Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 21:11

Proverbs 21:11 Holman Christian Standard Bible

When a mocker is punished,

the inexperienced become wiser;

when one teaches a wise man,

he acquires knowledge.

Morning Scripture Reading - Ecclesiastes 6:9

Ecclesiastes 6:9 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Evening Scripture Reading - 1 Chronicles 22:17-19

1 Chronicles 22:17-19 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t He? And hasn’t He given you rest on every side? For He has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and His people. Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built for the name of Yahweh.”

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 25:12-15

Psalm 25:12-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

He will show him the way he should choose.

He will live a good life,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret counsel of the Lord

is for those who fear Him,

and He reveals His covenant to them.

My eyes are always on the Lord,

for He will pull my feet out of the net.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 21:10

Proverbs 21:10 Holman Christian Standard Bible

A wicked person desires evil;

he has no consideration for his neighbor.

Morning Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 29:10-14

Jeremiah 29:10-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible

For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”

Evening Scripture Reading - Isaiah 35:8-10

Isaiah 35:8-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible

A road will be there and a way;

it will be called the Holy Way.

The unclean will not travel on it,

but it will be for the one who walks the path.

Even the fool will not go astray.

There will be no lion there,

and no vicious beast will go up on it;

they will not be found there.

But the redeemed will walk on it,

and the redeemed of the Lord will return

and come to Zion with singing,

crowned with unending joy.

Joy and gladness will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 25:8-11

Psalm 25:8-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Lord is good and upright;

therefore He shows sinners the way.

He leads the humble in what is right

and teaches them His way.

All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth

to those who keep His covenant and decrees.

Because of Your name, Yahweh,

forgive my sin, for it is great.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 21:9

Proverbs 21:9 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Better to live on the corner of a roof

than to share a house with a nagging wife.

Morning Scripture Reading - Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Evening Scripture Reading - Revelation 5:13

Revelation 5:13 Holman Christian Standard Bible

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say:

Blessing and honor and glory and dominion

to the One seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 25:4-7

Psalm 25:4-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Make Your ways known to me, Lord;

teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are the God of my salvation;

I wait for You all day long.

Remember, Lord, Your compassion

and Your faithful love,

for they have existed from antiquity.

Do not remember the sins of my youth

or my acts of rebellion;

in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me

because of Your goodness, Lord.

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Having a Biblical Worldview

In last week’s message entitled, “Do Not Love the Things of This World”, I shared with you how the world can easily tempt you and lure you back to your disobedient ways. It doesn’t take much to fall prey to the enticements of worldly gain and pleasure. We are bombarded daily by television and Internet ads telling us that we need more of whatever advertisers are pushing. Billboards, radio ads and even our own mailboxes are filled with ways to get more out of life. In time, the temptation can get overwhelming and soon our feet slip. We backslide right back into the world and begin to push God out of the center of lives. When the whispers start to fill our ears daily, we should go to our pastors, but that has even changed.

In a recent study conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, 62% of pastors don’t have a biblical worldview. This means that these pastors have what is called a worldview of syncretism. This means that they don’t hold a strictly Christian view of the world. They prefer to have an amalgamation, or attempted amalgamation, of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought. Think of it as a religious buffet. Pastors are picking and choosing beliefs from different religions and blending them together to create a “feel good” religion. 

These pastors prefer to create their own religion by selecting ideas and beliefs that would make people happy with themselves just as they are. Like a buffet, they pick what they want and leave the rest for others to pick over. This is not what Jesus had intended when he preached a gospel of love and salvation. 

In chapter six of the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

To use the buffet analogy again, there are items on a buffet that are healthy and nutritional. These choices provide you with all of the necessary vitamins and minerals to make you healthier. However, there are items that look really good and catch your eye. The taste is wonderful as it goes down, but in the end, those choices are often the worst for us. They aren’t healthy choices at all. They look great, but they are far from what you need to remain strong and healthy. Some nutritionists refer to the bad choices as empty calories. They may fill you up and be pleasing to the palate, but they are not a good choice for you. These foods will often cause your blood sugar to spike and leave you run down in the end. But, there are pastors who would love to load your plate with bad food and continue to feed you watered down mess. 

