“Paul’s First Mission Trip” – Acts 13:1-12

Last week I started by asking you if you had ever been wrong about anything and some of you grudgingly finally admitted to it.  This week I want to ask you if you have ever been mean to somebody.  Rather, have you ever done something to somebody that they thought was mean?  Have you ever done something to somebody that they thought was mean that you meant for their benefit?

If you are a good parent you sure have.  What happens when you give a one-year old a shot for measles or mumps?  They cry and scream and they think you are the worst person in the world, right?  They didn’t do anything to deserve that.  But you did it for their good and really for the good of everybody else as well.  But that’s hard for them to see at that point and can be hard for you as a parent.

Do you know why we have to give our children immunization shots?  Now, believe it or not, I’m not a doctor but even I know that every single human being ever born is going to be attacked by these viruses and nasty little micro-organisms that cause diseases and death and we have to be prepared for them before they attack.  It’s hard to do sometimes but we have to do it.  I’m just grateful God has blessed us to be able to live in a time where we have these vaccines.

Our spiritual life sometimes parallels our physical life at times.  Every single human ever born is going to be attacked by Satan and his schemes.  1 Peter 5:8 says he prowls around like a roaring lion looking to see who he may devour.  So, we have to be prepared for him because he brings spiritual and physical death and disease.  We prepare for him by first being immunized by our faith in Jesus and by His grace.  We are immune to spiritual death and disease.  We are not immune to sin because we are born with that but we no longer are slaves to it as it says in Romans 6:6.

Now, as believers and as followers of Jesus, we sometimes have to do things or say things that some people are going to think is mean; things like speaking the truth in love.  Sometimes, no matter how much love is expressed, people are going to get mad if you tell them that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.  People don’t always want to hear that the Bible is truth and there is no error in it.  People are going to think you are the worst person ever when you stand up against gay rights and abortion but we stand against them for the sake of God’s Kingdom but also for their sakes and for the sake of everybody else, as well.

That’s what we are called to do and what we are commanded to do and do you know what happens when we are obedient to what God commands?  God blesses, right?  Just like there are consequences of disobedience, there are blessings of obedience.  When we are obedient God blesses and then what happens?  It happens every time that we are obedient.  God blesses us.  Then what happens every time?  Satan attacks, doesn’t he?

We’ve talked about this before lots of times.  When we are obedient God blesses and then Satan attacks.  It’s a vicious cycle that you see all through the Old Testament and into the New Testament and we sure see it in our lives, don’t we?  We are looking at the life of the Apostle Paul for a few weeks and we see that Paul was not immune to Satan’s attacks but we do see that he was prepared for it and because he was prepared and because he was filled with the Holy Spirit as all Christians now are, he did something to somebody that may have seemed mean but it was for his own good and for the good of the Kingdom and everybody else as well.

Let’s see it in Acts chapter 13:1-12.  Acts is between the Gospel of John and the book of Romans in the New Testament and here we see Saul first referred to as Paul and we see him, Paul the great evangelist, start on his very first missionary journey.  If you have ever been on any kind of a mission trip, you know to expect the unexpected and that is exactly what Paul found out here.  But he was prepared.  Let’s read Acts 13:1-12.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.  ⁴ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.  ⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”  Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

It seems the old Standard Oil Company offered an enormous sum of money to a missionary in China to work for them, to help with the development of Standard Oil in China. The missionary turned them down. So they doubled the salary offer. He turned them down again. They said, "What do you want? We can't give more money than that.” He said, "The money doesn't have anything to do with it. The job is too small."  (SimNow)

What do you think he meant by that?  Why did he say the job was too small?  It was too small because God had called him to do the greatest work, the work of leading others to have a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and while we are all called to do that same thing we know that not all of us are called to be foreign missionaries.

But Paul was and Barnabas was and they found that out because they were fasting and praying and worshiping the Lord as it says in verse 2.  Do you see that?  They were not just waiting for God to present them with something.  They were actively seeking it.  Are you wanting to know God’s will about something in your life?  Paul learned early on what the secret was and it had to have shaped his doctrine that he later wrote in Romans 12:1-2.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

How will you know God’s will?  When you have sacrificed your body in true and proper worship.  What does it mean to sacrifice your body?  Well, what does your body want?  It wants food, sleep and anything else that will make it comfortable.  But when you want to know God’s will about something to the point that you will do without the things your body wants to be comfortable and you devote that time to prayer and worship; turning off the TV and the computer and spending time alone or with others in worship then be prepared for God to reveal His good and perfect will.

I hear people all the time who are searching for God’s will and when they don’t hear anything they freak out.  Well, number one, are you doing what Paul says to do to find God’s will?  If not, start.  If so; if you are doing these things and God still is not telling you to do something different then don’t do anything different.  Just wait.

But here we see Paul and the others were actively seeking God’s will and were fasting and praying; telling God that nothing is more important than hearing from Him.  Then what happens?  God speaks to them.  God says to go and so they went.  They left.  Right then.  Instant obedience is the only way to be truly obedient.  I love to see this.  There is no record of them waiting around, asking God if He was sure, waiting for the weather to clear up or for the kids to get out of school.  They just obeyed.

