Sin (Part 2)

Genesis 4:7b

……..But if you do not do what is right,

sin is crouching at your door;

It desires to have you, but you must master it.

Sin desires to have you…..

To control you….

To own you.

This thing…..

This power…….

This death dealing manifestation…..

It stands in opposition to…..

Goodness......

And Hope…..

And Love….

And Life…

And….

God Himself……

This sin….

It is an evil…..

It desires to have you…..

To lure you into pain and death.

Its subtle.

Its deceptive.

Its unrelenting in its attacks.

It seeks to destroy you…...

You, and everything, and everyone, you care about.

To make matters worse,

This thing called sin…..

Though it is not us…

Still exists in us.

We carry it around with us….

Like some phantom that haunts our soul.

We cannot escape its allure….

We cannot get away from its callings…..

There is no avoiding it………. and so…….

We must fight.

Ah, but Christian…..

There is much good news.

Though this enemy be formidable….

Though sin’s wooing be inescapable…….

Though there be an ongoing fight for Love and Life…….

It is a fight……..

That has been won.

We have the means…….

The means to master this enemy…..

Until he be put away….

Once and for all.

Guys,

I tell you now….

The victory is sweet………

And will be all the sweeter……

As we take our place in the battle…..

In the battle for Life.

The Very Life of God has invaded this earth in Christ Jesus….

This same Christ Jesus who lives…..

In you and I.

Let’s take our place in our Lord’s great story of Life.

Let’s take our stand for all that is good.

Let’s join our Lord Jesus, and so…..

Even today…..

Live!

Ephesians 6:10-14a

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God,

so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,

against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world

and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God,

So that when the day of evil comes,

you may be able to stand your ground,

 and after you have done everything,

To stand.

Lord Jesus, Almighty God, Holy Spirit,

I ask for Your Life and Love and Energy today to stand.

All Praise be to You.

Amen

Sin (Part 1)

Psalm 51:4

Against You,

You only have I sinned,

And done what is evil in Your sight…..

Sin….

Tough topic.

I wonder what you think of when you see the word.

Maybe you go philosophical/theological on me……

Sin- Actions, attitudes, words and thoughts that contradict

God’s order. Living (and dying) apart from the rule of God.

Trying to live independently from God- Self Sovereignty.

Then again……

Maybe it quickly becomes more personal for you……

Maybe there’s that one place in your life….

That one place where you feel……

Shamed and defeated.

Maybe you have just tried to put the whole ugly concept out of your mind.

Maybe you prefer not to think about it at all.

Yep……

Definitely a tough topic.

Over the next couple of days I want to throw some ideas out there……

Sin as a virus- In you…… but not you.

Sin as a power that waits to destroy you.

Sin as the cause of all pain in this world.

Sin as a defeated foe……defeated by Christ

So we will try to go beyond specific acts…..

We will try to go beyond simple sin management……

Are you up for it?

Psalm 51:10

Create a pure heart in me O’ God

And renew a right spirit within me.

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

I pray over these next days You help us experience

Incredible, Wonderful, Powerful Victory over our enemy…..

Over sin itself.

All praise to You our Lord Jesus, for what You will do.

Amen

Maybe Today

Matthew 24:42

Therefore keep watch,

Because you do not know on what day

Your Lord will come.

I heard about a man who posted

A simple note card on his bathroom mirror.

As he awakened and stumbled to the bathroom

Every morning, he was greeted with this reminder…..

“Maybe Today”

I pray yes….

Come Lord Jesus…..

Come in all Your Fullness…….

Come in all the Glory of the Living God.

Even today.

And yet even so….. He delays.

How then shall I live?

Guys,

Even though He delays…..

There is a sense.....

In which He does come…..

Even Today……

There is a sense…..

In which He does come……

As our Lord Lives His Life…..

Out through us.

Let it be so today and everyday…..

