Sermon (video): Maintaining our First Love (Revelation 2:1-7)

Did you know that it is quite possible that Jesus could remove His hand of blessing from a church even if it was 1) theologically correct, 2) busy in ministry, and 3) enduring persecution for their faith? It is in Revelation 2:1-7 that we realize just how important it is to maintain our first love for Jesus. If we don't, nothing else really matters. This sermon delves into why it is so important to fan into flame a passion for Jesus.

This sermon was preached at Westside Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky on April 28, 2013. The occasion was "Call Sunday", the day that the pastoral candidate, Matt Ellis, preached for Westside. At the conclusion of the service, the congregation voted to call him as their pastor with a 99.5% vote.

To view the worship service in its entirety, click here.

Recipe for the Demise of a Nation

Over and over in the Old Testament, we see how nations rose and nations fell. If we had lived in those cities/nations, we may have suspected (like we do today) that they declined because of poor leadership, or an inferior military, or bad fiscal policies, etc. Yet, through the vantage point that the Old Testament provides us, we realize that there is always a spiritual aspect to it. God tended to bless nations that complied with His commands and tear down nations that did not.

As we approach the New Testament, we come to a text that is incredible in regard to this topic. God essentially gives us the step-by-step process that nations take as they fall into anarchy (and thus their own demise). The four step process (that seems to be a 'general' rule) is as follows.

Ingredient 1: They serve other gods (Romans 1:18-23)

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."

Simply put, people and nations who act as if there is no God who rules supremely cannot claim ignorance. Creation itself testifies to the fact that there must be a God. Yet, people/nations willfully choose to act as if He doesn't exist. Rather than have God as the One they enjoy and serve, they live their lives for themselves and go after other things (i.e. power, possessions, prestige, entertainment, gluttony, drunkenness, etc.)

But, once we throw off the restraints of God's commands, we begin to slide down the slippery slope of immorality that leads to our own destruction.

Ingredient 2: They participate in sexual immorality (Romans 1:24-25)

"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

In search of fulfillment and enjoyment, a society who has thrown off the restraints of God's Word will find itself in a sexual revolution (think 1920's and 1960's in America). Rather than valuing the human body, it becomes an object capable of satisfying one's selfish desires outside the confines of marriage.

Ingredient 3: They approve and practice homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27)

"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Since in a deteriorating society, norms for what constitutes a right sexual relationship are increasingly non-existent, its citizens will continue to push the envelope. Homosexuality is approved and practiced by a growing number of people in that society. (Think America in the 1990's and beyond.)

Finally, Ingredient 4: They obtain worthless minds (Romans 1:28-32)

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

 

The end result of this whole process is what one would expect. If truth and righteousness are abandoned, who makes up the rules? Society? Well, we've seen in American society that our rules/norms keep changing. What wasn't approved in the last decade is embraced in this one.

 

So, as society continues sliding down the slippery slope of immorality, anarchy becomes a very real possibility. Governments will need to take serious measures to maintain control. Does that sound far fetched? Then why does it seem that as our country has clearly made it to step 3 (embraced homosexuality) that we are also hearing that our country is talking about stricter gun laws for its citizens, drone flyovers of American cities, collection of citizen data from places like Google, etc.?

 

If we don't turn back as a nation soon, we will run full steam into the wall of God's wrath. The question remains as to whether enough of God's children are willing to apply the truths of 2 Chronicles 7:14 in time.  "If my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Only then is there any possibility of hope!

 

Will Jesus be the only 'imperfect' one in Heaven?

By 'imperfect,' I am not speaking of Jesus' moral qualities. I am also not speaking of His Deity. As God the Son, He is morally perfect and perfectly God in every way.
 
I am using the word 'imperfect' in it's loosest sense by speaking of Jesus' appearance. When something is broken or showing signs of wear, someone could easily describe it as 'imperfect.' It evidences qualities that veer from the beholder's ideal standard and so it is called 'imperfect.'
 
So, at present (and possibly for eternity), does Jesus veer from what we would consider 'perfect' in His appearance? Believe it or not, answering 'yes' to that question isn't necessarily a wrong answer. Let me show you why...
 