Do you think God wants to bless that kind of obedience?  Absolutely He does and He absolutely blessed Paul and Barnabas.  Look closely at verses 4-6.  “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.  ⁶ They traveled through the whole island…”

I don’t think these verses are appreciated enough.  There is a lot happening right there and it all shows just how God was protecting and providing and blessing them with everything they needed.  When we think of God blessing us we too often think of material blessings and that’s great.  Nothing wrong with having stuff, necessarily, but God would rather bless our obedience with everything we need to continue to be obedient, just like He does for these men.

He has given them safe passage across a dangerous sea, provided them with food, shelter and a place to minister and even provided young John Mark as a helper.  They have everything they need to do what God has called them and set them apart to do, all because they were instantly obedient to what they knew God wanted.  Has God ever blessed your obedience?  Somebody tell me how real briefly.

I can tell you that God has blessed the obedience of this church.  We were talking the other night in Bible study about how sometimes it’s hard to continue ministering when you don’t see a great harvest like we would like but do you know that God continues to bless our obedience?  He has blessed us by taking us out of Runaway Bay and a rent that was going to kill us, not to mention how he provided for our utility bills while we were there.

Then we were obedient to come to Lake Bridgeport and God continues to provide and protect and we have seen lives changed, marriages restored, addicts helped, diseases healed and the Gospel has been proclaimed all over town just like it will be again today at the RV park.  Is that because we are such a great group of people who are so beautiful and smart and rich?  Probably not.  J  It is just because God has blessed our obedience.  He does it every time we are obedient.  He always blesses us.

But look at what happened to Paul and Barnabas in verses 6-8.  They met and were witnessing to an important man in the community but look what happens.  It’s the same thing that always happens.  What is it?  Satan attacks.

I remember years ago when my niece and nephew were little, we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo.  We went to the cat section and saw a zoo worker walk into the cage of a big black panther of some kind.  The guy just casually walks in and the only thing he has with him is a broom.  He just starts sweeping out the cage and this panther is eyeing him and then as he gets closer the panther starts to snarl and finally the panther jumps at him but what we then see is that the panther was on a huge chain and couldn’t reach the zoo keeper.  The man was in no danger whatsoever.

That’s just like Satan.  Satan is a dangerous wild animal and he can hurt us and even kill us…if God allows it.  Satan will always attack us.  You can set your watch by it.  When God’s people are obedient, God blesses and then – boom! – Satan attacks.  But he is on a chain and God has control of that chain.  Satan has no authority that God has not given him and there is no temptation that can’t be escaped.

But look at how Paul handles this attack.  Look at verses 9-10.  First Paul calls this sorcerer just what he is.  He says, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right.”  Whoo!  Get ‘em Paul!  Now, I recommend that you be very careful about this kind of thing.  Don’t go around calling people the child of the devil just because they think different than you.  Ladies, your husband is not an enemy of everything that is right because he left his socks on the floor.

Also, can’t you just hear people if Paul made this statement today?  “Who does that Paul think he is?  Doesn’t he know that the Bible says we aren’t to judge people?” Right?  So, which is it?  Matthew 7:1 says, “Do not judge or you too will be judged” but here we have Paul calling this man a child of the devil.  My dear family, we must get this right because I’m tired of hearing, “Don’t judge me” as an excuse to sin. 

Yes, Jesus said not to judge but He also said in John 7:24 that we are to judge correctly.  He also says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs” (Matthew 7:6). A little later in the same sermon, He says, “Watch out for false prophets... By their fruit you will recognize them” (verses 15–16). How are we to discern who are the “dogs” and “pigs” and “false prophets” unless we have the ability to make a judgment call on doctrines and deeds? Jesus is giving us permission to tell right from wrong. (gotquestions.org)

Have you ever seen a group of white-tail deer together?  They are beautiful animals and I love to see them but if you get too close, what happens?  One of them will lift his tail like a white flag and the whole group stops, identifies the threat and then they all run off.  That’s obviously why they are called white-tails because that tail is a bright warning that something is wrong.  Get away from it.

That is exactly what we are called to do as Christians.  We are all sinners but as Christians, it should pain us when we sin and we should immediately ask for forgiveness.  But when we see someone living a lifestyle of sin or condoning a lifestyle of sin, we are to use our God-given discernment and our knowledge of what the Bible says to call out that sin and warn people to stay away from it.

It is time for us as Christians to sound the warning about sinful lifestyles and to call it what it is.  It’s not an alternative lifestyle.  It’s not a woman’s right to choose.  It’s not a bad habit or a disease.  It is sin.  That’s not my opinion. That’s what the Bible says. 

It’s time for us as Christians to sound the warning about false teachers.  When Joel Osteen says on TV that there may be more than one way to get to Heaven but he can’t judge that, that is false and you need to stay away from him.  Stay away from his health and wealth Gospel and stay with Paul who preached the Gospel of Christ and Him crucified and did it from a jail cell!

