Hello Everyone,
Effective July 2009, the “What’s the Word” articles are now being published on David’s blog at:
www.davidyarborough.com
Stop by, read the article, and say hello!
Archive for the ‘What’s the Word?’ Category
What's the Word
Thursday, July 16th, 2009Do You Ever Ask Yourself …
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009Do you ever ask yourself the question, “What in the world is God up to? What is He doing?” There are times when we look at the circumstances we are facing, the struggles we are enduring, and the pain we are feeling, and we wonder “God where are you?”
I am sure many people in our nation are asking these types of questions. In light of a troubled economy, a record number of foreclosures, people losing jobs, and people losing money, I know that I have wondered what on earth God was doing. I don’t want to talk about what God is doing globally in the world today though. I want to talk about what God is doing in you. What is he doing in your life, in your relationships, and in your circumstances? Think about this questions particularly in light of your adversity, struggles, and trials.
The apostle James said, “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). There is a good chance that many of you are facing trials right at this moment. James said there are trials of many kinds. Trials are kind of like lifesavers. They come in many different colors and flavors – relationship issues, business struggles, financial pressures, health problems, emotional issues, etc.
You may have a hard time swallowing this, but according to the Bible, trials are not an elective course we get to take in life. Trials are a part of the core curriculum of life. James didn’t say “if” you face trials but “when.”
So how do you face your trials and challenges? When you are facing adversity, what is the attitude you choose to arm yourself with? Do you see your struggles, trials, and suffering as an opposition to your happiness or an opportunity for your holiness? Is God more concerned about your comfort or your character? The way you answer those questions will greatly determine your outlook when you face challenges in life. And the way you choose to answer those questions may also determine the outcome of God’s activity in your life, and your witness to others who watch you go through your trials.
One of the best known verses is Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). This scripture does not promise that everything is good, nor does it says that nothing bad will ever happen to Christians. The promise of God is that in all things, God can work for good. There is no situation, no matter how tough, that God cannot bring good out of it. The Bible is full of men and women who proved this truth. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and then thrown into prison in Egypt. In the end, God used all of his trials to raise him up to become a great leader that would save his own family during a time of famine (Genesis 50:20). He knew what his brothers had meant for evil, that God meant for good. Our God is so big that He can even take the painful, sinful actions of others and somehow turn them for our good if we will trust Him.
The greatest example of this is the cross. God took the murder of his innocent Son and has used it to continually bring grace and forgiveness to a broken world. Two thousand years ago, the cross was nothing more than a cruel and shameful instrument of execution. Today it is perhaps the greatest sign of hope the world has ever known. That is definitely a picture of God working things for good. We serve a great God. Just remember, when things don’t go the way they should, God always make them turn for good. And that’s the Word.
Foundation
Saturday, June 20th, 2009What is truth? That is a very relevant question in today’s world. You will hear many different responses depending on who you talk to. Some will say there is no way to know if there is ultimate truth. Others will say that what is true for one may not be true for another. In this case, truth is individualistic. We each decide upon truth for ourselves.
We certainly each have the right to decide our individual belief system. No one can choose that for us, nor should they. The question still remains though: is there a way that we can really know what is true? Is there an objective standard? How can we truly know if there is a divine design for human life?
Over the last couple of weeks, I have written about the power of the Bible. The Bible is a very unique book that many believe is the inspired revelation of God. Scripture itself speaks about its own inspiration. In Psalm 19, the writer speaks of God’s Word as a life giving word that can revive dead hearts, and as a light that can bring guidance to our lives.
The Psalmist also speaks of the enduring nature of God’s Word: “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous”( Psalm 19:9).
God’s Word endures forever. This means his word will take its stand forever. God has always been right in the past, and He will remain so in the future. God’s Word is not the latest fad. You will not find it on the shelf at your bookstore in the newest list of self-help books. It is certainly not the latest cultural trend, as so many people become more humanistic instead of Christ centered. Scripture will not be the most popular book for those who say we need to be more enlightened because we are now living in the 21st century.
