The Truth About Who Matters

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 5:1-7:15, Luke 15:1-32, Psalm 81:1-16, & Proverbs 13:1

Luke 15:1-7

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

How comfortable are you around sinners? That is a question that we must answer. I have noticed in the life that there are 2 extremes when it comes to answering this question. One extreme is where a person is so comfortable around sinners that they start to act like one.  The other is where a person is so uncomfortable around sinners that they avoid them. Neither of these is the model that Jesus set for us.

I like the fact that we see that Jesus taught when He was in the company of lost people. We see that He wasn’t just “hanging out” with lost people. He was getting truth to them. This is a great example of what discipleship is. There were followers that were listening & people who were considering following that were listening as well. I love this model.

Church & small groups must be a safe place for both found & lost people to come. Found people need to grow & lost people need to be found. There is a hunger among found people to grow in the faith. There is also a hunger among lost people to experience the God that created them.

Jesus cares for those that have committed to Him. He devoted His life to teaching them. But let us not forget that He cares & is devoted to those who are yet to know Him. He died for ALL humanity. This is a statement that we all know is true. The problem is that many times we fight it when it is time to put it into practice.

We can get like the Pharisees. We get mad that the lost are getting more attention than we are. We get angry that new converts are getting more than us who have been around for years. We can even say things like, “Why are they getting all the attention?”

I am a father of 6. We go through this a lot at the house. There is always one kid who thinks the next one is getting more attention than the other. The fact of the matter is that there will be times when somebody is getting more attention than you are. It is required in parenting.

For example, who do you think needs & requires more of my attention; my 17 year old son or my 3 year old daughter? The answer is obvious; my 3 year old daughter. It doesn’t mean that I love my son less because my daughter receives more of my time. It simple means that my love & guidance has already brought my son to a place where He is grown & matured. Really, it is time for my son to start caring for the needs of my daughter WITH ME, instead of, crying that she is getting all the attention. That is what Jesus meant when He said:

 

Luke 6:40

⁴⁰ Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

Then enemy works to divide a house. He knows that if he divides it he can conquer it. We have to make sure that we refuse to fall into His trap. Let’s remember, we are a family. Don’t fall into the deception that the Pharisee’s fell in to. Know that God loves you. Know that your church loves you. Know that your pastor loves you. Then, get in the game & start helping with the kingdoms business.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

How To Cross The River

 Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 3:1-4:24, Luke 14:7-35, Psalm 80:1-19, & Proverbs 12:27-28

 

Joshua 3:15-16

¹⁵ It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, ¹⁶ the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

What a day this must have been for the people of God. He did the impossible through them. As they came up to the Jordan to camp that night, I’m sure that the people were wondering, “How are we going to get across such a fierce river.”

The bible lets us know that the river was at flood stage. It was a raging river that had great power to destroy anything that dared enter into it. It would sweep people away & crush them against the rocks & trees that were engulfed in the current. There were no bridges. There was no natural way to pass through this great obstacle but that is no match for a supernatural God.

One the other side of this river represents the land of promise. It was the place where God promised His people that they would find rest. It was a place where God promised His people would find blessing. It was a place where God promised His people that they would find victory. The only thing standing between them & the abundant life that God had promised was a raging river that was impossible to cross. Sound familiar?

So many times in this life it seems that it is impossible to get to the place that we know we find rest, peace, victory, & prosperity. We come to the edge of the water & we know that on the other side of the river is a place of blessing but the river is raging. We don’t see any way to get across. What I see happen at these moments is most people just stay camped right where they are. They never cross to the place of victory.

The enemy will do all kinds of things to deter us from entering into the place of victory. He will attempt to do use things like:

1.      Relationship problems

2.      Fear

3.      Depression

4.      Past failures

5.      Weaknesses

These things can be like a raging river before us. When we come to them we can get scared, intimidated, overwhelmed. A lot of times we just stand at the edge of these obstacles & wait to see if they will disappear. I have never seen it work that way. But there is a way that we can cross through the obstacles in our path every time with great success.

Joshua 3:15-16

¹⁵ It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, ¹⁶ the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

This is a picture to us of how we find victory as well. In this text we see why it is that we can be so confident when we face the obstacles in our path that try to keep us from entering into God promise. The answer is His Presence.

The priests were carrying the ark. The ark represented the place where God’s presence dwelt. Because they had His presence, as soon as they found the courage to take that first step, His powerful presence did the impossible.

The same is true for us today. We are carriers of the presence of God. We walk in His presence. We stand in His presence. We live in His presence. His Spirit dwells in us. We don’t carry a physical ark, we are the ark. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We will face obstacles in this life that stand in the way of God’s promise to us. The obstacle can look impossible to overcome, BUT we have the presence of a SUPERNATURAL GOD living in us enabling us to do SUPERNATURAL THINGS.

I want to encourage you today that when you are face with the natural obstacles in this life, trust in the power of the supernatural presence of God in you to bring you through. You have to take that first step just like the priests did. When they stepped out in faith the water began to stop flowing & the ground began to dry up. I believer that as you start to step out in faith that you to will begin to see things change.

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter

The Key To Success

Today’s Bible readings are Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24, Luke 13:22-14:6, Psalm 79:1-13, & Proverbs 12:26

 

Joshua 1:7-9

⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What is the key to success? Many people are searching for the way to be successful in life. They want to know how to be successful in their:

1.      Career

2.      Family

3.      Marriage

4.      Prayer life

5.      Ministry

6.      Relationship

Most people are willing to listen to anything that would help them find success in these areas.

