Walking By Faith Ministries/Live The Word Ministry

“Create in Me a Clean Heart”

Psalm 51:1-12

We love the 51st Psalm. It’s a very personal prayer of confession,
self-examination and a cry for forgiveness. I can really identify with the
author of this Psalm. Not with what he did. But with his own sense and need for
forgiveness.

The Bible says, “We All like Sheep Have Gone Astray. We All Have Sinned
and Fallen Short Of His Goodness.”

We say,

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find
ourselves Lying Sometime.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find
ourselves Hating One Another.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find ourselves
Stealing from Others.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find
ourselves Back-biting and Cheating One Another.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find
ourselves Gossiping and Killing One Another with our Tongues.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find ourselves
Robbing God in paying our Tithes and Offerings.

Yes, we are “Men and Women after God’s Own Heart”….. But we find
ourselves Robbing God of Faithful Service, Worship, and Praise.

Look with me at this text. It’s obvious that David has been convicted by his
sin and his guilt. The introduction before this Psalm says this is David’s
Psalm of repentance concerning his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

David had not fooled anyone, not even himself. He knew that what he did was
wrong in God’s eyes and in his own eyes. He knew that his disobedience and sin
had broken God’s heart, and broken his relationship with God.

And as a result, his spirit and his heart were broken to the point of
contrition.

In the spirit of repentance he asked God to “Create in him a clean heart
and to renew a right spirit within his soul.”

We all need to work on having the “Right Spirit” within our hearts.

We need to come to God in genuine repentance and open ourselves up to Him at
the deepest dimension of our lives because it is the key to our “Spiritual
Healing.”

Our “Psychological and Spiritual Make-up” is similar to a house with
many rooms.

Sometimes we allow God into the living room of our hearts, but we don’t allow
Him into the basement where all the junk is stored or in the bedroom where we
reveal our private selves.

David wrote, Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden
part you will make me to know wisdom. (Vs 6)

Modern psychologists call this the “Subconscious Mind.” There are
layers to our human personalities. God wants to cleanse us in
the inner depths of our being.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 talked about a process of cleansing, that is known as
“Sanctification.”

God wants to dismantle the strongholds of darkness in our inner beings and make
us completely His so we can be set free.

Sometimes we think we are serving God; but in the depths of our being there is
anger, self-centeredness, Resentment, bitterness, Confusion and bondage.

God wants to go down into the basement of our personality and clean it up.

When we allow the truth to go into our inward parts that is when we open
ourselves to God’s process of “Sanctification”, then we experience
lasting inner freedom and peace.

When we allow the truth to come in we will discover the kind of joy that David
talked about when he said, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness. (vs.
7,

David prayer of repentance remains on record as a “Tear-stained
Testimony” of his brokenness before God and as instructions for all others
who sin.

David’s repentance did not stem from fear of punishment or concern with future
successful.

He repented for having offended God and at the rebuke of the prophet Nathan,
David realized he had foolishly destroyed something precious and he cried out
for a restored fellowship with God.

Although his heart was crushed by his shame and sorrow over sin, he knew the
great magnitude of God’s mercy.

Once his sins are confessed, forgiven, and purged, David begged God for His
“Choicest Gifts”: restoration of joy, God’s presence and,  His Holy Spirit.

Then he humbly offers himself to be used as an instrument to show forth God’s
praises and to teach other transgressors.

In John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent
me, and to finish his work.”

We Need a Spirit Of CONFESSION

First of all we need to come to God with
a Spirit of Confession.

That’s what David did. Confession is an honest look at our lives and our relationship
with God. It recognizes both “Strengths and Weaknesses”. And it has
at the heart of it a desire to change our relationship with God.

You see, sin separates us from God and our spirits feel that. We may not know
what it is at first but our spirits do.

There is a longing within us to be in relationship with God, to be close and to
seek God.

With each sin we commit we get further and further from God. And another brick
goes up in the wall that separates us from God.

We can sin so much that the wall gets so high that we can no longer sense God.

Or we can sin so much and get so far away from God that we feel totally cut off
and alone.

It’s then, that our spirits cry out and lead us, like David, to seek a
“clean heart and a new and right spirit.”

“Confession” allows the process to begin.

