person we wish we were. And we spend the rest of our lives trying to live up to this person.

But no one can do it for very long. When we fall short of the perfectionism which drives us, we deceive ourselves and others. We lie.

Cain lied to cover up his murder. David lied about Bathsheba to cover up his sin. Any sin they committed, or you commit, I can commit. There is no sin we cannot commit. If they lied to compensate for their own failures, so can I. So can you.

Another answer: to hurt those who hurt us.

If someone lies to us, we lie to them. To hurt those who hurt us.We lie to get revenge. We repeat half-truths and rumors, we gossip and slander, to hurt people we think we have a right to hurt. After all, they did it to us, right?

Saul was convinced David was a threat to him, so he became a threat to David. He lied about him to his son, his family, his nation. If he lied to hurt his enemy, so can I. So can you.

Still another answer: to get ahead.

We lie to get the account, to close the deal. To impress the girl or the boy. To please our parents. To further our own agenda.Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money they brought to the church, so they could keep some of it for themselves. If they lied to get ahead, so can I. So can you.

Finally, we lie because we are tempted by Satan himself. Jesus called him “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He helps us along, encouraging us to be less than honest with God, others, and ourselves.

Why is lying wrong?

Now, we’re ready for our third question: Why is lying wrong? If 91% of us do it today, and people did it all through the Bible, why is it so wrong? Here are the facts.

God says it is wrong. Listen to Psalm 101:7: “No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.” And listen to Ephesians 5:25: “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor.” God says lying is wrong.

Lying offends the character of God. Jesus is truth (John 14:6). The Bible calls our Lord “a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Thus lying runs counter to his very nature.

Listen to Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” See how God feels about deceit?

Lying sacrifices trust. Do you remember the last time someone lied to you—perhaps a national politician or leader, or a personal relationship? Have you been able to trust them since?

Lying destroys people. Once a lie has been told about someone, it can never be taken back.

The rabbis used to tell about a man who repeated gossip and slander about his rabbi. Finally he came to him and apologized, and asked what he could do to make things right. The rabbi gave him a bag filled with feathers, and told him to empty it into the wind at the top of a nearby hill. He did, and brought back the empty bag. Then the rabbi told him to go back and pick up all the feathers, which by now had blown across the town and the countryside. Of course he could not. The man then understood the damage he had caused. Do we?

In short, lies destroy. Never underestimate their power or the damage they can do.

Who do you think said these words: “The broad mass of a nation will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one…. If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it to be the truth”? It was Adolf Hitler. And six million Jews died from his lies.

Lies destroy.

How do we keep the ninth commandment?

Now we’re ready for our last question: how do we keep the ninth commandment? How do we deal with lies, in our lives and our culture?

First, confront them as soon as possible. Don’t let their malignancy grow.Deal with this issue in your own life. If you find deceit in your words, your thoughts, your actions, confess it to God, right now.Deal with this issue with your children. Confess this sin to those you’ve hurt. This will hurt you, and make it far harder to lie next time.

Second, don’t listen to the lies of others. Know that if someone will lie about me to you, they’ll probably lie about you to me. Be the one who stops the cycle of lies and rumors and gossip.

Third, live with consistent integrity. Be the same person when you talk to someone as when you talk about them. Be the same in private as in public. Be one person, always.

Will Rogers once advised, “So live that you would not be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” That’s good advice.

Last, stay close to God. Jesus always told the truth. In fact, he was the Truth. The best way to keep the ninth commandment is to get close to him—to ask his Spirit to fill and control you, to stay right with him as the source of your life. Then all which comes from your heart and lips will be right.

Conclusion

The writer of Proverbs was wise enough to pray, “Keep falsehood and lies far from me.” Are we that wise today?

Our church in Midland helped a number of villages in the north of Mexico. Their greatest need was always for clean water. The people would typically dig their water well at the lowest spot in the village, because it was easier. But when it rained, refuse from the stables and the houses flowed into the well, contaminating the water.

We learned to drill wells at the highest spot in the village, above every place else, if we wanted the water from those wells to be pure.

Let us pray.

Why Pray?

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Why pray?

Dr. Jim Denison

A friend sent me this essay. It quickly hit home with me–see if it does with you.

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his demons, he said, “We can’t keep the Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from biblical values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, continual experience with Christ.

“If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their Christian lifestyles, but steal their time so they can’t gain that experience with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”

“How shall we do this?” asked his demons. “Keep them busy with the nonessentials of life and invest unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince them to work six or seven days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.

“Over stimulate their minds so they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player wherever they drive, to keep the TV, the DVD player, and their CDs going constantly in their homes. Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes and e-mail with junk, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotion.

“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their holidays exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. And when they gather for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so they leave with souls unfulfilled.

“Let them be involved in evangelism. But crowd their lives with so many good causes that they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause.”

It was quite a convention. And the demons went eagerly to their assignments.

Has the devil been successful in his scheme? You be the judge. While nearly 9 in 10 Americans say they pray to God, only one in four is “completely satisfied” with his or her prayer life. Only 60% of Protestants who pray are “absolutely certain” that prayer makes a difference in their lives.

There are many reasons we don’t pray as often or as passionately as we could and should. But near the top of the list is the question, “why?” If we don’t understand why we should do something, it’s harder to do it. “Because I said so” isn’t an answer any child wants to hear from a parent.

A dear friend raised this issue with me. If God knows what we are going to ask, why ask? If he already knows what we are going to do, why pray? If my prayer causes God to do some good thing he was not going to do until I prayed, what does this say about the character of God? Why does he sometimes heal when we pray and sometimes not? Why pray?

