Are You Ready?

Gtcotr/ss090124 

Luke 19:10  “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

One day Jesus was talking with a large group of people in a town near the Sea of Galilee. He was telling them about the ministry and the message of John the Baptist. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of Messiah. Jesus said that there had never been a greater prophet born of a woman than John the Baptist. Let’s read:

 

Luke 7 NKJV

29  And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

• Common people and even the worst sinners acknowledged God and repented of their sins and were publicly water baptized.

• The Pharisees however were a self-righteous lot who rejected the notion they needed to repent.After all they were the important religious, political, and academic leaders of the day … some were attorneys who worked for the government. 

• What would it look like for your local and national leaders, or their attorneys, to publicly admit they were wrong and needed to change? People might lose confidence in the system.

 

36 ¶  Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.

• Note that an unrepentant, self-righteous Pharisee who had just rejected the will of God for his life, invited Jesus to have dinner at his house …

• And … even knowing what Jesus knew about him, Jesus went!

• I have this feeling that Jesus will go anywhere He is invited.

 

37  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

38  and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

• The Pharisee had already rejected the will of God for his life.

• Then the Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner. (Probably as a matter of pride, wanting to have this famous man in his house as a symbol of his community status.)

• Now, the Pharisee begins to insult Jesus and criticize Him.

 

39  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

 

This Pharisee … if all he was going to do was to judge and complain, why did he even invite Jesus to his house? And on top of that … Why did Jesus go? What did Jesus expect? What did Jesus accomplish? Was it worth it?

 

Let’s take these one by one. We will go in reverse order:

1. Was it worth it?

a. Yes! Well worth it to Jesus and to the woman.

b. Not everyone will get saved … but for those who do … putting up with a little rejection, a little criticism, a little complaining … it’s well worth it.

2. What did Jesus accomplish?

a. He accomplished the goal of His ministry: To seek and save the lost. That’s the reason He came.

b. He found what He was looking for. It may not have been what some think was the most important person at the party, but Jesus found the next one He was looking for. 

3. What did Jesus expect?

a. Jesus expected to find someone who wanted to be forgiven and needed to be saved. He knew God would have someone waiting on Him to get there.

b. Jesus expected to find a lost person who wanted to be found.

4. Why did Jesus go to the Pharisee’s house?

a. Because He was invited.

b. Jesus will go anywhere He is invited. Jesus has something to say everywhere He goes.

c. And God always has someone ready to be saved.

 

Luke 7 NKJV

44  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

45  “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.

46  “You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

47  “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

48  Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50  Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

 

God always has someone ready to be saved. Are you ready? 

• You may be the only one in the house ready to go all in for Jesus.

• It may not even be your house.

• You might be the primary reason Jesus accepted this invitation to dinner.

• We could be religious Pharisees, filled with pride and fleshly motives and yet still Jesus would have come here today, just for you.

 

There is no doubt that God prepared the heart of this woman and when she heard Jesus was in the house, she came in only expecting to pour out of her heart and worship Him. She didn’t expect the Pharisee to help her.

 

She was a sinner. She knew it, the people in town knew it, and Jesus knew it. Yet, she was the very person Jesus was looking for in a place she didn’t even belong.I wonder how many people will get saved in places today where nobody even wants them, just because someone invited Jesus to the meeting.

 

Both Jesus and the woman got what they wanted that day and the woman left forgiven, saved, and with the new found peace of God in her life. 

 

Are you ready? Your sins are forgiven! Let’s pray.

 

“Go in Peace.”

Save Yourself

Gtcotr/ss082524

This Sunday marks 36 years that I have been the Pastor of this congregation. I was 33 years old when we began this journey together and, in that time, we have impacted untold numbers of lives for Christ here in Southeast Texas and around the world. By the grace of God the sun truly never sets on the ministry of Golden Triangle Church on the Rock.

Living life with a large family of Believers has given me a healthy respect for good advice from God’s word. I have come to depend on the Bible as the guide of life. It is indispensable counsel from heaven designed to lead us in critical times. I trust the scriptures now more than ever before.

Along with the responsibility God has graciously given me, and in light of the times we live, I feel a great need to warn Believers about the tricks of the devil and encourage them to walk in wisdom in these last days. And believe me, we are in the last days. In fact, You are not only living in the last days, you are living in the only days you have. Every generation has but a few days in which to live out their lives and accomplish their work for Jesus.

Today we are going to consider what is in us and also what it is that is putting pressure on us from the outside. What, or should I say, who is influencing you?

First: What is in us? Who are you? And What can you do about you?

Psalm 1 NKJV

1 ¶  Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 ¶  The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

For the past 5 decades, I have served the Lord. I have prayed mountains of prayers, read endless volumes of Holy Scriptures, sang enough worship songs to fill all the heavens with the praises of God, and preached to individuals and multitudes all over the world. The results of my diligence towards the things of God have led me to conclude: 

There are Godly and ungodly people in this world. The last two verses of the first chapter of Psalms confirms and concludes:

Psalm 1 NKJV

5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6  For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Unfortunately, Just as iron sharpens iron, people influence people. Who we allow in our lives will either push us to be more like God or draw us farther away. It can be so subtle and yet God speaks about the power and the potential of others we invite to influence us.

Remember, you are in your last days. You do not get to decide if these are your last days, you only get to decide if they are your best days.

People often imagine and say, “If I could just save one person, it would all be worth it.” Well you can … that one person you can save is yourself.

2 Timothy 3 NKJV

1 ¶  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

2  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

4  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Paul is not talking about you becoming lovers of yourselves or lovers of money or blasphemers or unthankful or out of control slanderers or brutal traitors – He is talking about other people around you. People who have the potential to influence you and draw you away from God and godliness.