Confession is letting God know that we know what we did
wrong.

And when we don’t take time to confess our sins, they build up like a great
“Insurmountable Wall of Garbage” in our life.

Sin is like garbage in our spiritual lives.

And in a sense, we all are equipped with a garbage bag.

When we’re born the bag is empty. But as we go through life we slowly fill it
up.

At first they don’t amount to much.

The little white lies don’t weigh much.

One little incident of gossip or jealousy doesn’t seem too bad.

But then the little white lies grow into a larger lie.

And jealousy grows into envy which grows into hate.

Then are the unkind words turn into murder.

With each sin we turn away from God. We keep tossing garbage into the sack
until it fills up and weighs us down.

The Good News is that all of this garbage is a burden that we don’t need. A burden
we don’t have to carry. A burden that delays our journey of faith.

“Confession” is taking the Garbage Out.

We Need A Spirit Of REPENTANCE

we need Confession but Confession isn’t
enough.

You see a lot of us don’t mind confessing at all.

We rummage through the garbage of our lives with relish.

We parade it before others without even thinking about it.

Some of us even love to pull it out and show it off like some badge of honor.
So confession isn’t enough.

The other tool we need is “Repentance.”

“Confession without Repentance” is like dumping all the garbage out
of the sack, rummaging through it, naming it before God, and then picking it
all up again.

“Confession without Repentance” doesn’t really do any good at all.

“Confession without Repentance” doesn’t have any effect on our lives
or our faith.

“Confession without Repentance” doesn’t mend the relationship.

All it does is name those things that separate us from God. We already know
them and God already knows them.

“Confession without Repentance” is like trying to drive a car without
an engine. It doesn’t really get you anywhere.

Besides, Jesus didn’t die on the cross just so we could wallow in the dirt and
the filth of our sin without ever getting cleaned up.

Jesus gives us a way to be free of the burden of our sin.

Jesus offers us a way to tear down the wall that separates us from God and a
way to bring us close to the heart of God.

And that’s through both “Confession and Repentance”

“Confession” is realizing what we did and naming it before God.

“Repentance” is leaving it there and turning away from it.

“Repentance” means to head in God’s direction not you’re our own
direction.

“Confession and Repentance” means taking out the garbage, dumping it
at the foot of the cross and leaving it there.

We are able to do that because of the Power of Cross.  And when we do that, when we bring our sins
and when we confess them to God, and when we repent of them and leave them at
the foot of the cross we can walk away with a “Clean heart and the new and
right spirit put there and created by God.

We Need a Spirit of PARDON

with the garbage gone, and a new heart we experience God’s forgiveness.

And that’s what this Psalm is all about.

This Psalm is not about sin and confession.

This Psalm is not about how rotten David was or how many of the Ten
Commandments David broke.

This Psalm is about God and His love, mercy and grace.

This Psalm is about forgiveness.

This Psalm is not so much about “Human Nature” but it is about
“God’s Nature”.

It is Human Nature to Sin….. But it is God’s Nature to forgive.

Sin is a powerful reality in life and in our individual lives. But the truth of
this passage and the Biblical witness is that the grace of God is even more
powerful.

By the grace of God, disobedient Disciples turned around and become Obedient
Disciples.

When the Garbage is taken out Those who are Burdened and Heavy Laden are set free
from their Burdens.

When the Garbage is taken out The Wayward Wonderers are brought Home.

When the Garbage is taken out The Lost are Found.

When the Garbage is taken out The Hopeless are filled with Hope.

CONCLUSION

As we prepare to be more like Jesus, and “Men and Women after God’s Own
Heart”,

please, take time to examine your lives and your garbage sacks.

Is it time to take out the garbage?

Are your sacks full with garbage?

Do you need to empty the garbage?

Even one or two little items of trash can weigh a ton.

What do you need to empty yourself of and leave at the foot of the cross today?

Whatever it is, please don’t leave until you’ve done so.

Please don’t leave until today until you have parted with burdens in your
heart.

Empty you’re “Garbage Sacks” into the Loving Care of God’s Cleansing
Power, Through Confession and Repentance and leave your Burdens and Cares at
the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Then go from there with a “Clean heart and a new and right spirit”.