Until………

Lord Jesus,

Even as You delay Your Glorious return

I pray You make Yourself known in this world

Through the lives of Your people……

Even today.

Amen

Psalm 150 The Conclusion of the Matter

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath,

Praise The LORD.

So what do you think it is…….

The conclusion of the matter, that is……

What is it this life might be all about anyway?

Some possibilities…….

Making a name for yourself…

Accumulating nice things…

Maximizing pleasure…

Making a difference…

Becoming powerful…

Following the rules…

Being comfortable…

Solving problems…

Meaningful work…

Rich experiences…

Building a legacy…

Proving myself…

Helping others…

Relationships…

Looking good…

Being good…

Doing good…

Self-control…

Having fun…

Adventure…

Winning…

Church…

Family…

Maybe it’s all about……

Nothing…..

It’s all random.

Maybe it’s all about…..

Everything…..

It’s all random.

But wait,

I wonder if there might be something…..

Some one, special, real, thing……

My life could be about….

Could center on……

Some one, special, real thing

That would…..

Make the difference for me……

That would……

Give substance to all these other…..

Lesser things?

Maybe it’s simple.……

As simple as the Psalmist expresses in this closing chapter.

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath,

Praise The LORD.

Amen.

Psalm 149 The Best Feeling I Ever Had.

Psalm 149:1

…Sing to The LORD a new song…..

“My dream has finally come to reality….

And it’s the best feeling I have ever had.”

LeBron James on winning a Championship.

Strong words.

When I saw the quote……

“The best feeling….”

I couldn’t help but wonder how this could be so.

I mean here is a man with millions….

A man acclaimed by all his world to be one of the best…..

A man who has certainly had many incredible experiences and yet…..

This experience……

His dream…

A Championship…..

Worked so hard for…..

“The best feeling I ever had”

Maybe it’s because of his hard work…

The committed investment of his life in this pursuit.

Maybe it’s because he had made this his dream…..

Achieving greatness….

A Championship….

Validation.

“The best feeling I ever had”

The truth is I don’t know.

Anything I write here is a guess..….

A projection of my own experiences to a man I don’t know.

My congratulations go out to LeBron……

Along with my wishes that he have…..

At least one more experience…..

One that eclipses even this.

Now though…

What about you and me?

What is our dream?

What is the song of our lives?

What are we committing our lives to…..

For the most incredible feeling we might ever have?

Guys,

Know this….

Whatever it is…..

This song of our lives….

The reason we rise out of our beds …..

If it’s not flowing out of the very Life of Christ in us……

It may be time to heed the Psalmist……

To heed the Psalmist and……

Sing to The LORD……

A New Song.

Father,

I pray You lead us all into the New Song.

I pray You reveal to all of us in a powerful way

What it is that will give us the best feeling we ever had….

And so we might be irresistibly drawn to Life….

Real Life in You.

Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXilbs5a-iI

Psalm 148 More Than A Good Religious Phrase

Psalm 148:1

Praise the LORD.

Nice words……..

Good religious phrase…….

Great Sunday morning banter……..

Use this phrase in some situations and you’re in……..

Use it in others……..

And well……..

Prepare for some funny looks.

Be careful guys.

It’s very easy to play the religious game……..

It’s very easy to become the religious chameleon…..

It’s very easy to slip in and out of a religious persona…….

It’s very easy……..

And……….

It’s very dangerous.

Praise The LORD.

More than nice words.

More than a religious phrase.

More than Sunday morning banter.

Praise The LORD.

Can we?

I mean really…….

Can we get past our efforts to simply fit in?

Can we get past just trying to say what we are supposed to say?

Can our faith be more?

Guys,

Jesus has called us out of death……

Jesus has invited us into Life…..

Christ Himself… lives in us…..

To live through us.

Guys,

Get hold of that.

Experience that.

Live in that…..

And Yes…..

Praise The LORD!

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

Lead us deeper and deeper into Your Life today

So that we may truly live lives of Praise to You today.

Amen