As long as there is Life there is hope. -Steven Hawking

The title of this blog is a quote Steven Hawking made. I saw yesterday morning that he has died at the age of 76. No one had given him a chance of living with the debilitating disease he had, and yet he defied the odds and lived a long and "productive" life. He was very productive from the world's perspective. He became one of the most brilliant physicists the world has ever known. He influenced generations of mankind. His work will continue to influence generations in the future.

Mr. Hawking was a renowned scientist and he was a renowned atheist. He didn't believe God existed, and he spent his life trying to prove that God doesn't exist. He hated the very idea that God might exist, and he did everything in his power to lead people away from event entertaining the notion that God exists. And yet on March 14 Steven Hawking entered eternity. He died never having found any concrete evidence to validate what he believed to be true. One of his goals in life was to figure out why the universe came into existence at all. This is an impossible task to accomplish having "determined" that it came into existence accidentally rather than by design at the hand of a Master Creator. He proposes that order came from chaos, and yet we have never found that to true in any other reality at any other time. There has never been one proof that order has ever come from chaos. It is impossible. Order comes and functions because it is designed that way.

Take the order of something simple...the human hand. It is absolutely impossible, even if you give a clump of grey matter 10 billion years, to evolve into something so complex as the human hand. Order and complexity come by design, and if something comes from design there must therefore be a Designer.

Now back to the title of the blog...the great quote by the brilliant scientist. "As long as there is life there is hope." As I read that line I began to think on it for a while. "As long as there is life there is hope." I couldn't agree more. As long as someone is alive there is hope. "Hope for what?" you might ask. Just hope. Hope for a better life. Hope for a better future. Hope for a better job. Hope for a better relationship. Hope for a cure. And the list of "Hope for..." just goes on and on. What are you hoping for today? What are you hoping for tomorrow? What are you hoping for while there is still life in your hands and breath in your lungs?

I remember the words of an old song we use to sing in church, "My Hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."

Jesus told us these simple truths in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me." In essence Jesus is saying, "Because I am life, I am hope. I died so that you could live. I rose from the dead, and I am alive forevermore. Nothing can kill me. Nothing can dethrone me. As long as I am...there is hope. You have hope." But the Bible also says this, "It is appointed unto man (each man, every man) once, to die, and after that, the judgment."

Steven Hawking died. There is now, no hope for him. As he left this world, the condition of his heart, so he will be for all eternity. He made his choice. He lived his life. He now knows the truth, but there is nothing he can do to change his current and eternal destination and reality. If you are reading this, there is still hope for you because you are still alive. "As long as there is life there is hope." Let the words of Hawking bounce around in your mind for a while. Think about it. Ask yourself some serious questions about that quote. If Hawking was right and death is the end and there is nothing after, then I have lost absolutely nothing. I have only chosen to live a good moral life helping people. But if Hawking got it wrong, and I believe through personal experience that you can't argue with and I believe with every fiber of my being that he did get it wrong, then he took his last breath on earth, death came, he opened his eyes on the other side of death in a literal, real, and eternal place called Hell. It's not a party. It's not fun. It's more horrible than anything you could ever imaging on earth, and he is there.

"As long as there is life there is hope." When Hawking said this he was right. There is still hope for you. Reach out to Hope, His name is Jesus. He will hear you. He will save you. He will extend grace to you "that is greater than all your sin." Jesus would have done the same thing for Steven Hawking had he asked, and He will do it for you if you will only ask Him.

Jesus, Friend of Sinners

That song by Casting Crowns has been on my mind today. As I sit here reflecting, could it be that I am sinner and I need a friend? The answer to those two questions is "Yes," a big fat YES!

It's Friday and I came up to my office to make sure my sermon notes are just the way I want them. I emailed them to my wife and asked her to look them over. (Probably need to do that more often.) I'm preaching the second part of a message I called The Humanity of Jesus Christ. We will be looking at the empathetic Savior on Sunday, and I that phrase, "Jesus friend of sinners" just keeps going through my mind.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Psalm 23:5 Sermon Notes

Psalm 23:5

Follow Me: The Lord is my Shepherd

David is in a situation that is desperate, but he is completely confident in his Shepherd and he is at peace in his heart. As the Lord has been faithful to him in the past, David believes the Lord will continue to be faithful. He’s been through too much with the Lord to stop believing in Him and to quit living for Him. Today we will learn just how David believes the Lord is being faithful to him in the present moment, and we can apply it to our own lives. READ TEXT

I. ”You prepare." David is commenting on the reality that Jesus brings and/or allows every circumstance to come to him. There is a divine purpose for instruction, discipline, strength and faith building in every situation and relationship we experience or are involved in. Jesus also "prepares us" by allowing us to witness the faithfulness or lack there of in others whom we come into contact with during life's journey.