5  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

They may look or sound godly, they may even quote scripture, but they have no holy intent. (Luke 4)

Verse 6 says They creep in unaware and lead the gullible away as captives. They are deceived and driven by ungodly designs and they want you to stand with them. For this reason, the Holy Spirit instructs us to:

Proverbs 22 NKJV

24 ¶  Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,

25  Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.

1 Corinthians 15:33  Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

2 Timothy 3 NKJV

13  But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

From such people turn away. Only you can clean up and clean out your life! Only you can save yourself and throw out the lifeline to others.

Let your light shine but do not be drawn down into the darkness.

The devil is looking for an opportune time (Luke 4:13) to influence and deceive you.

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

How can we know?

Matthew 7 NKJV

15  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

16a  “You will know them by their fruits.

There are godly and ungodly people in this world. The first person you need to save is yourself.

We should always let our light shine for Jesus, but we should not be drawn down into the darkness. Fishing is different than swimming with the fish.

The best way to not get stuck in an ungodly relationship is to never make one in the first place. However, the message today will have to find its own place in your heart. Your take-away needs to come from the Holy Spirit.

Allow me to pray for each one of us this morning and lets allow the Holy Spirit to seal His word and intent in each one of our hearts.

Prayer and altar call.

Our Amazing, Wonderful, Awesome, Magnificent, All-Knowing, All-Seeing and All-Powerful God

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Proverbs 16:9  A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

 

Today we will take a behind the scenes look at a woman in the Bible named Ruth and draw two conclusions that will serve us in life.

 

Matthew 1 NKJV

1 ¶  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

2  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

3  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

4  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.

5  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

6  and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by (Bathsheba) her who had been the wife of Uriah.

 

The portion of the genealogy we just read covers more than a 1000-year period. You must admit, this was a very beautifully detailed and flawlessly executed plan of God to bring Messiah to a lost and dying world. Only our amazing, wonderful, awesome, magnificent, all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful God could orchestrate and accomplish something like this.

 

Ruth was a God chosen great grandmother of Jesus. She was destined to be the wife of a man named Boaz who was a wealthy older Jew from the tribe of Judah living in the town of Bethlehem over 1100 years before Christ. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David, the King. (Ruth 4:22)

 

Ruth was a woman of destiny. She was from the country of Moab, which was located east of Israel, across the Dead Sea. She was born and raised in a completely different country, culture, custom and even in a different generation than Boaz. The book of Ruth details the account of how God brought these two people together to accomplish His plan and to bring about the birth of Jesus according to every prophecy written beforehand. 

 

A survey of the grandmothers and grandfathers of Jesus reveals God’s plan to include every people group, all nations, kindreds, tribes, and tongues in the lineage of Messiah. Ham, Shem, and Japheth, (the sons of Noah from whom all the earth is currently populated), can all be found in Christ.

 

No one singular people group can lay exclusive claim to Jesus. And, no one is left out. We have all sinned and God has included us all in the Promise of salvation.

 

Ruth was destined to marry a man she had no chance of ever meeting. She was a vital link in the plan of God but the odds of these two people having a son were astronomical. Put yourself in their shoes … no chance at all. Thankfully, God never leaves His plan to chance. He always provides a path for His purpose to unfold. We make plans but the Lord directs steps.

 

At times, our journey to God’s destiny for our lives leads through difficult moments. Yet, The journey is our friend. Although difficult at times and often unappreciated, it is the journey that prepares us to embrace our destiny at just the right time. No story tells it better than the story of Ruth.

 

Allow me to share her account in brief. And I encourage you to read the whole book of Ruth this week. It will take only about 20 to 30 minutes. If you are not a reader, put your Bible app on audio and listen to the whole story. (The story of Ruth in brief …)

• Ruth was raised in shame – after all, she was a Moabitess 

• She and her sister married Jewish immigrant brothers

o Mahlon (was) = weak & sickly

o Chilion (was a) = worrisome failure

• Ruth was childless for 10 years. No doubt she was a good wife.

• Widowed at an early age

• Poor unemployed migrant, gleaning the fields of other men to survive

• Her diligence and hard work caught the attention of the owner of the fields, her future husband, Boaz.He was impressed with her.

• He instructed his farmhands to “… let fall some handfuls of purpose for her.” (Ruth 2:16)

• Boaz redeemed Ruth because she was a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11). 

• Boaz is a picture of Jesus. He did not just rescue Ruth, He redeemed her. He didn’t just fix her past, He transformed her future.

• This was her destiny. It was not her plan … it was God’s plan.

• The way she lived her journey made her destiny so much sweeter.

 

God expected Ruth to be committed and submitted to her first husband for the decade they were married before he died. There is no doubt she was working hard and believing in the future they were building, doing her best, never realizing she was being provided for, protected, prepared, positioned, and promoted to be the woman Boaz would respect and accept to be his wife and the mother of the son of his old age. This is the woman God chose to be the Moabite grandmother of His only begotten Son, Jesus.

 

Ruth teaches us to be faithful in our journey - Ruth was … It was in her nature. We can see this exemplified in Ruth’s vow to her mother-in-law in:

 

Ruth 1 NKJV

16  But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or toturn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

17  Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”

 

Ruth was committed and behaved virtuously in every moment she faced. Whether she was married to a worrisome, weak and fearful failure, or when she became a widowed migrant worker, or the wife of one of the wealthiest members of the royal family of Judea… It was her nature to be kind and hardworking, committed and loyal. No wonder God planned a future for Ruth that only He could orchestrate. You are in His plan as well!

 

Two things we learn from Ruth today:

1. God is all that!

2. We must be faithful to walk the path God has chosen for our lives. Only then will our journey be joyful and our destiny even sweeter.