To obey God

The first answer to the question is the one children don’t like to hear: because our Father says so. Because Scripture tells us to pray.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was explicit: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Ask, seek, knock–each is an imperative, not a suggestion. Each is God’s demand of us.

We are to pray with urgency. Charles Spurgeon, the greatest of all Baptist preachers, warned us: “He who prays without fervency does not pray at all. We cannot commune with God, who is a consuming fire, if there is no fire in our prayers.” Maltbie Babcock agreed: “Our prayers must mean something to us if they are to mean anything to God.”

Hear Spurgeon again: “The sacred promises, though in themselves most sure and precious, are of no avail for the comfort and sustenance of the soul unless you grasp them by faith, plead them in prayer, expect them by hope, and receive them with gratitude.” He added, “Do not reckon you have prayed unless you have pleaded, for pleading is the very marrow of prayer.”

We are to pray urgently and continually. Jesus’ words are in the present tense: pray and keep on praying. Our Lord prayed before light, after dark, all night long, continually. His word commands the same of us: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

George Mueller, the great minister and man of faith, prayed patiently for five personal friends who did not know the Lord. After five years, one came to Christ. In ten more years, two more were saved. After 25 years, the fourth friend came to Christ. He kept praying for the last friend for 52 years, then died. The fifth friend came to know Jesus a few months afterward. Keep praying.

How do we pray with continual urgency?

Begin. Make an appointment to meet with God. I read about a man who put on his calendar each day, 7-7:30, prayer. But he kept missing it. Then he changed it to say 7-7:30, God. That’s a harder meeting to neglect.

In Jesus’ name: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Do you believe that you deserve to be heard, or do you pray on the basis of Jesus’ death for you?

According to God’s will: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). He will give us what we ask, or something better.

For God’s glory: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John. 14:13). Do you seek your glory or his?

With a clean heart: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my prayer” (Psalm 66:18-19).

If God seems silent, check yourself by these biblical standards. But know that your Father wants to hear you even more than you want to be heard. And pray. Let nothing stop you. Do it today.

Because prayer changes you

A second reason to pray: time with God changes us. When we are in the presence of God, his Spirit transforms us. Prayer is the way the Carpenter shapes and molds the wood of our lives. He must touch us to change us. In prayer we do not talk about him, but to him. We do not study him, we are with him. And then our time in prayer makes us more like his Son, which is his purpose for our lives (Romans 8:29).

Frederick Buechner said that we are to pray continually “not, one assumes, because you have to beat a path to God’s door before he’ll open it, but because until you beat the path maybe there’s no way of getting to your door.” Blaise Pascal believed that “All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms.” Gordon MacDonald adds: “I have begun to see that worship and intercession are far more the business of aligning myself with God’s purposes than asking him to align with mine.”

Oswald Chambers taught, “Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself.”

We pray because God tells us to. Why does he want us to pray? Because then he can shape and mold us, preparing us for eternity and using us on earth. Prayer is the hand of God on our souls.

And so prayer positions us to receive what God’s grace wants to give. You could not read these words unless you were close enough to your computer to be able to see them. Sitting in front of your computer screen does not mean that you deserve these words, good or bad. Just that you can receive them.

In the same way, there is much God wants to give us but cannot until we are willing to receive his grace. We have not because we ask not (James 4:2). He wanted to guide me in writing this essay, but could not speak effectively to me unless I was ready to listen. He wants to guide you through the rest of this day, but cannot unless you are willing to follow. Time in prayer connects your Spirit with his, so you can hear his voice and follow his will.

In these ways, prayer does not change God so much as it changes us.

Because your Father always hears you

So we are to pray because God requires it, and because he uses prayer in our lives. Here’s a third reason to pray: because our Father always hears us. Jesus promised: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. No exceptions. God has an “open door” policy with the universe. Billions of people pray in thousands of languages, all at the same time, and God hears each one. You included.

Jesus followed his promise with a parable (Matthew 7: 9-11). Stones along the Sea of Galilee were small limestone balls, in appearance much like the bread of the day. Fish-like snakes grew in the Sea; they were without scales and thus forbidden to the Jews as food (Leviticus 11:12). Now, if you were a father in those days and your hungry child asked for bread, would you trick him with a stone? If he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not. And compared to God, we are “evil.” Our perfect Father who is love always hears us. This is the promise of God.

The difference between hearing and answering

However, “hearing” and “answering” may not be the same thing. We often say that God hasn’t heard our prayers if he has not yet granted our request in the way we asked it. But a father hears the child’s request which he must refuse just as he hears the request he can grant.

Here’s a one-sentence theology of prayer: When we pray, God always gives us what we ask for or something better. He always hears us, and always grants our request in the way that is for his glory and our good. He is not capricious, arbitrary, or deaf. He is a Father who is excited every time one of his children calls him. Every time.

The Greeks told a story about Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, who fell in love with Tithonus a mortal youth. Zeus offered her any gift she might choose for her mortal lover. She naturally chose that Tithonus might live forever; but she had forgotten to ask that he might remain forever young. And so Tithonus grew older and older and older, and could never die, and the gift became a curse.

Our Father is no Zeus. He loves us so much he watched his Son die in our place, on our cross, for our sins. Do you know anyone who loves you enough to send their child to die for you? One did.

Reasons God does not grant what we ask

The simple fact is that a loving Father cannot give us everything we ask in the way we ask for it. A farmer prays for rain; a baseball fan prays for sunshine that same day, for that same county. Both sides prayed for victory in the Civil War.