Today I want to share a word that will benefit every reader. It makes no difference if you are young or old, this message is for you. It is the message that will lead to greater success in every area of your life. If this word is received & practiced you will find greater success than you have ever experienced. Even if you already have a good marriage, family, career, ministry, etc… it can become better if you open your heart to this word. You will find a way to find success in EVERYTHING that you do.

God was speaking to Joshua in this text. He was coming into a new responsibility in his life. It was huge. There were going to be great difficulties that he would have to face. As if that wasn’t enough, he was going to have to lead a great number of people through these as well.

I know that we are all familiar with the challenges of life. That is what Joshua was about to face. Yet, God told him that he could have success if he would simply follow His instructions. What was the instruction?

1.      Walk in the Word.

 

Joshua 1:7

⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

God made it clear that success come through the Word. It is when we follow the way of the bible that we become blessed. Jesus confirmed this when He made this great proclamation to the Church:

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus was the Word. His life was a representation of the Word being lived out. This is the way we are to live as well. We let that life of Christ live through us. This leads to success in everything that we do.

That is a large statement; we will have success in everything that we do, BUT IT IS TRUE!!! It is a promise from God. IT will surely happen IF we do what is required. The requirement for this promise being fulfilled in our life is for us to live out the Word, or life of Christ. Not every church attender will see this promise fulfilled. The reason being is the church attendance is not what is required. The only requirement is to let the life of Christ flow though you. This always leads to obedience to God’s Word, which ALWAYS leads to success!

2.      Spend time meditating on the Word so you can have a greater understanding of the Spirit of the Word.

Joshua 1:8

 ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Don’t just read the Bible; soak in the Word of God. Don’t just pray; soak yourself in prayer. Don’t just enter His presence; soak in His presence. Remember, a cucumber is changed once it has soaked. If you want to experience true transformation it comes through soaking in these things.

As we soak in these things we start to get depth. We move from a place of shallow understanding to deep wisdom. Wisdom is the key thing when it comes to success. Wisdom comes from Jesus, WHO IS WISDOM.

1 Corinthians 1:30

³⁰ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

I know that you want to be successful in all the areas of your life. This is the only way. Make it your aim to walk in the light if this great promise & experience the success that God has planned for you!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

The Way To Stay Free

Today’s Bible readings are Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, & Proverbs 12:25

Luke 13:1-5

About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. ² “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? ³ Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. ⁴ And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Why is it that we like to compare the sin in our lives to somebody who we think has greater sin? I believe the answer is so that then we don’t feel the condemnation that comes with sin. We all know what it is to experience condemnation.

When we do wrong there is always that heavy conviction that follows. Many times, if we continue in the things that we are convicted about, that conviction can turn into a heavy sense of condemnation. We can become so enslaved to the things that we are now condemned about that we find ourselves in a very vicious cycle of sinning, followed by great condemnation.

Other times, we may enjoy the things that we know are wrong. That was the case for me when I use to use drugs. I knew it was wrong. I was often convicted about the way I was living, but I wanted to still live that way. I still found pleasure in my sin. It was very easy for me to find temporary relief from the guilt. I just looked for somebody who was worse than me & convince myself that I was ok because I wasn’t as bad as them.

What I found to be true in my life was that I could find temporary relief from shame this way, but it always came back. I always ended up feeling very ashamed of my life. I found myself so trapped & depressed. It was all I knew so I just kept on sinning & trying not to be as bad a sinner as some others. This was such a miserable way to live.

This is what many of the people did during the time of Christ. They thought that because they observed a few of the religious laws that it made up for the areas that they were missing it in. They convinced themselves that they weren’t as bad as others. The problem being is that at the end of the day they still went to bed with the same shame & condemnation that they woke up with.

No matter how hard they tried to be good, or to be better than others in an attempted to lighten the shame, it NEVER TOKE AWAY THE GUILT & CONDEMNATION. It stilled remained & they were still in bondage.

Jesus came this day & spoke the greatest truth on this matter. He said that repentance was the answer. This was a new concept that would lead into a new way of doing things. Instead of dealing with external stuff; the sin, Jesus was making the way to deal with the real issue; the heart.

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. It is truly a work of the Holy Spirit. He brings us to a place where we see the option of repentance. When we surrender & repent, we are saved. Then the most remarkable thing happens. God’s Spirit comes into us & brings with Him all the grace of heaven so that we can live free from the sin that once held us captive.

We live free from sin by staying in a state of repentance. What I mean by that is this: once you turn from sin to God; NEVER LOOK BACK AT THE SIN!!! This is the part of repentance that is not taught. We tell people to turn but that is it. People need to know that once they have turned, don’t turn back.

1.      Don’t look back to the sin.

2.      Keep your eyes of Jesus.

3.      The way to stay free from the sin is to stay focused on Jesus.

A lot of time we want to talk about our sin. We want to talk about our struggle against it. There is never a struggle when our eyes are on Jesus. When we are facing Him we are free from the struggle. The struggle comes when we start to look back at the sin. We start to turn back the other direction. Now we are torn. The sin begins to pull at us. The same is true if we stay turned toward God; He will continue to pull at us. This is the path to victory.

I want to remind you what Jesus said:

 

John 8:36

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

You are as free as you will ever need to be the moment you turn to Christ. Stay facing Him. We lose when we turn away & start looking back. Don’t focus on the sin. Focus on the One who saved you & freed you from it. That is where freedom is found & that is how freedom is maintained.

Pastor Richard Schlotter