Obedience Includes Starting NOW!

Second Chronicles 29 begins with Hezekiah becoming King over Israel.

Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had just died. The legacy of Ahaz was one of disobedience to God. Scripture records, "he did not do right in the sight of the LORD" (2 Chron 28:1).

Ahaz was not alone. Today we might describe him as "just like any normal person." Scripture says it like this, "he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel." (28:2). In other words, he followed after the will of people. He did right in his own eyes, and most people would not consider this unusual.

Then, along comes his son, Hezekiah. Hezekiah's heart was directed toward pleasing God, and it did not take weeks, months, or years for his obedience toward God to be apparent.

Immediately after stating that Hezekiah became king, and giving a one-verse overview of who he was, scripture records, "He did right in the sight of the LORD," and then "In the first year of his reign, in the first month," he restored the house of the LORD, the Temple.

As you read on it becomes clear that Hezekiah made the restoration of Israel as God's people the top priority of his reign. He started immediately.

Why? Over and over in the books of Kings and Chronicles a similar story is told over and over: the people fall away from their love of the Lord, God punishes them, the people repent and cry out for mercy, God restores them.

Hezekiah knew that the people had once more, under his father's rule, neglected to serve and love the Lord with all their soul, mind, and strength. The time to repent was NOW. He told those responsible as priests, the Levites, "Consecrate yourselves now". The word consecrate means to set themselves apart, to prepare themselves once again to serve the Lord. In essence, repent and set your affection on God.

What about us?

We live in a day and age where people are encouraged to "do what is right for you". Here in the USA we still live very comfortable lives. We have the means to decide where we will live, how we will live, and how to spend our time.

Everywhere you look, people are deciding based on their own desires, their perceived self-centered needs, and how they feel. How wicked we have become.

It is time to repent, and the time to repent is now. If Hezekiah were here today, he would tell us to turn our affections to the Lord, now. He would tell us "do not be negligent now" (v11).

The New Testament puts it this way, 'Today is the day of salvation.' (2 Cor 6:2).

If you are not a Christian, do not wait.

If you are a Christian, today is the day to fully turn your affection to Christ.

What If Today Were August 8, 1945?

What if today were August 8, 1945 and you were a citizen of Nagasaki, Japan?

Only two days ago, on August 6, a nuclear bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. You stand in a city 198 miles away, perhaps a four or five hour drive.

Though hard to comprehend this new and massive weapon, you would know the stark realities of the destruction. In addition, you would have seen or heard of the warning pamphlets dropped by U.S. planes. You would have heard the allied radio broadcasts urging your government to accept an immediate cease fire. You would know that citizens of your city had been told to flee to safety or suffer a similar fate.

What will you do? You must decide.

You know the danger, but you can not know that if you put off your decision until Noon tomorrow, you could be one of the 30-40,000 killed when a bomb known as “Fat Man” detonates.

What if today, right now, you faced a similar warning? A warning you’ve seen on TV, heard on the radio, overheard people talk about? A warning that you now read with your own eyes.

Will you seek safety, or ignore the fact that tomorrow, or tonight, or one minute from now it might be too late?

The clear warning I speak of is this: “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

When you die and face judgment, will you be innocent or guilty? God will rule on your fate based on the Ten Commandments (Rom 2:6-11) How will you do?

If you have ever stolen anything (regardless of value), you are guilty of theft (the eighth commandment). In God's holy eyes, you are a thief.

If you have ever told a lie, you are guilty of breaking the ninth commandment. In God's holy eyes, you are a liar. The Bible warns that all liars shall have their part in the Lake of Fire (Rev 21:8).

If you have ever looked at someone other than your spouse with lustful thoughts, you are guilty of breaking the seventh commandment. In God's holy eyes, you are an adulterer.

The Bible says that no thief, fornicator or adulterer will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

There are many choices you can make, but only one will provide safety from the destruction to come. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." and "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved." (John 14:6; 10:9)

Will you head this warning of your guilt and fate? Will you seek the safety of God’s Son, Jesus Christ? He paid for your sins. When Jesus died on the cross it was like a legal transaction where your crimes were paid in full. All that is required of you is to respond to these warnings. How? Agree with God that you have broken his laws and repent (decide right now to turn from all sin) and put your full trust in Christ to save you. He will forgive and forget your sin. Then read the Bible and do what it says.

