It's a Spiritual Battle: Part 1

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Luis Scott

How many times have we heard an unbeliever say that he/she does not come to church because the church is full of hypocrites? How many times did we find ourselves unable to answer this unjust and false charge? In the next three days I will share with you some thoughts on this subject. First, allow me to give you a word of advice: Never, never, never, accept the charge that Christians are hypocrites. The charge is unjust and false and we should not be giving credence to this lie. There are at least three issues we need to consider.

First, what is hypocrisy? It has been defined in several ways. Hypocrisy is saying one thing and doing the opposite; is to believe one thing and then live contrary to the belief; is pretending to be something we are not; is being two-faced, etc. As I consider these definitions, I find that not one of them applies to the true Christians. Let’s take these definitions.

Hypocrisy is saying one thing and doing the opposite: As Christians we know that we are sinners by nature and that the sinful nature (Paul calls it the flesh in Romans 7) is our natural operating sphere. Without the Holy Spirit in our lives we would be like the rest of the world—thinking and being engaged in sinful behavior without giving a second thought. When a Christian sins, he/she is not being a hypocrite. When Christians sin he/she is engaged in a life and death struggle. The sinful nature has taken the upper hand for a moment. But as soon as we realize that we have stepped out of God’s goodness, we immediately want to return to Him. This is not hypocrisy. This is a struggle to do what is right when we are pulled in different directions.

Saying that a Christian, engaged in a spiritual war is a hypocrite because we are not consistent would be analogous to calling an army hypocrites because they lost a battle. An army wants to win; plans to win; and fights to win. But in the process they will experience loses. The losses do not make the army a hypocrite because they still believe that they have to fight to win—and fight they will. Will anyone say that the Indianapolis Colts, if they lose Sunday after believing they would win, that they hypocrites? Of course not. It is a battle. It is a struggle. Paul said it this way:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good” (Romans 7:14-16). Here is Paul’s answer: we are sold as slaves to sin and sinning is our natural state. But by the power of the Holy Spirit we recognize that sin separates us from God and we struggle to do what is right and good. This is not hypocrisy. This is a war that we must win. (Tomorrow: the difference between believers and unbelievers)

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Three Ingredients of Joy

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Luis Scott

An old man was asked what had robbed him of joy the most in his lifetime. He replied, “Things that never happened!” Someone has cited these three keys to happiness:

1) Fret not–He loves you (John 13:1)

2) Faint not–He holds you (Psalm 139:10)

3) Fear not–He keeps you (Psalm 121:5)

Application: True joy is found in God’s promises and faithfulness. Rest in Him and you will never be disappointed.

“Trace the universe back to God’s power, and follow His power upstream to His wisdom.” – Max Lucado

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The Influence of Joy

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Luis Scott

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of “the greatest justice since John Marshall.” At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: “I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers.”

Justice Holmes was right. There are many Christians that speak of joy, but they have an undertaker’s demeanor. We never know who we can influence with our lives. The preachers of his time could have turned Justice Holmes into a Gospel messenger, but he chose to become a Supreme Court Justice instead. How are you influencing other people?

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Receiving Mercy

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Luis Scott

Receiving Mercy

An American Indian and a white man were brought under deep conviction of sin by the same sermon. The Indian was immediately led to rejoice in pardoning mercy. The white man was for a long time in distress, almost to despair. But he was at last brought to a sweet sense of his sins forgiven. Some time later the two men met again and the white man said to the Indian: “How is it that I should be so long under conviction, when you found peace at once?”

“My brother,” replied the Indian, “let me tell you! There comes along a rich prince. He proposes to give you a new coat; your coat looks pretty good and you say that yours will do a little longer. He then offers me a new coat. I look at my old blanket; I say, this old blanket is good-for-nothing and I accept the prince’s gift. But my brother, you try to keep your own righteousness, you won’t give it up; but I was a poor Indian and I recognized that did not have any righteousness, so I gladly at once received the gift of the righteousness of God—the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Hoping Against Hope

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Luis Scott

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season in which the church prepares to receive to promised Messiah. Jesus was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, but His birth needs to be as real to us today as it was then. In the first Sunday of Advent we celebrate HOPE.