Three days after Jesus' crucifixion, He rose from the dead. Acts 1:3 tells us that Jesus mingled with His disciples for 40 days before ascending to the Father. During that time, He had a resurrection body but it was body that was very similar to our own physical bodies (Mary Magdalene initially thought He was just a gardener [John 20:15]; the disciples on the road to Emmaus initially saw nothing unusual about Him [Luke 24:13-35]; etc.)
 
In fact, Luke 24:36-43 provides a conversation that Jesus had with His disciples in which He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that His resurrection body was a physical body similar to the ones they had:
 
"As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, 'Peace to you!' But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.' And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them."
 
Jesus made sure that His disciples recognized that He had a physical body very similar to theirs. This is a very important point for many, many reasons. Yet, I want to focus upon the fact that it was in this physical, immortal, incorruptible body that Jesus was taken into Heaven (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11). The body He had post-resurrection was the body that went to Heaven.
 
Well, did the body that Jesus took to Heaven have something that, in appearance, would seem to be 'imperfect?' Apparently, Thomas (one of Jesus' disciples) believed so. As Thomas showed up to a gathering, some of the disciples tried to convince him that Jesus had risen from the dead and that they had seen Him. Thomas made it clear to everyone present that only one thing would enable him to believe that Jesus had truly risen from the dead. Listen to what he said:
 
John 20:25 "So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, 'Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.'"
 
Jesus showed up a week later and didn't disappoint Thomas.
 
John 20:26-28 - "Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
 
What was it about Jesus' hands and side that would have caused Thomas to recognize beyond any doubt whatsoever that it was Jesus who stood before him? The nail scars and the scar where the spear pierced his side (John 19:34). In His glorified, resurrection body, Jesus still had the scars from His crucifixion.

The question remains, "As He resides in Heaven now, does He still have the scars?"

All we need do to answer that question is go the book of Revelation. In chapter 5, John was permitted to see Heaven's throne as the Tribulation Period was about to begin. A call goes out to have someone who is worthy to open the scroll and release the judgments upon planet earth. No one approaches and John begins to weep. But, one of the elders told John to stop crying. Jesus was about to approach the throne and take the scroll. But listen to how Jesus is described in that Heavenly, future scene ...

Revelation 5:6-10 - "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'" [emphasis mine].

 

Jesus is described in this Heavenly scene as a Lamb that looked like it had been slain (the original Greek word could be translated 'slaughtered'). Jesus, in this scene, still wears the scars from His crucifixion.

 

Could it be that Jesus will have those scars for all of eternity? Maybe.

 

Could it be that if He does, they will be a constant reminder of the love that God had for us? Maybe.

 

Could those scars be a constant reminder that we were not worthy of such a high price and so we are moved to unimaginable gratitude and unparalleled worship for eternity? Maybe, just maybe.

Birthplace of the SBC Cooperative Program

Southern Baptists are a busy people! Whether it is international or local missions, or whether it is feeding and clothing those ravaged by natural disasters, or whether it is training the next generation of leaders in our colleges and seminaries, etc. etc. etc., we are a busy people!

But these things don't just happen. They cost money. And they cost a whole lot more than any one congregation can provide. Yet, Southern Baptists found a way to fund these endeavors through the Cooperative Program. As we collect tithes and offerings to do ministry in our local congregations and its ministries to the surrounding community and beyond, we pool our monies with other like-minded congregations to fund ministries that no one congregation could fund on its own. What we cannot do individually, we can do together!

Well, where did this incredible program begin? Look at these pictures I took on my run this morning...

Southern Baptist history is rich in Murray, Kentucky.

Why the Pulpit of First Baptist Church of Brooksville is Special

OK. I'm REALLY getting nostalgic as my time at First Baptist Church of Brooksville is drawing to a close. I've previously posted an article about why I'll miss the center aisle. (How crazy is that?!) So, I thought that I would write about why I'll miss the pulpit.

If you're still reading, more power to you. lol

First, it's one that I handpicked.
When the front of our worship center was undergoing a much needed upgrade, I was talked into (I'll blame it on others) getting a pulpit that I had spoken of often. Instead of a bulky wooden pulpit, I wanted a transparent one.

