A Simple Solution

So I drove by one of those weird billboards, you know the kind or maybe you've heard the ad on TV. The pitch goes like this: switch to company A for your auto insurance and you could save X amount of dollars. Now what's so odd about that you ask. Well, what is the crisis Obama is responding to in his health care bill? The rising cost of health care. Now could someone please tell why we are having price wars for car insurance and at the same time the cost of health insurance is so bad that Obama thinks the federal government needs to step in and fix it. Maybe the solution is to sell health insurance like car insurance. Come on Obama get a clue, deregulation is the key, not starting another government program we can't pay for and that will run out of money like Social Security and Medicare.

The Death of Martin Luther King's Dream in the Election of Barak Obama

In Martin Luther King's famous speech he said that he had a vision that someday a man would be judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin.

In all the hype about Obama's election to the highest office in our land. I noticed how this vision of Mr. Kings had failed; although everyone heralded it as the fulfillment of it. Why do I say this? Because all the hype is about the fact the he is an African American and their is no talk about his character. That to me is the opposite of what Mr. King envisioned.

I've also noticed this same failure in Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the US Supreme Court. Again, all the talk is about her ethnicity and not her character.

This is a disturbing trend that I have noticed. We as a people no longer think in categories of right and wrong but in categories of race, rich, poor, weak and strong. We think in terms of social justice, leveling the playing field, taking from the rich and giving it to the poor. We think it's OK to elevate an African American and put down the white male because he is the one with too much power and wealth. It is class warfare with a vengeance because it disguises it's self as tolerant and culturally sensitive while doing the very thing it condemns, discriminates. It sounds eerily similar to the Communist view of society and I think we have bought into it. So next time you listen to the news or read the paper notice the silence about right and wrong; And the things that really matter like character. And listen to the noise of the class warfare. Were it is all about the color of a man's skin and not the content of his character.

A study of Mattew 7:24-29

Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;

for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.


In these verses you have two people who hear the same thing but have two different responses and therefore two different ends. But what I want to draw your attention to first is the promise of these verses. Christ promises that if you respond in one way, act upon, you will still have problems in life. That doesn't differ between the two people; the same calamity happens to both people. But what differs is that one stands, he who acted, and one falls, he who didn't act. So Christ promises that if you do something, you will be able to stand no matter what life throws at you and you will not be carried away with the flood that is coming.

That is a promise that ought to make any sane person ask; What must I do? Well, glad you asked. The first thing is that you need to hear something; and something very specific. these words of mine, whose words? The very words of Christ, the word of God. See John 1 And just for clarity this doesn't just mean the four gospels, it means toto Scriptura, all of scripture. See Luke 24:27 and Hebrews 1
Now the second thing that must happen is the difference that makes all the difference; you must act upon what you hear. This however opens a huge discussion on why the two different responses. If somebody with that much authority says something to you, you ought to do it and do it quickly.
But this idea of someone having authority over us and telling us what we ought to do and not do cuts to the very heart of the matter. Men who have not been born of the spirit have inherited from their first father, Adam, a spirit and nature that will not have anyone else rule over them. You can see this quite well, everyone is busy building their life as they see best. Then along comes the master builder and he says; hey if you use those materials and that foundation your structure will collapse. And what is the natural response? Thank you very much, but this is my life I'll do with it what I want and you will not tell me what I should do or not do with it. I will decide what is good and bad, I'll decide what is true and false, and I'll decide what is beautiful and ugly. Is that not everyone of us? Because of that nature, that is in rebellion against God, The natural man can't and will not act upon the words of Christ. And therefore he will perish, unless God himself intervenes. Hence the ultimate meaning of this text. So, the very first thing that must happen, is that one must be born again. Or to put it another way, you must receive a new nature, one that willing submits to the law and authority of God. And only God can cause that to happen and that's what we call sovereign grace.

So the promise of these verses for the ability to stand can only be applied to those for whom Christ is King, their authority and their sovereign. To those who have put down their arms and surrendered their wills and life to God. Because, only those for whom Christ is King, will Christ save. All others will perish and that without exception, for there can be no rebellion in the Kingdom of Heaven for it is a kingdom of peace.

The last thing I want to point out is that this passage is a contrast between a wise man and a foolish man. Now, no one wants to be the foolish man. But isn't that the tragedy of all tragedies to spend your whole life thinking you are wise only to get the end and realize you were a fool. That's why scripture implores us to seek wisdom, but the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And there we go back again to the issue of authority. Who rules over you? you or God? If it is God, then go get your Bible and seek wisdom and seek the face of God. A good place to start is the book of Proverbs. It works out really nice because there are thirty one chapters in it and thirty one days in a month, most times. So here is a place you can go daily, like you do for food, and find wisdom. And remember Christ said that man doesn't live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. So if you go to the word very little, you'll starve and have no vitality. Give us this day our daily bread takes on a whole new meaning.. And keep in mind that faith is active trust; it requires action. It's the difference between saying; yes if I put on that parachute and jump out of this plane, the parachute will save me and putting on the parachute and jumping out of the plane. So, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and jump because nothing else will prove your faith in Him than trusting Him to catch you. So read His word and then go do it, for the Lord promises you success, you will stand and not fall, for underneath you are the everlasting arms Deuteronomy 33:27