G.K. Chesterton was quoted as saying that, “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all…As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”

This is the same sentiment was expressed by the Apostle Paul when stated that, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Romans 4:18). Physically speaking Abraham and Sarah did not have one reason to hope for a child. Sarah was not only barren she was almost 90 years old and way past her fertility years. But they believed the promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations and hoped against hope that God’s promise would be fulfilled in them.

Application: Our hope has to rest on God’s promises and not on any ability or gift we may have.

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As Good as Gold

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Luis Scott

Have you ever known people whose word is as good as gold? Their word is so trustworthy, that when they give it you feel a sense of relief. Whatever they promise will happen.

The story is told of two army buddies that went to war. They promised each other that if one of them fell wounded, the other would come get him. One day, as it happens in all wars, one of them was wounded and could not escape the enemy attack. His friend knew he had to go get him and asked the commander to go get his friend. The commander denied the request, but the soldier went anyway.

The young soldier arrived to his friend’s side and as he was picking him up to bring him to safety, his friend expired. On his way back with his dead friend, the soldier was also wounded. Upon arriving back at the unit the commander was furious because now he had lost another soldier to battle wounds. The commander asked the soldier, “Was it worth it to go after your friend who died and you were also wounded?” The soldier replied, “It was worth it for when I arrived his last words were, ‘I knew you would come.’” This is a man whose word is as good as gold.

Paul tells us that God’s promises are as good as gold. Listen to his words. “[I am] confident of this, that He (Jesus) who began a work (salvation) in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.” Imagine that. He would come for us! God’s promise to finish the work He started in you can be stated in two different ways: (1) If God could not finish the work He started in you, He would not have started it. (2) Since God has started His work in you, He cannot renege on His promise. He must finish the work. God will not leave us wounded on the field of battle. He will come for us. Hallelujah.

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The Cup of Christ

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Luis Scott

In the third Indiana Jones movie the hero goes looking for the “cup of Christ.” Upon arriving at the location (at the end of the movie), he had to pass three tests in order to reach his destination. The first test was that “the penitent man shall pass.” The people trying to get the “cup of Christ” for evil purposes had made several attempts, but every time a head came rolling down because they could not pass the test. Indiana Jones then had to go in. As he approached the place where the test was, he kept repeating the phrase “the penitent man shall pass.” As he got closer, he realized what a penitent man does: the penitent man “kneels before the LORD.” This is a sign of humility and submission. Mr. Jones knelt and survived the blades that would have cut off his head.

Then, Indiana Jones came to a sector where there were many squares with letters on them. The second test was that, the penitent man, “in the name of God he shall walk.” Indiana immediately jumped to the first letter of God’s name “J” for Jehovah. Mr. Jones almost fell through the hole created when the letter gave way, and then he said: “In Latin Jehovah begins with an “I” as in Iahovah. Once he figured out God’s name, he was able to pass the test.

The third test was what I call the “faith test.” It said, “from the lion’s mouth he shall walk.” There were two heads of lions on each side of the exit door. Indiana Jones had to step out into what appeared to be thin air to cross to the other side where the grail was waiting. Indiana Jones took a deep breath and took a blind step toward the other side. When he put his foot down, there was a beam that went across the other side. It was an optical illusion that prevented the person from seeing the solid beam under his feet. The test was that he had to trust God.

Application: The penitent man does three things, if he wants to drink from the cup of Christ, which is the cup of eternal life. (1) The penitent man kneels (vows), humbles himself, before God. (2) The penitent man walks in the name of God. (3) The penitent man walks out of the lions’ mouth in faith totally trusting that God has established a path for him to reach the “cup of eternal life” safely.