Two possibilities of meaning for "Table" in verse 5. 1) an actual table where a meal was provided. 2) a flat place in the mountains and hills was called a table. It was a great place to rest the sheep after a hard climb (battle). 

II. ”In the presence of my enemies." The shepherd brought the sheep back to the fold each evening. It was usually a circular stone walled structure with a small entrance way that the sheep would go through one at a time. The shepherd placed himself in that small opening during the night, even as he slept. Any enemy of the shepherd, any thief, any wild animal looking for a free meal would have to go through the shepherd to get to the sheep. No where in Scripture does it say that or did God promise to remove our enemies, but He does promise that we can overcome them, experience victory over them. This gives me a mental picture of being engaged in a fight and winning. Fights aren't clean and pretty, nor are they easy. You hit and get hit. You bleed when you're in a real fight. Soldiers get wounded and need to have medical attention. But in all of this King Jesus is with us. "He has overcome already all those things that come against us.

The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God. (Spurgeon)

We tend to be frightened when confronted with an enemy. Perfect love casts out all fear. "In the midst of the storm, you remain in control. In the middle of the war, you are guard my soul. You alone are the anchor when the sails are torn. Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm."

III. ”Anoint my head with oil." The shepherd would apply oil and ointment to the heads of the sheep to keep flies and biting insects away. It was protection on one hand and healing on the other. Many commentators point to the NT and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in the life of each believer and the church. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us, protect us, guard us, comfort us, mend what’s broken, strengthen what is weak, confront what is sinful, bless what is godly.

The sheep were always secure when the shepherd was close at hand.

IV. ”My cup overflows." It's not that you have too little or just enough when you follow King Jesus as your shepherd. Walking His paths and trust His heart will lead you to a cup that is full and overflowing. Notice that the verb is present tense. It is currently overflowing which indicates that the one pouring into the cup has no plans to stop pouring. James 1:5, Prov. 3:5-10, Luke 6:38, II Cor. 9:8-12.

Don’t forget, don’t allow the enemy to steal away from you the reality of the faithfulness of God toward you. If you walk out of here today with a firm and renewed belief that God has been, is being, and will be faithful to you, your life will be different and you will walk in victory. If you win, Satan loses. He wants to steal that victory from you. He wants you to live defeated. In King Jesus, you are a winner. Claim the victory. Cling to the victory. Lead someone else to victory.

11-11-16 email update

Weekly Update

11-11-16

Last night (Tuesday) was a stressful night. I stayed up until 1:15am trying to see the results of the election, and even then there was no clear winner for president. I was off to the hospital at 5:30am for a member’s surgery, and it was at that point that I learned we had a president-elect, Donald J. Trump. I’m sure you are aware of his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” That statement speaks volumes. It reveals that America, from the perspective of Donald and his team, had been great, was now no longer great, but could be great again with the right leaders with the right plan. I have been thinking a lot about that slogan today, and I believe that it will take many people working very hard for a long period of time to “Make America Great Again.” Great effort and energy, perseverance, and consistency are crucial components of any plan to see significant change in the USA. And then my mind began to think about Highland Baptist Church. I want to see HBC grow deep and grow wide. I long to see the members of HBC grow in their own personal relationship with King Jesus (DEEP). I long to see the members of HBC grow wide (increase attendance, church growth). In that sense I want to see HBC become “greater” than it’s ever been.

I believe King Jesus has a magnificent plan and purpose and mission for Highland Baptist Church, for you and for me. But I believe that a great part of that magnificent plan, purpose, and mission will never become a reality if you and I aren’t willing to put in the “great effort and energy, perseverance, and consistency” to see what we dream of and desire for Highland Baptist Church take place. Do you want to see America become great again? What price are you willing to pay so that it happens? Do you want to see Highland Baptist Church become an even greater church? What price are you willing to pay so it happens? I have really been spending a lot of time praying about 2017, and as I have prayed the Lord has redirected me to a different theme than I originally thought about. Our theme for 2017 will be “WHATEVER IT TAKES.” I truly believe the best days for this church are in front of her. We’ve had some great days in the past, but our best will be found in what lies ahead. I want to get there, “Whatever it takes.” I pray you will ponder and pray about this three-word statement. I pray it will grab hold of your heart with heavenly hooks that will never let go, and that you and I will spend the rest of our days serving King Jesus, “WHATEVER IT TAKES.”