It is up to you. You have been warned. You can repent and trust in Christ, or you can ignore the warnings just like tens of thousands of people who woke up in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 but did not live to see the next day.

(Image is from pamphlet dropped in Japanese cities by the U.S. Office Of Warfare Information)

Show Me The Proof!

A frequent argument proclaimed by atheists and agnostics is: "There is no proof of God. Show me some proof."

There are many answers to this. I will discuss two in this post.

First, such non-believers do not want to know the truth, so they simply deny the obvious. This has been true ever since the first men walked the earth.

It was true when the Israelites wandered in the desert; one minute in the presence of God, the next minute seeking their own solutions.

It was also true during the life of Christ that men denied who He was.

In Matthew 12:38-45, Jesus talks about those who see Him in the flesh, hear His words, witness His miracles, and still refuse to believe because He would not show them a sign when they demanded one. Christ said to them,

"An evil and adulterous generation craves for a ​​sign; and yet no ​​sign will be given to it but the ​sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as ​Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will ​the Son of Man be ​three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

What Jesus meant by this was that He would not be commanded by them, to show the particular sign that they wanted to see. He is God, not the sinner. He is not slave to the sinner, desperately hoping and waiting to be called upon to demonstrate His abilities. Instead, He says, He will demonstrate His divinity according to His timing, according to His plan. Amazingly, He lets them know exactly what to look for as The Sign: His resurrection from the dead.

Secondly, mankind already has many facts, many signs and many wonders that are certain proof of God's existence, they simply choose to deny them. Here are just a few:

1) Creation demands a Creator. Otherwise you must believe that nothing, with no cause, created everything in an orderly way. Not just animals, but space, time, dust, rocks, water, DNA, order itself, laws, mathematics, gravity, and on and on.

2) Evil demands God. What? Yes, I said that correctly. Here is how: You agree that there is evil in the world? Of course you do. But, how can there be evil unless we agree that there is a standard of good outside your opinion and my opinion? This standard of good must be something other than human, or the opinions of good and evil would vary widely, but they do not. This means there must be a Moral Law Giver who transcends humanity, and established the standard for 'good'. This Moral Law Giver is God.

3) The Bible. OK, I can hear some readers moaning already. You will argue, "You can't prove the existence of God by using the Bible." Why not? Can't I use the symphonies of Bach as proof that he was real, or the writings of Benjamin Franklin as proof that he was real? Of course I can, and therefore I can use the Bible, which claims to be the Word of God, as proof that God exists and caused the Bible to be written down.

4) The resurrection of Christ. Some will immediately say, "But there's no proof of that." Oh, yes, there is. First of all, eyewitness testimony is documented in the Bible (there were over 500 witnesses). Non-Biblical sources from contemporaries also establish that something quite unusual happened in Jerusalem after the crucifixion. They Jews, who tried to end the worship of Jesus, could not produce a body. In addition, the followers of Christ, who scattered widely during His trial and crucifixion, came back - bold and certain of their faith. Finally, the resurrection was such a momentous event in human history that the calendar suddenly changed.

These are just a few of the many proofs of God's existence. The most personal, however, is your conscience.

The word conscience means 'with knowledge'. You know that you have violated God's moral standard (the Ten Commandments) every time you stop and think about them.

Consider: how many lies you have told in your life, how many times you have been unjustly angry with others, how many times you have used God's name in a casual or disgusted way (this is blasphemy), or how many times you have taken something (regardless of value) that did not belong to you? If you have done each, you are a liar, a murderer at heart, a blasphemer, and a thief in God's eyes (and these are just four of the Ten Commandments). You know this is true because God placed the knowledge of His absolute good moral code inside you. Your conscience, which is right now telling you that these are wrong, and that (absent salvation) when you stand before Him on Judgement Day, you will be guilty.

You know it by how you feel: ashamed, perhaps embarrassed, convicted. You also know that guilt demands punishment, and the Bible tells us that the punishment for sin is eternity in hell.

