“Beware lest anyone captivate you through philosophy and vain deceit, in the tradition of men and the elementary principles of the world, and not after Christ.” — Colossians 2:8 The word philosophy comes from the Greek and literally means “the love of wisdom.” The Hebrews received God’s revelation, which was greater than human philosophy. The ancient Greeks had no such advantage, and though wise in their way, they were like blind men searching for light in a darkened room, whereas the Hebrews were in a room which was brilliantly illuminated. For them all that was possible was to approach unto the light and try to penetrate into it more deeply and understand it more thoroughly. This was called by the Hebrews not philosophy, but wisdom, and there is a great difference between that “vain philosophy” as it is called in the New Testament and the wisdom of God. When the Bible speaks about wisdom, it is talking about an understanding of the revelation of God. It is talking about a heart that seeks to know and to understand, and that seeking to know and understand is aimed particularly at an understanding and knowledge of God. Over and against this are set all of those who have no desire to learn. The person who does not desire to learn is repeatedly set forth in the Scriptures as a fool—as a man or woman of folly whose end is destruction. It is tragic that many people today reject God’s wisdom because they falsely assume it has somehow been discredited by philosophy. Such “philosophers” are described by Paul: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). God of wisdom and might, thank You for revealing Yourself to us mortal beings. Help us to become wise by studying Your Word and knowing You. Thank You that with You, there is wisdom and understanding… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND KNOWLEDGE, WE CAN BECOME WISE.
“These stones will be a memorial for the children of Israel continually.” — Joshua 4:7 Memorial Day: It is a good thing to remember. There are more than a dozen different words in the Bible that are translated “remember.” When Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he had them build a memorial of stones to remember what God had done for them. We must remember what God has done for us as a nation. Did you know that America is unique because this is the first nation in the history of this planet to have freedom of religion? Religious tyranny prevailed all over the globe. Gradually some nations rose to religious tolerance, like England, but only in America was full religious freedom granted for the very first time. This continent, hidden between two great oceans, was reserved by God for that religious freedom, for that expression of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—where His Word would be read, where He would be worshiped, where He would be trusted, and His Gospel would be proclaimed both here and throughout the whole world. Today I would like for us to remember not only those men and women who laid down their lives in the wars, but that One who fought the longest to give us what we enjoy most and who often is the most forgotten. In fact, there is a strange lament we find in Scripture that says, “My people have forgotten Me for days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32). Ultimately, God is the source of our freedom, and we should remember that. Thank You, God, that we still have freedom. Help us to remember that it was given us at great price, first by the blood of Jesus, then by men and women who laid down their lives for our country. Please turn our country around before it’s too late, lest their sacrifice be in vain… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE RECOGNIZE THE HIGH COST OF FREEDOM.
“And whoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” — Daniel 3:6 When skeptics read about three certain Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, being cast into a fiery furnace, they scoffed. Same thing when they read about Daniel being thrown into a den of lions. But archaeologists working in the ruins of Babylon discovered an ancient library on clay tablets. Included on these tablets were the punishments for violations of various regulations. For the offense of impiety to any god, one was to be cast alive into a fiery furnace, and huge furnaces have also been discovered. For an untoward act relative to a king, like failure to worship his image, one was to be cast alive into the den of lions. Cages with iron bars have also been found in the ruins and the diggings of Babylon. Furthermore, when Babylon was at the height of its glory, Ezekiel prophesied that the great walls of Babylon would be utterly destroyed. These walls were 60 miles long and as thick as 150 feet and 300 feet high, where a number of chariots could race on the top of those walls. Archaeologists were digging down in the ground and they ran into the base, the foundation of the walls because they were utterly destroyed, just as God said they would be. If you ever see a picture of Babylon, it looks like it has been cut off by a scythe. Once again, the critics are wrong; the Bible is right. Almighty God, as we consider what happened to Your people in ancient Babylon, we can’t help but think of Your people today in various parts of the world facing persecution for the name of Jesus. Grant them strength, grace, and perseverance until the end… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN FACE DEATH.