His timing may not be ours. He might right now be working to answer your prayer, but you cannot yet see that work. You’re needing a new job, and have prayed for one. Today God is engineering circumstances in such a way that a person is being promoted to the home office of her corporation. Then someone in her office will be moved into her position. Then that person’s job will be yours. It is going to take another two months for that process to become obvious to you, though God is working on the issue right now. You just don’t know it.

And God loves us too much to give us what we ask for, unless it is for our good. When one of our boys was very small, he watched me use a razor blade to scrape paint from a window and wanted to play with this shiny new toy. He was incensed that I refused.

Here we come to one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. When we prayed for something God did not grant, we can know that it was best that he acted as he did. Even when we do not understand why. The person did not get well. The house burned down; the divorce became final; the car wreck happened. It’s not a question of timing, for the worst has already occurred. And we do not understand why God did not grant us our prayer.

A very dear friend in our congregation suffered from cancer for many months. I prayed every day for her healing. When she died, I was deeply distraught. Her healing would have brought such glory to God and good to her family. I didn’t understand, and still don’t.

Dr. E. K. Bailey was the Senior Pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, and one of the finest ministers of the gospel I have ever known. Our friendship was priceless to my soul. His preaching will be remembered always. Several times, God healed my dear friend of cancer. Then he did not. I still don’t understand why.

I must assume that it was not best for them to be healed. They are both with the Father in glory, in a paradise we cannot begin to imagine. One second on the other side of death, they were glad they were in glory. In the providence of God, their contribution to his Kingdom on earth must have been completed, their reward prepared, their eternity made ready. Even though I don’t understand or like it.

That’s the faith assumption I must make when God does not grant what I ask–he is doing something even better. Though my finite, fallen mind cannot begin to imagine how that could be so, I must trust his love and compassion enough to accept it by faith. Not until I became a father did I understand some of the things my father said and did. Not until we are in glory will we understand completely our Father’s will and ways (1 Corinthians 13:12).

What about free will?

Now let’s complicate matters even further. We have been thinking thus far about situations where God did not give us what we asked for, and trying to trust that he did something even better. But are there times when his will is frustrated by our own? When he wants to answer our prayer, but human freedom prevents him?

The question moves us into the arena of sovereignty/free will, one of the most debated and divisive subjects in Christian theology today. We’ll not go there except as the issue touches on a theology of prayer. Some theologians argue that God’s sovereign will is not subject to ours, that human freedom can never frustrate or defeat the divine plan. They would not agree that misused free will could be a factor in God’s answers to our prayers. He will do what is best, however humans react to him.

However, it seems to me that in at least one area, God’s will is limited by ours. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 1 Timothy 2:4 promises that God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Some believe God has chosen the “elect” who will be in heaven and those who will be in hell, and that human freedom is not determinative of eternal destiny. They must interpret these two passages as relating only to the “elect.” But the verses seem in their context to speak to all of humanity, never mentioning the “elect.” It seems clear that God wants every one of his children to be with him in eternity.

Yet we know that many are lost: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Many will use their free will to refuse God’s offer of grace. And he has chosen to limit himself to their freedom. He created us to worship him; worship requires a choice; God will not violate that freedom. His sovereign decision to enable our free will causes him to honor that freedom.

If this is true, we have at least one area where human freedom limits the perfect will of God. Is this possible in other areas as well, specifically with regard to prayer? Could it be that a reason God has not answered a prayer as you asked it is because someone is refusing to cooperate?

God wanted you to have a particular job, but the person who was to hire you misused his freedom to hire his brother-in-law instead. God intended to lead your daughter to a particular Christian young man at college, but she refused to follow the Lord’s guidance. You prayed for God to use your life; he intended for you a deeply fulfilling ministry to children in your church, but you refused his leadership. Then you wonder why he hasn’t answered your prayer.

I have not resolved this issue fully in my own mind. If God is sovereign, his “good, pleasing and perfect will” must be done (Romans 12:2). If God intends us to have freedom of choice, he must honor the decisions we make even when they are counter to his perfect will. It seems to me that resolving this conflict in either direction creates a greater problem than we solve. If God’s will controls our own, our mistakes and sins are ultimately his fault (violating James 1:13-15). If our will controls God’s, he cannot fulfill his purposes for his creation (violating Jesus’ claim that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Matthew 28:18).

So I am ready to accept both sides of the paradox. God is three and one; Jesus is fully God and fully man; and Scripture is divinely inspired and humanly written. In the same way, God will accomplish his perfect will without violating my freedom. There are times when we are like Joseph, sold into slavery by our brothers’ misused free will. At the end of the story we will be able to say to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). His love prevails.

Conclusion

Now, where does this subject come home to you? Do you pray much at all? Continually? With urgency? Is there a need you’ve abandoned, a request on which you’ve given up? A place in your life where God seems silent?

Perhaps this man’s experience will help. An anonymous Confederate soldier wrote,

I asked God for strength that I might achieve; I was made weak, that I might learn to serve. I asked for health, that I might do great things; I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. I asked for wealth, that I might be happy; I was given poverty, that I might be wise. I asked for power, that I might earn the praise of men; I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing I asked for, but all I hoped for. Despite myself, my prayers were answered. And I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

So can we be. This is the promise of God.

Why Was Jesus Born?

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Topical Scripture: Hebrews 4:14–16

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’m not sure that’s always true. Here are some examples:

  • “You know you’re old when you go to bed at the time you used to go out.”
  • “If by ‘crunches’ you mean the sound potato chips make when you chew them, then yes, I do crunches.”
  • This image comes close, however: “Apparently there’s a third option between burial and cremation.”

