Speak the Truth in Love.

     "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, The Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
                                       Mark 8:38 NASB

     We are clearly living in an adulterous and sinful generation. One does not need to look too hard to see that perilous times are upon us in these days (2 Tim 3:1-5). We see that men are lovers of self, pleasure, etc.....
     As Christians, we are called to stand out, exposing the darkness of this wicked world with the light of the truth of the gospel of Christ (Eph 5:11-14). This means that we do speak up, that we do tell a wicked world that what it is promoting is wrong, sinful in the eyes of God. It means that we do tell of the judgment to come. We do these things not to offend others, or to point a self righteous finger, but to set forth the truth in hopes of reaching those who are lost in sin.
     Understand what Jesus was doing in the sermon on the mount when he addressed issues such as lust and adultery, divorce, anger and murder, honesty and the taking of oaths, non resistance etc. (Matt 5:21-48). He was refuting the compromised teaching of the day that allowed people to live and act in ways contrary to God's law, while still believing that they were keeping it.
     We see Jesus confront an adulterous woman in Samaria. She was looking for something that her life and empty religion could not give her, but before she could find it, she had to deal with her sin (John 4:15-18). Jesus gently confronts her with the fact of her multiple marriages, because it is impossible to merely "add" Jesus to our already busy sinful lives. Jesus demands all; our hearts, wills, our lives. We must turn from our sin if we would embrace the Savior.
     Many are ashamed to speak truth. They are afraid of offending others. Pastor are afraid to preach on certain topics because they see so many in their congregations living in this sin or that sin, so they remain silent.
     It is time to give up this fearful tolerance of sin, and embrace the message of the cross (Mark 8:34); the crucified life. It is time to raise our voices strong, and lift up Christ as a Savior form sin. It is a message that the world does not want to hear, but it is also the message that will set them free (John 8:31-36).

The Word of God is A Treasure.

     There are many things that we can see are lacking in the lives of many professed believers. Things that if they were changed would bring revolution to the body of Christ.
      Today I would like to look at the word of God, and how it should be valued by we who believe in Jesus Christ.

     Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against you.
                                 Psalm 119:11 NASB

     My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times.
                                 Psalm 119:20 NASB

     I shall delight in Your commandments, which I love.
                                  Psalm 119:47 NASB

     Therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.
                                   Psalm 119:127 NASB

     To treasure something is to place a high value upon it. Thing of the things that you value. Think about how much you are willing to spend on something, how desperate you are to get something, how carefully you keep and protect the things that you treasure.
     Now ask yourself this. Do I treat the word of God in this same way? Do I highly esteem it? Do I long for it in the same way I long for things, do I spend as much time in it and meditating on it as I do other things that I love?
      I would dare to say that many if not most of us would find that our televisions, computers, homes and vehicles, hobbies, and entertainment hold a higher place of value in our hearts than the word of God! It is no wonder that we see so much weakness and compromise within the professing body of Christ today!
     If we do not value God's word above the things of this world, I would venture to say that we also do  not value God above all either!
     To place a proper value upon the word, we must first esteem God above all. The psalmist said " With all my heart I have sought You. Do not let me wander from your commandments"  (Psalm 119:10 NASB). If we love God, truly love Him as our highest treasure, we will naturally love and cherish His word. It is His revelation of Himself to us. By it we learn how We can be reconciled to Him, how we can please Him, and how we can avoid offending Him.
     This is worth so much more than gold or material possessions. It is worth so much more than our hobbies and entertainment. If we can spend hours watching Hollywood entertainers, and sports figures, who are embroiled in scandals, but cannot spend more than a few minutes in the Bible, something is wrong with our love for Christ. It is growing cold, if not dead!
     Repent, and return to how it was when you first trusted Christ (Rev 2:5). We must make Christ our all, and value His word accordingly! Put aside all that hinders, and pursue Him! Get into the word of God, and treat it as the word of God. It is to be taken in, meditated upon, and obeyed. It is worth more than anything else you possess. Time spent in it is far more valuable than time wasted in vain pursuits.
    
    

The Pillar of the Truth.

     Look around and you can see the words of Paul to Timothy being fulfilled. We are indeed living in an age where sound doctrine is no longer tolerated. The truth is rejected, and people only want to hear things that "tickle" their ears (1 Timothy 4:3-4). 
     We may be shocked at some of the things now being debated by Churches and Denominations. We wonder how a Church could even consider these issues, based upon the clear instruction given to us in the word of God.
     Take a look at the words of Paul in the first chapter of Romans. We see that the truth has been suppressed (Romans 1:18), and it has been exchanged for a lie (Romans 1:25). Men have rejected the worship of God for idolatry. Read Romans 1:18-32. It shows us how all of the sinful practices mentioned flow out of a heart that has rejected the truth that has been revealed to it. Such an individual has been turned over to a depraved mind by God (Romans 1:24,26).
     I believe that is why we see such a falling away today. Many movements that were once on fire, gloriously used by God in the past, have grown cold. They have lost the fear of the Lord, and compromised the truth. The gross sin we see allowed, and even supported today in the "Christian" world is a result of exchanging the truth for a lie, compromising the truth to be pleasing to men and not to God.
     In contrast the Church of God is the pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The word of God is living and empowered through the Holy Spirit. It exalts Jesus Christ, the head (Col 1:18). The truth is found in Jesus, we hear Him, and are taught in Him (Eph 4:21).The truth is allowed to cleanse and sanctify those who have faith (2 Thess 2:13).
    Jesus said that as His disciples we must continue in His word. Then we will know the truth that will set us free (John 8:311-32).  What a contrast! Instead of being enslaved to our evil passions, we find freedom!
     Beware of compromise! It is dangerous to play with the truth! Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth as revealed in the word of God, to you. Let it transform you into the image of Christ. Do not get caught up in the "ear tickling" going on today. Run away from it as fast as you can!

The Illumination of the Holy Spirit.

     It is the Holy Spirit who takes the word of God and illuminates it for us. It is the Spirit who quickens it giving it life. The Spirit uses it like a surgical tool to probe the inner depths of our hearts, laying all bare before us. The Spirit gives it the power to change lives.
     What will you do with the Holy Spirit? Will you allow Him to transform you into the image of Christ?

Has the law been lost?

     King Josiah was a godly leader who began to purge the kingdom of Judah of idolatry. The temple of God had been neglected, and fallen into ruin. while it was being repaired, the book of the law was found, and read to the king. Through the word of God he was shown how odious the nation was in the eyes of God, and that they deserved the judgement of God (2Chron 34:8-21).
     I fear we have lost the word ofGod as well today. We have lost the word in the church! Too many pastors and teachers have compromised the message. We have become seeker sensitive. We attract the lost into our churches, but we do not want to offend them, so we leave out sin and judgement. We do not mention hell because we don't want to scare anyone. We do not want them to feel left out, so there are no deep messages. Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us to leave the basics, and press on to maturity!
     We need to return to the word of God. We need to study it, we need to meditate on it, it must be proclaimed in all of its truth from our pulpits, and we must live it. It was when Josiah heard the word, and acted upon it, that the kingdom of Judah experienced a revival