“For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” — 2 Peter 1:16 The school of higher criticism began in the late eighteenth century. It seemed the higher critics considered themselves called to demolish all traditional views concerning the Bible. For example, they said that it was quite obvious that Moses could not possibly have written the Pentateuch because writing had not even been invented in his day. It is interesting that not long after the time that higher criticism began, the science of archaeology began as well. But the spade of the archaeologist has been the utter frustration of the higher critic for it was discovered not long after, that writing certainly existed in the time of Moses—actually long before Moses. Isn’t it astonishing to see how many times God’s Word, though doubted by skeptics, is confirmed by the spade of the archaeologist? I have preached whole messages, providing example after example in which the critics assumed the Bible was wrong, but the Scriptures were proved right after all. The Bible is not some kind of fable. The Bible is not some kind of fairy tale. It is not something that happened up on a cloud in never, never land somewhere, but as people have dug into the sand and into the rock and unearthed thousands, tens of thousands of inscriptions and tablets and symbols of every kind, they have discovered over and over again that what the Bible has been saying all along is indeed the actual facts of history and of God. We can believe it, rest our souls upon it, and share it with a lost and needy world. God of truth, Your Word is truth. Thank You for the dependability of the Scriptures, not just as historical facts, but as the means we learn of the bedrock of our salvation and eternal destiny… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND POWER, HIS WORD STANDS FOREVER.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” — Isaiah 41:10 What a useless thing it is to worry. It does not accomplish anything. This does not mean that we are not to give some forethought and planning; but it is talking about going over and over and over again those things which we cannot, at the time, do anything about. Worry never accomplishes anything. It does not improve business; it does not bring our children home safely; and it does not improve our health. I wonder how many today have been blinded by the corroding effects of worry and care. They have been blinded to the joys and happiness of life. All serenity and peace have been removed from them. Worry and anxiety both come from the same root: one from Latin, the other from Anglo-Saxon. The root means “to choke or to strangle.” And that is what worry does. It chokes us; it strangles us so that we do not think or see straight. The antonyms for “worry” are “serenity,” “peace,” “joy,” “boldness,” and “confidence.” And when worry is there, all of those things are gone. One physician said that there are innumerable people who die and their deaths are listed for various reasons, but in fact, they were killed by worry. I wish today that the Spirit of God might rub away some of those worry lines, might relax some aching limbs, that you might hear the Word of God saying to you to rejoice forevermore—that you might be delivered from the dread scourge of worry. Instead of being anxious, cast your cares on the Lord. Oh Lord, give me strength for today to cast all my cares on You. Forgive me for worrying about things, instead of turning them over to You. Thank You for Your promise to strengthen and uphold me. Thank You that through You I need not fear anything… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND CARE, ALL FEARS ARE GONE.
“Therefore be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” — Matthew 5:48 I lived for years in the church without understanding the basic message of Christ myself. That message is good news! Good news that Jesus Christ came and suffered and died that we might have eternal life freely as a gift. It is not earned or deserved, dear friend. It is absolutely free. In order for us to earn it we would have to pass the test and the passing grade is 100 percent. Since Jesus tells us we’re supposed to be perfect, we realize that all of us have fallen short. The whole class has failed and God doesn’t grade on a curve. If you realize that you have sinned and if you are not sure that you have eternal life, then I would urge you today to consider what Christ has done. He suffered on the cross for us. He suffered infinitely in our stead. And when He had finished His atoning work He declared “Tetelestai”—it is done, it is paid, it is finished. The wrath of God was paid in full. We may receive the gift of eternal life by repenting of our sins, which is a sincere determination of our heart and mind to turn from that which is displeasing to God and trust in Jesus Christ his Son. Trusting in Christ doesn’t simply mean an intellectual assent, but saving faith is resting one’s entire hope of eternal life in what Christ did for sinners on the cross. Lord Jesus, I turn from my sins and come to You for forgiveness and cleansing. Thank You for taking away my sins and making me clean and holy before You. Help me to never tolerate any sin in my life, but to always bring them to You… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND HIS WORK, WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH.
“Do not be drunk with wine, for that is reckless living. But be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18 The church of Jesus Christ began in earnest on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in Jerusalem with great fanfare as recorded in Acts 2. This was 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. A lady said to me one time, “I wish you would preach a sermon on the Holy Spirit. What is it?” It? Suppose when you get up tomorrow morning, your husband says to you, “Well, good morning, Thing. How are you today, Thing?” It is obviously a gross insult to depersonalize someone. And to depersonalize the Holy Spirit of God is an insult. So let us consider just who the Holy Spirit is. Now if you were to ask any of the cultists, they would all tell you the same thing: The Holy Spirit is a “thing”; The Holy Spirit is a “force.” It is like gravity, or magnetism, or nuclear energy, or electricity. It is not a person. But the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. Along with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is one God, in three persons. The Scripture says, “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). Does the Spirit have emotion? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:30 that we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not a one-time experience but an ongoing one. Come, Oh Holy Spirit, and convict us again of our sins. Call us to the Father. Glorify Jesus before our eyes. Melt me. Use me. Fill me. BY GOD’S STRENGTH, THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN REIGN IN MY LIFE.