According to God, all of those things are just fads that will one day pass away. So many of society’s values are built upon sinking sand, because they are not built upon the eternal wisdom of Almighty God. God’s ordinances are “sure.” This means that his word is firm, faithful, and reliable. God’s Word is not only sure, but altogether righteous. This communicates the idea of a straight path, or straight way. It is not crooked. God’s Word will not lead you astray.
The point is clear – God’s Word is the ultimate foundation for your life. The holy book of scripture is calling to you, seeking to offer a firm foundation for you to build your life upon.
What are you building your life upon? Where do you draw your truth from? In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of a man who built his house upon the sand, and another who built his house upon the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against both houses. The house on the rock did not fail because it had a firm foundation. The house on the sand fell with a great crash because its foundation was weak.
Jesus is very clear in his message. The man who built on the sand is like the person who hears his word but does not put it into practice. This is a life that is not built upon truth, therefore the foundation is weak. This lifestyle will ultimately collapse and fail. The man who built on the rock is like the person who hears God’s Word and lives it out. The storms will come, and the winds will blow, but this person’s life will stand the test of time. According to Jesus, there is no foundation to build your life upon other than word of God. So how is your foundation? Is it sure? Is it enduring? Is it built upon the rock? And that’s the Word.
Follow Pastor David on Twitter!
Light of the Word
Monday, June 15th, 2009Have you ever known what it was like to walk in darkness? Perhaps you can remember a time that you felt cut off from God, confused, and alone. I know that I often feel distant from God when I neglect to read my Bible.
One of the promises of scripture is that God’s word will give wisdom and light to those who are spiritually blind. The psalmist said, “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple… the commands of the Lord are radiant giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:7,8).
The truly wise person is one who makes decisions in light of reality and in light of truth. God’s Word reveals to us the ultimate reality of God and His Kingdom. And yet think about the world in which we live. So much of this world acts as if God didn’t even exist, as if there is no ultimate truth.
I have often thought about much of the entertainment that we watch. Most all of it ignores spiritual issues and any talk of the true and Living God. Everything in TV land or Hollywood is seen from a humanistic world view. You rarely see a story line where someone truly is looking to God for help or guidance. Even in tough times, it is all up to the hero to figure out how to save the day – by himself without any help from God.
It may work in the movies to leave God out of the picture, but I have seen too many people in real life make one self destructive decision after another because they would not submit to God. I have found myself at times making so many self centered and shortsighted decisions. If heaven wasn’t real, and if this life was all there is to it, then maybe living life our way makes sense. If we live as if this world is all there is to it, then we are living in the dark; therefore, we will view things such as self sacrifice, giving, forgiving others, staying committed in marriage, putting others first, developing true character, etc. as unimportant. Perhaps these and other Christian teachings will be seen as prohibitive, strange and undesirable.
I warn you though. The world’s way is not working. If it did, then I would say go for it. Just chase all this world has to offer. Live it up, drink it up and sex it up. It will not work though. I have seen too many marriages implode, people end up in addiction, people cheating others out of money, and people mis-prioritizing their families in the pursuit of wealth. It just leads to bondage, destrucion, and ultimately deep spiritual darkness – cut off from God and others.
What can lead us out of the darkness? The Word of God. “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word gives us wisdom. Gods’ Word gives light to our eyes. It is amazing how blind we can be, but we don’t often realize it until we expose ourselves to the light of God’s Word. Then we begin to see our errors, our bondage, and our darkness.
There is a story of a South Sea island native who proudly displayed his Bible to a G.I. during WW II. He had received it as a present from a missionary some time before. The soldier said, “Oh, we’ve outgrown that sort of thing.” The native smiled back and said, “Well, it’s a good thing we haven’t, because if it weren’t for this book helping to open our eyes, you would be our evening meal.”