If that concerns you, then you should also know that Christ died on the cross, and was resurrected three days later, just as He said He would, as a sign to you and all of humanity that He is the only way of salvation from the coming judgment. Once you understand this, you need do only two things: repent, and make Christ your Lord.

Repentance means to stop in your tracks, recognize that you are a sinner, that you are tired of a lifestyle as a rebel. You are ready to conform to God's desire: To seek after God; To live for God.

Making Christ your Lord means that you will pray to Him, read His Word (the Bible), and obey His commandments. You recognize that He is in charge and that you are ready to allow Him to control your every thought and deed.

If you are ready to repent and surrender, then cry out to Him in prayer. He will hear the prayer of the repentant. Then, read your Bible and do what it says. Find a local church (you can get help here or here). Living Waters also has some material that may help: Save Yourself Some Pain.

Men frequently deny the obvious. The Bible foretells that although men deny God's existence, they will have no excuse on Judgment Day:

"For ​​since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, ​​being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Romans 1:20

The time to stop denying is now.

Are You Ready? (Part 2)

My previous post asked what you might say to share the gospel at a funeral. But in thinking about this post, not much changes for other situations. Why? Because when sharing the gospel, God doesn't need your wisdom added to His gospel. You do, however, need to show love toward your audience. This may require some discretion in how you choose your words.

What would you say if given the opportunity to share the gospel? Would you talk only of God's love? Would you talk of peace and prosperity? Would you share scripture about blessings and long life, or trials and persecution?

I believe the right thing to do is rely upon scripture for the answers, and a great place to start is in learning how Christ shared the truth with those He encountered. One example is found in John 4:7-26. This is probably one of the best known examples on one-on-one evangelism. As you scan the passage, notice several things.

1. The passage describes Christ having a normal conversation with a woman at a public gathering place.


2. In verse 7 He turned the conversation to spiritual topics by relating the natural world to the spiritual world.


3. In verses 16-18, He shared the truth of her fallen state with her by using the Law (the Ten Commandments).


4. When she recognized her hopelessness, He revealed grace to her (v26).

As you study the New Testament, you find that this is the approach used repeatedly by the disciples and by Christ (see, for example, Acts 5 and Acts 17). It's clear this is the same approach we should use when sharing the gospel.

What about prosperity, love, and a better life? First of all, not everyone experiences prosperity, love, and a better life as a Christian. In addition, what do you say to someone who surrenders to Christ, then experiences serious illness or the loss of a job? Where's the prosperity, love and better life? Chances are that person did not surrender to Christ, they desired a better life now. More stuff. More leasure. Fewer worries. That's feeding pride, not surrendering to the Savior.

If you can't share the gospel without talking about prosperity, then you're not teaching a Biblical gospel message. Look what the disciples went through. Persecution, hard life, confrontation, and martyrdom. But, too many Christians today want to talk all about love and prosperity. It's simply not Biblical. Besides, what would you say to someone on their death bed, or on death row? That, "the sun will come out tomorrow!"? As Mark Cahill says, "If it doesn't preach on death row, don't preach it."

In addition, scripture promises that Christians are to be set apart from the world. In the words of Chris Walker, pastor of Hamilton Baptist Church in Hamilton, Virginia, "Conversion is a declaration of war against the flesh, the world, and the devil." In other words, you're in for a bumpy ride. It's a ride where you have the best pilot ever, but it will not be uneventful.

With all that as background, let's get you in front of your funeral audience. What do you say? If you haven't decided yet, allow me to share what I said.

I began by talking about the life of Mrs. Duncan. I noted one of her favorite songs, Amazing Grace, and read a few lyrics from the updated version by Chris Tomlin. Those lyrics are: "My chains are gone, I've been set free, My God my Savior has ransomed me."

I then asked what terms like chains, freedom, ransom... terms frequently used when discussing slavery, have to do with us? Then I turned to scripture, specifically, John 8:34-36, which reads, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.... if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

I then spent time talking about what sin is, examples of sin (by walking through a few of the Ten Commandments), the price for sinning against a Holy God, and our only hope for redemption... our only hope for a ransom that can free us from the chains of sin that hold us in bondage to sin (repentance and surrender).

