The Need for a Physician

Mark 2:15-17 "And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Jesus declared his mission to the world when He stated, "I come to seek and to save that which is lost." Jesus came to die for the sins of all mankind. He came to heal those who were diseased by sin. Their lives loaded down with hurt, worry and fear. He came to offer hope to those who had no hope. The self-righteous Pharisees didn't want anything to do with Jesus. They were the professed teachers of the "Law". They were leaders and guides in spiritual matters and they sought to discredit Jesus. Their accusation was that Jesus was hobnobbing with publicans and sinners. They would never deign to spend time in such an environment amongst such people. They were holy and religious and above this rabble. Jesus clearly and succinctly stated a spiritual principle that they desperately needed to hear. "They that are whole have no need of the physician." These publicans and sinners were exactly the crowd that Jesus came to save. He is still seeking the lost today! Have you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to heal you of the heart break and the disappointment. He wants to heal you of the loneliness and discouragement. Reach out and trust Him by faith today and let the healing begin.

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

God the Creator

Gen 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." What a wonderful statement to begin the Bible, the Word of God. It tells us emphatically that God is the creator. God through the power of His spoken Word created all that we see around us and even that which we can't see! We can't see the microscopic creation. We can't see the far reaches of interstellar space, but we can rest assured that God created it all. What a wonderful, powerful God we serve. John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." If our God is that omnipotent (All Powerful) then He can handle anything that comes to pass in my life.

The Light of the World

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John the Baptist revealed the world's response to the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. The light was truly shining in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. It seems amazing that the religious leaders of the day did not recognize Jesus Christ for whom He was. They had so polluted the law of God that they didn't recognize the appearance of their Messiah. These so-called teachers of the law had taken the law of God and ruined it with their man-made traditions and interpretations. How sad to be in such a dark place and the light is trying to shine, but a decision is made to quench the light.

First Things First

This past Sunday in our church services I was reminded again of the first priority of every church. Our missionary to Bogota, Colombia preached in the morning services and reminded the church of the foundation of every new testament church. Rom 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." First and foremost, the mission that God has imparted to the church is to carry the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the teaching and preaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the significance of this teaching to every human that populates this planet. This is the message that every Christian has to carry to the world. It is literally the power of God unto salvation. It is the message that leads to eternal life. We must never be ashamed of this message. We have an obligation to share the message with everyone. Our obligation exists to God when we consider what great things He has done for us.

Courage

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

It's incredible to hear the stories of faith contained in the Bible and down through history.  If you have a chance to read Fox's Book of Martyrs you will be amazed at the courage exhibited by persecuted Christians down through the ages.  There are Christians around the world that are bravely standing for their beliefs in societies where they know they will face persecution for their faith.  What is the incredible source of their boldness and courage?  Here in Hebrews 13:6 we see the true source of courage.  Courage for the Christian comes from knowing that the Lord is our helper.  We don't have to fear what man can do unto us.  We are safe and secure that when we leave this life we'll spend an eternity in the presence of our Lord in Heaven.  What do we really have to fear?  Matthew 10:28  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  The only fear that should exist in our lives as believers is the fear of the Lord.  Don't let fear control your life.  Be a fearless Christian understanding whom the source of your courage is! 

The Pledge of Allegiance

On the national news today there was a spot about a school principal requiring parents to sign a permission slip in order for their children to be able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at school.  What is happening to our country?  Is patriotism dying in this wonderfully blessed nation that we live in.  The United States of America was founded upon Christian principles.  All one has to do is to read the writings of our founding fathers and you will see mention of God in almost all of their works.  Our founding fathers understood that for our nation to prosper we had to give God his proper place.  Our children need to learn to have a love and devotion for our country.  This country has given so much to all of us.  Patriotism must survive.  We must love our country, but most importantly we must love our God.  Let us proudly proclaim that we are "One nation, under God."

1Timothy 1:17 "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 

Contentment for Today

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

The word "Conversation" literally means our way of life.  There is a very real danger in the life of every believer.  When we allow ourselves to covet what others have we are on a bitter path that will lead us away from our Lord.  When we covet what others have it is essentially saying to God that we're not satisfied with what He has provided for us in our lives.  If we're not careful we will even find ourselves envying those that do not love God and are the "Children of wrath" according to the Scriptures.  That is a sad condition for the believer, to envy those that are destined to an eternity apart from God.  We must learn to be content with what our Heavenly Father has provided.  He knows exactly what we need.  We may not have everything we want, but God knows us better than we know ourselves.  If God is withholding anything from us we can rest assured that it is for our own good according to Romans 8:28.  The reason that we can find contentment in our day to day lives is that God has given us a wonderful promise to never leave us or forsake us.  If I always have God's presence with me every moment of every day how can I possibly be discontent.