Leaving Laodicea

In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn writes,"The climax of history will be the creation of new heavens and New Earth, (defined as) a resurrected universe inhabited by resurrected people living with a resurrected Jesus."When we think of heaven, do we think of the place where there will be no more sorrow and no more tears?  Or, do we think of the place where our loved ones who have died are now living? Uh, I thought they were the same place. Confused?  Well keep listening.The following is a study on Heaven.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:  What advantage is there in going to church?  What advantage is there in having Christian parents?  In going to Christian school, listening to Christian music or only viewing Christian movies? What does it all matter if none of what we do on the outside brings an eternal change on the inside?  This was the same question Paul put to the church in Rome concerning being a Jew and having the traditions and the Law.  In fact, Paul's answer might surprise you.  He says, "Much indeed!"  Really? Want to know more?  Keep listening.The following is a study on Romans 3:1-8.

Many people put their faith and security in things that are... well, insecure at best.  The stock market, big government, political parties, their job, AIG or Bernie Madoff. And, in the world of investments, false security could be costly.  But in the real world, false security can totally destroy you.  Eternally. This is what Paul confronts the church in Rome about concerning the Jews but the lesson is also for us today.  Do we place our eternal security in (1) our knowledge of the Bible, (2) our Christian heritage, or (3) our religious ceremonies and practices? Woe to us if we do!The following is a study on Romans 2:17-29.

The following quote by DL Moody has been in my wallet for over 20 years.  Do you think it's still true for us today?  Or, do you think that maybe we've gone too far?"The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man."How can we be that kind of man?  What soul-searching questions would we have to ask ourselves? And how would we answer?The following is a study on Total Commitment.

A simple summary of the first three chapters of Romans could go like this: Chapter One - lost, sinful pagans are deserving of God's wrath.  Chapter Two - Lost, moral people are deserving of God's judgment.  Chapter Three:  Lost, religious people are also deserving of God's judgment.So where does that leave us? And if you preach a message assaulting the perceived goodness in lost, moral people... won't you be accused of being judgmental?  Yes.  But to quote Paul Washer, "People tell me judge not lest ye be judged.  I always tell them, twist not scripture lest ye be like Satan."The following is a study on Romans 2:1-16.

In the first chapter of Romans the Lord lays out for mankind, saved and unsaved, the inevitable death spiral of sin.  He says that God gives man up to the (1) lusts of their hearts, the (2) vile passions (revealed in the sin of homosexuality) and finally the (3) debasement of their very minds.  Pretty sobering stuff. But why does this teaching have so little effect on the church or the culture at large?  Why do we read it and, pretty much, just blow it off?  It could be that we are reading the Scriptures dialectically and not didactically which, by the way, is how it was originally written. Confused?  Well, hang with us just a bit longer.The following is a study on Romans 1:19-23.

A couple of quick questions: Are you tired of living the high points of your spiritual life on the backs of long-ago, past dead Christian heroes?  You know, we talk about the child-like faith of George Muller, the courage of Corrie Ten Boom or the single-minded devotion of Jim Elliott... but what about us?  What about you and me?  What would you give to live the truly "abundant life" that Jesus held out before His disciples? Do you think a life like that is possible?  For you?  For anybody? And if it is, what must we do to enter into the realm of spiritual fervency that produces the kind of spiritual fruit the Lord longs for?The following is a study on Psalm 1.

When we sin, there are three people we need to ask for forgiveness. The first, obviously, is the Lord.  And He promises in 1 John 1:9 to "forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The second person is, of course, the one whom we've hurt.  We are to go to our brother and ask their forgiveness for whatever we have done against them.  And, they will either forgive us... or not. The last person we need to forgive is ourselves.  And often this is the hardest.  But if Christ has already forgiven us and we refuse to do likewise, does that make our standards of forgiveness higher than His?  Great question.The following is a study on Psalm 51.

In 2 Corinthians 15:13 Paul tells us to:"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified" or, quite literally, fail the test."When is the last time you took this personal inventory of spiritual fruits?  When was the last time you checked to make sure your name is written in His book?  When did you have that radical transformation that took you from where you were to where you now are?  What happened when the Spirit of God took up residence in you? Don't you think it's way past time for you to look into these things?The following is a study on Romans 1:18.

Modern, contemporary preaching seems to portray Jesus as a friend, a buddy, or a pal -  someone we want to "build a relationship" with. And why not?  After all, that's pretty much the way we taught Him via Sunday school flannel graphs and cartoon DVDs. But Jesus is much more than a good friend we joke around with and slap on the back. The Scriptures present Him as the One who will exercise wrath on unbelieving mankind during the tribulation.  In fact, the Scriptures say much about the wrath of God and the wrath of the Lamb. Want to know more?  Then keep listening.The following is a study on Romans 1:18.