Weekly Newsletter (August 15th)
It was another fantastic week here at the Lincoln Baptist Church. We had 144 folks in the service on Sunday and 8 precious souls trusting Christ as their Saviour. One of these was Koo Koo (Pictured Here). The preacher met him on Saturday morning. He told Preacher he had not been able to sleep all night and he was reading his Bible looking for answers. Praise the Lord, God sent Him the answers he needed that very next day!
The Pharisees were a classic picture of hypocrites in the New Testament. They were always pretending outwardly to be spiritual while inwardly they were empty and void. Jesus told them that they were as whited sepulchers full of dead men's bones. (Matthew 23:27) Here now in John 19 we see that they are faced with a question. They were forced to choose between the King of Heaven and the ruling king of this earth. The Pharisees obviously did not believe in Jesus Christ as the King of Kings but they should have known that God was their King. Being the rulers of a nation that was founded as a Theocracy, in which God was their King, they should have realized that Ceaser alone was not their only king as they stated in verse 15. However, they did not recognize Christ as their King because they did not truly believe that God was their King. Here in John 19 they publicly state what Jesus had told them from the beginning. In their cries that they had no king but Ceaser, they were admitting that their true living was for the secular things of this world.
Remember how Jesus had declared to render unto Ceaser the things that were Caesar's and to God the things that are God's? (Matthew 22:21) The things of Ceaser represented the secular things of life while the things of God represent the spiritual things of life. The Pharisees pretended outwardly to be spiritual but ultimately were seeking the secular things of this world. Even so, I fear that many Christians pretend outwardly to be spiritual while inwardly their desire is to the world. We fit the description of Matthew 15:8. We draw nigh to God with our mouth and we honor Him, but only with our lips while our heart is far from Him. Who is your King? Here are a few things we should think about when determining who is reigning in our life.
Do you obey God's commands? (John 14:15)
Though we want to delve deeper into the Christian life than our actions on the surface we cannot truly honor God unless we obey Him. Our obedience to Him is how we show Him, our love.
What do you think about? (Romans 12:2)
There is a hidden chamber inside of every human being that no one else can enter unless you give them access. This is in your thoughts. Your pastor cannot discern your thoughts. Your spouse cannot discern your thoughts. Your parents cannot discern your thoughts. Only God can constantly know what is on your mind!
Would he be honored by what you think about, or are our thoughts conformed to this world. Do we spend more time thinking about the things of this world then we do the things of God? When we struggle to think about the things of God it causes us to struggle walking with God.
What is your desire? (Psalm 73:25)
Your desire is what will drive you. Do you desire the things of God, or is your desire toward the things of this world. The Pharisees were shallow in their spirituality because their desire was not toward God, but rather in looking good. (Luke 20:45) When we can take our desire off of trying to look God can then start to use us! (Romans 10:1) Paul's desire was for the salvation of his nation. Paul is a great example of one who was sincere in his love for the Lord.
Your actions show what you think about. What you think about shows your desires.
LISTEN TO LAST SUNDAY'S SERMONS