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Abounding in Love

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Luis Scott

As we get older we are expected to develop greater wisdom about life and living. As strange as it might sound, from time to time we meet people in their fifties and sixties that think about life as if they had learned nothing over the years. Then, we meet other people about the same age that seem to have all the insights about life and living. I am always curious about these types of dynamics. What is the difference between these two types of people? Is there a formula for acquiring wisdom?

I am not going to suggest that I know the formula, but it seems to me that the Apostle Paul suggested to us one key to acquiring wisdom. The Apostle told the Philippians Church that the key to gaining “knowledge and depth of insight” is abounding (growing) in love. The only way I know how to grow in love is to understand how God has expressed His love for us. God’s love is not a simple emotion. It is an outward expression of who He is. The more we understand what it meant for God to send Jesus to this earth, the greater our insight into what we were created to be. Therefore, knowing God’s heart is the key to depth of insight. What is the benefit of insight?

Application: The Apostle tells us that when our depth of insight is based on God’s love, it gives us the ability to distinguish between things that appear to be good from the things that are really good (Philippians 1:9-11). We will be able to distinguish between the good and the best things in life, and we will not settle for the inferior thing. Depth of insight opens the door to live successful lives.

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As good as gold

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Luis Scott

Have you ever known people whose word is as good as gold? Their word is so trustworthy, that when they give it you feel a sense of relief. Whatever they promise will happen.

The story is told of two army buddies that went to war. They promised each other that if one of them fell wounded, the other would come get him. One day, as it happens in all wars, one of them was wounded and could not escape the enemy attack. His friend knew he had to go get him and asked the commander to go get his friend. The commander denied the request, but the soldier went anyway.

The young soldier arrived to his friend’s side and as he was picking him up to bring him to safety, his friend expired. On his way back with his dead friend, the soldier was also wounded. Upon arriving back at the unit the commander was furious because now he had lost another soldier to battle wounds. The commander asked the soldier, “Was it worth it to go after your friend who died and you were also wounded?” The soldier replied, “It was worth it for when I arrived his last words were, ‘I knew you would come.’” This is a man whose word is as good as gold.

Paul tells us that God’s promises are as good as gold. Listen to his words. “[I am] confident of this, that He (Jesus) who began a work (salvation) in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Imagine that. He would come for us! God’s promise to finish the work He started in you can be stated in two different ways: (1) If God could not finish the work He started in you, He would not have started it. (2) Since God has started His work in you, He cannot renege on His promise. He must finish the work. God will not leave us wounded on the field of battle. He wills come for us. Hallelujah.

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How to Live a Long and Prosperous Life (Part 9)

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Luis Scott

After taking two days off from sending the daily message we return to continue listening to Solomon’s words in Proverbs 3. I think it is fair to say that most of us would fear the unknown. We fear meeting new people. We fear entering new situations without any sense of how things will turn out. Soldiers fear the uncertainty of entering a war zone. I know because when I boarded the plane for Saudi Arabia in 1991 I was concerned that I may never see my family again. I had faith that would return, but I still feared the unknown dangers. These are understandable and expected fears.

Solomon tells us today that we should “have no fear of sudden disaster.” The reason he gives? He assures us that, “The Lord will be your confidence.” The question for most of us could ask is, what did Solomon mean by sudden disaster? The first option could be that God will protect from physical dangers. It could also be that God will protect from eternal harm. How many times we have heard someone say, “I am thankful that God spared my life from this accident or that tornado, etc.” But for every one that has been spared, many other hundreds were not. Why some are spared and others are not? For instance: Why was Peter spared, but James was beheaded? I cannot give a satisfying answer to this question, and I am not going to try.

Application: However, I would add this: The Eternal God foresaw and foreknew us before the foundation of the world. This is to say that the Eternal God loved us before He formed us. In his eternal wisdom and grace He was pleased to promised that even when this life may prove treacherous His unfailing love will receive us into His presence. Solomon says: “The LORD is [my] confidence.” This can only mean that God’s eternal purpose for my life (and yours) will come to fruition. Trust Him and we will see Him.

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