We are not to judge superficially about how somebody looks.  We are not to judge hypocritically or we condemn ourselves.  We are not to judge harshly or unforgiving or self-righteously but John the Baptist told Herod, “It is unlawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  (Mark 6)

2 Timothy 4:2 says we are to rebuke people who are sinning but as Paul said in Ephesians 4:15, we are to speak the truth in love.  Now, when I say that I hear you laughing because we just read where Paul spoke the word and God blinded this false teacher Elymas.  That’s hardly speaking the truth in love, is it?

I say it absolutely is.  Think about it.  First, Paul is not going to let this man continue opposing the Gospel and speaking lies.  He put an end to that and called him just what he was but also had great compassion on this man.  He could have called down an angel to slice him in two with a sword but Paul, of all people, knew what it was like to be blind.

Just last week we saw Paul’s conversion experience.  For three days he was blind and while all of that must have been a horrible experience, that blindness opened Paul’s spiritual eyes to see that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to the Father but through Him. (John 14:6)

Paul knew that the best way to get this man to stop what he was doing and to be able to receive truth was to realize his absolute helplessness, to admit his blindness and rely solely on Jesus for help.  That’s where we all are.  We are helpless, hopeless and blind without Jesus in our lives.  Satan is going to attack every single one of us.  Do you really want to face that roaring lion helpless, hopeless and blind?

With Jesus we have armor to protect us as Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6 but we also have a Savior to keep us and to give us shelter in His own great name.  In that great name there is peace and joy in this life and eternal life in Heaven with Him when this short life is over.  Paul said in Acts 16, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”

Do that today. That belief will mean a life-change for you.  It’s not always easy and your life won’t be perfect but He promises to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  All you have to do is accept it.  Today is the day of salvation.

Invitation / Prayer

So, what happens when we are obedient?  God blesses.  What happens next?  Satan attacks.  Know it, believe it and be ready for it.   Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  Let’s live like it today.

“Saul’s Conversion” – Acts 9

Have you ever been wrong about something; I mean really, really wrong?  You just knew you were right and you could argue about it and you just knew the other side was crazy to think otherwise but then you finally found out that you were wrong all along.  Every wife in the place is elbowing her husband right now.  It’s Republican versus Democrat, Texas versus OU, Dogs versus Cats.  But in the end you find out…you were wrong and there is no denying it.  That’s a bad feeling, right?

My high school football coach used to tell us to give 100 percent even if it’s wrong.  He would still scream at us if we did it wrong but it was always better if we were giving it all we had.  How many of you have heard the name Jim Marshall?  Mr.  Marshall was a great football player back in the 60-70’s and had lots of records and awards but just about the only thing he is remembered for today is one play against the 49ers where he picked up a fumble and ran 66 yards the wrong way for what he thought was a touchdown.  He was wrong; very, very wrong.

But he was passionate about it and I appreciate that.  He ran as hard as he could and was so excited when he crossed the goal line that he threw the ball and then waited for his teammates to come join him in celebrating.  That had to be a bad feeling when he realized what he had done but have you noticed that everything is better when you are passionate about it?

I want my doctor to be passionate about medicine.  I want my lawyer to be passionate about justice.  I even want my grocer to be passionate about groceries.  I was in the grocery store the other day and I noticed that all the cans on this one aisle were fronted and faced just perfectly.  If you have ever worked retail you can appreciate that.  Every can was at the front of the shelf and every label was facing the front.  Everything was clean and orderly and I noticed it right off.  I went down the next aisle and I saw why.

The stock boy was intent on his job.  He was passionately working, getting everything just right, taking pride in his work.  I thought right then that I hope his boss sees and promotes him because he deserved it.  If he could be passionate about stocking food, he could be passionate about bigger things and everything is better when you are passionate about it.

Did you know that God feels the same way?  God wants a church that is passionate about Him.  Revelation 3:16 says, “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  People that like coffee like it when it is hot and lots of people like it over ice but nobody likes lukewarm, room temperature coffee.  That’s nasty.  That’s how God feels about a church that is lukewarm.  He wants us to be passionate about Him and the only way a church can be passionate is for individuals to be passionate.

But what happens when you are passionate about something and you are giving 100% but you find out you are wrong?  Let’s look at the story of the Apostle Paul because that is exactly where he was for a long time.  He just knew he was right about his religion.  He was well-educated, a very smart man and a very serious and passionate defender of Judaism as being the only way to God and when this young whippersnapper Jesus came along saying He was the Way, the Truth and the Life, Paul, known as Saul at the time, knew he had to put a stop to it.

We are going to look briefly at the life of Paul over the course of the next few weeks.  No other man this side of Jesus did as much to further the Kingdom of God and would leave such lasting works of encouragement, doctrine and truth as this man.  But he started out wrong.  He was very wrong but God saw the passion that Saul had and knew He could use him to change the world with that passion.  So, let’s look at the book of Acts to see where Paul / Saul got his start.  Turn to Acts chapter 9.