Why?
1) It illustrated what I wanted to be as a pastor - transparent.
2) It allowed me to preach with my body. I gesture a lot and the wooden pulpit we had before blocked much of my attempts to explain God's Word.
3) It allowed for things happening behind the pulpit to be easily seen by the congregation (i.e. children's skits, choir specials, etc.)
4) It allowed me to peek past my Bible and notes to the clock at its base without making it obvious that I was looking at the time (even though folks at First Baptist would question whether I ever actually looked at the clock).

This list could go on and on but you get the idea.

Second, there is a powerful reminder taped to it.
I heard a quote many years ago that was credited to a preacher named Richard Baxter. I've never forgotten it. I believed that if I got the truth of it engrained in my mind and heart, it would powerfully impact how I preached. The quote is: "I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men."

As I approach the pulpit to preach each Sunday, that verse is directly in front of me. It reminds me that I may never preach to these people again. One of us could be moments away from death in a horrific car accident, a heart attack or any number of other possibilities. With that knowledge, I needed to be certain that what I was preaching and how I was preaching it would be sufficient if it was the last sermon they heard.

The quote, by in large, has kept things in perspective as I have stood to proclaim God's Word to the folks at First Baptist Church.

Third, it has some very special verses under the carpet. 
When the platform was being remodeled, I got an idea. The day before the carpet was installed, I took a black permanent marker and wrote some Scripture references in the area where I stand as I preach. I wanted to literally "stand on God's Word" as I proclaimed His Word to the congregation. These are the verses under the carpet that I have stood on as I preached at First Baptist:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Finally, there have been some incredible people that I've invited to stand behind it and proclaim God's Word.
The risk I run in naming anyone is that I will leave so many out. However, I'll run that risk by saying I will name two special individuals who represent all of those who I've invited to preach behind the pulpit.

Robert Amaya ("Javier" in the movie "Courageous") was at First Baptist Church in January 2012. I would invite him back to preach in a heartbeat! He is grounded in God's Word and has a passion to call others, especially men, to take up their crosses and follow Jesus. He shared with me that he has an insatiable hunger to read theology books and wholeheartedly believes that in order to behave like Christ-followers, we must first think like Christ-followers. I could not have been more pleased as I listened to Robert preach God's Word from behind that transparent pulpit. I hope to one day invite him to speak again. To view pictures I took of the time Robert spent at First Baptist, just click here.

Harry Bollback is another very special person that I invited to preach at First Baptist Church. Many know Bro. Bollback from his work at Word of Life Bible Institute. However, even with the incredible story of his involvement in Word of Life, I found out that there is so much more to his story.

After he preached at First Baptist, Bro. Bollback invited my family to join him and his wife, Millie, for a meal at Word of Life and then see the passion play at their Youth Camp in Hudson. While eating with him, I picked his brain and found out that he and his wife were missionaries in South America and were dear friends of Jim Elliott, Nate Saint and the other 3 missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in January 1956. He and his wife visited the widows in Shell, Ecuador after the murders. I continued to probe and found out that he and his wife had a very similar experience and someone had written a book about it.

Naturally, I was hooked and wanted to get the book. He gave me a copy and signed it for me. I was so glad that I had a chance to meet this incredible man of God during my time at First Baptist. To view the sermon he preached behind First Baptist's pulpit, click here.



Come to think about it, maybe it's not so silly to miss the pulpit at First Baptist Church after all. It IS pretty special!

Prayer memories made in a center aisle

View from the front of the sanctuary

As my time at First Baptist Church of Brooksville is coming to an end, I am growing nostalgic. Kim and I have made so many memories with the folks in this church family that will remain with us for the duration of our lives.

But, certain locations also carry memories. For one, I'll miss the center aisle of the worship center. Throughout the last 7 years of ministry I have spent hours upon hours upon untold hours walking that aisle as I wrestled with God in prayer.

I have prayed for folks who had family problems. I've prayed for folks experiencing the loss of loved ones or who were experiencing illness. I've prayed for the wayward children and grandchildren of members. I've prayed for members who were in sin. I've prayed for marriages, jobs, wisdom, strength, direction, protection, effectiveness ... you name it.

View from the rear of the sanctuary.

And I've seen God answer so many of the prayers offered up while I paced that center aisle. In a very real way, God has become more 'real' to me as I've sought Him in prayer as I paced the floor in the worship center.

It sounds silly ... but I'll miss that center aisle!