Make plans to come back to church Sunday night for our annual business meeting at 6pm. It will be followed by a time of food and fellowship. If you haven’t grabbed an advance copy of the proposed budget and nominating committee recommendations, they are available for your preview at the Welcome Center. I want to thank the members of the Finance Team and the Nominating Team for your hard word. May God bless you all for your faithful service to the Lord Jesus at HBC.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike

Sermon Notes

Psalm 23:4

Follow Me: The Lord is my Shepherd

October 16, 2016

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

We have found comfort at every moment of our journey through this great Psalm with David. As we continue, remember that it was our Shepherd who inspired the shepherd/king to pen these verses. Jesus knew where David was and what He needed in every circumstance, Jesus knows you and me just as well. Hallelujah! What a Savior. Someone once wrote a different version of Psalm 23 that I want to share with you right now. As I read this, ask yourself which one is a better representation of you. A Stubborn Calf’s Psalm 23. Now, let’s read the real thing together. READ TEXT I don’t know about you but I want the real one to be the right one for me. Ray Charles—You got the right one baby!

1. Part one. v. 4a

1. David transitions from talking about the Shepherd to talking with the Shepherd (Wiersbe). Oh what a difference it makes when we go from talking about Jesus to talking to Him. It’s true on a horizontal level and it’s an even greater reality on the vertical level. We always accomplish more when we talk to someone rather than talking about them.
2. Even though. The first two words of verse 4 are so powerful. They are words of perspective. David gives us a glimpse of his heart and mind in these two word. EVEN THOUGH! No matter where he might be physically. No matter what that moment in time might feel like...he knows the Lord is his Shepherd. If you will allow the Lord Jesus to get you to the point in your life where this is your perspective, your life and the world around you will never be the same. “Even though they slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”
3. I walk. “To walk indicates the steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end, resolves to follow the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore perfectly calm and composed. The dying saint is not in a flurry, he does not ran as though he were alarmed, nor stand still as though he would go no further, he is not confounded nor ashamed, and therefore keeps to his old pace” (Spurgeon). We don't walk in the valley of the shadow of death, Christians walk through it. "Death is not the house but the porch, not the goal but the passage to it. (Spurgeon) It's not the valley of death but the valley of the shadow of death. (Would you rather be hit by a train or the shadow of a train?) The shepherd that leads you through life will be with you in death. Choosing your shepherd couldn't be more critical. Think it through. You can't follow the devil and the world, as your shepherd, all your life and expect Jesus to shepherd you through death. Your life choice for a shepherd is an eternal one. The great news is that Jesus is ready, willing, and able to become your shepherd at a moments notice. He is "sittin on go" waiting for you to hand over all that remains. You might say, "All that remains?!" Yes whatever is left and for however long you have left, He will Shepherd you.
4. I will fear no evil. The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the Psalmist was cured of the disease of fearing. “I will fear no evil,” (Spurgeon).
5. We are comforted by who He is and that He is with us.

II.   Part two. v. 4b

     A.  We are comforted by what He has. Rod and staff offer protection and guidance. Can be used to    save from an enemy and can be used to rescue one from unseen trouble or danger. This also reminds us that He is in charge, He is in the lead, He is shepherding us not the other way around.

    B.   Sheep lack good vision and are easily frightened in new circumstances, especially where it’s  dark; and the presence of the shepherd calms them (Wiersbe). You and I have faced some pretty dark days in our lives. We have made it through them because our Shepherd never left us alone. We can face whatever dark days are ahead of us because He is just as faithful to us today as He has ever been. Even the dark days of death can be faced victoriously, without fear, because He is here.

There is no doubt that life is hard, and the sorrows we endure change us in ways we could never have imagined. But through it all our Great Shepherd, the King of kings and the Lord of lords walks with us. He guards our hearts and minds. He loves us. He protects us. He will lead us home.

10-14-16 Weekly Update

Weekly Update

10-14-16

So often I will get asked by well meaning and sincere believers, “Why or How do you do what you do? I could never do what you do, and I don’t know how you keep doing what you do with all you have to go through.” They are asking how I keep doing ministry as a pastor. Some are asking why I keep doing ministry as a pastor. Shoot, sometimes I even ask myself the very same question. Ministry isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Most of the time it is challenging, difficult, frustrating, draining, and lonely. But I do have an answer to that question whatever form it might take. It is very simple and this past Sunday is that answer in visible form. God’s calling is clear and unmistakable. I wouldn’t for one minute be in ministry if it were not for God’s calling. Ministry, quite often, yields little visible proofs or fruit that anything worthwhile is being done. Most preacher/pastors go to bed each night wondering if they really accomplished anything of eternal value that day, and those same men wake up each morning wondering if anything truly significant will be accomplished that day. So often it is very easy to loose sight of the truth that surrender and obedience, daily, to King Jesus is the ultimate success for any Christ follower, including preacher/pastors. God is good and God is faithful. As a pastor I long for and rejoice in those moments when God allows you to SEE the fruit. As those cadets from the Tarheel Challenge Academy passed through the waters of our baptistery we all witnessed, we watched, we saw the fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! What a Savior we have. Thank you Lord Jesus. God reminded me that faithfulness in the daily things of life produces eternal fruit in the Kingdom of God. They publically confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord as they were baptized in the death of Jesus and raised to walk in the newness of life. What glory we beheld! May our participation in their coming to Christ excite our hearts and be a motivation to reach out in the darkness with the light of Christ Jesus more and more. There are literally thousands around us, right here at home in Stanly County, who will die and go to Hell unless someone goes where they are and tells them the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is “good news,” but only if they hear it in time.

