Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“Get It Right, Stupid” – What you won’t ever hear God say, since He’s taken care of both of those things already.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Our inner inclination is now to live as God's evidence of righteousness.

Fred Fickle Finds Faith

I’m no Ficklehead. Are you?

From my early days as a Christian, I have heard some people speak or teach in a manner that indicated a Christian could lose his salvation. For a time, I was fairly plagued by the fear that I might, in a fit of rage or covetousness or stupidity or lust or laziness, lose my heavenly place. Only later, after reading the whole New Covenant (there’s a novel idea), did I realize that God is in charge of our salvation, not us, from beginning to end. You and I are secure, not because we are security experts, but because God is. It was God who chose us before the foundation of the earth. (See Ephesians 1:4) Aren’t you a little bit glad about that?

And then there are several little biblical words with which God paints for us the vivid picture of what He thinks He has done for us, and where He thinks we are right now—He put us into Christ. Think about that. Because God wanted His life and security to be ours, as well, He co-crucified us with Christ (Galatians 2:20), co-buried us with Him (Romans 6:4), co-raised us with Him (Ephesians 2:6), and co-seated us with Him in the heavens (Ephesians 2:6). We’ve been put into union with Christ! (See Romans 6:5.) We’re enjoying God’s re-location plan right now. Frankly, we’re in rather good shape. That’s what God thinks.

If then we’re going to trust God and what He thinks He’s done, we’re going to relax about our supposed ability to lose the security we didn’t earn in the first place. We’re in! We’re in Him. God saw to it.

But, just for fun, let’s play out the “You-can-lose-your-salvation” game. Fred Fickle, affectionately known as “Ficklehead” by his buddies, gets saved one Sunday morning, but decides to reject Jesus by Monday. Tuesday dawns bright and cheerful, so Ficklehead let’s Jesus back in. Alas, Fred has a lousy morning at work, and dumps a seemingly useless Christ over lunch. By the following Sunday, Fred has accepted and rejected the Savior twenty eight times. That means Ficklehead, over and over again, has been un-co-seated, un-co-raised, un-co-buried, un-co-crucified, and had his "union" card taken away some twenty eight times. That's a lot of work. But then when Fred gets saved all over again, he would be co-crucified with Christ, co-buried, co-raised, and on and on it goes. Isn't that fun? I wonder if the on-looking angels in heaven would lack a little celebratory zest after awhile. Like maybe they don’t throw confetti anymore or shoot off as many party poppers. Hopefully, Ficklehead times it just right and dies in security before he can reverse the process and disappoint the angels all over again. (I wonder what kind of greeting Fred would get in heaven? Maybe instead of getting the new name promised to him, “Ficklehead” would continue to be his nickname. I don’t know.)

Anyway, these are some of my thoughts this morning as I enjoy Jesus, who is just now lavishing me with love. And security.

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“Silence Is Golden” – After telling God how bad you are, it’s great to not hear Him agree since He’s already said all that needs to be said about your bad self. (Hebrews 10:11-18)

P.S. If all you hear is silence all the time, change the subject.

“Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this: This new plan I’m making with Israel isn’t going to be written on paper, isn’t going to be chiseled in stone; This time “I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.” He concludes, I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins. Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them. (Hebrews 10:11-18, MSG)

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“You’ve Got A Great Body” – How to accept and enjoy the perfect curves, straight lines, muscle, and necessary fat of the body of Christ.

"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:4-5

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 3:6

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“What’s Love Got To Do With It?” – How to grow in strong faith so you don’t have to bother with messy love.





"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

Today's Sermon

--> Today's sermon:

“Freeloading On Christ” – The number one activity of the happiest people on earth.

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."  Romans 5:17

Overly Cautious

Why does this kind of thing crack me up?

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“A Holy Scrubbing” – What you won’t get just before arrival in heaven, since you—the real you—have already been made holy and perfect through Christ. (Hebrews 10:10, 14)

When I Look At You

It’s true. I’m loony. But I just “discovered” this song while driving late at night and for hours, and I REALLY like it! I was singing it to Jesus over and over again—it has to be about Him. Somewhere after the eighth or twelfth time it occurred to me that the singer might not have Him in mind—it’s crazy.

So I prayed from my heels that the song would one day burst from her heart in realization that Jesus is who she truly wants most. And she can have Him for song. This one.

Never

1 Peter 3:8  Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good;he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer,but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Eternal Fit

"Weekend Warrior"

“Weekend Warrior” – Someone who genuinely and carefully encourages people on Saturday and Sunday, because he knows how confusing and difficult it has been on Monday through Friday.

"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 
1 Thessalonians 5:10-11

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“Crap” – Although your mother told you not to use the word, you and the apostle Paul agree that it best describes everything compared to knowing Jesus

Philippians 3:7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Today's Sermon

Today's sermon:

“The Magic Number” – How to get The Reluctant Heavenly Accountant to meet your desire by getting enough people to ask Him to do what He’d rather not (Matthew 7:7-8; James 1:5)

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

My Annual Twin Trip

My parents began taking us boys (there are four of us) to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1965. Somehow or other, we’ve made it most years since. My mom and dad passed on in 2008, and in a combination of wanting to honor them and because we love fly fishing the rivers, my twin brother, Brent (Washington), and I (Colorado) meet each year for a few days of trout hunting and silly twin shenanigans. We arrived last evening.