The first we actually see of Saul is in chapter 7 where Stephen is being stoned to death for preaching the gospel of Jesus and it says that the people who were doing the stoning laid their clothes at the feet of a young man by the name of Saul and it says that Saul approved of his death.  We don’t know if Saul was personally responsible for any deaths but we do know that he went from community to community beating and imprisoning Christians and we see in chapter 9 that he was sure talking about killing them.

We can see now just how wrong he was and how horrible that was to do but look at it from Saul’s point of view.  He was a scholar of the scriptures and a passionate follower of the Law of Moses.  He sees the followers of Jesus as a cult that needs to be stamped out before it corrupts his “true” religion.

He’s evidently doing a pretty good job of it too because in the previous chapter we see the whole church being scattered to avoid his persecution.  In fact, it worked so well in Jerusalem that Saul is now expanding his booming business to include the neighboring town of Damascus.

Damascus was about 4-6 days walk from Jerusalem which would be difficult when you have to carry everything but Saul was like a bloodhound on the scent.  He was passionately chasing after anybody that would dare follow this Jesus and there would be no mercy from him; no talking him out of it or explaining the situation; no giving him your testimony and changing his mind.  In Saul’s mind there was no other option for these new Christians.  They had to die and there was nothing and nobody that was gonna stop him!

Let’s read Acts 9:1-19.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.  ¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”  “Yes, Lord,” he answered.  ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”  ¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”  ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  ¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Years ago I went deer hunting with a buddy out in Jacksboro and we spent the night in a little shack that had no windows.  When it got dark we, of course, had some lanterns and flashlights but when it was time to go to sleep we turned all that off and it was the darkest of dark.  Zero light.  Pitch black.  He was on a cot and I was on a couch pretty close by and we laid there talking for a minute and then he said, “Hey, look at this.”

My natural reaction was to turn my head and look his way even though I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.  Just as I turned his way he thought it would be really funny to make the flash bulb of his camera go off and when he did it was like an atom bomb on my retinas.  I thought my eyeballs were going to start bleeding.  It was awful.

Now multiply that to the point that it knocked Saul off his feet – during midday – then add to that the voice that even Saul knows can only be God’s.  Just the light alone would be enough to mess a guy up for a while but when you add the audible voice of God it must have been horrific, especially because the voice of God was not the God Saul knew.

The God that Saul knew was a long list of do’s and don’ts.  This God knew his name…and was speaking to him.  We have every reason to believe that Saul had heard Jesus preach or teach, that maybe they had even met and maybe Saul even recognized the voice of Jesus and in verse 5, he asks who is speaking.  “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.”

Can you imagine Saul hearing those words?  Jesus?  How could this be Jesus?  We killed that guy.  Unless…and then the horrible realization sweeps over him.  Everything he has been doing is wrong, way wrong.  In fact, everything Saul had believed, had done, everything Saul was is completely and horribly wrong.

When Jesus says his name, everything that Stephen had said started to make sense.  Everything that these new Christians had said and done was becoming clear to Saul as being truth.  How do you think Saul felt at this point?  The guilt must have been overwhelming.  He had to have thought about all the innocent people that he had done irreparable damage to; the homes broken up; the dreams he had ruined.

Now all of his senses are overwhelmed and he is led like a child into the city and into a house.  Some historical documents say he stayed in a small closet.  We don’t know that but wherever he was, he must have been a mental, physical and spiritual wreck.

For three days he did nothing but sit there or lay there and think.  His emotions have been hit by a rock truck.  He is a mess in every way.  He’s no longer breathing out murderous threats.  Don’t you know he has to be wondering, not if, but when is God going to kill him.  That just makes sense, right?  He’s done too much; gone too far.  There is no hope for him in this world.  There’s no sense eating or drinking anything and besides his stomach hurt and his head hurt.  The last thing he is thinking about is eating.

But we see in verse 11 that he is praying.  Cue Ananias.  Paul later says that Ananias was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews there.  He was a godly man and a follower of Jesus.  He had obviously made himself available to God and was able to perceive the word of God when He called.  He obviously had a relationship with Jesus because he knew immediately who it was.

We looked at the previous verses from Saul’s viewpoint.  Let’s look at these from Ananias’ viewpoint.  I don’t think he gets enough credit most of the time when we read this.  We don’t know much about Ananias.  We don’t really see him in scripture anywhere but here.  We don’t know what happened to him afterward.  Paul is the star of the show from here on out but Ananias played a huge part in getting Paul there.  But he didn’t have to.  He could have refused but he was obedient. 

Ananias was minding his own business when all of this started happening.  The Lord called him in verse 10 and he immediately answered and God gave him specific instructions.  The obvious question here is “What would you do?” 