Remember these words of Assurance. “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, died
for us while we were yet sinners.

That proves God’s love for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.”

Dump your garbage at the foot of the cross and know that you are forgiven.

These are the Words of the Lord for His people this day……… Amen, Amen,
Amen

Rev. William and Miriam Fisher

Walking By Faith Ministries

Confidence Before God
A prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman, to the stand. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?” She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.”

At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, “If either of you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!”

Brothers and sisters, as you well know, this is the not the norm in the court of law. Most people are very cautious about what they say before the judge and jury.

Have you even been in a court of law? Ever had to stand before a judge and answer questions? How did you feel about it? Did it make you nervous? Of course, if you were not the defendant in the case you might have little to fear, unless you were appearing before JUDGE JUDY!
If you ever thought it would be hard to stand before a judge, knowing that you were guilty as sin, just think how you would feel standing before God, knowing you are guilty of gross sin! How does that thought grab you?

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

I know of some people that should dread to fall into the hands of God, don’t you? But fear not, it is not you nor I. Why? Because our sins are covered by blood of the lamb.

Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Do you believe it? You should. We who are in Christ should have confidence before God. We must trust Him and His Word!

WE ASK AND GOD ANSWERS

Confidence before God means that we receive from God anything we ask. Have you received everything you’ve asked of God? Probably not everything. So what’s the deal? Why don’t we get everything that we ask for from God? The reason is because God rules and He has certain criteria for our asking. What are some of His guidelines for getting our prayers answered?

We must ask in faith, nothing doubting
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

We ask for wisdom in faith that the Lord will provide it and we ask for everything in faith that He will provide. But if our faith is lacking or doubting, we may not get an answer from the Lord.

I believe that “faith” and “faithfulness” go hand-in-hand. If we are not faithful to the Lord in worship and serving it’s highly possible that our faith is lacking and our prayers may not get answered.
Verizon wireless has long advertised, “Can you hear me now?” But we don’t have to ask God that question. We just need to believe He does hear us and that He will answer us in His good time.

As Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus He prayed.

John 11:41-42 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Do you have that kind of faith? We must believe that He answers and not doubt.

We must ask unselfishly.

James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Ah ha, would we ever ask for something for ourselves? For our selfish pleasures?

A girl prayed, “Lord, I’m not asking for me, but could you send my mother a son-in-law.” It doesn’t work that way. Or “Lord, I don’t need a new car but my wife could use one.”

- We must ask in Jesus’ name.

John 14:13-14 “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.”

Why should ask the Father in Jesus’ name? Because it doesn’t do any good to ask in anyone else’s name!

Can you imagine praying, “Lord, would you please provide a job for me and I ask in Jack’s name”? I know you wouldn’t do that. And you most certainly wouldn’t ask in your own name. But could it be that whenever don’t ask in His name that we are essentially asking in our name? And our name nor any human person’s name carries no weight with God.

- We must ask in obedience.

I John 3:21-22 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

Does this mean perfect obedience? No, because no human person perfectly obeys God. It means, however, that we must walk in obedience to Him as best we can, not the least we can or not just on Sunday.
Confidence before God means that we ask and receive.

Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

II. GOD SPEAKS AND WE OBEY

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

We are confident of our relationship with God because we are obedient children.

Shane and Heather have a little Jack Russell Terrier mix. She’s about three years old and follows Heather around the house like she is her mommy. I think Heather can ask Heidi to do anything and she’ll do it. In fact, sometimes Heather doesn’t even have to speak to get her to do something. Some time ago Heidi had an ear infection and Heather had to put ear drops in one ear. All Heather did was look at Heidi and she came to her for those drops. IT’S CALLED OBEDIENCE.

When we have confidence before God, HE SPEAKS AND WE OBEY. A part of our confidence in God is that we are willingly obedient.
In his book, “ God will Help Me”, Walter G. Swanson refers to the life of Robert Dollar who passed away in 1932. He writes: “A keen-eyed young sea captain stood in the lobby of a large hotel in Hong Kong conversing with an Englishman. ‘So you’ve come to do business in the Orient? Well, step into the bar and tell me about your plans.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ said the seaman, ‘but I never partake of alcoholic beverages.’ The man’s face broke into an unbelieving smile.

