2 MINUTE WARNING

Why did Paul write Romans 1?  That is the question I ask as I read it.

Romans 1  18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

On the road to Syria–on his way to kill and exterminate Christians–with the world at his command….Paul was radically changed and became part of the greatest “religious” movement of all time.

Jesus Christ had risen from the dead–

And His offer to all man had been accepted by many.  And this movement was unique:

• It did not form a clique–ALL were welcome to receive Him:  Men or women, Jews or Samaritans, Romans or Greeks–the movement was so diverse that this diversity, on its own accord, it was a miracle.
• It did not require a resume–simply a RESPONSE to the Holy Spirit’s call on a wandering heart.
• It did not require a certain ceremony or a rite of passage or an educational accomplishment in order to join—just a radical inner transformation that made the outside appearance different.

And it was connected to Judaism but not restricted by it.  Those who were considered “heathens” by the Jews were now invited to be in the “front row”—to be promoted—above those who had been serving for years……Without radical transformation, they never would have allowed women, Samaritans, Romans, or any other person to join them in equality…..and they made this transformation overnight…..

Jesus does that to a person.

Has He moved that radically on your life?

Whether He has or hasn’t…..today is a new day.

Ask Him to come and transform your inner self that you might be born again in the Spirit, that you might begin to live, and love, in a way that the world has never seen.  That you, just like the people that encountered Him, might be transformed into a new way of life.

As I write these very words the Spirit is tugging on my heart as well—for His call on our hearts is much more important than the answer to the opening question…..The Answer (Him–Jesus) is far more important to us than the answer, or answers, to any of our questions.  So let’s stop and worship the only Answer that we have ever needed—-

And ask Him to transform us like He did a lost group of people 2000 years ago—that we might start a new movement—

A movement made up of:

• Democrats and Republicans who don’t adhere to either side—but are attached to their Savior and what their Savior cares about.
• Not only traditional Christians, but those who will hear the call of Jesus on their hearts and RESPOND to be born again.
• Americans and North Koreans and Mexicans and Cubans and every other nationality.
• Rich and poor.
• Educated and privileged as well as those who have no rights, those who have no status, or those who do not “look the same”.

And let us worship the Living God and allow His Spirit to take us into a new place….

A place where Jesus and His Word and His teachings—have importance, and respect, and honor…..

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.  To Him be the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory……..Forever and Ever.  Amen.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Romans 8  1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

If I am “in Christ Jesus”, the grave cannot hold me and the enemy cannot accuse me.  When I die, I will be born into greatness–honored and alive like never before.

Romans 8 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

If I am “in Christ Jesus”, I am not longer the bad ambassador, the representative who misrepresented the Lord.  Instead, I am recognized as IF I WERE God’s Son.

Romans 8  5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

If I am “in Christ Jesus”, I am ALIVE and full of PEACE.  If I choose to reject Him—I am a hostile…an enemy…of the very good that created me.

Romans 8 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.  12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

If I am “in Christ Jesus”, I am part of the royal family.  I don’t need a formal invitation to come before the King, as in days of old.  Instead—-I can call Him Dad, or Daddy, and I can go before Him anytime I choose to…and I can go without fear, without shame, and without looking at myself like I did not measure up…..

I can go before Him as a champion, a victor, a hero.

If we have read this verse……and actually internalize it…and live it…it changes EVERYTHING.

I encourage you to read it.  To learn it.  To memorize it…..

Because changing everything is not God’s intention.

His intention is to change YOU.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

When I was first married, my wife had a picture on the wall that is speaking to me this morning as I sit down to write:

Lamentations 3:22-23  Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

His lovingkindness is NEW EVERY morning.

The bottom line is this:  We can not longer afford to live on yesterday.

This is not a word of discouragement…..it is a word of warning.

You see….we must not only understand our Lord…we must also understand our enemy.

1 Peter 5:8  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Staying in what we did yesterday will simply not be enough.  It is not that God is punishing us….it is just the opposite.  We are under a barrage of attacks from the enemy—and he attacks us constantly in our thoughts.

And God warns us to “take every thought captive” for this very reason.  If we get out of bed and go through our daily life….we simply are not able to do this….our enemy is too crafty to let that happen.

As I meditated this morning on this very thought….I was taken back to Exodus:

Moses had just delivered the Israelites.

They had seen miracle after miracle.

Pharaoh’s army had just perished in the sea and they were delivered from certain death.

And yet….they grumbled.

This is not just a word about “don’t grumble”….it goes much deeper than that.

In Exodus chapter 16, God tells us about the manna and I can distinctly remember a former pastor of mine constantly speaking to “fresh manna”…..I think it pertains to this:

Exodus 16:19-20  Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”  However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.  

I think this is true of us today.  We try to store up our “spiritual treasures” from God much like we do everything else…..we think that if we don’t store it that we will somehow lose our ability to be fed tomorrow.  But God does not work like that…..He wants us to TRUST.  He wants us to TRUST that He has something today that is better than what we had yesterday….and I want to encourage you to not only believe that….but to stake your life around it.

God has a new thing that He wants to do today.  And not only will that new thing fill you up….it will completely disarm a helpless enemy by not allowing him to work into our thoughts.

So throw out the manna from yesterday….it will rot and spoil and be rancid today……and, after all, God wants to give you a new meal today.

Build a foundation of desire for new manna.

There is a reason that the Lord uses food as a way to communicate with us about what He has for us……it is because is shows us in the flesh what we should be doing in the Spirit.

So pray.  And eat.  And throw out what you can not consume or give it away.

Because tomorrow He will have a new feast for you if you will sit down at the table and eat.  And that feast will be unpalatable for the enemy—he will have to leave.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

CS Lewis once said:

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.”

Thy will be done.

Peter said it when he told Jesus:  “Where will I go?…..You and You alone hold the keys to eternal life.”

Paul said it when he “changed teams in the middle of the game”.  He went from killing Christians to being a champion of the faith—facing death, prison, stonings, and every other imaginable punishment.

Abraham said it when he packed up and moved everything.

Moses said it when he went back into Egypt to ask Pharoah to release God’s people.

Rahab said it when she allowed the spies into the city of Jericho.

Esther said it when she went to the King, risking her life, in order to challenge his decree.

Time and again we see great faith in the Word of God.  Yes, they make mistakes and give us opportunities to say:  “What were you thinking?”……

But more often than not, they display incredible faith in the face of a great cost…….

So the question is:  Where are you today?

Where does the Lord fit into your equation?

Have you made your plans and asked Him to come and be a part of them?

Or have you dropped to your knees and asked Him where you fit in?

https://youtu.be/VQmysKhww_I

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Romans 8 2 ….the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

The Word can have a powerful and eternal effect on your life.  It can change your destiny and set you on a course of freedom that you can not achieve on your own accord.

Romans 8 is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible…..and it is one that we desperately need to read again and again and again until it seeks in to take root in our hearts.

Paul reminds us that we are “without excuse” and the scriptures tell us that we will stand before the throne of God and give account for our lives.  We will, in fact, appear before the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).

It is at that moment that we will either defend our actions or be judged under the Spirit of Life….that we will live under the law of sin and death or under law of the Spirit of Life.

I can remember at Northern Colorado I was knocked down on a kickoff by a sidewinding block from a linebacker.  In my mind, I had recovered well and gotten back to the ball to make the tackle.  That Sunday night, I got to see it from the camera’s view up top…..again and again and again as the coach rewinded and played it in front of 90 players.  I was called out for what I had done and stood in the spotlight as we all watched my failure.

None of us thinks that what we have done or who we have been or how we have acted is “as bad” as how it truly looks from camera’s above.  Much like my perspective, my play on the field looked much worse than what I had perceived.

And so it will be with our lives.

Our actions.

Our attitudes.

Our thoughts.

Our body language.

The tone of our voices.

And then we must consider the times when we are utterly rebellious and prideful.

God has it all on record.

I have good news.  We don’t need to strive and work and judge any more.  We don’t need to clean up our act.  We need to walk under the freedom of a new law….the law of the Spirit of Life.

God promises to set us free.  He promises to NOT put us under condemnation or shame or failure.

He promises not to hold us under the defeat that we will surely experience in our own flesh and on our own accord and by our own actions.

And He promises that IF we live under the Spirit and start allowing Him to fill us and redeem us….that He will clean up some of our “stuff” that we can’t seem to get away from……

I have made a point to not only memorize this:

Romans 8  1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

But to memorize all of Romans 8.  I want God to plant it in my soul and have it take root.  That He might live out His call on my life from above and change my entire nature.

I have played this song before…..but I am reminded EVERY time I play it of the freedom that is so generously given to me—and to all of us.

Merry Christmas.  May the Lord begin to totally refine and even redefine who you are.  May you walk in the law of the Spirit of Life and rejoice in the freedom that comes from being “set free”….not just from the world…..but from yourself.

Your Promise Still Stands

Great Is Your Faithfulness

I’m Still In Your Hands

This Is My Confidence

You’ve Never Failed Me Yet

https://youtu.be/0B_lnQIITxU

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I am sure that as they yelled at Him from ground level, it felt right and they thought that they were right on….but they missed it….and simply fulfilled a scripture that was written 1000 years prior to describe their actions.

Mocked

Psalm 22   8 “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him.  Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

I am sure that thought that the world would be better without Him and that they were doing everyone a favor by eliminating Him….but they missed it….and simply fulfilled a scripture that was written 1000 years prior to describe their actions.

Crucified

Psalm 22  16 Dogs have surrounded me;  a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I am sure that they appeased their calloused hearts by gambling over His last items, further expressing to all witnesses how unimportant He truly was….but they missed it….and simply fulfilled a scripture that was written 1000 years prior to describe their actions.

Gambled Over His Clothes

Psalm 22  18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

And I am sure it looked as though He was in despair as He cried out on that cross from on high…..and as they looked at Him doing so, they must have thought:  “We’ve won”….but they missed it….and simply fulfilled a scripture that was written 1000 years prior to describe their actions.

Jesus references Psalm 22 From the Cross

Psalm 22  1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Over 300 scriptures told of Him….of His life and death and of all the things that He would do and fulfill.  But we missed it.  The Jews missed it.  The Samaritans missed it.  The Romans missed it.  We all missed it.  John the Baptist was the rare exception.

And it is so easy to read about others “missing it” in scripture….and if you are like me, it is easy to be drawn into the accusational/judgmental/”holier than thou” attitude that somehow convinces us that we would not do the same….

But that is who we are are.  We Miss It.

Jesus has so much to offer.

And in our world today there has never been a greater need for His hand and touch on all of us.

As we enter into the Christmas season we will undoubtedly begin to walk out our habits, our traditions, our cultures, our plans…..

And some of those plans will be God-lead and good.

But some of them will pay no heed to who He is or what great things He has done.

Some of our actions will be headed in the wrong direction and distracting….and some of them will lead to us:  “Missing It”

Let’s not allow it.

Let’s remember why we do what we do and why we celebrate what we celebrate.

Let’s ask Him to come and change our hearts so that we don’t miss it…so that we walk fully and wholeheartedly in the calling that He has put over all of our lives.

Let’s purpose to love better and deeper….to reach out further….and to worship with greater passion than we have ever done.

Let’s purpose to allow Him to work in our lives like never before so that we don’t……miss it.

And let’s all find our times and opportunities to reach out and tell the world about who He is….what He did…and what He fulfilled so that others can walk in the freedom that He so willingly offers.

Because when He called out on that cross “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”…..He was not doing it because He felt abandoned (though He fully was) ….. He was doing it because He had a plan to rescue us….to rescue YOU …. From all that could come to harm you.

Rejoice in that….And…….Don’t Miss It.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Growing up, I always used to look for the sign behind the goal post showing John 3:16 …. For God So Loved The World …

It disturbs me that I can now not remember the last time that I saw that sign … The reality is: His banner should be hung in every stadium.  In fact, a banner proclaiming Him should be everywhere we look.  And think about it?  Why wouldn’t we?  For God SO Loved The World That He Gave His One AND ONLY Son …. Those are words that EVERYONE needs to proclaim.  

Only if you have a child can you truly understand the power of that statement …

The power of a parent’s love is so strong ….

Last week, my sweet little daughter Carissa had a seizure in our house … it terrified everyone in our family.  I literally felt as though my heart had been ripped out of my chest … that little peanut has NO IDEA how much my wife and I love her … and to see her in a state of danger is utterly terrifying.  If you can find the time—we would cherish your prayers…but that is not the point of this blog.

The point of this blog is to remind us–all of us–of a parent’s love.

I can think of a few low points in my life….and almost all of them involve one of my kids being in pain.  It is devastating and cuts to the core when your child suffers…..

A person’s worst fear is to have a child in pain … or to lose a child.

My heart never ceases to pray or feel for those who have …

But even that is not the point of this blog.

The point of THIS blog is to remind us that God voluntarily offered His child—and we can not understate it.

He SENT His Son to pay for our sins.

He WATCHED His Son get disregarded and overlooked.

He SAT AND OBSERVED as His Son tried to turn the hearts of men to Him….sometimes successfully and sometimes not.

He STOOD HELPLESSLY as His Son was falsely accused, mocked, spit on, and executed between two thieves.

He WATCHED from on high as His Son was given the same treatment as that of a thief… or murderer… or hardened criminal.

And He volunteered it….for you.

Do not underplay this point.  At the most costly price He could pay…He bought YOU.

He put it all out there…for YOU.

He paid the greatest price…for YOU.

Turn your heart to heaven and repent!

You belong to Him and He has paid a great price to have YOU!

No matter what you have endured or done.  

No matter what you have done right—or wrong.  

No matter where you were born or how much money you have. No matter what your resume says–or doesn’t say.

And no matter how far you have wandered off the trail….

He has ransomed His Son to pay for your release from bondage.

Zephaniah 3:16 says that He takes great delight in you and rejoices over you with singing.

And John 3:16 has the most compelling word yet.

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Go back to your first love.  It will make everything else line up the way that it should.

For He is the first and the last…..and everything in between.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

We live in a very polarizing time.  It seems that everyone is drawing a line in the sand….

Never has it been more important to point our gaze…and our hearts…to Jesus.

And while many were offended and bothered by what He said and did…..they were wrong in every sense for doing so.

After all, Jesus did not offend the reasonable.

Think about it:

• He toppled over tables in the temple and cleared out the money changers and those selling the “perfect” animals.  But in doing so…..He was only kicking thieves and hypocrites out of God’s house.
• He told His own brother:  “You make no difference”.  But in doing so, He was confronting a man who had all but mocked everything about the Lord.
• He met a Samaritan woman at a well in broad daylight in order to give her a new lease on life.  In doing so, He ruined His reputation, broke the law, and spent time doing something that was totally unaccepted, uncool, and out of line.  But what He did was something all of us wish we could stand up and do:  The Right Thing.

As we walk into the season of Christmas, let’s all be sure to elevate Jesus to where He belongs.

Let’s not fight with people who don’t know who He is.

Let’s not fight for things that don’t make any difference.

Let’s remember that Jesus has a throne that none of us are worthy to stand on…..and that He is worthy of all of our praise.

Let’s remember that we are utterly hopeless without His saving grace and love on our lives.

Let’s remember that there is no way for us to escape the darkness of this world if we do not submit to His authority and come under His great love.

And let’s celebrate the fact that when we were at our very worst, He came down to stand on our behalf and save us.

To Him …. And to Him alone…..

Be the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

He is not done yet.

I want to declare this today with all that is in me and I would encourage you to do the same.  He is not done.

So many times we enter into our faith with excitement and celebration and energy……but it doesn’t take long before we go into autopilot and begin to go through the motions.

The Lord has no plan for us to “go through the motions”.  We are far too important to Him.

This is not a word to tell you to strive and grind and religiously try to put yourself into a better position…..it is a word to bring life into a world that has beginning …. and end.

And things end so quickly and without warning.  We walk through a series of doors that once we go through we can never go back.

But in the Kingdom God does something greater.  He has a new plan and a new beginning….and in His Kingdom….we don’t want to go back.

Jesus first miracle in the book of John occurs at a wedding feast in Cana:

The Best For Now

John 2 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

If this is not true in your life…..I get it….and He gets it.  But that only means that He is not done yet.

Romans 8 declares that He works together in all things for our good.  In our faith we can hold onto this and begin to cry out for it……because if it is not good….

He Is Not Done Yet

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J