“They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us. But they went out, revealing that none of them were of us.” — 1 John 2:19 How are we to understand it when someone seems to become a Christian, they seem to actively grow, and then eventually they fall away? They leave, and they never come back. The first thing we think of is that these people are somewhere out there someplace. But they were right in the church. They went out from us, but they were not of us. They were among them, a part of the church, but they really were not of it in its essence. “For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us.” Many people ask about those that leave the church and apostatize and deny Christ. Have they fallen from grace and ceased to be Christians, or were they never really Christians at all? Two theological systems have been built in response to that question. The Calvinistic system, which says they never were Christians at all and that is why they left. And the Arminian system, which says they once were Christians and now they have ceased to be Christians. I think John settled once and for all that controversy in this very verse. Their apostatizing is a part of the continual purification of the church. Father God, it is with deepest sorrow that we think of the people we know who have left the church. We ask You to bring them back to Yourself. You who received the prodigal son with open arms, quicken and make alive those who are spiritually dead… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND POWER ALONE, CAN THE DEAD BE MADE ALIVE.
“Whoever denies the Father and the Son is the antichrist.” — 1 John 2:22 As noted before, we hear much said about the beast and the Anti-Christ. But interestingly, John tells us that those who deny the incarnation of Jesus makes one an “antichrist.” Now, therefore, there are a great many individuals and movements and even churches that would fit quite plainly and incontrovertibly into that category. John adds, “No one who denies the Son has the Father” (verse 23). Now I think it is commonplace among nominal Christians to think that there are those who deny the Son, but nevertheless have the Father. But when someone challenges me about this, I respond: “Just tilt your chin up and talk to God because your argument isn’t with me. I wouldn’t have the gall to say it, but God did, right here, “No one who denies the Son has the Father.” This opponent of Jesus is advertently knocking out the ladder between heaven and earth, between God and man. Obviously this verse in John referred in ancient days to numerous heretics at that time, such as the Gnostics: they said that Christ came upon Jesus at His baptism and left before His passion, and they separated between Jesus and the Christ and made Christ something other than the person of Jesus. Of course, all who are agnostic and who are atheists would quite obviously be antichrist in both the senses of opposing Christianity: opposing both the revelation of God and the redemption that Jesus Christ has brought. Lord Jesus, You are the divine Son of God. We know that no one can come to the Father except by You. Help us to never water down this truth, even in an age of rampant political correctness… IN GOD’S STRENGTH, WE PROCLAIM THAT JESUS IS LORD.
“…and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world.” — 1 John 4:3-4 Much ink has been spilled over the issue of the Anti-Christ. Just who is he or will he be—or as some want to say, Who was he? Jesus said in Matthew 24 that many false prophets would arise and lead many astray. We see that one of the aspects of the anti-christos is to be a deceiver as well as an opposer of Christ, and he also will have false prophets as well. Furthermore, said Jesus, some of these deceivers will be able to do supernatural things: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22). We see the activity of Satan directed against Christ, for example, at the temptation. The devil claims to be able to dispose of the kingdoms of this world at his whim. This claim is not denied by Christ. Furthermore, we have the parable of the tares and the wheat and while we slept, said Jesus, an enemy came and sowed the tares. That enemy would be the antichrist or the devil. Meanwhile, some people have read too much into the number 666. But in every city in the world, there are probably hundreds of streets at which somebody lives at 666 First Street, 666 Second Street, Third Street and Fourth Street and on and on and on. John tells us that the spirit of the antichrist is found in those who deny that Jesus has come in the flesh. The spirit of antichrist is to ultimately reject Jesus. Dear Jesus, we see how many people reject Your holy name and Your divinity. We see how people fight against Your name and claim all sorts of roads to heaven. Thank You for being Who You claim to be… IN GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN STAND AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:7 James Cash Penney, better known as J.C. Penney, built that tremendous chain of retail stores. Penney was a Christian, but he, like many Christians, had not yet fully learned the lesson of walking by faith. Though his business survived the economic crash of 1929, he had become involved in some personal commitments that were causing him great trouble and stress. In fact, the stress was so severe that it caused the dormant virus of chicken pox, which he had had as a child, to spring to life again in the form of that very, very painful disease of shingles. He was so crushed and overwhelmed by the constant pain and agony of this disease that he came to the very end of himself and had to be hospitalized. That night in the hospital he was sure he would not survive, so he wrote farewell letters to his wife and son. He finally went to sleep. The next morning he awoke to singing. It was coming from the hospital chapel just a few doors from his room. He managed to get up, put on his bathrobe, and shuffle into the chapel where he heard a group singing a hymn. As he listened to the words, he was transformed. This was the turning point for him. He said later, “I am seventy-one years old, and the most dramatic and glorious minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning: ‘God Will Take Care of You.’” Oh Lord, our hearts cry out to You for Your grace and Your protection from ourselves. Indeed, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Thank You that You alone are able to keep us from falling and to present us before Your glory… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE MAY LIVE OUR LIVES SO THAT ONE DAY WE WILL HEAR HIM SAY, “WELL DONE.”