“Oh, Todd, if God called my name audibly and told me to do something, I would do it.”  Right?  We would all like to think we would.  But look at the stakes involved.  Saul has come to town with arrest warrants.  One of which probably has Ananias’ name on it.  Some of you haven’t been off parole very long and you’re thinking there’s no way you’re taking that chance!

But Ananias was obedient and he was immediately obedient which is the only way to be truly obedient.  Now look at verses 13 and 14.  He wasn’t questioning God’s authority.  He never said he wouldn’t or couldn’t.  He didn’t make any excuses.  He just needed a little clarification and God didn’t scold him for that.  In fact, God gave him clarification and confirmed what He wanted him to do.

The we see in verse 17 that Ananias was obedient and I submit to you today that his act of obedience changed the world.  He doesn’t know what to expect but he goes.  You remember where we left Saul, right?  He was basically in the fetal position in the closet of a house somewhere wondering what was going to happen to him next.

Was God going to let him live and if so, what happens next?  How could he possibly make amends for everything he has done?  Then he hears the front door open.  He hears the footsteps coming toward him.  A hand is on the door.  It swings open.  His heart is racing, not knowing who was there or what was going to happen.  He flinches as a hand touches his shoulder.  Then he hears the most beautiful words - “Brother Saul”

“Brother Saul” -  With those words he knew he would live.  With those words he knew that not only had he been forgiven and accepted but accepted into a family; a family that he could never have paid his way into or talked himself into but only through grace was he forgiven and accepted.  He didn’t deserve it.  It didn’t even make sense.  But because Ananias was obedient, Saul could go from being way wrong to being considered righteous in God’s eyes.

I wonder how our world would change; how our country, our community, our households would change if we had the passion of Saul and the instant obedience of Ananias.  What are you passionate about?  Listen, I’m not going to bash on you about what you are passionate about and try to make you feel bad about your love of football or racing or, like Speedy, your love of fashion.  J

Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to use that passion for God’s glory.  Saul was passionate about the completely wrong thing and look how God used him.  I don’t know how God might use you but maybe he wants to take that God-given passion for something and use you to be the person somebody out there needs.  Somebody out there needs to know that, while they are a sinner deserving Hell, that God loves them and has a plan for their life and that they can be part of this family of believers, not because they deserve it but because of God’s grace.

What they need to see is that there are normal, average people that are passionate about the same things they are that are also passionate about leading people to have a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, just like Ananias did for Saul.  Then Saul went out and changed the world.  That could be you.  Maybe you change the world or maybe you are obedient to telling somebody else and they change the world.  None of us are guaranteed another breath.  Don’t you want to make a difference in this world?  We all do.  Use your passion and be obedient to what God tells you.

I want us to take just a few minutes this morning and let’s all ask God what He wants us to do.  Maybe he wants to use you and your passion to change the world and maybe he just wants to use you to change one other person.  Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification but don’t make excuses.  Be instantly obedient.  Maybe today you don’t have a relationship with Jesus.  Maybe all you know about God is a religion of do’s and don’ts.  God has called us to be free and to live an abundant life.  Are you doing that?  You can.

All you have to do is believe in Jesus as the only way to the Father; the only way to Heaven; the only way to peace and joy in this life and let that belief change you.  It changed me.  It changed Saul.  It changed Ananias.  Let it change you.  Ask God for forgiveness of your sins and turn from those sins right now.  You won’t regret it.

“David and Nathan” – 2 Samuel 12:1-14

On a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His father working in the yard saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.

Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just
as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.
His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn’t let go."  (David Austin)

Some of us have scars because, like that little boy, our Father didn’t let go.  I have lots of scars on my body.  Some are from surgeries and some are from being stupid but I have one scar that reminds me every time I see it that my Heavenly Father didn’t let go.  This little scar right between my eyes is there because…well, let’s just say I was at the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing.

There are consequences for our sins.  We saw that last week when we looked at David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and sometimes those sins leave scars on our minds, heart, psyche and even our body.  We get scars because sometimes we are stupid and sometimes they are because our Father won’t let go and sometimes, like this one, it is because, like David in 2 Samuel 12…we are that man.

The prophet Nathan came to David nearly a year after his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah and told him those words.  He said, “You are that man.”  Let’s see why in 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  While you are turning there I will sum up in one sentence what happened in the last chapter.  David also was not where he was supposed to be and gave in to temptation, taking Bathsheba, killing her husband and others and it says in the last verse that the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

Maybe you can relate.  While most of us have never done exactly what David did, we can still relate to displeasing God.  That’s what sin is.  Sin is anything that displeases God and we are all sinners and when we sin, it puts a barrier between us and Holy God.  All the good things God has for us, His mercy, His grace, wisdom, blessings, protection, provision and guidance are on hold to some extent until that barrier is gone. 

Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, so that He does not hear."  That’s a place you don’t want to be but we all sin so what do we do?

Let’s learn from David’s conversation with the prophet Nathan and from what David does and how he does it.  Look at 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  Let’s read. 