Walking Through The Book of Romans

I confess, I'm an avid Podcaster. But my profession lends it's self to that sort of thing. Being a professional driver gives me lot's of time to listen to podcast, sermons being my favorite variety. It might make your head hurt if I told you how many I consume daily. But recently one of my favorites came to an end, Desiring God by John Piper. He had been preaching through the book of Romans and I had been so edified by it. So I thought, what now? So that's when I got the idea, let's go back to the beginning and work through them. Now mind you this is no small task, there is eight and a half years of preaching here. So I cut out everything, except Stand to Reason and started in the beginning. Oh what a joy it is to hear the word of God opened up and exposited so well. I have been a follower of Christ for sometime, but I must say, I didn't fully understand the Gospel until now. So if you are a follower of Christ I strongly urge you to work through this series, it will be well worth your time. Here is the link to the sermons. To get a taste click here Every one of these sermons has been enlightening for me and shown me things in God's word I have never seen.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Romans 11:33

Breaking The Silence and Lunch With the Jehovah's Witnesses

Well my friend Paul reminded me today that I have a blog, something I seem to have forgotten. So Paul, this blog is for you.

I've decided that I will at least try and post something at least once a week; either Friday or Monday. If time permits I'll offer a daily special. So my apologies to all the patrons of Robby's Pancake House who I have left famished for the last several months.

So, Thursday I had lunch with some Jehovah's witnesses; not intentionally though. And I would like to share my thoughts about that with those of you who are followers of Jesus of Nazareth. The rest of you might find the following odd.

So Thursday I was starting to enjoy my Lunch as I sat in my truck at work. When I was approached by two Ladies representing the Jehovah's witnesses. I thought this was a little bold of them and I respect them for their zeal; I wish all Christians were this bold in sharing their faith. Now I had an encounter with some witnesses several days ago, so the topic was fresh on my mind. That conversation didn't go as well has I had planned, so I was rethinking my tactics. When talking with those who are trying to work their way into heaven I take them to Matthew 5:20. But I had taken the conversation to Matthew 7:21. This approach fails because they believe they are the ones doing the will of the Father. And then trying to argue against that takes you away from the cross and the need for a savior. So this time I was going to stick to Matthew 5:20 and open up the law as Christ does in His sermon. But the conversation turned to the deity of Christ and I didn't want to go there because they love to debate this. And I want to show them their true state in the mirror of God's law. Now this is where I think I stumbled in the conversation; not that I can't argue for the deity of Christ. Which is something they agree with only that He is not Jehovah, God himself. But this begs the question; Why must the Christ be God himself and nothing less. This is why I think Matthew 5:20 is helpful but there is somewhere else I would have gone as a follow up, but I'll get to that in a minute. They agreed that Christ had paid our debt. And I agree with that, but that's only half the story. There are two problems I see in their position; First, Can a christ who is not fully God pay that debt fully? and second the payment of the debt only brings the balance to zero. And we need righteousness to get into heaven. And according to Matthew 5:20 we need an amount that no human can acheive, not even the most religious and devout. Which ought to frighten any sober minded individual. So where does one get this kind of righteousness? I did press this point with them, but In hindsight I should have gone to Matthew 19:17 as a follow up and here is why. Matthew 19:17 makes it clear that their is only one who is good, who posses the kind of righteousness we need; God himself. This is why the Christ must be God himself and nothing less as the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. So next time I'll be sure to take them their. Also if you read this passage carefully you will notice that Jesus is making a claim to deity here and not denying it as some would teach.

And just as a side note; Heaven should never be the goal of the Christian, God himself should be. Heaven is only the place where we enjoy the presence of God, forever. So we are saved from God, by God, to God so that God himself my receive all the praise. Change any of those objects and God is robbed of His glory. The Jehovah's Witnesses change the "by God" to "by a lesser deity" People like Joel Stohl change the "from God" to "from a bad life" and most Christians, not all, change the "to God" to "to heaven" So let's examine ourselves to make sure we don't make these errors and the next time you are talking to someone who is religious listen to see who or what they have substituted for God himself as the means and object of all things.

Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

EAT CROW, IRAQ WAR SKEPTICS

By ARTHUR HERMAN

June 9, 2008 -- AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war.

The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul).

Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. For complete article EAT CROW, IRAQ WAR SKEPTICS

Is hating ‘haters’ hateful?

Is hating ‘haters’ hateful?
THERE’S A DOUBLE STANDARD BEING USED IN THE PUBLIC DEBATE ON HOMOSEXUALITY

BY DR. SCOTT LIVELY, president of Defend the Family - AFA Journal May 2008



Is hating haters hateful?

Hate has a pretty bad name in the world today. No one wants to be called a hater, especially Christians, which is probably why we get accused of it all the time by our opponents. Homosexuals are especially fond of calling people haters. They even invented the word homophobia, which means hate and fear of homosexuals, envisaged as a mental illness. (A phobia is an anxiety disorder.)
I hate being called a homophobe. It has such an ugly connotation. It’s especially unpleasant because, as a Christian, I’m supposed to have a reputation for loving people, not hating them. So I’ve worked really hard over the years to try to get the homosexuals to stop calling me a homophobe. I’ve pointed out the difference between hating people and hating their behavior (loving the sinner but hating the sin). They hated that. more