Tuesday, April 24, 2012

"THE COST OF STUMBLING BLOCKS"


Good morning to each of you. I want to take this opportunity, to once again thank you for allowing me to come into your home, work or where ever computer, and share what God has branded my heart and mind with for this week. I also want to send up praises for the answered prayers and for a couple of needs we had met out of the blue for us. Thank you to all who had a hand in what was done and thank You to my Lord for allowing me to be in church yesterday. I will be thankful for what I do have and can do.

This was a very trying week for us. We learned during the week that one of our churches' member's mother passed away, we have had another member in the hospital and another member was told that his daughter was dying. We have the promises and rely on the assurances of seeing her again one day in heaven. It is very hard to know that because of stumbling blocks, people are dying and going to hell every minute of every day. This hurts my soul deep.

This brings us to the topic of the day, "the cost of stumbling blocks". Do you ever wonder why preachers seem to be so repetitive? Does it seem like Christians seem to continue to say the same things over and over? Do you read the Bible and say to yourself, "I just read that sermon a few pages or chapters or books back"? Are you one of those people that see a "Bible thumper" coming and quickly try to look away, act busy or try to go in the opposite direction to avoid the coming conversation?

The reason for the repetition is that the question is the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. Are you saved, and if so, are you sharing Christ with others, so that they might be saved? If the answer to either of, or both of, these questions is no, then we need to examine the stumbling blocks and the cost.

Stumbling blocks can be as different as people can. For some it may be a turnoff to a certain denomination, a vice you don't want to stop, pride, a concern about what others might think of you, worrying about others expectations and this list could go on and on with no end I'm sure. Let's take a look at some scripture covering what we are discussing.

Hosea 14:9 says, "Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them". 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;" Mark 9:42-43 says, "42 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched". James 2:10 says, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all".
Now comes the time to do what most of us, almost will never do, and that is look into the honesty mirror. What is your stumbling block to accepting God's free gift of salvation? What would it cost you to accept this gift. More importantly, what will it cost you if you do not accept this gift? I'm sure there are many young people that have the attitude of, "I will deal with that when I get older, when I am finished sowing oats and living the life I have to live. It is just not for me right now."

We are given a warning to this type of thought in Matthew 24:42-44. The scripture says, "42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." None of us know the exact time we will die and risking eternity on doubt, selfishness and pride is like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun. There is no second chance "after" we die.

If you are saved, then what are the stumbling blocks preventing you from sharing Christ's gift of salvation so that everyone you know and come into contact with has the chance to go to heaven with you? Are you worried you may lose a friend? Are you worried others may talk behind your back and make fun of you? Or maybe you are living a double life, you know, one person at church and around other Christians, and then another person who blends into the crowd and environment to be sociable and liked. The cost of those stumbling blocks are the difference in heaven or hell, eternity in the presence of God and paradise, or eternal damnation, pain and suffering. There is no gray area. This is not just what I think, or some denominational doctrine, but what the HOLY BIBLE SAYS.

Maybe you are saved. Maybe you are sharing Christ with some from time to time, but you feel God is wanting more from you and your life. What stumbling blocks are keeping you from serving Him in whatever area He is leading you. Think about the things you do in your everyday life. Do those things have any eternal values? Will you be given crowns of rewards, or will rewards be taken away because you ignored the Holy Spirit's leading?

I am here at the computer most of the day. If you cannot reach me here, you can call me at 931-648-3252 or 931-624-2442 anytime to discuss what I write about, what is on your heart and mind and any other area that I might be of some help in. I love you guys and girls and pray this has provoked everyone to thought about our stumbling blocks and their cost.

Remember: Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you can afford to pay.

Until next time, pray for each other and me, and I will continue to pray for you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“VOWS”


Good morning. I pray this writing finds you well and prospering today. As I sit here, I hear the birds singing outside my window and I am reminded how very blessed I am to be able to hear and enjoy these sounds. Oh how good God is to us.

Today I want to talk with you about “vows”. What do you think of when you hear the word vow? Do you automatically think of weddings? What other uses may there be for the word vow? Would you agree that a promise could be called a vow? What about when someone says, “you have my word”, would that be a form of a vow?

In today's world, we tend to put very little creditability or reliability in our “vows”. You disagree with me? Look at how many divorces we have every day in America. In each wedding, the man and woman exchange vows, not only unto each other, but unto the Lord, and yet they discard those vows almost as easy as they made them.

You maybe asking me, “well what's the big deal? Maybe I changed my mind.” Well, it is a big deal and I would like to show you what scriptures have to say about the issue.

Psalms 56:12 says, “ Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You,” Numbers 30:2 says, “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says, “21 "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. 22 But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. 23 That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.” Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 says, “4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed-- 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?”