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.  ⁴ “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”  ⁵ David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! ⁶ He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”  ⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’  ¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. ¹² You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”  ¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. ¹⁴ But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”

*Pick up hammer*

As I look around here today I can’t help but notice how good God has been to us as a church.  We have been here almost four years in these beautiful surroundings.  Not only do we have the best view off the back patio but we are blessed to have these two beautiful buildings and grounds.  It’s pretty but not too formal.  It’s just the right size.  It’s perfect for us.

We have comfy pews, a good audio / visual system and I love this pulpit.  Did you know this pulpit was once much bigger than it is now but it was cut down several inches so I could see over it?  Seriously.  As a preacher, I am fascinated by pulpits and I love this one.  It’s just right.  It’s pretty but not ornate and gives me plenty of room for notes, Bible, snacks, whatever I need.  God has blessed us with everything we need and so much more.

The problem is that He has also given us free will and while I appreciate that, free will means we often times take the beautiful things God has given us and we turn them into something ugly, sometimes we even destroy them, all because we choose to sin.  That’s what David did. 

God said, “I have given you this and that.  I have protected you and I have provided for you and if you needed more, I would have given it.”  Look at verse 9.  Nathan says, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?”

Every time we sin – big sin, little sin – every time we sin, we despise the word of the Lord.  He has told us what to do and what not to do and displeasing God – sinning – is despising His word and when we despise His word…it always does damage to the beautiful things God has given us.

*Hammer a nail in the front of the pulpit*

It always does damage to the beautiful things God has given us.  How would you feel if you gave your child a valuable gift and they despised it?  Would it really matter how much it cost you?  If you took the time and effort and expense to get your child just the perfect gift for them; a new watch, a phone, a book, or a puppy and they callously drove a nail into it, how would you feel?

Sin always does damage to the beautiful things God has given us.  Yes, even the little sins (as we like to think of them).  Little sins still leave a mark.  They leave a scar.  God told David, the man after God’s own heart, the king of God’s chosen people that I am going to bring calamity on you.  Do you see that in verse 11?

To those of you who think God only “allows” bad things but never causes them, how do you explain this verse?  This is why I say often times that God scares me and it’s not that I cower in fear of Him all the time but it is more than just respect.  He scares me because I see what He is capable of and I don’t ever want to displease Him because of that, if nothing else.

David decrees that the man in Nathan’s parable must pay back four times the amount of what he stole, which is Leviticle law.  It’s what the Old Testament said was the proper judgment.  It is also exactly what David paid for taking the precious lamb, the wife of Uriah to be his own.  Not only did the son of Bathsheba die just a few days later but David also lost three other sons as well.

David’s precious sons Absalom, Amnon and Adonijah all were killed in the prime of their lives.  When God said in verse 10 that the sword will never depart from your house, He meant it.  David paid four-fold!  David also ultimately lost his wives just as God said.  The benefits of obeying God are greater than we can ever know but the consequences of disobeying Him can be worse than we can imagine as well.

The good news is that God waits patiently to forgive us.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  One good thing I see David do is found in verse 13.  David says, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Period.  He doesn’t try to explain or justify his actions.  He just admits it.  There is no pride, no excuses, only repentance.

For over nine months, David had been trying to live a lie, suffering from a lack of peace and a lack of God’s fellowship but now he confesses his sin and God forgives him.  God takes away the sin just like taking the nail out of this pulpit.  But there are still consequences, still a scar, still an ugliness in God’s beautiful gift that doesn’t have to be there.

Can you imagine the relief David felt when he repented and received forgiveness?  You don’t have to imagine.  David wrote all about it in Psalm 51.  Turn there and let’s read some of that.

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

Romans 3:23 says that we are all sinners.  Romans 6:23 says that because of our sin we deserve eternal death.  That’s bad news.  Sin always does damage to the beautiful things God has given us even as believers.  But the Good News is that John 3:16 says that God sent His Son Jesus to die for us in our place to pay for those sins and even when we do sin, God is faithful to forgive us.  All we have to do is ask.  Do that right now.  No excuses.  Don’t try to justify it.  Just admit it and accept His forgiveness and allow Him to restore the beauty and peace in your life.

“David and Bathsheba” – 2 Samuel 11

*3 minute video about David*

I thought that would be appropriate for our sermon series that we are going through.  We are briefly looking at the life of David and seeing his highs and his lows.  We first looked at my favorite story where David comes on the scene and kills Goliath.  That was definitely a physical high point for him.

Then last week we saw David in a spiritual or moral high point when he refused to take revenge on King Saul when he had an easy opportunity.  I love to study the life of David and I really enjoy learning about and talking about his high points.  I told you before that I feel like he and I are friends because it seems like we grew up together and so it almost feels like I’m bragging on a friend when he does good things like that.

So maybe you can understand how the passage in 2 Samuel 11 makes me feel.  I’m embarrassed for him.  I’m a little bit mad at him, to tell the truth, because he has really let me down and it hurts me and I almost wish the Bible had not included the story of his affair with Bathsheba but it does and it doesn’t sugar coat it either.  I appreciate that about the Bible because it doesn’t sugar coat the sin of anybody even a man after God’s own heart.