We will be going out into our community tomorrow from 9-11 am hanging doorknockers and inviting people to come to our Fall Festival/Fish Fry on October 29. We are going to have a lot of great things going on, and we want to be intentional about sharing the gospel with those who come on our campus. Will you come help us invite people to come? Will you commit to be here on the 29^th to minister the love of Jesus to those who come to take part in this annual event of our church? We need you! We want YOU!

I will let you know that we still have 6 tickets to the David Jeremiah event next Wednesday evening. Contact me ASAP if you would like to go with us. It’s going to be a great evening of worship through song and God’s Word. You can get more details in the bulletin.

There is still room for some of you to join me in a quick overnight trip to the mountains on October 20-21 to view God’s handiwork as the leaves change. We will probably also find an apple orchard somewhere and bring home some delicious fruit. The cost is one nights lodging and meals.

Let me leave you with these words from Psalm 92:1-4.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

    and your faithfulness by night,

3 to the music of the lute and the harp,

    to the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

God bless you. Have a great weekend. I’ll see you for worship on Sunday.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike

Weekly Email Update Article

Weekly Update 9-30-16

Fall is here, the weather is beautiful as the temperatures begin to cool, and God is in complete control. I find such great comfort in that reality. There is freedom in the truth, and the truth is God is in control. He’s in control of my circumstances and He’s in control of your circumstances. In His grace and mercy He allows and even brings “life” to our doorstep to mold us and shape us, to help us become who He created us to be. When “life” happens, remember that God is at work. Romans 8:28 is a powerful and liberating verse. It says, “And we know (!) that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (ESV). I underlined those words in that verse for a reason. 1) I need to be reminded of the truth. 2) You need to be reminded of the truth. Good or bad, through laughter and tears, God is working out His purpose and His plan for you and me every day, no matter what. He is a good, good Father, and we should trust Him. He is trustworthy and faithful.

I remember one day when I was a young boy that my father put me up on the roof of our house to get something, probably a toy that I had thrown up there. He didn’t use a ladder, he just lifted me up on the roof. I got the toy or whatever it was he sent me up there to get and I remember throwing it down to the ground. Then I asked him how I was going to get down. He said to me, “Jump! I will catch you.” I said, “No way. I’m scared.” You can imagine how the conversation went back and forth for a couple minutes. I remember looking into my father’s eyes. He had never let me down before. I swallowed really hard, got as low as I could on the roof, and then I flung my self into the air and into the arms of my dad. He did exactly what he said he would do. He caught me. I remember that I immediately said, “Can I do that again?” Two or three more times my dad pushed me up onto the roof and I turned around and jumped, but now there was no hesitation or reservation in my mind. I knew my dad was going to catch me rather than let me fall, all I had to do was jump. Jumping became fun after that first jump.

Next Sunday during the 11 am worship service we will be baptizing 17 cadets from the Tarheel Challenge Academy. This will be the last service these cadets attend at our church. Their time in the residency phase of the TCA has come to an end. We will be having another covered dish meal on October 9 following the 11 am service. Because we have so many to baptize I will not be preaching during the second service; it will be our regular song service and then I will baptize. We do have others that will be baptized, so if you are awaiting baptism and would like to participate next Sunday, please call the office ASAP to let us know. I would encourage you to attend both services next Sunday. I will be preaching from Psalm 23:4 in the first service, and I don’t want you to miss any of the messages from this great passage. I encourage you to be praying for the cadets because these last few weeks will be harder on them than they think. Many of them are not excited about going back home permanently because of the situation they have to deal with. They need our prayer support. Lift them up to our Heavenly Father because He cares about them.

We have lots of things going on during the month of October. Double check your bulletin for information about these events because you don’t want to miss out.

-October 8 is the car show at Richfield. (Contact Dale King if you can help out.)

-October 13 is the Decision America prayer time led by Franklin Graham in Raleigh.

-October 14 is TCA cadet graduation at the Agri-Civic Center at 10 am.

-October 14 is the benefit for Amie Sides at Highland Baptist Church.

-October 19 is the David Jeremiah event in Greensboro with music by Kari Jobe.

-October 20-21 is the fall leaves viewing trip to the mountains.

-October 29 is the fall festival and fish fry.

I pray you have a blessed weekend. I pray I will see you in church on Sunday as we gather together as brothers and sisters in Christ to worship our Savior and Lord, King Jesus. May God richly bless you and your family.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike