2 MINUTE WARNING

The question will often come up:

How Can You Afford To Do This?

This follow Jesus thing.  It takes time.  It takes money.  Sometimes it feels like you are going in reverse in terms of keeping up with the world.

So that question arises, especially in my head.

How can you afford to continue to do this?

As I ponder this question, and this God, and this world that He has put us in, I can only be drawn to the exchange between Jesus and Peter.  Tired of being followed by a crowd that was only interested in signs and wonders, Jesus told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood.  As they left, Jesus turned to His disciples:

John 6 ⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

There are days when this gospel simply does not make sense.  Sometimes, the skeptics will even attain the momentary power to make us question … but we must stand up and be accountable … every day.  Jesus has given us so so much.  And He has given us the power to overcome.

When the question comes up in my mind, I respond in my mind by saying:

The question is NOT:  How Can You Afford To Do This?

The question IS:  How Can You Afford NOT To Do It?

“Thank You Jesus.

Where could I possibly go?  You, and You alone, hold the keys to eternal life.”

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

All 66 Books contribute to the story and give us a picture of God’s Love for us

Satan’s Lie…THE FATHER’S WORD

You Are An Accident…YOU WERE CREATED FOR PURPOSE

Genesis 1 God created the heavens/earth

Psalm 139  I knew you in your mother’s womb

Esther 4:14B You were made for this time

Song of Solomon 8:4 Don’t awaken love before it stime

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith

2 Chronicles 31:21 Hezekiah sought God & prospered

John 1 The word became flesh                 

Colossians 3:23 Work for the Lord and not for man

1 Corinthians 15:58 Work for the Lord    

Micah 6:8 Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly

Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous      

1 Peter 3:15 Be prepared to give an answer

Ruth 2:12 Reward from Father for trust   

3 John 1:8 Show hospitality to the believer

Philemon 1:6 Share your faith                  

Mark 10:43 Live as a servant

A Loving God Would Not Allow This…WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD

Genesis 6:5-6:6 He regretted the creation.  

Job 3:25-26 no peace, quiet, rest-only turmoil.

Exodus 16:3 They longed to go back         

James 1:13 God does not tempt us

Jude 1:18 In last days there will be scoffers

Ezekiel 36:31 You will remember your detestable ways

1 John 2:16 Lust, pride NOT from God     

John 16:33 I have overcome the world!

Have Fun–You Only Live Once…YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN (BBA)

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Love God and Obey.    

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them a new spirit/heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 I will forgive them           

Deuteronomy 30:6 I will change their hearts

Habakkuk 3:18 Rejoice that He is Savior

Malachi 3:16 The Lord heard those who honored Him

John 3 You must be born again                 

Acts 1:8 You receive power when the Spirit comes

It Is Too Late To Go Back Now…THE FATHER WAITS FOR US

Hosea 14:4 I will heal and love them.                  

Lamentations 3:22-23 Love/Mercy new

Jonah 4:11, Numbers 14, Nehemiah 9, Joel 2 He is merciful

1 Chronicles 29:11 Everything is YOURS!

Haggai 2:9 The future glory will be greater

Luke 15:11-32 The Prodigal Son                

2 Peter 3:9 He waits patiently for us to repent

Romans 5:8 While sinners, Christ died for us 

Revelation 3:20 He stands at the door and knocks

I Can Do This On My Own…I AM LOST WITHOUT MY FATHER

Psalm 51:10 Renew me                             

Romans 3:23 all have sinned

Matthew 12:34 Out of the overflow         

Proverbs 17:3 Gold and Silver tested

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful.     

Isaiah 64:6 Our good works are like filthy rags

Ezra 3:11 They praised Him for the foundation

Nahum 1:7 The Lord cares for those who trust Him

Phillipians 4:13 He is my strength             

1 Samuel 2:3, Obadiah 1:3 Our pride hurts us

2 Kings 4:7 He is provider/pays our debt  

1 Kings 8 He is Promise Keeper and God who hears

Titus 3:5 He saved us because of His mercy

Daniel 2:20 Praise His Name FOREVER

I Will Never Measure Up…I BELONG TO PERFECTION

Ephesians 2:10 We are His workmanship 

2 Corinthians 5:17 In Christ you are new creation.

Leviticus 23:28 Atonement for sinners     

Galatians 2:20 Christ lives in me

Zechariah 13:2 I will remove idols, impurity

Amos 5:14 Seek good and the Lord will be with you

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Grateful in all things  

2 Timothy 3:16 Scripture is God-breathed

2 John 1:6 Walk in love                             

Judges 6:12 The Lord is with you, mighty warrior

2 Samuel 22:3 The Lord is my stronghold 

Hebrews 4:16 Come boldly to throne of grace

Zephaniah 3:16-17  He will rejoice over you

2 Thessalonians 2:13 Do not tire of doing what is good

Our Bible tells a story. And this is my LIMITED and BROKEN summary of the story that it tells.

The greatest book ever written~

A Love Letter Written Outside Time and Space, recorded by people who knew the Author

66 Books, 40 Authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages on 3 different continents

You were created by a Father who knows you and loves you anyway.  He wanted you to have all that you needed and freedom.  Freedom to access all that He had that was was good:  a place of perfect love and protection, a place where all you needed was available, and a place of perfect family.

But your freedom was not good, because you were not good, and in that came a desire to crave things that were not good for you.  This was true of your great, great …. great grandparents, their children, their children, their children …. their children, and now, you.  For all of us it is simple:  We crave what is not good, we chase after things we don’t need, we do things that bring dishonor to a normal person, much less a Perfect Father.  We are born into that which is broken.  In this broken place, the love is not there, the protection is not there, what you need is not there, and families are broken.  And when you live in a place that is broken, things break.

Now in that broken place there is often three things that happen:  People either party in excess and continue their cravings, they fix it with all the work they can ever do, or they give up.

And so we can choose the YOLO lifestyle and crave all the things that we could ever want.  But in that place, there are some truths that you should know:

There is no drink strong enough, no drug potent enough, no love deep enough, no bank account big enough, no party fulfilling enough, no fame great enough, no appetite satisfied enough, and no longing small enough that any of the things that we chase could EVER, EVER be filled.  And in that pursuit we come to the end of ourselves, and we have to ask, even in our greatest moment, is this AS GOOD AS IT GETS?

Our second option is to choose work.  And so we find ourselves trying…..We try to harvest a field that does not grow, We try to sell a product no one will buy, We try to build a house that will not stand.  

We try, and we fail, and we come…to the end of ourself.

Or perhaps we go to option three, and we simply give up… and we come…to the end of ourselves.

All this time the Father who gave us everything waits for us to come home.  He waits and He waits, yearning for His child to return home so that He might cover us in all the love He can give.  He has to wonder, “why did I give my child the choice to leave?  Why?”  But He knows that if you love something…you set it free….  And so He cries out from the perfect place and waits for the child who has the choice—the choice to perish in bitterness…OR the choice to come home and LIVE.

And so we can choose to come home.  And if we do choose to come home we must find a way to come to the end of ourselves and stay home.  This is not an easy part of the journey….because when you are dropped out of good and into not good, you have a part of you that constantly will try to pull you back.  And you have to ask yourself, why in the world would He want me here?  How could a Father that is so good not only welcome me back, but FORGIVE ME, ADOPT ME, RESTORE MY WASTED EXISTENCE, GIVE ME AUTHORITY, PROMOTE ME, and even ask me to call Him Father, or Dad.  It is simple:  He sent someone to stand up for us.  A Defender, and Advocate, a Friend.

  When we align with Him … The enemy that filled us with his lies is DISABLED.  

When we align with Him … The debt that could not be paid is PAID IN FULL. 

When we align with Him … The sin that could not be forgiven, IS FORGOTTEN.  

When we align with Him … The death that is inevitable IS CRUSHED.  

When we align with Him … The wounds that could not be healed ARE WITHOUT EVEN SCARS OR MARKS.

ALIGN YOURSELF WITH HIM:  Come to the end of yourself, Communicate with Him, Read His Word.  Be born into a new life.  Connect in love with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead!

Remember Where You Came From, And Who You Are, So That You No Longer Live As A Victim Or A Judge.

Paul said:

1 Timothy 1 ¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.

Today, I will make reference to the Victim portion.

God has called us to great things.

He has called us to dwell into the uncomfortable.

He is offering us a life of meaning.

And it is the greatest deal that we could ever have.

Jesus made reference to this in numerous parables.

But none is more compelling to me in this moment than the response of the prodigal son to his Father when he returns home:  “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me one of your hired hands.”

Returning home from our sin and facing the Father to repent.  It is the return from the victim’s mentality.

When we ask the Father to give us our inheritance … we are living as the victim.

When we squander our inheritance … we are living as the victim.

When we try to fill our lives with sin in order to fill up for something that is lost … we are living as the victim.

But …

When we come home …

When we own that we are broken …

When we own that we have not measured up …

When we own that we are not worthy …

We are correct.

But we are received into the Kingdom.

And our life … becomes both amazing and infinite.

And it is the greatest thing that we could ever have …

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Roy Williams grew up poor.

And as all the kids he played with got a coke, he stood on the side and knew that he couldn’t afford one.

Years later, as the University of North Carolina’s head basketball coach, he never for forgot that.

And so, when he had money, he put a pop machine in his garage that was free to anyone that came up to it.  And the kids in the neighborhood knew that it was there.  The coke was free.  He didn’t want those kids “standing on the side” as everyone else got their coke.

He never forgot where he came from.

As I meditated on this verse last week, God put this very idea on my heart.

Paul said:

1 Timothy 1 ¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.

Paul never forgot where he came from.

And God had him put this in the Bible so that we would also recognize it … and so that we would also recognize that this APPLIES TO US.

It is true that Paul was the “chief of sinners”.

But it is also true that we are too.

And it is important that we remember this very thing.  Not in shame, but so that we understand who we truly are.

As I spoke this Sunday at Peaceful Valley Church, God convicted me to say:

Remember Where You Came From, And Who You Are, So That You No Longer Live As A Victim Or A Judge.

Today, I will make reference to the Judge portion.

When we remember that we are the “chief of sinners”, we do not have judgment for others.  We do not have judgment because we have been forgiven a $1,000,000,000 debt.  And when we have been forgiven that debt, we aren’t out looking for others to pay us $10.

We are looking to get them out of the debt that is consuming them.

We are looking to set them free.

Never forget that.

And let the Holy Spirit guide you as you share that with EVERYONE THAT YOU COME INTO CONTACT WITH.

It IS The Kingdom Of God.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Peter tells us clearly to walk in our faith with answers.

1 Peter 3 ¹⁵ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

There is more to this than Frank Turek says in this video, but he is a classic example of “being prepared to give an answer”.

This is not a 2 minute warning but, in my opinion, it is 13 minutes that are well spent.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Charles Colson was Richard Nixon’s Hatchet man.  

On March 1, 1974, he was indicted for conspiring to cover up the Watergate burglaries.

His pursuit of doing “anything to win” landed him in prison, lead to Richard Nixon’s resignation, and fueled the greatest political scandal in United States’ history.

Colson was chasing after “the wrong god”.

When corruption and evil rule the day, it grieves the heart of God:

Matthew 7 ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

People are broken on their own accord.  And when you combine that with a Satan-influenced hatred of God, you get chaos and every kind of evil.  It can rear its ugly head today and we have seen it throughout human history.

There was a time that it was so rampant that God regretted making us.  When we turn so far into darkness that we would blame the light for not being able to see, we get what we had in “the days of Noah”.  We get a world that isn’t worth keeping.

Genesis 6 ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.” ⁸  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

But this writing is NOT about what we are not.  It is about what we could be.

As I have mentioned before, the simple phrase “but Noah” changes everything.  It changes the very core of what is going on.

What was different about Noah?  What made him so great?

I believe that Noah was able to GET REAL with God.  He wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t without sin, and he certainly wasn’t changing nations.  But he was REAL.

And that is the “us” that God so badly wants to see.

It is the only way that He will accept us.

The series “The Chosen” shows a great perspective on Nathanael- crying out under the fig tree.  And Jesus LOVES that because He WANTS TO KNOW US.  HE WANTS US TO GET REAL.

John 1 ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked “Come and see,” said Philip.  ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”  

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Nathanael got real with God, and God showed up.

And we should know that God doesn’t show up (most of the time) uninvited.

Our God is a gentleman.  He waits for the invitation.  He stands and literally waits.

Yes, He will prompt us … or “knock”.

Revelation 3 ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

But the invitation to be our God is what He desires.

David also answered that call:

Psalm 139 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

And so is the offer for us.

After time in prison, Richard Nixon’s hatchet man GOT REAL with God.  He found that he wasn’t as powerful and amazing as he thought he was … and he found the Lord because of it.

In 1994, Charles Colson wrote:

“Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. And that’s where our hope is in life.”

Make a point to GET REAL this week.

GET REAL with yourself.

GET REAL with your friends.

But … above everything else … GET REAL with God.

Because if you GET REAL with God, the rest of your stuff will come together.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Jesus was NOT a good man.

He was NOT a guy who did some awesome things.

He was NOT a prophet.

As John Duncan proclaimed, we have a trilemma.

“Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma.”

The point is this:  Jesus was either God as He claimed … or He was crazy.

Isaiah 61 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners …

Isaiah 61 is an incredible word:

Preach Good News To The Poor

Bind Up The Brokenhearted

Freedom For Captives

And it goes on from that.  It is the story of a new hope.  And Isaiah wrote this passage so that 750 years later, Jesus could walk into the temple and say:

Luke 4  ¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee … ¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read.  

¹⁷ The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  ²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹ and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

It is totally understandable why they got mad at this.  He ruined church.

But we know something different now.

Jesus was bringing life to the Bible, He was bringing life to the people, and He was bringing life …

TO YOU.

Because in His appearance, we got a new deal.

And that deal saves us.

We get forgiveness.  And hope.  And new life.

Romans 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed–the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Take advantage of this offer.  Isaiah 61 tells His story before he came to be.

The New Testament relives it with eyewitness accounts and instructions for a new era.

And 2023?  This is the new story.

It is the story of you and where you are going.

Never doubt your importance.  He put His life on giving that to you.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

This Post was meant to be sent out Monday, but I forgot to hit the all important send button!

Peaceful Valley Church will host its second service this Sunday from 10 am until 11 am.  All are invited!  We are small and simple!

Peaceful Valley Church

Sundays from 10 am to 11 am

Peaceful Valley Ranch

475 Peaceful Valley Rd

Lyons, CO 80540

If you get directions, we are in the:  Riverside Lodge and Retreat

Signs will be posted!

And now for the blog that was supposed to be sent out on Monday.

At the end of the day, FAITH in God is all we have.

So much so — Paul said that without it we are practicing “witchcraft”.

Jesus resurrection is all that we have.

After writing the Hall of Fame (in Hebrews 11) on faith, Paul wrote this:

Hebrews 12 ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Consider Jesus.

Born into an assassination attempt on His life, He grew the son of a carpenter in humble roots.  When He applied the Word correctly, He was chastised.  When He healed the sick, He was accused of breaking the sabbath.  When He cried out for help, His greatest of friends disappeared, denied, and even betrayed.

On the cross, He cried out for His broken world.

On behalf of your sinful nature, He asked for your forgiveness and declared the debt “paid in full”.

Consider Him.

And walk out your faith in Jesus Name.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J