We’re now in the Easter season, and the images are clear and powerful. Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Our Lord driving the moneychangers from the temple, debating the authorities, eating the Last Supper, praying while he sweated drops of blood in Gethsemane, hanging from a cross, rising from the grave.

These images changed our world.

We know the what and the who of Easter. But we don’t always know the why. Why did Jesus have to be born to die? Why couldn’t he simply have appeared as a thirty-three-year-old man to die for us? Why did he have to die? Why on a cross? Why did he have to rise from the dead?

These questions require words. Their answers, as we will see during this Easter season, are life-transforming.

We begin at the beginning: Why was Jesus born? We’re going to discover that the answer offers us hope and help we can find nowhere else on earth.

Why was Jesus born?

Let’s begin by exploring the question. If I ask you why Jesus came to earth, you’d probably answer, “To die for our sins.” And you’d be right.

But the God who created the universe and could enter it as a man could have come in any way he wanted. He could have come as a child, an adult, or an elderly man. He could have come as a woman. He could have come as a Jew or a Gentile, a Roman or an Asian. He could have come in any way at all. If his only purpose in coming to earth was to die, why did he come as he did?

The facts of his incarnation are clear. The only baby who chose his parents chose a teenage girl from a town so small it’s not mentioned even once in the entire Old Testament. Her fiancée was a carpenter so poor he could not provide more than the most basic sacrifice when Jesus was born.

When time came for him to be born, his mother brought him to Bethlehem, where they arrived so late there was room only in a stable. And so, the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, was born in a stable and laid in a feed trough. The cave where it happened was and is dark, dingy, anything but attractive.

He then grew up in obscurity in Nazareth before beginning his movement in Galilee, far from the temple, the rabbis, the Sanhedrin, the power structures of the day. His disciples, while successful businessmen, were not recognized as scholars or religious authorities.

He spent time with tax collectors, lepers, demoniacs, exiles and outcasts. Then he came to the one city where he knew he would be arrested, illegally tried, and executed.

Why did he do all of this?

The Incarnation fulfills prophecy

One answer is that Jesus’ incarnation fulfills prophecy. Micah predicted seven centuries before Christmas: “You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).

Scripture also predicted that he would be born of a virgin: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Jesus fulfilled many more prophecies with his death and resurrection, as we will see in coming weeks. So, we know that Jesus had to be born to fulfill God’s word.

But why did God make these predictions? Why did the Spirit inspire these prophecies?

The Incarnation shows Jesus’ solidarity with us

If Jesus had simply come to earth to die for us, what would we miss?

  • We would miss his healing ministry, as he touched leprous bodies, opened blind eyes, and raised dead bodies.
  • We would miss his feeding ministry, as he nourished thousands of hungry people.
  • We would miss his teaching ministry. The four gospels are filled with wisdom we would not have apart from his incarnational ministry.
  • We would not have the apostles and the movement they led. Who would know that Jesus died for us? Who would tell the story?

Jesus’ earthly life shows his solidarity with us. He was hungry in the wilderness, tired at the Samaritan well, and thirsty on the cross. He wept at the grave of Lazarus. He felt everything we feel.

Jesus was also tempted in every way we are: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He was tempted by possessions in the wilderness as Satan tried to entice him to turn stones into bread. He was tempted by popularity at the pinnacle of the temple as Satan tried to entice him to jump off and impress the crowds. He was tempted by power when Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship.

In short, he was tempted in every way we are, but without sin.

Jesus is now praying for us: “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

We might think that Jesus’ incarnational life enables him to do this more powerfully. Those who have been through what you have been through can pray for you as others cannot.

However, Jesus was and is omniscient, as is his Father. If he had to come to earth to understand us so he could pray for us, what of those who lived before Christmas? Does this mean the Father cannot understand us?

Here’s the point: Jesus did not come to earth to learn something he didn’t know, but to teach us something we didn’t know. Namely, that all he did, he can still do. What he was, he still is.

Max Lucado: “Why did God leave us one tale after another of wounded lives being restored? It isn’t to tell us what Jesus did. It’s to tell us what Jesus does. Paul says in Romans 15:4: ‘Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scripture gives us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope.'”

Scripture is clear: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). All he has ever done, he can still do. Now he wants to do it for you.

What does the Incarnation mean for us?

After testifying to Jesus’ defeat of all temptation, the author of Hebrews invites us: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

The Incarnation proves that Jesus understands us. We now have proof that he knows what it is to grieve, to hunger, to thirst, to grow weary. We have proof that he knows what it is to be tempted and tested.

As a result, when we are grieving, hungry, thirsty, or tired; when we are tempted and tested; we know where to turn. We know who to trust. We can “draw near to the throne of grace” and know that “we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Conclusion

Perhaps you know the story of Joseph Damien. A Belgian priest, he was sent in 1873 to minister to lepers in Hawaii. As soon as he arrived on Molokai, he began trying to build friendships with the residents of the leper colony there, but they rejected him. He built a small chapel and held regular services. But hardly anyone came.

After twelve long years, Father Damien gave up. While standing on the pier about to board the ship that would take him home to Belgium, he looked down at his hands. The white spots he saw there could mean only one thing: he had contracted leprosy. So instead of going home, he returned to his work in the leper colony.

News of the missionary’s disease spread through the community within hours, and soon hundreds of lepers had rushed outside his hut. They understood his pain and despair. The following Sunday, when Father Damien arrived at the chapel, the building was filled to overflowing. Thus began a long and fruitful ministry.

What made the difference? Now the lepers knew that the minister knew their condition. They knew that he cared about them, that he could identify with them, that he was one of them.

His love for them had not changed. But their belief in his love had.