Thanks to a recent Bible study some of us at our church just completed, I have been reminded of the fact that once God's Word has been read or heard, then we are held double accountable to do what we know. With this knowledge, let us reread the above scriptures.

Now, knowing what God expects of us concerning our “word” or “vow”, I want you to think back over the day, past few days or weeks and think about how many times and to whom you have given your word or vow to, and ask yourselves if you have kept your word or vow. Have you told someone you would pray for them or told someone you would do something for them, and then allowed other things to cause you to break your word or vow? Do you speak with God and ask for Him to act for you by fulfilling some need you may have and tell Him you will do something for Him in return and then you don't or you stop for some reason?

Another word for vow, is covenant. A vow, like a covenant, are both like contracts. The difference between a contract and a vow or covenant, is a contract has an ending and “loop holes”. A vow and a covenant don't. Both, vows and covenants, have requirements and they are binding till death. Does that scare you? Looking back at some of the things you may have told others you would do, or vows you have made, are you recalling some things you didn't fulfill?

God's Word tells us that it is better not to vow, than to make a vow and not pay it. God does not except excuses and does not like to be put in second place, or any other place rather than first.

So, I ask the big question. Where is God on your priority list? When you ask God into your heart and to come and live inside of you, you made a vow, and a covenant with Him to make Him first in your life. No other place is worthy of, or of interest to Him. Is He? Realizing now that you have a covenant with God for Him to be first, a marriage vow, if you will, if you were to die today, what would the life you have lived reveal to God? Does He come first? Did you let the job come before Him? Did you let recreational activities come before Him? Did you let relationships come before Him? Did you let yard work come before Him?

When it comes to our relationship with God, our marriage vow, nothing or no one should come in between us. If we allow anyone or anything to be of more importance to us, then we are breaking that vow we made with God to allow Him to be first in our life.

Other activities, family members and things can be fun, needed and enjoyed, but when we allow them to circumvent our relationship and responsibility to God and His plan, we are breaking our vows to God. When we know that the church doors are open we should be fulfilling our vow to God and His people to be supporting and encouraging our brothers and sisters. When we allow our spouses, children, grandchildren, friends, football, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, TV, parents and whatever else to come in front of God, we are teaching all those whom God has put us in a position of influence over, that these things have more importance to us than does God.

Remember: In the good ole days a person's word and handshake were every bit as binding as a contract. Where did we lose our integrity?

Until next time, please pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,
Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

Sunday, April 15, 2012

“TRADITIONS”


Good morning. I pray you have been the recipient of some of this beautiful weather we have been having and were able to take advantage of it for your Easter celebrations. I also pray you were able to be in church and that you had a wonderful Easter filled with love, family and the presence of God.

Today, I want to talk to you about “Traditions”. We all have them for different times and seasons. Some of us go crazy worrying about Friday the 13ths, like the one coming up this Friday. But what about Easter? What are your traditions?

God established many traditions in the Old Testament for those to follow. Times for those to come together and celebrate different feast and to celebrate the times of harvest. But, none is more important than the time of the Holy Week.

The Gospel writers devoted much of their material to the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. The final week of His earthly ministry began with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the “Hosannas” from the crowd that changed to cries of “Crucify Him” before the week was over. Jesus apparently spent most of the week teaching in the temple area during the day. His evenings were spent in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. Significant events during this week included the plot of the Sanhedrin, Jesus' betrayal and arrest, the trials of Jesus, His journey to Golgotha down the Jerusalem street known today as the Via Dolorosa, and the Resurrection. After His resurrection, Jesus ministered another forty days before His ascension.

There is no way in the limited space I have in one of these to adequately portray the events of this weekend. I am going to try to condense as much as I can, and depend on you to look up the scripture when you can. Judas Agrees to betray Christ, Luke 22:1-6. The Passover is celebrated, Luke 22:14-18. The Lord's Supper is instituted and Christ predicts His betrayer, Luke 22:19-23. Christ predicts Peter's denial Luke 22:31-34. Christ prays in Gethsemane, Luke 22:39-46. Judas betrays Christ, Luke 22:47-53. Peter denies Christ, Luke 22:54-62. Christ is beaten, Luke 22:63-65. Christ goes through the trials of the Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod and Pilate again, Luke 22:66-23:25. Christ is crucified, Luke 23:26-49. Christ is buried, Luke 23:50-56. Then THE RESURRECTION, Luke 24:1-12

You may be saying, “what is the point to all of this and how does “traditions” play a part in this?”. Well, again, I'm glad you ask. Many people practice the “tradition” of the Easter Bunny. Coloring eggs and hiding them for all the little children to hunt and find. They have big elaborate baskets filled with all kinds of candy and toys. They put on their very best dresses and suits and head off to church and then enjoy a nice big family meal. You may be saying, “this describes our Easter Sunday's to a tee”.