I believe that is a big problem in this world today.  We don’t want to offend somebody so we excuse or justify or re-label sin and that is just like re-labeling a jar of poison and calling it candy.  It’s not a mistake or a shortcoming or a deficiency.  It’s not a disease.  It’s not an oopsie.  It is sin and it is sin that put Jesus on the cross and Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin – what we deserve for it – is death, eternal death in hell.  Does that sound like no big deal to you?

A friend of mine told me this week about a lady at her church who often used the Lord’s name in vain.  That bothered the other lady so she quietly called her off to the side one day and said, “You know, unless you are talking about God or to God, you shouldn’t use His name and to do so is to break the third commandment of not using the Lord’s name in vain.”

She said the woman kind of giggled and rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, I know” and went about her business and still does it.  That is somebody who does not have a grasp on the severity of sin and its consequences nor about how God sees sin.  So, like it or not, we are going to see some things about sin today from the life of my friend David.  You know the story but I want you to read along with me and be watching for how easy it is to sin, how one sin leads to another and how our sin affects others.

So, let’s turn to the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel and let’s read most of chapter 11.  1^st and 2^nd Samuel are between Ruth and 1 Kings and at this point in David’s life he has taken the throne of the King of Israel, has fought lots of battles and God has blessed him in every way.  This should be another one of David’s high points but…well, let’s look at it.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.  ² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”  ⁶ So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.  ¹⁰ David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”  ¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,^[a] and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”  ¹² Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.  ¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”  ¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. ²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

A young boy lived in the country. His family had to use an outhouse, which the young boy hated. It was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and always smelly. The outhouse was located near the creek so the boy decided that he would push it into the water. After a spring rain, the creek swelled so the boy pushed it in.

Later that night his dad told him that he and the boy needed to make a trip to the woodshed. The boy knew this meant punishment. He asked his father why to which his dad replied, "Because someone pushed the outhouse into the creek and I think that someone was you. Was it?"

The boy first tried to lie but he knew his dad could tell so finally he said, "Remember when George Washington's father asked him if he had chopped down the cherry tree? He didn't get into trouble because he told the truth." "That is correct," the dad said, "but his father was not in the cherry tree when he cut it down."

Most of us have never toppled an outhouse, however we can identify with the boy in at least three ways. First, we find it awfully easy to sin.  Second, one sin often leads to another sin and third our sin often affects other people. (Amended from Perry Greene)

Let me first ask you a question.  What is sin?  Sin is anything that displeases God.  Look at the very last sentence we just read.  But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.  David obviously sinned but what started it?  How did it get to the point where David broke at least 3 commandments?  What was the first step?

We see it in the first verse if you read closely. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men.  David had gone to war lots of times and he always led the army.  Yes, Joab was his general but it was the king himself who was the Commander-In-Chief but evidently, for whatever the reason, David just wasn’t feeling it this time.  “I think I’ll just hang out here at the house for today and chill out.”

Now, I am not against taking a deserved break every now and then and I like a good nap as much as the next guy but sin is so easy to do that you literally don’t have to do anything…and it will find you.  A few weeks ago when we were going through the book of Galatians, we talked about not making any provision for the flesh or our sinful nature.  Romans tells us that and it means that we are to make sure that we don’t give our fleshly desires any help.

If you are an alcoholic, don’t work where alcohol is served.  In fact, don’t even drive past the liquor store.  Go 4 blocks out of the way if you have to but don’t make any provision for it.  If porn is your problem, don’t get on the internet - for anything.  Stay away.  Maybe you need to stay away from certain people or places or even songs or smells.  I don’t know what triggers you, but you do, so don’t play with it.  Get rid of it.

David was just taking a little break, being a little lazy that day and took a little walk on the flat roof of his palace.  It wasn’t his fault that he saw Bathsheba a few doors down on her roof taking a bath.  He couldn’t control that but he shouldn’t have been there in the first place and when he saw her, he should have done like Joseph did in Genesis and just run away. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”   Sin is so easy to do that when we run in to it, we have to run away.  But David took his time and checked Bathsheba out.

I remember hearing a missionary from India tell a story about going down to the river one evening to get a drink.  It was just about sunset when he got there and when he walked to the river’s edge he glanced west and saw just the silhouette of a woman taking a bath in the river.  She didn’t see him so he kept looking and finally decided he would ease down the bank and get a closer look.

When he finally got close enough he could see what had once been a beautiful woman was now covered in scabs, a victim of leprosy from head to toe.  What, from a distance, looked inviting and beautiful was really infected with a horrible life-taking disease which is just what all sin really is.  Sin is so easy to do that all you have to do is give it an inch and it will take your life.

I hear you when I say something like that.  You’re thinking that is a bit dramatic, right?   That giving in to sin will take your life?  1 Peter 5:8 says that Satan is like a roaring lion looking to see who he can devour or destroy!  He wants to kill you, destroy you, take everything from you and the problem with one little sin is that it so often it has friends that show up.  One sin so easily leads to another. 