Maybe you are living like a savage and don’t even know it. Could you be blind, living in spiritual darkness? Wisdom is a life that makes sense in light of reality and in light of eternity. And that wisdom and light shines from God’s Word. And that’s the Word.
(Follow Pastor David Yarborough on Twitter)
Word
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009What if you could wake up every morning and have a personal encounter with Jesus? What would you think if He promised to meet with you and speak to you each day? I know that may sound far fetched to you, but God has promised to speak to you. God declares that the Bible is His word.
Throughout the Old Testament, the scriptures are referred to as the law of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the statutes of the Lord, etc. All of these phrases are just different ways of referring to scripture, but the phrase that is consistent is “of the Lord.” The Old Testament people of Israel believed that God had spoken to them, and continued speaking to them through His Word. The New Testament confirmed this teaching. The apostle Paul said, “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) This means that scripture was inspired of God, and not by man. I agree. There is certainly no way that man could have come up with the Bible on his own inspiration.
The apostle Peter described the inspiration of scripture as men who spoke from God, carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20,21). What we believe about scripture is incredibly important. Most everyone acknowledges the Bible is a unique piece of literature. The real question, however, is do we believe the scriptures are the inspired, infallible Word of God?
I love this quote from author and pastor John Piper: “We are a people of the Book. We know God through the Book. We meet Christ in the Book. We see the cross in the Book. Our faith and love are kindled by the glorious truths of the Book. We have tasted the divine majesty of the Word and are persuaded that the Book is God’s inspired and infallible written revelation.”
Many Christians have discovered that the Bible is a life-changing book. Spiritual growth and change of any real depth will not take place apart from God’s Word. We must hear from God through His Word if our lives are truly going to be transformed. The great evangelist D. L. Moody said that the scriptures were not given “for our information but for our transformation.”
In Psalm 19, King David declared that “the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” He was speaking of the power of God’s Word to bring life to our cold, dead hearts. God’s Word can revive our soul. It literally helps revive the heart, and bring it back to life.
As you read this column, your heart is in one of two places. First, your heart might be dead, absent of any true spiritual life with God. Secondly, your heart may be spiritually alive but it is in jeopardy of becoming dull and hard. Proverbs 4 cautions us to guard our hearts with all diligence. It would be one thing if every day with Jesus just naturally got better and better without any problems or struggles. Life is not like that though. Life is a battle. There are days when our hearts and disposition are as sour as a lemon. Some days we just have no strength. If every day got better, we would have no need to be revived. As humans though, we need revival. We need our hearts to be softened again, to be awakened and stirred to fresh passion for God again.
God’s Word has life giving power for the dead heart, and life sustaining power for the heart that God has awakened. Our life with God begins with His Word, and we must stay alive by His Word. You cannot and will not maintain a dynamic, spiritual apart from the Word of God.
Do you want to hear God speak? Do you need to hear God speak? Get into His Word consistently, and let your soul be revived. And that’s the Word.
Do You Want to Change?
Saturday, May 30th, 2009Do you want to change? That is a question I asked last week. I also talked about how we change. True spiritual growth and change is not a product of our own effort or performance. God is the One who makes things grow. And God is the One who makes people grow. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are helpless to truly grow spiritually. We need God if we are to become godly. Only Jesus can produce his life, his love, and his character in us.
Last week, we said that one of the great hindrances to true spiritual growth is a lack of understanding about who God is. There is another huge hindrance to spiritual growth that I often see in many Christians. The problem is self righteousness. The self righteous person basically feels they are good enough, or they are just not that bad of a person. The root of self righteousness is based upon one’s own ability, performance and effort to please God by keeping his law and commandments. Self righteousness is falsely rooted in the idea that you can behave good enough for God or that you can earn God’s favor through human effort. Our culture is full of people who think they live a pretty good life and that they are fine, more than good enough for God.