This is the story of the Incarnation. It is the story of Jesus’ love for you, right now.

Why do you need his grace today?

Winning in the Fourth Quarter

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Winning in the Fourth Quarter

Matthew 4:12-25

Dr. Jim Denison

Today’s Super Bowl will be the biggest sporting event of the year. Last year 144 million people saw all or part of the game, in 230 countries around the world. Television ads are going for $2.4 million each. Imagine the pressure for the players on the field.

But the pressure is nothing new to the New England Patriots. In the 2002 Super Bowl they were 14-point underdogs to the St. Louis Rams. The Patriots drove 53 yards at the game’s end, and Adam Vinatieri kicked the game winning, 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Then it happened again last year. This time there were nine seconds left on the clock when Vinatieri kicked a 41-yarder to win the biggest game of the year. The final score is all that counts. The scoreboard doesn’t care how but how many.

In football and in life, it’s not how we start that matters–it’s how we finish.

Many years ago, John Bisagno, the long-time pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston, didn’t believe his father-in-law when he told him that one in ten who start in the ministry end in it. Bisagno wrote in his Bible the names of 24 men who were his young contemporaries in the ministry. 30 years later, there were only three names remaining.

Howard Hendricks at Dallas Theological Seminary recently studied 246 men who experienced moral failure in the ministry within a two-year period. That’s nearly three a week. And all of them started strong.

We all want to finish well, but what makes you think you will? Why will you win in the fourth quarter? How should you invest your time, opportunities, money, and abilities in such a way that you finish life well? That you don’t climb the ladder to discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall?

Here’s my thesis: you can’t finish the right race tomorrow if you’re running the wrong race today. You must invest your life eternally. Let’s learn how.

Be strategic with your place

Our text tells us that Jesus “went and lived in Capernaum,” to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would bring God’s light to “Galilee of the Gentiles” (vs. 13, 15). Why there? Why would a Jewish rabbi go so far from the Holy City and her Temple and religious leaders? For this reason: “gentiles” is the Greek word ethnos, peoples or nations. From here Jesus could literally touch the world.

Three million people lived here in 204 cities and villages, the smallest of which had a population of 15,000 inhabitants. This was the most densely populated area Jesus could have found in all the Middle East.

Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, states that the Galileans were volatile, open to change, fond of innovation, tough and courageous. Unlike the more religious Jews to the south, they were not steeped in tradition. Gentiles lived among them in great numbers. They were extremely cosmopolitan, as some of the oldest and most significant trade routes in the world passed through their borders.

They were exactly the right people with whom to begin Jesus’ public ministry strategy.

And Capernaum was the most strategic place in all of Galilee. The town, situated on the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, was one of the centers of Galilean political and commercial life. It was a bustling town, a fishing port used by both Jews and Gentiles–the New York City of Galilee. A place of strategic influence.

From here he could proclaim across Galilee his message, the same as John’s before: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Because he had found his place.

Where is your life located today? Ask God if you are where he intends you to be–in the office or school or home which is his place for you. Then serve him there. Make that place your Capernaum and your Galilee. Begin thinking about ways to use your place for your Father right now. Serve God where you are, because you certainly cannot serve him where you are not.

When Janet and I were married in 1980, we moved to Arlington so I could attend Southwestern Seminary. I had been a youth minister, college preacher, and summer missionary. I knew God had great plans for me in our new church. We soon found a church in Arlington to join. They made Janet a junior high Sunday school teacher, where she did a wonderful job. Then they made me the junior high attendance taker. That was my job. A year later, Janet got a job on the staff of First Baptist Church in Arlington, so we moved our membership there. They made me the choir attendance taker.

Eventually I learned the lesson: bloom where you’re planted. Use the place where you are today. Janet and I began investing in the young people in that choir and church. God opened doors to other ministry. And our service became useful and fruitful. But I had to make my place strategic, first. So do you.

Be strategic with your purpose

From here, Jesus called his first disciples. Why these four fishermen? For the same reasons he calls us.

First, they were prepared. As fishermen, they brought skills and experiences to “fishing for men.” Fishermen in those days must be courageous, willing to work in all kinds of weather. They must persevere, going days and nights without catching fish. They must be patient and flexible, willing to use whatever nets and methods would work. And they must be humble and invisible–fish don’t want to see a fisherman. All this they would need in the work to which they were called.

God has prepared you for the purpose he intends you to fulfill. He wants you to succeed. His will never leads where his grace cannot sustain.

They were teachable. They knew that they didn’t know. They learned from Jesus and followed his leadership because they knew they had no other. “I will make you fishers of men,” he promised (v. 19)–“make” means to equip, prepare, create. I will make you into the men and ministers I mean for you to be. So long as we are teachable, he’ll do the same for us.

And they were obedient. They left their “nets,” their jobs, to follow him. James and John left their boat and nets, the hired men (Mark 1:20), and their father. Peter had a home, a wife and mother-in-law in Capernaum. They all had families. And they left it all to follow him. If we will obey his word and will, we will always know them.

God has prepared you, and will use you if you are teachable and obedient. So, what is his purpose for the place where he has put you? These fishermen would “fish for men” in all they did. What is your life purpose?

William Barclay warns us: “A man will never become outstandingly good at anything unless that thing is his ruling passion. There must be something of which he can say, ‘For me to live is this.'” What is your “ruling passion”?

How can you define it? Know your spiritual gifts, using our church’s inventory to help you discover them. Determine what kinds of service God seems to bless, and that which brings your heart joy. If you could do anything to serve Jesus, what would it be?