When you think about the number of pastors who would rather serve doctored-up junk, you may feel that you don’t stand a chance when it comes to getting your daily allowance of God’s Word. Before you start feeding on the words of these pastors, I ask you to truly listen to their messages. If they don’t talk about sin or if they tell you that whatever you believe will get you into heaven, I ask you to listen to that tiny voice inside of you. The Holy Spirit is there to help you discern the Word of God.

The study further pointed out that many pastors, rather than building their thinking on God’s Word, are basing their beliefs on “personal preferences.” In short, many in the church, including its leaders, have set themselves up as the authority over God and His Word. With pastors pushing their personal preferences into the heads and hearts of their flocks, many members of the congregation will soon be disappointed and leave the church. Some will even become agnostics or even atheists. I have listened to many who left the church for one or more reasons and each had a common thread. They weren’t fed God’s Word or the bread of life. They were given poor substitutes that left them empty.

In the early 1900s, some people, in order to lose weight, ate tapeworms. The thought was that as a tapeworm grew in the intestines of the host, it would consume all of the food and the host could eat as much as they wanted. But, they failed to realize that the tapeworms were doing more damage. They not only deprived the host of food but they also deprived them of much needed vitamins and minerals. So, while they were losing weight, they were also getting weaker and weaker due to the lack of food and vitamins and minerals.

The same thing holds true when it comes to God's truth. Pastors, like tapeworms, deprive their flocks of the necessary nutrients to grow strong and healthy in their faith. Instead of preaching the truth, the pastors fill the minds and hearts of their congregations with spiritual junk food while slowly draining them of their money and ruining their spiritual relationship with God. Instead of providing the flock with the truth, these pastors prefer to inject their own opinions into the biblical text and draw their own conclusions and represent them as fact.

In his second letter to the young pastor, Timothy, Paul, in chapter two, writes, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.”

As pastors, God will hold us accountable for what we have done or failed to do. We should be good workers in the kingdom who represent the Word of God without personal commentary or withhold parts of His Word that may be uncomfortable to those who walk in darkness. Pastors are called by God, but there are some who treat it as more of an occupation rather than a calling. They made the choice to become pastors. God didn’t call them; they called on God as a way to their own fortune or desire. 

In the end, we will all be judged. We will all stand before the Father and as the Book of Life is opened, some will be disappointed when their names aren’t called. They will soon join those who will depart from the Lord.

Jesus, in chapter seven of the Gospel of Matthew, said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Some will hear these words while others will hear the words that all Christians long to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

If you find yourself feeling empty after going to church, I ask you to look to God for wisdom and discernment. Ask God to guide you to a church or pastor who truly preaches God’s truth and feeds you good, solid spiritual food to help you grow stronger. Each step we take along the path of righteousness requires strength. Only God’s unvarnished truth can provide for our daily needs and help us stand firm in His grace.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 21:8

Proverbs 21:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible

A guilty man’s conduct is crooked,

but the behavior of the innocent is upright.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 Chronicles 29:10-12

1 Chronicles 29:10-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Then David praised the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said,

May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.

Evening Scripture Reading - Luke 1:67-80

Luke 1:67-80 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

because He has visited

and provided redemption for His people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of His servant David,

just as He spoke by the mouth

of His holy prophets in ancient times;

salvation from our enemies

and from the clutches of those who hate us.

He has dealt mercifully with our fathers

and remembered His holy covenant—

the oath that He swore to our father Abraham.

He has given us the privilege,

since we have been rescued

from our enemies’ clutches,

to serve Him without fear

in holiness and righteousness

in His presence all our days.

And child, you will be called

a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord

to prepare His ways,

to give His people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s merciful compassion,

the Dawn from on high will visit us

to shine on those who live in darkness

and the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The child grew up and became spiritually strong, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 25:1-3

Psalm 25:1-3 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Davidic.

Lord, I turn to You.

My God, I trust in You.

Do not let me be disgraced;

do not let my enemies gloat over me.

No one who waits for You

will be disgraced;

those who act treacherously without cause

will be disgraced.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 21:7

Proverbs 21:7 Holman Christian Standard Bible

The violence of the wicked sweeps them away

because they refuse to act justly.

Morning Scripture Reading - Matthew 23:16-22

Matthew 23:16-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.’ Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells in it. And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne and by Him who sits on it.

Evening Scripture Reading - Luke 12:8-10

Luke 12:8-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible

“And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.