‘Entering the Oriental trade without having a Scotch and soda?’ ‘Yes, sir!’ ‘Do you expect to be successful without taking your friends into a tavern for a drink? If you do,’ he said with a cynical laugh, ‘God help you!’ The young man replied, ‘God WILL help me.’” And God did help him.

Years later, Robert Dollar stood on the 10th floor of the building that bore his name near San Francisco Bay. He was watching the workmen unload cargo from his freighters that had come from all over the world. Having avoided the pitfalls of liquor, he had indeed been richly blessed by the Lord.

I like this story. I like the idea that he said, “GOD WILL HELP ME.” That’s faith plus obedience. Robert Dollar believed God would help him because he was quick to honor God in what he thought was obedience in abstaining from drinking.

That’s confidence in God and we need to get it. How? Walk with Him. Spend more time with the Lord in prayer and praise.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.

Does your heart ever condemn you? Probably. Sometimes we know that we are guilty of sin and we feel terrible about it. We may feel so bad about it that we actually condemn ourselves. We may think, “Oh no, I may go to hell for this sin.”

Did you ever do that or feel that way? Please don’t. Please put your trust in Jesus and what He did for you, not what you think you must do to make it right. Christ made it right with God on the cross! And as we trust Him for our salvation in spite of our sinfulness, our faith will grow and our confidence before God will grow!

The more we walk with Him, stay in His presence, the more our confidence and obedience will grow.

III. GOD SENDS AND WE RECEIVE

24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. Confidence before means that God sends and we receive.

How would you like to have these things? $800 million dollars, to begin with. Wear shoes that cost as much as $5000 a pair. Own a $12.5 million Gulfstream Jet and a $4.5 million 88 foot yacht???

Sound good? Sounds rich, for sure. Well, all of these material things belong to the Gov. of CA, Arnold Schwarzenegger

And we in America often place a premium on material things. Like what? Like nice houses, fancy cars, expensive clothing, luxurious living, dining at fancy restaurants.

These things are what most people value in life but are they the most valuable things in life?

One time a young artist was very unhappy and dissatisfied with his painting, so he somehow was able to borrow the brush of a great painter. BUT THE BRUSH DIDN’T SEEM TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN HIS PAINTING. A friend suggested to him, “It is not the Master’s brush you need, BUT THE MASTER’S SPIRIT.”

COULD THIS BE OUR PROBLEM AS WELL? We want the Master’s material blessings but what we really need is His Spirit. And we have been given His Spirit. How or when did this happen?

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Apparently, when we initially accepted Christ through faith, repentance and obedience in baptism we received God’s Spirit.

GOD SENDS AND WE RECEIVE. And His Spirit is the greatest gift.

The Holy Spirit is real but are we in touch with Him? Are we aware that Christ lives within us through His Spirit? Are we sensitive to Him, to His leading? Do we allow Him to take control or do we want control of our own lives?

Someone said: “In many Christian circles the Holy Spirit is either neglected, forgotten, or misunderstood.” Perhaps all three.

The late Dr. A. W. Tozer, author and pastor, said, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.”

Tozer was saying that we operate most of the time or live without depending on God’s Spirit.

One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.

This may well be true for many people who are Christians. We are supposed to empowered by God’s Spirit and yet, we’ve “run out of gas” when it comes to living for Christ.

A woman testified to the transformation in her life that had resulted through her experience in conversion. She declared, “I’m so glad I got religion. I have an uncle I used to hate so much, I vowed I’d never go to his funeral. But now, why, I’d be happy to go to it any time.”

Once we receive the Holy Spirit a change takes place in our lives, but that’s not exactly the change the scripture speaks of.

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

Galatians 5:16 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

And God’s Spirit can increase our confidence in God if we pay attention to Him.

CONCLUSION—————

Preacher Dwight L. Moody met a man one day and asked him in his abrupt fashion, “Are you a Christian?” The man stiffened up and said, “Well, what do you think?” Moody replied, “Not a red hot one.” And so we are.

We lack faith and we often lack confidence in the Lord. How do we get it? We listen to God’s Word. We walk in obedience to Him. We spend much time in His presence. The more we do, the more our confidence in Him will grow.

Rev. William Fisher

Faith
Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Let’s take a closer look: “being sure of what we hope for”. By this the bible means that we must be sure that the thing that we are asking God for is really what we want. Think back to when you were a child, you asked your mom, or dad for jelly beans, they gave you what you asked for, but the jelly beans you meant were all the pretty colors, they gave you the black ones, ewwwwww! But they gave you what you asked them for. You thought you wanted it until you got it. Friends make sure you are completely sure of what you hope for before you ask for it or you just might get the black jelly beans! By this, what I mean is that we must be sure that what we are asking God for is in line with his will for our life. Sometimes we ask for things that are not in God’s will for us and we keep asking and pleading and God gives us what we thought we wanted, but it turns out to be completely different from what we thought it would be.

How do we know what God’s will for our life is? Simple answer, we don’t. All we need to know is, when he says to do it, we do it, when he says go you go. We don’t have to know where or how just that we are following God’s lead and he knows the way! Jesus knew what God’s will was for him, yet he did not waiver or ask why, he just did the complete will of the Father.
Luke 22:42 (NIV)”Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
How much faith do I need?
This is what Jesus said: Matthew 17:20 (NIV) He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
We must have faith that God will meet all of our needs: Philippians 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
In today’s world it is impossible to survive without faith, we need God to get us through each day, there are so many things going on in everyday life that can be detrimental to us. Our faith in God is necessary to get through each and every day.
Do I have Faith?
It is by faith that we get up and leave home each day to go to work, knowing in the back of our mind that we will receive a paycheck at the end of the week.
It is by faith that we get into our car and drive, eat sleep, shop, and anything else you can think of. If by chance you don’t believe this to be true about yourself ask yourself this question, is it man that I trust? Or is it that I have faith in the everlasting God, that he will meet my needs according to his word.
Remember that we as believers do all things by faith, even those things that we take for granted, somewhere along the line we use faith for.
As you go through your day today, stop and think about all of the things you use faith for throughout each day, after you have made a mental list of those things, stop and thank God for his mercy, remember Jesus did not have to die for us but he chose to do so because he loves us, and now he sits at the right hand of God as our ambassador, our sins forgiven by grace through Christ Jesus. What a wonderful thing Jesus did for us!!
Keep building your faith, and give praise and thanks to the almighty God!!
Rev. William Fisher

Is Jesus the Only Way? (Matt. 22:1-14; John 14:5-6)
It may surprise you to know what many Americans consider to be the most serious sin. No, it’s not murder. Even murder can have mitigating factors. According to an article by Daniel Taylor in Christianity Today, many Americans consider the worst sin to be intolerance. And guess who are the worst sinners, at least in the minds of many Americans? Evangelical Christians! One writer said, “Christians are seen as the pit bulls of culture wars–small brains, big teeth, strong jaws and no interest in compromise.” A guest on National Public Radio shocked even his liberal host when he objected to the Southern Baptist belief that a lot of people are going to hell. By the way, that’s not just a Southern Baptist belief; that’s a biblical truth. The guest on NPR offered this rather hateful comment: “The evaporation of four million Baptists who believe that garbage would leave the world a better place.” Sounds to me like that guest was mighty intolerant of the Baptists. Don’t the Baptists have a right to their biblical interpretation?

Dr. Laura, the popular and controversial radio host, has talked about the large volume of hate mail she receives for believing in moral absolutes. Her enemies ask her to be more tolerant of other moral views, but they don’t want to tolerate her views.

In America, we believe in religious toleration. You can even be a Satan worshipper and have your religious expression protected. But along with our toleration has come the dangerous idea that no religion should make exclusive claims to truth. R.C. Sproul says that making exclusive claims in America is “like attacking baseball, hot dogs, motherhood and apple pie (not to mention Chevrolet).”1

Jesus said many politically incorrect things, but the most shocking is recorded in John 14: He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

Now that’s an exclusive statement! CNN would never allow someone to make such a statement without an instant rebuttal.

Peter made that claim of Jesus even more blatant when he said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Lots of Americans almost wallow in tolerance. They feel that as long as a person is sincere about his religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter what he believes. But isn’t it strange that they apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be right, not just sincere. They want the accountant who does their taxes to be right, not just sincere. They want the pharmacist who prepares their prescription to be right, not just sincere. Why, then, in the single most important area of their lives–their relationship with God–would they be willing to settle for sincerity instead of accuracy? It makes no sense.

When Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God the Father, He was motivated not by arrogance but by compassion. If you will suspend judgment for just a little while and consider with me a simple story Jesus told, I believe that Jesus’ claim will begin to make sense.

In Matthew 22, Jesus told a story about a king whose son was getting married. No doubt, the king rented the banquet hall and ballroom of a big hotel and threw a bodacious bash.

Remember, in first-century Palestine, most people were poor. But even among the poor, a wedding called for a weeklong party. This was the one occasion in life when the poor splurged, even if on borrowed funds. So if the king, with all his resources, was throwing a party, it’s probably going to be a Middle Eastern version of Mardi Gras. Therefore, you would assume that everybody would want to come to such a party. Wrong! Lots of specially invited guests refused to come.

Jesus was clearly referring to the Jewish people who had been invited to be God’s chosen people. They were to be His cradle for the Messiah, a chosen race and a holy priesthood, designed to bless the entire world.

But the Jews persecuted most of the prophets sent by God; and, tragically, they rejected the Messiah when He came.

Verses 8 through 10 tell us that the king then extended his invitation to everybody–Jews and Gentiles, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor.

It is a glorious truth that every person is invited into the Kingdom of God. Come as you are! God accepts us as we are but loves us far too much to leave us as we are.

Then comes that difficult final part of the story, verses 11 through 14. The king found a fellow at the party who was not wearing the proper attire and kicked him out. You probably are thinking: If the king was tolerant enough to let anyone come to his party, why would he get bent out of shape over what they are wearing?

St. Augustine, a great church leader of the fourth century, has helped us at this point. He explained that each person who accepted the king’s invitation was given proper attire for the banquet. The king was aware that poor people would not have proper clothing for such an occasion. Not wanting anyone to feel inferior, the king provided standard clothing for all the guests to wear.

But this fellow in verse 11 was a rebel at heart. He disregarded the generosity of the king and decided to come on his own terms.

St. Augustine believed that trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is what constitutes the proper wedding garment. If you are not humble enough to admit your need for the salvation He offers–if you are not grateful enough to accept it–you cannot come to God’s party.

The only person who cannot experience God’s forgiveness is the one who thinks he has no sin. The only person who cannot be saved is that one who feels no need for a Savior. Jesus does not exclude us. If we reject His offer, we exclude ourselves.

Some people believe that all religions are basically the same. These folks claim that it doesn’t matter which one you follow, as long as it works for you. Supposedly, all spiritual paths lead to the same place. |

While it is true that there is some common ground shared by the world’s major religions, there are significant differences. Only Christianity claims that God has visited planet Earth in the form of a person.

Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham, notes there are all kinds of faith alternatives. Some people follow Mohammed or Buddha or Confucius or Hari Krishna. But, Lotz says, “Jesus is different. He is not just one of the boys. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is God!”2

Jesus is the only way to the one true God because He is the only person in the history of the world who can provide a cure for our “sin problem.”

Lee Strobel, a gifted teacher and preacher at Saddleback Church in California, has pointed out that every other religion but Christianity is based on people’s performance. They must “DO” something to somehow earn favor with God.

Different religions offer different recipes for salvation. One says that you have to use a Tibetan prayer wheel; another that you have to avoid eating certain foods; another that you have to pray in one direction a certain number of times per day; still another that you have to go through a cycle of reincarnations. These are all attempts to earn enough favor with God to deserve His salvation.

But Christianity is different. We do not focus on the word “DO.” Our emphasis is on the word “DONE,” especially what Jesus has done for us on the cross. He paid our penalty for sin. When we accept Him as personal Savior and leader, we are endorsing that transaction by faith. We are donning our wedding garment and are ready for God’s party.

We Christians should never be disrespectful toward persons of other religions. We will never have a chance to share the gospel with Muslim, Hindu or Jewish people unless we treat them respectfully and winsomely. It is never proper for us to judge people of other religions. Only God is capable of doing that properly, with justice and mercy. But neither should we embrace the cultural myth that all religions are equally true.

