Western Hills Christian Church: “You are family here!”

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Since the beginning of time, man has deceived himself by thinking he can discover God through various religions. But in reality, man lives in a box enclosed within the walls of time and space. God is outside the box, and man senses He’s there but can’t get to Him. Each new religion is but another futile attempt to penetrate the walls of the box and catch a glimpse of God.

Man’s only hope is for God to enter the box, which Hebrews 1:1-2 declares He did: first by letter (the Old Testament), then in person (in Jesus Christ). Regarding God’s Word David said, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue" (2nd Samuel 23:2). Jeremiah added, "The Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth’" (Jeremiah 1:9). Of Christ, the apostle John said, "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him" (John 1:14, 18).

The irony of people thinking they can discover God on their own is that apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading, no one really wants to find Him. They merely want to add a cosmic good luck charm to their lives or satiate their guilty consciences. Paul said, "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God" (Romans 3:10-11, emphasis added).

God could have left us in our sin and ignorance, but He penetrated the box and revealed everything we need to know for redemption and fellowship with Him. What a privilege we have to study His Word and live by its principles! Be diligent to do so each day.

Suggestion for Prayer:
Praise God for granting you the ability to appreciate His Word.

For Further Study:
Read 1st Corinthians 2:6-16, noting how natural (unregenerate) people respond to divine revelation.

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
Genesis 4:7

When temptation enters our hearts and minds, we either deal with it and gain mastery over it, or it eventually leads us to sinful actions. The time between the initial temptation and the chosen response is critical. Much hangs in the balance.

1st Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Cain knew that God was displeased with him but pleased with Able. Feelings of jealous anger crept into Cain’s heart, and thoughts of murder pervaded his mind. As Cain considered what to do, God’s word came to him. God warned him that sin was waiting at the door of his life, looking for an opportunity to enter. Now was not the time to treat temptation lightly, not the time to assume sin would never cause any  harm. Now was the time to master the sin and renounce it before it overcame him. Tragically, Cain did not master his sin; instead, sin overtook him and destroyed his life.

Temptations come at unexpected moments. Sinful thoughts may cross your mind. Selfish feelings may begin to invade our heart. The promptings of the Holy Spirit will warn you that God is not pleased with the direction your thoughts and feelings are taking you. At that moment of conviction, you must master the sin that crouches at the door of your life. Sin destroys. Sin brings death. Sin is not something to toy with or take lightly.

Romans 6:16-23
16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s word to you is the same warning He gave to Cain: Master the sin at the door of your life before it brings its inevitable and disastrous consequences. Heed His caution, and you will avoid unnecessary hardship for yourself and others.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Sermon can be downloaded to your PC from here by RIGHT clicking with mouse and selecting “Save Target As” for the Internet Explorer browser or “Save Link As” for Firefox browsers.

Text: Song of Songs 8:6-7

I.  Commitment must be a priority in marriage(Songs 8:7b)

Commitment to the marriage is a priority over wealth.  See Matthew 7:26-27

Commitment to the marriage is more than just feeling in love.

II.  Commitment must be permanent in marriage.

1. Christian marriages have conflicts, but they are not beyond solutions.
2. Working through is harder than walking out, but it is God’s way.
3. Being committed to one’s mate is not a matter of demanding rights, but releasing rights.
4. The Christian’s ultimate goal in life is not to be happy but to glorify God.  See 1st Corinthians 6:19-20

III.  Commitment is the strength for marriage.  See Songs 8:6b,c

1. The strength of love compared to the strength death.  See Romans 8:38-39
2. The strength of love compared to the strength of the grave.
3. The strength of love compared to the strength of fire.

Conclusion

Commitment in marriage is more than just sheer determination; it is also about commitment to what God can do in our marriages.

Are you willing to commit to your marriage?

Volume XLIV, Issue 10, May 13, 2009

During the National Day of Prayer service this past week, I realized that there is little if any unity among the churches of Lawton. Letters were sent to over 100 different churches within the community and only a handful responded to the service. And out of those that responded, only a very small percentage showed up to represent each congregation.

I reflect on that incident, not to lay a guilt trip on anyone, but to illustrate the lack of unification within the church community. Understand that I am not saying that we have to agree on everything, because that is probably not going to happen. But we should agree that there is a spiritual battle being waged in Lawton-­Ft. Sill and as long as Satan has us divided, he will keep us defeated.

Being defeated is not an option for me, nor is it an option for God. Paul understood victory and penned these words:

Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”[b] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1st Corinthians 15:54b-57).

But Paul doesn’t stop with his proclamation of victory. Instead he travels a little further down that path and commands us to stand firm.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1st Corinthians 15:58).

Why would he interject this command? I think he knows that the battle continues and the fight will take its toll. It is difficult being assaulted on a daily basis by the deceptions of Satan and remain firm in your faith. At least it is for me. What keeps me going is that I truly believe that the victory is already mine as long as I stand firm.

When I stand firm and you stand firm and every Christ follower in Lawton begins to stand firm in our faith and let nothing move us, then we can begin to see the power of the Lord move in this city.

It is my prayer that all of us, as a united church, as a united community of believers stand firm and let nothing move us as we go into battle for our community, Will you join me in this battle by beginning to pray for the Lawton?Ft. Sill area on a daily basis? Pray that God will begin to work and that he will show us where he is working so that we can join Him in His work. Then the victory will truly be His.

Dave