If you find yourself asked to share the gospel at a funeral, or if you get an opportunity to share the gospel with a co-worker, friend, family member, or stranger, follow the model that Christ and the disciples gave to us:

1. Talk about the natural world.


2. Turn the conversation to the spiritual.


3. Explain sin by using the Ten Commandments.


4. Explain that without repentance and surrender to Christ, there is no redemption from the slavery of sin.

Until next time: Be ready. Then be bold!

How Are YOU Doing?

If you were to die right now, where would you end up?

According to Barna Research: "Half of all adults (50%) argue that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.""(The Barna Group, Oct 8, 2002).

So, how are you doing? Are you a good person? Are you good enough to go to heaven when you die?

You can find out in less than two minutes by answering a few questions.

How? Take a quick look at a few of Ten Commandments, God's standard for who is "good" and who is not.

How many lies have you told? Most people will admit that the number of lies they've told during their life is rather large. If you tell lies, you are known as a liar.

Have you ever stolen anything? Even if the value is small, or the item was relatively insignificant, if you've ever taken something that didn't belong to you without permission, you are a thief.

Have you ever looked at another person and lusted after them? Just about anyone who is older that 13, and is honest, will have to admit that they have. Big deal? Well, Jesus said that if you've even looked at another person with lust, you've already committed adultery in your heart.

One more, then we'll see how you're doing.

Have you ever hated someone, or call someone nasty names? Because God knows your innermost thoughts, He knows that hate takes root before murder takes place. That's why Christ said, "everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty." You haven't committed the act, but you have already committed murder in your mind and heart.

So, let's have a summary. If you admitted to each of the above questions (and we've only looked at four of the Ten Commandments), then you are a liar, a thief, an adulterer, and a murderer in God's eyes.

If you stood before God tonight, and He judged you by the Ten Commandments, would you be innocent or guilty?

Everyone who is answering truthfully would admit to breaking at least one of the Ten Commandments. You don't need to break all of them, of even most of them, to be guilty. The Bible says that if you break even one, you are guilty of breaking all. So, you'd be guilty, just like the rest of us.

Would that mean heaven, or hell?

No one likes to admit it, or think about it, but the answer is clear. The Bible says, "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone..." It also says that no one who breaks God's Law will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Rev 21:8, and 1 Cor 6:10).

The fact is, we've all fallen short of God's standard, and deserve our place in hell.

Does that concern you?

It should. After all, everyone dies, and all sinners will face God on Judgment Day.

What will you say?

Is there any hope? Yes, there is.

God is not only just, He is also loving and forgiving. Because of this, He offers a path to salvation.

Two thousand years ago, God took on the form of a man, called Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus (also known as the Christ) lived a sin-free life, but took the sins of the world upon himself during his death on the cross. Because of this, your sins and mine can be forgiven. His sacrifice was the same as a legal transaction today. It's as if He paid the cost for our crimes, and now we can go free.

All He asks in return is that you repent and put your trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Repent means to recognize your sin, confess your sin to God, ask for forgiveness, and then turn from your sinful ways. You can't be a drunk, do drugs, hate people... say that you love Jesus, then be a drunk, do drugs, and hate people. Your actions show that you did not really repent, and you don't love the Lord.

Putting your trust in Jesus means that you place Him at the head of your life in every way. You recognize that there is no hope outside of your faith in Him. You then do all you can to follow after Him the rest of your life. That begins with prayer and reading His Word (the Bible).

Please don't wait.

Make up your mind. Putting it off is the same as rejecting Christ.

Today you still have time. You are, as Bob says, "Still vertical."

But, every day 150,000 people die. Believe me, few of those who died today planned to take their last breath. Many died suddenly in an accident, or a crime. Some died in their sleep. Some had an unexpected blood clot or anurism and died in a few short seconds.

Please don't put it off until tomorrow. Decide right now. Then, if you agree that you are a sinner who needs God's mercy, cry out to him... read the Bible... pray daily... and join a church of devoted believers.