If I have described your typical Easter celebrations and that is the end of it, then herein lies the problem. Many adults today cannot tell you the REAL reason for this celebration weekend.
If the adults cannot recall the reason for the celebration, then you know the children will not be able to and then the “tradition” of the “bunny” lives on forever, while the story of sacrifice, God in the flesh, willing to die, be brutally beaten, nailed to a cross and then die and rise on the third day, becomes some scarcely known fable.

What is wrong with this picture? It is the same thing that we are allowing to go on all over the world. We are becoming too busy to be able to sit down with our families and children and teach them of the “truths” of what Jesus has done for us and continues to do for us every day.

Then we have those who can tell you part of the story but not all of it. It is good to be able to tell our children that, “the stone was rolled away and nothing but the grave clothes were found”. But as they get older, they need to know what it took for Jesus to get to that point. How He chose to live a sinless 33 years so that He could be the sacrificial lamb, without blemish. How He could have called thousands of angels to come to His rescue, but He didn't. He chose to be abandoned, convicted while innocent, beaten beyond His own families' recognition, nailed to a cross like a common criminal, have His Father turn away from Him, die, be buried and then arise so that your sins, my sins and the sins of the whole world could be forgiven, and to prevent us from having to face such a death.

Take the time to establish good family traditions that include God and what He has done for us and will continue to do for us. The bearded man and a bunny are ok, but they have no eternal value, and after all, isn't that the most important tradition, (that God loves us and how we can spend eternity with Him), that we can pass down?

Remember: A tradition without the proper meaning, is like a newspaper without any ink.

Until next time, please continue to pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"I’VE HEARD ENOUGH"


Good morning. I pray you have been one of the blessed ones to be able to be outside enjoying some of this beautiful spring weather we have been having. I love this time of year when the pretty colors are all busting forth out of the ground. See the wonders of God that we take for granted. Would you miss the spring colors if they never came again?

Today, I am going to ask for a few moments of your undivided attention. I realize that at any moment you have the choice to stop reading, or even not open this at all. But, if you have taken the time to open this and have a heart opened to His Word, I believe you and I both are going to receive some valuable pearls from the Lord.

The title says, “I’ve heard enough”. Have you ever made that statement? Do you make that claim when you are at church? I have heard people say, I haven’t been to this church in a year, and I come back today, and that preacher is preaching the same thing today he was a year ago. How many times have you told your children, or someone else, I’ve heard enough? In what other areas of your life, have you decided that, you have heard enough, and stopped listening?

A sweet sister in Christ reminded me this week of a sermon I gave some years ago, where I shared with the congregation that we must remain “moldable” for God to be able to accomplish His work in us. Pondering on this conversation, I began thinking of people I have known or come into contact with who have become hard, cold and given up the ability to learn or grow any further. Are you one of these? Before you give me a quick snap answer, look down deep and really evaluate your spirit. Do you go to church every time looking for a message from God, or do you think, “I’ve heard a sermon like this before? Do you read His Word really expecting Him to speak to you, or do you say, “I’ve read that before and didn’t really get anything out of it”? Would you say that you have a teachable spirit? Do you know someone who you just cannot tell them anything they don't already know? Are you the type, or know someone who is the type that when you try to share something with them, or they ask you a question, and you give them the answer, they say, “yeah, I know but, “ or “yeah I knew that”? Let's see how God feels about some of this.

John 8:43 says, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” Jeremiah 26:2-6 says, “2 "Thus says the Lord: 'Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.' 4 And you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord: "If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, 5 to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.”

Romans 12:3 says, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Romans 1:22 says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools,” Matthew 11:25 says, “At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 says, Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."

I know I had a bit of a bigger opening today than normal, but I wanted to get your mind to thinking about the issue before we got into the Word. The point to all of this is that just when we think we know all we can know about a subject, God's Word reminds us that what we think we know is like a drop of water into the ocean of what He still can teach us,,,,,, if we are open to instruction. I am amazed how I still can learn from a child. God uses the lost to teach me valuable things that will help me the next time I come into contact with someone who is lost. Sitting outside today, a limb fell from the tree above me, teaching me and reminding me that “useless limbs” are pruned and cast into the fire.

God wants to spend time with us, but if we have the attitude that's “what's the use in reading the Bible, I've already read it”, then you are right, you will get nothing out of it. The next time you go to church and think, “wow, the preacher is preaching on this again”, it probably is because no one got it the first 20 times he preached it, and God has moved him to bring it to us again. God does not force Himself on anyone and He will not go where we will not allow.

Remember: God is the potter, and we are the clay. But if the clay hardens up and is no longer workable, the potter has to wipe the board clean and start over.

Until next time, please pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in Christ,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church