If a person thinks they are good enough for God though, then they really don’t need God. They will find no need for his grace either. God will be a nice little addition to their life, but there will be no sense of real need. And if you do not know your need for God and His grace, then growth and change will be hard to come by. The moment you think you can grow on your own, then you are no longer depending upon God for true change in your life.
If I can be honest with you, I think most of our churches are filled with self righteous people. Most of us church people think we are pretty good, especially when we compare ourselves to others. We look at the 10 commandments and think, “I haven’t murdered anyone or robbed a bank lately.” Jesus took it deeper though. He said if you hold hatred or bitterness in your heart against another, then you are a murderer. I know that is tough stuff, but that is what Jesus said. Jesus wants to make sure that we remain humble. Jesus did not die for us because we were good people.
The Apostle Paul said, “… no one will be declared righteous in (God’s) sight by observing the law; rather through the law we became conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). Paul was telling us that we could never become righteous before God by obeying all the law. The reason is because no one will obey it perfectly. We will continually fail. Paul’s point is that the law is there to actually help us become aware of our sin. How would you know that it is wrong to be jealous if God never said, “Thou shall not be jealous?” If God did not give us his commandments, we would think we are fine. The commandments not only show us what a righteous life should look like, but they also show us how far we fall short. God’s commandments are meant to keep us from becoming self-righteous. The law is meant to make us see our need for Jesus, and for our grace.
The whole point of God’s Word, and especially of the law and commandments is to help drive you to Jesus. Do you want to change? Do you want to grow? Then realize that you are not as good as you think you are, and let that drive you closer to Jesus. You will find that his love and grace are sufficient for your life. And that’s the Word.
Grace
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009Do you want to change? Do you think you can change? I think deep down, all of us know that we have a need to change and to grow. Well, how do we grow as Christians? Some people have an idea for growth that goes like this: Sin is bad. So just stop it. Don’t you wish it were just that easy? Some just want the “holy zap.” They pray and ask others to pray for them and just think God is going to give them one good zap to take away all of their problems. There are certainly times where God can do an instantaneous work, but I think that God most often changes us over time through a process of spiritual growth and maturity. As we think about true spiritual growth and change, we must also remember that God is the source of our growth and change. The apostle Paul said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)
It is only God who makes things grow. I remember when I first began to understand that God was truly the source of spiritual life. It wasn’t based on how good I was. It wasn’t based on my performance. True growth and change were only possible as God was at work in my life. The Holy Spirit was the true change agent, and the more I was open to Him, the more my life would be transformed from the inside out.
One of the greatest obstacles to growth and change in our lives is a wrong view of God. If you do not understand God’s character and nature, growth will be very hard for you. If God is the true source of change, but you do not really understand His nature or you are unsure about where you stand in your relationship with him, then you will not expect much change to happen. If I do not believe this God can change me and wants to, then how I can cooperate with his work in my life.
We must shift our view from a God of law to a God of grace. This means we need to move our understanding from a God who is out to get us, to a God who is out to help us. As a Christian, is God for you? Or is He against you? The way you answer reveals your understanding of God. As Christian, God is not against you – even if you are in sin. He will convict you, or maybe even break you, but it is always for your good. He loves you.
If you view God as nothing more than a God of law, then you mainly think of God as a God of rules. You probably think his favorite word is NO! And you most likely think God is ticked off at you if you fail and make mistakes.
Scripture tells us that Jesus “was pierced for our transgressions… the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” (Isaiah 53:5) Does that sound like a God who it ticked off with you? No, Jesus took God’s wrath against our sin upon Himself so we could be forgiven. When we turn our lives over to Jesus, we meet a God of grace. God’s grace doesn’t just mean that we are forgiven. God’s grace includes God’s power that enables us to grow and change. It is God’s grace that allows God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Grace means we have been given God’s favor in our lives. Grace means we have God’s power available to us. Grace means that our God is for us. Grace means that we can grow and change with God’s help. Only God can make things grow. And our God wants to help us grow, as we love Him, seek Him, and trust Him. Thank God for grace. And that’s the Word.