Paul was apostle to the Gentiles, Peter to the Jews. James’ life purpose was to pastor the first church in Christian history. God has a purpose for you, a way for you to “fish for men.” Seek your purpose for your place, and you will know it for each day as each day comes.

Be strategic with your plan

Jesus has a place and a purpose. Here is his plan, and ours. First, go to the people. Jesus traveled “throughout Galilee” (v. 23a), going to the people wherever they were to be found. This was his essential ministry strategy–go to the people where they are, as they are, and bring them to God. Who will be your next Galilean?

Share the good news: “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom” (v. 23b). Synagogues didn’t have professional preachers. Any rabbi in town could be invited to speak. It would be like having a “guest preacher” each Sunday here. The synagogues were strategic platforms for Jesus’ ministry throughout the area. What is your synagogue?

Meet their needs, “healing every disease and sickness among the people” (v. 23c). “Disease” is the Greek word for debilitating, incurable illness. “Sickness” is the word for less serious problems. Jesus healed them all, “every disease and sickness among the people.” Find a need and meet it. Adults are open to faith during a crisis if they are open at no other time.

And trust that God will use you. People from northern Syria, 300 miles away, came to him (v. 24). Crowds from across Israel came as well. And his public ministry was launched.

For whom will you pray this week? How will you use your office or school as your “synagogue” and mission field? Find a need and meet it–someone whose hurt you can help, whose heart you can touch. Earn the right to be heard by going to the people where they are with the good news of God’s love in yours. Assume that your vocation or role in life is your means of ministry, because it is.

And pay the price of success. These men gave their jobs and livelihoods to God’s call. Not just the Sabbath, but every day of the week. Not just “church” but life. Surrender to him the tithe, the tenth his word expects you to give to his work. Put him in charge of the rest. Invest your life in his eternal purpose for you. To quote Barclay again, “A man progresses in life in proportion to the fare he is prepared to pay.” It’s been said that those who want to lead the orchestra must turn their backs on the crowd.

Conclusion

God has a strategy and plan for your life: “I know the plans I have for you–plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Choose to invest in that purpose, to be strategic with your life. Decide that you want your life to count. Even a dead fish can float downstream.

Begin where you are. Ask God if you are in his place for you, then use it as your Galilee. Assume that the people you know and influence are your field of ministry. Ask the Lord to guide you to his purpose for this day, as you “fish for men.” Go to them with the good news of God’s love, meeting their needs with God’s love in yours. Pay the price of success with the courageous and sacrificial giving of your time, money, and abilities.

And know that as you invest in the eternal, your life will develop a sense of joy and significance which will make each day worth living.

Steve Farrar’s book, Finishing Strong, closes with this restatement of our theme: “If you could go back in a time machine, two thousand years ago, to the times of the New Testament, it might give you some perspective. If you were to plant yourself in a busy market near the temple in Jerusalem, you could gather some real insight. Stop and think what it would be like to randomly interview the citizens of Jerusalem as they went about their daily business in the times of the early church.

“You would only need to ask them a couple of questions. ‘Who do you think that people two thousand years from now will remember from your generation?’ My guess is, many of those citizens of the Roman Empire would answer, ‘Caesar.’ Others would respond, ‘Nero.’ ‘But what about this group of people known as Christians. Don’t you think that anyone will remember them or their leaders?’

“‘Are you kidding? That group of nobodies? They don’t have any influence. They aren’t important.’ ‘You mean you haven’t heard of Paul or Peter? Don’t you think they’ll be remembered? Or what about Mary and Martha? Wasn’t their brother involved in some miracle?’

“‘I’m telling you, these people are insignificant. They only thing I ever hear of their leaders is that they’re always winding up in jail. Trust me, in two thousand years, nobody will give them a thought.’ So here we are, two thousand years later. And isn’t it interesting that we name our children Peter and Paul, Mary and Martha? And we name our dogs Caesar and Nero.”

Invest eternally. Start today.

Winning The Battle Of The Mind

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Winning the Battle of the Mind

Matthew 5:27-30

Dr. Jim Denison

Dios te bendiga! Estoy contento de estar aqui con nuestra. Thus I began my sermons in Cuba last week: “God bless you. We are very happy to be with you.” And we were, for God did marvelous miracles before our very eyes. Each time I was privileged to preach the gospel, the pastors extended an invitation for people to come forward to trust in Christ. And people filled the entire front of the sanctuary and down the center aisle as well. Sunday morning Jeff Byrd and I were two of eight pastors helping to baptize 156 people in a lake outside Camaguey. I’ll never forget the first person I baptized—a young woman with only one leg. Or the oldest: an elderly woman who came up out of the water and said into the heavens, “Now I have died with Christ.”

She was right. When we follow Jesus, we die to the old life and live only for the new. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to live this new life, the biblical worldview, the life of a disciple. Today he deals with sexual sin and adultery.

Is this an issue for us?

40 million American adults have visited a sexually-oriented site on the Internet. Children spend 64.9% more time on pornography sites than on game sites. Annual rental and sales of adult videos and DVDs top $4 billion. The average American teenager views 14,000 sexual references on television each year.

The incidence of adultery has risen 50-70% in the last decade in America.

The problem is clear, and real. How do we win the battle of the mind?

Refuse adultery of body (v. 27)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery’” (v. 27). Here our Lord quotes the Seventh Commandment, cited specifically in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18.

From the very beginning, God made clear to his creation that sexual activity within marriage is normal and good. In fact, he commanded it: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it'” (Genesis 1:28).

But God also made very clear that sex is his gift for marriage. Extramarital sex is always wrong.

“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. If a man sleeps with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you” (Leviticus 20:10-14).

“If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel” (Deuteronomy 22:22).

