The Leader is Dead

I try to read a portion of the Bible every day. I have done this most days since the fall of 1999. It has become a great spiritual discipline in my life. I am also training myself to journal. I haven't gotten to the everyday normal part of my routine, but it's becoming more common than not. It's amazing what flows through that pen from time to time. Today I was reading in the Book of Deuteronomy. It's in the Old Testament, and it's the fifth book in the OT. Moses wrote this book along with the four books that precede it. I read chapters 31-32 today. In these chapters Moses has finished reminding the Israelites of all that God has done for them. He has seen them through many trials and difficulties. God has protected them. God has fed them. God has sustained them. God has given them water to drink when there was no water to found. It's been an amazing ride. But sadly, it's time for Moses to die. He is 120 years old at this time, and it seems like he is still vigorous and strong. Nothing about him would lead anyone to believe that it is his time to go, and yet God says it is. Moses had messed up. He got angry and he disobeyed the instruction of the Lord, haven't we all done that, but his failure to obey was such a great offense to the Lord that God told him He would not allow him to enter the Promised Land.

God takes Moses up on mountain to show him all the land that the Israelites would take possession of. God passes the mantle of leadership to Joshua who will lead the people to victory in the Promised Land, and then Moses drops dead. The leader is dead. The one who, in human terms, led them out of slavery in Egypt is dead. The one who stood in the presence of the Lord is dead. The one whom they had depended on for 40 years is dead. He is gone. God buried him in a place that no one knows. God didn't even leave a marker. But understand, the next step was not back for God's people it was forward. God wasn't about to give them another reason to hesitate. They must trust Him. They must obey Him. They must follow Him.

Joshua, it's your turn. Step up to plate. Take a great big swing. "Don't be afraid. Be strong and courageous. I am with you." I love the fact that God never asked Joshua to be Moses. God never asked Joshua to be like Moses. God wanted Joshua to be Joshua. God wanted him to be just like He created him to be. That is refreshing to my heart and soul. God doesn't want me to be someone else. He wants me to be me, but me completely surrendered to Him.

An Open Door...

For the last few days those words have been bouncing around in my mind. I've actually had them on my heart for a while now. As I look around at my community, county, and across the country, for some reason, I see an open door.

Open doors are cool. It speaks of access and availability. It speaks of trust. It is welcoming. It speaks of acceptance. Open doors feel like home. You are welcome here. You are wanted here. No pressure. That sounds absolutely fantastic.

I'm a Christian, and I'm not ashamed of that fact. I'm not ashamed of the Christ that I have identified with and the Christ who, most importantly has identified with me. His identifying with me and accepting me is what makes me a Christian. It's an open door! I'm accepted. I have found my value and purpose by walking through that open door. It is a door that only Jesus could open, and man, did He open it! He opened it as wide open as a door can open. He made a way when there seemed to be no way. That sounds absolutely fantastic to me too.

I'm not just a Christian, I'm also a pastor of local church in a rural community in North Carolina. I love the life God has graciously called me to. It's an open door, and I'm as free as bird living this life. It's an honor and a privilege to serve King Jesus in this capacity. I can't imagine doing anything else for all my life. I've been serving King Jesus in this vocation for 18 years as a senior pastor and am celebrating 20 years of serving the church in ministry. Talk about God's grace and mercy, I'm living proof. It's an open door.

I've been serving Highland Baptist Church for 6.5 years now, and although it hasn't all been easy, I wouldn't trade God's call to shepherd this congregation for anything in the world. There is no way to describe with human words a shepherd's heart. The only way you will ever understand it is to become a shepherd yourself. And King Jesus has placed before us an open door (Rev. 3:7-13). He is giving us an opportunity to serve Him, to be His hands and feet. We are the only Jesus some will ever see, and if they were watching us Sunday, they saw the real deal. I'm so thankful for my church family and I'm so proud of you all. God bless you. I love you.

Who You Marry Matters

At Power Hour this past Wednesday I talked about the power of influence and decisions we make. We are currently in Genesis 24 as we study the life of Abraham. In Genesis 24 we find the story of Abraham sending his servant to get a bride for Isaac. If you grew up in church you’ve probably heard this story quite a few times, but on Wednesday I talked about the decision and impact of who you marry. I said, “Who you marry matters.” I didn’t ask for testimonies, but I could have. I wonder how you think about the truth of that simple statement, “who you marry matters.”

Abraham looked around at the culture and practices of the families of Canaan. He saw how they worshiped. He saw how they worked. He saw a lot of stuff that he didn’t like, and he said, “I don’t want that for my son, no way, no how.” He knew those influences would more than likely pull his son Isaac away from worshiping and serving the Lord than he pull them up toward God. So Abraham said, “I won’t have that in my house. I won’t allow that for my son.” Abraham was looking, not only at his immediate family, but at the generations to follow. Abraham wanted the generations of his family that would come long after he was dead and gone to be people who would worship and obey and serve Jehovah. He was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that Isaac was encouraged to follow God rather than led astray. Abraham knew that "Who you marry matters," He knew the impact of that decision on his life and he knew it would have a profound impact on Isaac and his family. Influence is powerful. Influence is critical. Influence is directional.

I'm not sure that I like, in any way, shape, or form, the current practice of dating in our culture. Not that hanging out is bad, but it is influential. Decisions are made and lives are altered. Why would I want one of my daughters allowing that kind of influence from someone they probably will never marry? I know this for sure, they won't marry the wrong person if they aren't dating the wrong person. And I think that's just part of my job as "Daddy," to keep they from hanging around, hanging out, and/or dating the wrong person. "Not my kids, and not at my house."

How about you and your family? Are you willing to stand up and say about your house, considering the ways of the world, “Not in my house! Not for my sons and daughters!” Are you willing to say like Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”? I am willing to lead my family like that. Will you join me? Will you do all that you can to raise a family that worships and serves the one true God? I pray that blessing on your family and mine.

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