Flame
Saturday, May 16th, 2009How is your marriage flame burning? Does it seem like a fire than burns brightly and strong? Is it more like a spark that you are trying to keep alive? Or is it like more like a pile of ashes that have long since grown cold?
If marriage is compared to a flame, it is a flame that must be tended to often if it is going to continually burn. I heard Rob Bell, a gifted communicator, refer to marriage as a flame that is made up of three smaller flames. Each of these flames must be combined together for the marriage flame to really burn strong.
The first flame is the flame of friendship. I spoke about the importance of this several weeks ago in this article. A husband and wife were meant to be companions for each other. They should truly become best friends. People who just have physical attraction as the basis of their relationship will easily become bored with each other. They will eventually want to move on to someone else in the future. Best friends do not get bored with each other. Best friends do not feel the need to move on.
In the Old Testament, a newly married man was not allowed to go off to war. He was called to stay at home with his wife. Even the best of generals would not have looked down on him. Do you think this was because the Lord thought it was so important for the new young couple to take time to get to know one another? Friendship creates intimacy between a man and a woman.
The second flame is the flame of lasting commitment. God’s love for us is unconditional love. God is committed for the long haul. He will not back out, or give up on us – even on our worst days. God is not looking for an out.
It is this type of commitment that God wants us to build our marriages upon. Just as God says, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you,” we are called to the same love and commitment.
In the Song of Solomon (a great biblical romance story), the woman says to her man: “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.” (Song of Songs 8:6) A seal was a sign of ownership. When she said, “place me as a seal over your heart,” she was telling him that she wanted his heart to belong to her. She didn’t want any other woman in his heart, or on his arm. She didn’t want to share him. When she described love being stronger than death and as unyielding as the grave, she was speaking about the permanence of the marriage commitment. It is a pledging of two lives together, for better for worse. Sometimes in marriage, the only flame burning is the flame of commitment. You must keep that flame burning though in order to make it through the tough times.
The last flame God wants us to nurture is the flame of romance. This is an important aspect of marriage, and healthy marriages keep this flame alive. The flame of romance will never sustain a marriage by itself. And yet, it should continually burn on in a marriage. Romance brings warmth to a marriage. I heard it said that Satan will do everything he can to get a couple into bed with each before marriage, and do everything to keep them out after marriage. The flame of romance and passion should be a continual source of love for a couple.
Three flames creating one bigger FLAME! As we nurture the flame of friendship, the flame of commitment, and the flame of romance, the flame of marriage can and will burn stronger and brighter through time. So don’t flame out in your marriage. And that’s the Word.
National Day of Prayer Night
Saturday, May 9th, 2009My heart is full as I write this article. Tonight I had the privilege of gathering with several hundred Christians from around our community for the National Day of Prayer. We came for two purposes: to praise our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, and to cry out to Him on behalf of our nation and community.
I do not know if that sounds exciting to you or not, but it was absolutely awesome. The Spirit of God was there. God smiled on our time together. It has been a while since I have experienced such an awesome sense of the Lord’s presence. I could have literally stayed all night and prayed and praised with this group.
We gathered together from many denominations and churches – Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Charismatics, Pentecostals and more. We gathered together as black and white. We gathered together as one – one people under one God. We gathered as a people at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. Our love for Jesus and desire for his blessing upon our lives and nation was greater than any of our differences. There was a sweet spirit of unity in Philadelphia Overcomers Church tonight.
I really believe that it pleases God when His people can cross denominational and racial lines to praise Him together. Jesus even prayed that we would be one: “I pray also for those who believe in me … that all of them may be one… May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:20, 23). If Jesus prayed for our unity, it must be very important to the Lord. Our unity as Christians can also be a real witness to the world. When our love and devotion to Jesus is greater than our differences, it makes our voice for Christ seem louder.