Premarital sex is as wrong as extramarital sex:

If a man accuses his new wife of violating her virginity before their marriage, “and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 22:20-21).

“If a man happens to meet in town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the girl because she was in town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).

“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives” (Deuteronomy 22:28-29).

Sex is God’s gift for marriage. We are to refuse all adultery, of any kind. We are not to engage in sexual activity until we are married, and then with our spouse alone. This is the clear word and will of God.

Refuse adultery of mind (v. 28)

1. How do we keep this commandment? How do we resist sexual temptations, especially in a culture which so surrounds us with them every day? To refuse adultery of body, first refuse adultery of mind.

Aristotle: “What is a crime for a person to do, is a crime for a person to think.” Jesus proves that this is so.

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (v.28).

The “I” here is emphatic—Jesus is asserting his own divine authority. This is just as much the command of God as the Seventh Commandment.

“Anyone”—regardless of religious title, status, or significance. No exceptions are granted here.

“Who looks at”—no problem so far. The sin is not noticing a woman or a man. The sin is not the first look but the second. Luther was right: you cannot keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.

“A woman”—not specifically a wife, though this is implied. But adultery of the mind can be practiced with any woman, or with any man.

“Lustfully”—”who looks at a woman for the purpose of lusting.” Barclay translates the phrase, “Everyone who looks at a woman in such a way as to waken within himself forbidden desires for her.”

“Adultery with her in his heart”—the “heart” includes the intellect, the emotions, the will. The place from which actions find the origin. The source of all that follows. When we poison the mind, we poison the body. We poison the headwaters, which pollutes the river which flows out from them. The heart becomes the life.

Refuse the thoughts before they become actions. It will never be easier to refuse lust than when it first appears to your mind.

Job 31:1: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”

Proverbs 6:25-29: “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”

David’s sin started in 2 Samuel 11:2: “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful….”

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

What if you cannot? What if there is an area or activity in your life which continually leads you into lust of the mind? Luther was picturesque: If your head is made of butter, don’t sit near the fire. Here’s how Jesus advises us: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (v. 29).

The “right eye” was considered the better of the two (cf. 1 Samuel 11:.2, Zechariah 11:17), as is the “right hand” in verse 30.

If it “causes you to sin”—the phrase means specifically the stick in a trap which holds the bait; when the prey touches the stick, the trap snaps shut. So it is with the eye, the trap which baits the mind.

What are we to do with a sinful “eye?” Rabbinic hyperbole was a common teaching technique in Jesus’ day. The rabbis would teach a deliberate exaggeration to make a point. It is so here. Taken literally, one leaves the left eye with which to view lustfully. Take both eyes, but a blind man can still think sinful thoughts.

Jesus’ point is simple: rid yourself of anything which causes lustful thoughts in your mind. Premium channels on cable or satellite television; cable or satellite television; or even television. Use Internet pornography filters on your computer, or even get rid of the Internet itself. I have known of men and women who have changed their working relationships to avoid such temptation, and admire them for their courage in doing so. Do whatever you must.

This is spiritual surgery—amputating the diseased limb to save the life of the patient. In this case, the soul. Because the malignancy is spreading.

Another illustration follows: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (v. 30).

The right hand was indispensable for work in the ancient world. People typically saw the left hand as a symbol for evil, so they used it only for the most menial and demeaning tasks. Even today in many places in the East, to gesture to someone with the left hand is obscene.

Jesus’ point: get rid of anything you cannot control sexually. Anything which is causing you to lust must go. No matter how valuable you think it is. You would amputate your hand to save your life. So you must here.

Do it now.

1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”

2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

These are commandments from our holy God who is also our loving Father.

Conclusion

We have dealt today with a sober subject, but one which proves the continuing relevance of the Sermon on the Mount to life today. Refuse adultery of the body, extramarital and premarital sex. How? By refusing adultery of the mind. How? By refusing anything which leads you to such mental sin. Now.

Let me close with this fact: you cannot obey the teachings of this text alone. You were not meant to. There is not one word of the Sermon on the Mount which can be fulfilled in human ability. We must have God’s help to do God’s will.

So ask Jesus to deal with the source—your heart. Ask God to forgive your every sin, and claim his cleansing and renewal: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Then stay close to Jesus. Stay connected to the source of your power by praying and worshiping all day long, communing with Christ: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When your enemy is shooting arrows at you, you’ll stay behind your shield.

Keep your mind focused on God: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God … Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:1, 5). And you will have the victory of God.

When we first come to faith in Christ, we want our lives to be pure, moral, holy. We know how crucial it is that we stay right with God and moral in our thoughts and actions.

But, over time we become more and more engaged in the fallen world around us. We become more accepting of the world’s standards, its culture, its practices. And its sins. We become successful in the world’s eyes, and we begin to see with those eyes. We forget that it is our relationship with a pure and holy God which is the only power which sustains us, the reason for all our true success.

We become like the spider in the fable which began his web at the top of an old, abandoned barn. He dropped a single line from the highest beam of the roof, and began to spin his web from it. Over time his web became larger and larger, and caught for him more and more food. He became happy, then complacent, proud of his success. One day he noticed that single thread running from his web up into the darkness above. “I wonder why that is there,” he thought to himself. “It doesn’t catch me any food.”

So he climbed up to that single thread and cut it. And slowly the entire web came tumbling to the ground.

Let us pray.

Winning the Battle of the Mind

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Topical Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

When we follow Jesus, we die to the old life and live only for the new. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to live this new life, the biblical worldview, the life of a disciple. Today he deals with sexual sin and adultery.

Is this an issue for us?