Look at verse 5.  It’s amazing how three little words can bring some people so much joy and to others they are an awful consequence.  “I am pregnant.”  With those words, David’s mind and probably his stomach both start churning.  He immediately starts to think of some way to get out of this.  Do you know what David has in common with other men like Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker?  Not just that they were all involved in sex scandals but also every single one of them thought there was no way they were ever going to get caught and every single one of them tried to cover it up.

Do you realize that?  Every time you hear about some famous person getting caught doing something immoral, just know that when they started, they just knew they would never get caught.  That’s how Satan works and how he destroys you.  He destroys everything you have.  I tell people sometimes to make a list of everyone and everything they love.  List out mama and daddy and the spouse, the kids, the house, the dog, your money, your job, your good name.  List it.  Write it out on a piece of paper and when you are tempted to do that thing that Satan is tempting you to do, look at that paper and be prepared to lose all of it.  Just be prepared to be destroyed by Satan because that is how it happens.

The original sin may not be as horrible as what David did but it is going to lead to another sin when you try to cover it up.  Then somebody is going to find that out so you need to come up with something else and pretty soon Satan is wiping your blood off the corner of his mouth and saying, “Mmm, that was tasty!”

That would be bad enough but rarely does Satan get a one course meal when he devours a person.  So many times he gets others as well.  So many times our sin affects innocent people around us.  Look at how David’s sin affected others around him.  It affected Bathsheba physically and spiritually.  Uriah lost his life.  But it also affected who knows how many other people who found out about it and now David has lost their respect and he also lost his witness.

Let me ask you something.  Don’t raise your hand but how many of you have been personally affected by a spiritual leader or church leader’s moral failure?  Have you been affected by the sin of a pastor or a Sunday School teacher?  I know some of you have and what happens when a leader sins big like that and people find out?  He not only loses his witness but it affects the whole church and even the community.  It has a devastating effect on the whole Kingdom of God.

I would ask for you to pray for my wisdom and my purity when you think of me.  Satan hates this church and most of you know how he hammers on you when you try to be salt and light and let people see Jesus in your life.  He does it to pastors but he also does it to the heads of families or companies or any group and does it to every individual.  He knows that on a battlefield, if you shoot one enemy, it takes two people to get him off the field and that’s great.  But without a leader, like David, the whole army suffers.

I see this played out to the end all too often in the jails.  I meet men all the time who once had everything they needed and wanted.  They tell me about the family and the good job and cars and the stuff and how people respected them and they were leaders in their communities and even their churches but now all of it is gone and they often get this look on their face like “How did this happen?”  One day they have everything and are enjoying the benefits of obedience and the next they are wallowing in the consequences of disobedience.

It all starts with one little thing.  It just takes taking your eye off the ball one time, just being in the wrong place even at the right time or the right place at the wrong time.  It’s so easy.  It all starts with one little sin which leads to others which leads to a ripple effect of hurting many, many people.

Do you know where sin always starts?  It starts in the mind, doesn’t it?  James 1 says, “But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires, he is lured away and enticed. 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”  We all have evil desires.  It comes from our old fleshly nature, that “old man” inside of us even as believers.  Satan starts to work in our minds encouraging those evil desires.

Have you ever been minding your own business and realize that from out of nowhere you are thinking something you shouldn’t?  We all do that kind of thing.  I’ll be driving down the road listening to some music and suddenly I realize I have been thinking about something somebody did to me 100 years ago and now I’m so mad I wanna thunder punch somebody in the throat!  Where did that come from?!

Let me help you out with a couple of things that help me.  First, when you feel yourself being tempted to do something (and you know your little pet sins that get you in trouble); when you feel that temptation do what Jesus did and quote scripture.  Not just any scripture.  Make a plan and find a scripture or a passage that talks about the thing you struggle with and memorize it.  I know memorization is hard but so is losing everything you hold dear so just do it and when Satan says, “Hey, let’s go do that thing we like to do” you can say, “Get out of here Satan.  The Bible says _______.”

The next thing, real quickly, is to have this scripture handy at all times as well.  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

I have a copy of this verse for everybody here and I want us to go through it and name things that we should be thinking about.  Somebody tell me something that is true.  What is noble?  Write it down on that piece of paper and when those stupid thoughts pop up, replace them with these.

As believers we are still sinners but we don’t have to be slaves to sin anymore.  When God says He has made you free, that is what He is talking about.  We don’t have to sin but it takes a plan.  It takes some fore-thought.  Unbelievers are slaves to sin.  That’s what they do.  That’s all they know.  Don’t be surprised when they do it.  But you don’t have to.

The extra good news is that when we do sin, God is waiting for us with amazing grace and eternal forgiveness.  Have you received those gifts?  It’s not only the only way to get to Heaven but it is also the only way to have real peace and joy in this life even during the bad times.  Ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life today and ask for and receive forgiveness right now.  We are not guaranteed another breath.