Psalm 133 also speaks of the power of unity among God’s people: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robe. It as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133:1-3).
This psalm provides some unique insight into the power of unity as believers in Christ. It describes the power of unity as the precious oil poured on the head of Aaron the priest, and running down his beard and upon his robes. The oil here refers to the anointing oil that would poured over and upon the Old Testament priest as a symbol of their complete consecration and devotion to the Lord. Oil in the Bible is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit and His work in the lives of God’s people. The passage seems to describe how the unity of God’s people brings about the power and anointing of God’s Spirit. When the body of Christ gathers together as one, the presence of God’s Spirit is real and powerful.
The psalm also describes our unity as the dew of Hermon. The dew of Hermon was very thick and profuse, and it ensured that Mount Zion was well watered. This meant that Mount Zion would be very rich and fertile. The last description given is that the Lord would command his blessing and life on the place where his people are gathered in unity.
I hope you are following along with me. What all this means is that God loves unity a whole lot. When God finds his people gathering together as one, God promises to send His Spirit. God declares that His blessing will be there, and it will be a rich and fruitful place. That is what I think we experienced tonight at Philadelphia Overcomer’s Church. We gathered as one, and God smiled. God blessed. God poured out His Spirit, and we left full – full of His love, His power, and His grace. And that’s the Word.
Love and Respect
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009All of our marriages could use a little more love and respect. These are two key ingredients in a healthy marriage. Scripture says, “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” (Ephesians 5:33). This verse speaks to the basic needs and desires that a man and woman have in their marriage.
According to scripture, God calls the man to be the head of his wife. This means that he is called to be a servant leader in his home. Some women may struggle with the idea of the man being called the head of the women, but deep down I believe most women want a strong man they can trust their life with. I believe most women don’t feel as secure when they are the ones having to lead the family morally, spiritually, financially, and in the area of discipline with the kids. A woman doesn’t want Conan pushing her around the house, but she doesn’t want a piece of milk toast either. There are a lot of men who are very passive when it comes to responsibility around their home. They can build a business, develop business networks, lower a golf score, kill an 8-point buck with a bow, but they may check out at home. They don’t lead. They don’t initiate. Most women want a man who will value them, and that they can trust enough to follow. A man is also called to love his wife as Christ loved the church. Christ’s love was active. It was much more than an emotion. He demonstrated his love by giving his life. The love we have for our wives should be active.
Men, do you know what your wife’s love language is? In other words, what is that you can do that really lets her know you love her? If you don’t know, ask her. She can tell you what makes her feel loved. She can tell you what it is that you can do to communicate your love. My wife likes quality time and acts of service. That means the best way I can tell her I love her is to wash the dishes and plan a date to spend time with just her. The bottom line is that your wife wants to know that she is loved and valued. So guys, how are you doing? Not sure? Go ask your wife.
Women, do you know what a man wants in a wife? He wants a wife who will show him honor and respect. This makes a man feel that he is good, that he has what it takes. If you look at the major marriage passages in the New Testament, God never tells a woman to love her husband. Instead God focuses on the word respect. It has been said that every woman wants to be loved, and that every man wants to be admired. This must be why God calls a woman to respect her husband.
According to some research, most women can distinguish between love and respect. This means they can love their husband, but not respect him. For a man, this does not compute. If he doesn’t feel his wife respects him, then he doesn’t feel loved. Men can’t separate the two. A wife is actually loving her husband as Christ calls her to when she shows him honor and respect.
Our God is a God who calls husbands to love their wives when they are unlovable; and wives are called to respect their husbands even when they are un-respectable. So God’s plan for a solid marriage is “Love and Respect.” When a couple can give these to one another, they begin to meet the deepest needs of each other’s heart. Sound good to you? Well go try it. And that’s the Word.