Ninety-two million people visit porn sites every day. Pornography makes more money than the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball, combined. Twenty percent of men admit to having had an affair. I could add much more bad news.

The problem is clear, and real. How do we win the battle of the mind?

Refuse adultery of body (v. 27)

Our text begins: “You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery” (v. 27). Here our Lord quotes the seventh commandment, cited specifically in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18.

From the very beginning, God made clear to his creation that sexual activity within marriage is normal and good. In fact, he commanded it: “God blessed them…and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it'” (Genesis 1:28).

But God also made very clear that sex is his gift for marriage. Extramarital sex is always wrong: “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel” (Deuteronomy 22:22).

Premarital sex is as wrong as extramarital sex: “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 22:23–24).

Sex is God’s gift for marriage. We are to refuse all adultery, of any kind. We are not to engage in sexual activity until we are married, and then with our spouse alone. This is the clear word and will of God.

Refuse adultery of mind (v. 28)

How do we keep this commandment? How do we resist sexual temptations, especially in a culture which so surrounds us with them every day? To refuse adultery of body, first refuse adultery of mind.

Aristotle was believed to have said “What is a crime for a person to do, is a crime for a person to think.” Jesus proves that this is so.

Our text continues: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (v. 28). The “I” here is emphatic—Jesus is asserting his own divine authority. This is just as much the command of God as the seventh commandment.

“Everyone”—regardless of religious title, status, or significance. No exceptions are granted here. “Who looks at”—the sin is not noticing a woman or a man. The sin is not the first look but the second. Luther was right: You cannot keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.

“A woman”—not specifically a wife, though this is implied. But adultery of the mind can be practiced with any woman, or with any man. “With lustful intent”—”who looks at a woman for the purpose of lusting.” Barclay translates the phrase, “Everyone who looks at a woman in such a way as to waken within himself forbidden desires for her.”

“Adultery with her in his heart”—the “heart” includes the intellect, the emotions, the will. The place from which actions find the origin. The source of all that follows. When we poison the mind, we poison the body. We poison the headwaters, which pollutes the river which flows out from them. The heart becomes the life.

Refuse the thoughts before they become actions. It will never be easier to refuse lust than when it first appears to your mind:

  • “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl” (Job 31:1 NIV).
  • “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:25–29 NIV).
  • Here’s how David’s sin started: “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful” (2 Samuel 11:2).
  • “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things…” (Philippians 4:8).

What if you cannot? What if there is an area or activity in your life which continually leads you into lust of the mind? Luther was picturesque: Don’t sit near the fire if your head is made of butter.

Here’s how Jesus advises us: “If the right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you to lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (v. 29).

The “right eye” was considered the better of the two, as is the “right hand” in verse 30. If it “causes you to sin”—the phrase means specifically the stick in a trap which holds the bait; when the prey touches the stick, the trap snaps shut. So it is with the eye, which is the trap that baits the mind.

What are we to do with a sinful “eye”? Rabbinic hyperbole was a common teaching technique in Jesus’ day. The rabbis would teach a deliberate exaggeration to make a point. So it is here. Taken literally, one leaves the left eye with which to view lustfully. Take both eyes, but a blind man can still think sinful thoughts.

Jesus’ point is simple: rid yourself of anything which causes lustful thoughts in your mind. Premium channels on cable or satellite television; cable or satellite television; or even television. Use internet pornography filters on your computer, or even get rid of the internet itself. I have known of men and women who have changed their working relationships to avoid such temptation, and I admire them for their courage in doing so. Do whatever you must.

This is spiritual surgery—amputating the diseased limb to save the life of the patient. In this case, the soul. Because the malignancy is spreading.

Another illustration follows: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you to lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (v. 30).

The right hand was indispensable for work in the ancient world. People typically saw the left hand as a symbol for evil, so they used it only for the most menial and demeaning tasks. Even today in many places in the East, to gesture to someone with the left hand is obscene.

Jesus’ point: get rid of anything you cannot control sexually. Anything which is causing you to lust must go. No matter how valuable you think it is. You would amputate your hand to save your life. So you must here.

Do it now. God’s word is clear: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). These are commandments from our holy God who is also our loving Father.

Conclusion

We have dealt today with a sober subject, but one which proves the continuing relevance of the Sermon on the Mount to life today. Refuse adultery of the body, extramarital and premarital sex. How? By refusing adultery of the mind. How? By refusing anything which leads you to such mental sin. Now.

Let me close with this fact: you cannot obey the teachings of this text alone. You were not meant to. There is not one word of the Sermon on the Mount which can be fulfilled in human ability. We must have God’s help to do God’s will.

So ask Jesus to deal with the source—your heart. Ask God to forgive your every sin and claim his cleansing and renewal: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Then stay close to Jesus. Stay connected to the source of your power by praying and worshiping all day long, communing with Christ: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When your enemy is shooting arrows at you, you’ll stay behind your shield.

Keep your mind focused on God: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God … Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:1, 5). And you will have the victory of God.

The same night our Lord shared the Lord’s supper with his disciples, he prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane not to have to go to the cross. Not just because of the physical torture, though it was beyond our imagining. Not just because our sins would be placed on his sinless soul, though we cannot imagine the horror he must have felt.

I think it was because when he took on our sin, for the only time in all of eternity, his intimate relationship with his holy Father was severed. In that moment, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In that moment, he faced a pain and grief we cannot begin to understand.

But Jesus chose that. He did so for you and for me. He would do it all over again for us.

Please never again wonder if your Savior loves you, no matter your sins and failures. He will forgive all the past we confess and empower us to win victories in the future.