If I have an opportunity to share the gospel with a Hindu or Jew or Muslim, I will jump at the chance. But I will not approach him in a condescending or threatening way. Instead, I will share with him, as D.T. Niles described it, “as one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.”

Jesus in Matthew 7 said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (vv. 13-14).

What is the small gate and narrow road? It is our faith in response to God’s grace. To go through the narrow gate means to say to Jesus, “Nothing in my hands I bring; only to Your cross I cling. I am a sinner who cannot fix my sin problem. But I believe You offered the one and only cure when You died for me on the cross. I accept it gladly, and in gratitude I invite You to be the leader of my life.”

One of the most popular places in Memphis is Tom Lee Park, a beautiful, open space alongside the mighty Mississippi. If you have lingered there long enough to read the plaque, you know the park was named for an African-American man named Tom Lee.

One day in 1925, a steamer with lots of passengers aboard sank in the river, just below Memphis. Tom Lee saw the tragedy. He jumped into his small boat and, with great courage and determination, headed toward those drowning people. He rescued 32 of them.

But let’s suppose that when Tom Lee approached some of those folks in the middle of the river, they had responded, “Thanks, but no thanks. Your boat doesn’t look too impressive to us. We’re going to just keep treading water in hopes that another boat more to our liking will come along.” You’re thinking, That would have been really dumb–turning down a sure thing in hopes that something else might come along.

That reminds me of the people who don’t want to accept the salvation offered by Jesus Christ through the cross. They hope that some other alternative, more to their liking, will become available. But the truth is that there is no other way to be saved.

“For God so loved the world that he gave” not a bunch of ways but one way–”his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ——————————————————-

Rev. William Fisher

Halloween

Each year as Holloween aproaches, I realize more and more that we as Christians have been caught up in worldly things. We trivialize things to a degree that it is not only shameful but downright wrong. How can we as the children of God dress ourselves and our children like devils, goblins, witches, and a host of other evil things, and then out of our mouths come the words, “I am a child of God.”
In essence what we are doing is not only glorifying the devil we are causing confusion among those who do not know the Lord. If I tell you I am a vegetarian while holding a handful of hamburger what would you think? The bible says we are to be imitators of God, (Ephesians5:1 (NIV) be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children), (1 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV) 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.)
So according to the scripture we are to imitate God. Dressing up in a costume that is defiling to the Lord and partaking in a holiday that is specifically designed to bring glory and praise to Satan is not what a child of God should be a part of. Ask yourself if these things are imitating God:
• Trick or Treat- has the Lord ever done anything that was a trick?
• Ghouls, goblins, witches, devils, vampires, living dead, violence, poisoned candy
• Horror, blood, missing limbs, violent characters, etc.
Does this sound like anything that Jesus would have engaged in or even thought was okay for us to be a part of?
For those of you who don’t know part of the origin of Halloween (I suggest you look it up), it is a holiday from the early 800 that is a celebration of the souls in Purgatory! It is said that the wearing of the costume is supposed to ward off evil, but how can you scare off something if you look and act just like it?
The problem that I see is that too many of us say “there’s nothing wrong with it.” But when you really stop and look is there anything about this day that brings glory to God our father?
3 John 1:11 (NIV) 11Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
WAKE UP!!!!
It is time for us to wake up and stand up for God. We are allowing our own desire for pleasure to cloud our judgment. Remember your children imitate you as a parent — they learn what they live. If you as a parent teach them that it’s okay to celebrate a holiday created by the devil, you are causing your children to grow up confused and to continue to teach this same thing to their children.
For those of you that are my age or older, if you look back through your life you will notice that times have dramatically changed from when we were children. There is a definite loss of respect for anything and everything by this generation that is coming up now. Nothing is important except what is wanted at this moment. This is a direct result of allowing the devil to remain ever present in our thinking and everyday activities. By thinking that things like Halloween and horror movies are okay you are not only opening the door to the devil but your heart as well. I pray that we all wake up and realize that we need to turn around before it’s too late. Take away the stronghold that the devil has established through the deception that it’s just a day of fun and teach our children that this day is not okay. It is not of God nor is it spiritually healthy.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
8Finally, 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

Rev. William Fisher