Abortion and the value of a human life

A few days ago, a cargo plane in Afghanistan carrying 7 pilots and crewmen accelerated down the runway and took off. However, after reaching an altitude of about 1,200 feet, it stalled. The pilot veered to the right in an apparent attempt to regain speed but it was too late. It crashed into the ground and burst into flames killing everyone on board. A video taken from a vehicle dash cam showed the surreal, horrifying scene.
 
As I watched the clip on the news, I knew ahead of time that the crash was coming. Yet, as I observed the plane take off knowing that they had about 15-20 seconds left to live, I realized that the crewmen inside the plane were clueless as to what was about to happen. They were moments from their own demise and didn't even know it!
 
As I also watch American culture and it's rapid moral decline, I cannot help but realize that unless God's people wake up and push back the darkness through 1) prayer, 2) changing hearts by leading folks to a saving faith in Jesus, and 3) by legislation, we are headed for our own demise ... and probably much sooner than we think.
 
It's seems to me that one of the clearest signs of our coming doom is the issue of abortion. Masked behind the veil of "women's rights," it has become a major catalyst in helping us to become a culture of death.
 

To view a few undercover videos of what abortionists

approve and advise their patients behind the closed

doors of their clinics, simply click on the following links:

 

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Arizona

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - New York

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Washington, D.C.

 
 
As abortion becomes more accepted and normalized and as our nation's conscience becomes further desensitized, we should not be surprised if, very soon, other human life is no longer valued (e.g. the elderly, the handicapped, etc.).
 
A Christian worldview is diametrically opposed to our nation's growing acceptance of abortion.
 
Let me ask you some questions: Have you ever thought about what gives people value? Are you worth anything? And if so, why?
 
That answer is clear in the Bible. Your worth is based upon one primary thing: you are made in God's image! God's fingerprints are all over you!
 
Genesis 1:26-27 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness' ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
 
Did you get that? Your worth isn't based upon how much money you have. It's not based upon how successful you are or how much influence you have. Your worth isn't based upon how much you contribute to society. It's not based upon what others say about you. It's not based upon who you know. It's not based upon your age or the fact that you are still growing in your mother's womb.
 
Pure and simple, your worth comes from the fact that you have God's fingerprints all over you! You are His creation! No matter what you do or who you become, you are a person of value.
 
That cannot be taken away from you. You are God's creation made in his image and therefore, you have worth!
 
Without making this post too long, I'd like to take you to one more passage of Scripture - Psalm 139. In this Psalm, King David exalted God for his greatness. Specifically, he elaborated on the three "omni's" of God:
 
- Psalm 139:1-6 - God is omniscient (God knows all things)
- Psalm 139:7-12 - God is omnipresent (God is completely everywhere at all times)
- Psalm 139:13-18 - God is omnipotent (God can do anything God desires to do)
 
In regard to the last attribute (God's omnipotence), how would you have illustrated God's power if you wrote this psalm? If I wrote it, I probably would have described his action in the creation of the world. I would have talked about how He formed the massive galaxies with only a word. Talk about power!!!
 
Yet, that's not what the Psalmist used to illustrate God's omnipotence. Instead, as the Holy Spirit directed him, he illustrated God's infinite power by describing His work in forming a child in the womb. Just think about that!!!
 
Psalm 139:13-18 "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you."

In a Christian worldview, every single person is viewed as someone of value because they are created by God in His image (even though we are tarnished by sin). The baby in the womb is to be protected just as should an elderly person who no longer is able to contribute to society. Why? Because they are a human life created in God's image! God's fingerprints are all over them and therefore, they have value!

Unfortunately for all of us, Christianity is losing its influence in American culture. As this continues to happen, we shouldn't be surprised if human value nosedives at some point and death is not simply the plight of the unborn ... but of the elderly who are unproductive, the handicapped or whoever is deemed by society a "burden." (If you scoff at my conclusions, wait for about 10-20 years and then let's see if you're still laughing.)

As Christians stand against abortion, we're not standing against women's rights. We're fighting for the life of the unborn who has value. We're also fighting against a mindset that may soon move to claim other "burdens" on society.

It blows my mind that Christianity is seen as a threat to our society (Christian soldiers may now be court martialed for sharing their faith) when we are virtually alone in standing up for human value!