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” — James 4:6 I saw a book in a bookstore many years ago with an intriguing title. I didn’t buy it, and now I regret it. The book was entitled Not Made for Defeat. You and I were not made for defeat. We were made for triumph. That, of course, is a picture of a Roman general or emperor coming back from war, his soldiers behind him, flags flying from his chariot. Behind them, in chains, was the army of those who had been defeated and now were being brought as slaves to Rome. But there is a danger in victory—pride. When David faced Goliath, he did not boast. Instead, he put his confidence in the Lord. It always amazes me how many Americans, even professing Christians, will frequently teach their children: “Be proud.” God gives grace to the humble, but He will tear down the proud of heart. Pride (in the sense of arrogance, not self-dignity) says that pride is the worst of sins and leads to destruction. C. S. Lewis puts it, “It was through Pride that the devil became the devil.” Trusting in self is like resting on a broken reed that will break completely and pierce your hand. If we trust in ourselves, if we succeed, we will be proud, and when we run into something too big, we will then be saddened, defeated, and dejected. But if we trust in Christ, we will succeed, and the glory will go to Him and not unto ourselves. That is the Christian way. Oh God, our help in ages past, I praise and thank You for being my constant helper. Thank You for what You have helped me accomplish and thank You for the victories won. Help me always to give You the glory… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE ARE KEPT FROM THE DEADLY SIN OF PRIDE.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” — Philippians 4:4 I remember the words of the classic song, “Old Man River”: “I gets weary an’ sick of tryin’, I’m tired of livin’ An’skeered of dyin’.” Tragically, that is the picture of so many people. But Paul the Apostle is a great model to us on how to live and how to die. He had become the possessor of a new life through Jesus Christ, who makes all things new. He tells us: “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Even though he sat in a Roman prison waiting to face a possible death sentence, he still rejoiced, and again he said, “I will rejoice.” He said for me to live is Christ. There is the secret of the fullness of life: Me, live, Christ. Someone said it is like an arc lamp. When the two components of the self and Christ are put together, they glow with a brilliant incandescence. But if you replace Christ with anything else—with fame, or fortune, or wealth or success or whatever—then you have the smoldering dim smoky lamp that is produced by anything other than Christ. When the love of Christ takes over the life of a soul, it produces the power of a life which can have a magnetic attraction even for the most scandalous and can change even the hardest of hearts. Whatever happens in life, we can choose to complain or we can choose to rejoice, through it all. Paul chose to rejoice, and, therefore, they couldn’t keep him down. Dear Father, give me strength for today to rejoice even when I don’t feel like it. Help me to remember that in You all things work out for the best for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN REJOICE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? — Romans 8:32 There is a big difference between a Christian view of life and a pagan one. For example, the prince of atheists, the Frenchman Voltaire, once said: “I think we human beings are indeed contemptible creatures. I exhort you to enjoy as much as you can life, which isn’t much.” Of course Shakespeare’s Macbeth said: Life’s but a walking shadow A poor player That struts and frets His hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. But the Christian view says that God has made us in His image. He has made us a little lower than the angels. The Scriptures say that God cares for us so much that Christ left the glories of heaven and became man in order to suffer a horrible but atoning death on our behalf. We are a part of His bride, which He has bought with His own precious blood. We are looking forward to the beginning of eternity with Him by attending the marriage feast of the lamb. Thus, life to the Christian is of infinite worth and value. Lord, give me strength for today to live life to the full for Your glory and others’ good. Thank You for letting us bear Your image and making us “just a little lower than the angels.” We are so grateful for all the gifts You give us so freely… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN SEE HIS LOVING HEART.
“What is your life? It is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” — James 4:14 I am convinced that the vast majority of people on this earth live and die without ever having the slightest idea of what life is all about. Now that is a sweeping judgment. I make it, however, in compassion and love. It is tragic beyond words. I have given my whole life in an effort to try to solve that problem. Many live as if it will all end after their life “vanishes away.” May I call to witness a few people who should, because of their education and their genius, understand what life is all about. One of the most applauded authors of the twentieth century, no doubt, was Somerset Maugham. He said this: “When I look back on my life, it seems to me strangely lacking in reality. It may be that my heart, having found rest nowhere, had some deep ancestral craving for God and immortality, which my reason [his fallen reason] would have no truck with.” Or consider the British author—another skeptic—Thomas Hobbes, who gave us that concept of government as “leviathan.” He said this: “The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Not a very high view of life. For such unbelievers, there was no future, there was no hope, there was no meaning for life. What a contrast we have with a Christian view of life where we are eternal beings created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Too bad so many will miss out on that which human beings were created to enjoy. Lord of life, thank You for giving me life abundantly. You came to give us this rich and full and purposeful life, and You gave Your own Son to make it all possible… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE LIVE FULL AND PURPOSEFUL LIVES.
