Wisdom of The Week

Have you ever read (or heard read) the entire “Declaration of  Independence”?  We attended a Sunday service yesterday at Elohim Bible Camp  and Retreat Center and people shared various stories or poems regarding freedom  and our independence as a nation.  It was the first time we had heard the  entire “Declaration of Independence” read. It was very moving. We also heard an  exciting and humorous rendition of the battle at Baltimore harbor and the  writing of our national anthem.  Today we celebrate our 235th birthday as a  free nation. On July 4, 1776, the 13 English colonies in America, protesting the  limitation placed upon them by England, engaged in a revolutionary struggle  which resulted in the establishment of a brand new nation. Soon this infant  nation adopted the now famous document known as the “Declaration of  Independence,” formulated by Thomas Jefferson. It included this statement with  respect to their newly won freedom: “That these united colonies are, and of  right ought to be, free and independent colonies.”

But what,  really, is freedom? It is defined as “personal liberty as opposed to bondage or  slavery; unrestrained, exempt from external control; independence, lack of  restrictions; ability to stand alone, unrestrained by anything else; without  obligations.”   We live in a land of “freedom” but are we free in the  ultimate sense of the word?  Wordsworth spoke of being “free as a bird,”  but is a bird really free? Actually it lives its entire life in a cage made of  fears, hungers and instincts. It is limited by weather conditions, local food  supply, predatory beasts and even the strange, irresistible compulsion to stay  within the confines of the small plot of land and air assigned it by the bird  community.

We see that by  the definition of freedom, only God is ultimately and completely  free. God’s sovereignty is the attribute by which He rules His entire  creation, and to be sovereign, God must be all-knowing, all-powerful, and  absolutely free. God is totally free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere and  at any time to carry out His eternal purposes in every single detail without  interference. No one and nothing can hinder Him or stop Him. He is able to do as  He pleases–always, everywhere, forever, as we read in Scripture: “Even  from eternity, I am He; and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act  and who can reverse it?” (Isa. 43:13); “My purpose will be established; and I  will accomplish all My good pleasure…Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring  it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it” (Isa. 46:10,11); “But He is  unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does” (Job  23:13); “Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas  and in all the deeps” (Psa. 135:6).

We cannot really fathom complete freedom, for our concepts of freedom  have been shaped in a world where no absolute freedom exists. For example, Bobby  wanted to play in a nearby abandoned mineshaft, but his mother said he couldn’t  because it was too dangerous. Bobby raised a terrible fuss, so she punished him  by making him sit on a chair in the kitchen. After a long period of silence he  asked: “Mommy, can God do anything He wants to?”  The mother replied, “Yes,  Bobby, He can.” Again, he was quiet. Then he said, “God doesn’t have parents  does He?”  You see Bobby was thinking that he would be perfectly free if it  were not for his mother. He was associating freedom with having no authorities  over him–no restrictions–exempt from external control–unrestrained by  anything.

Hey!   That’s the definition above for freedom. Bobby wasn’t so dumb!  But, what  Bobby didn’t realize was that what he wanted to do was foolish and could cause  him harm. Nor did he realize that when he became an adult he still wouldn’t be  able to do everything he desired and if he did, he would have to live with the  consequences if he did. The lesson that Bobby’s mother was teaching him was that  he could enjoy freedom only to the extent he wants to do what is right; but  since he was born with a sinful nature, he’ll never be perfect in his “wants”  here on earth. He’ll always need people and laws to keep him from doing  something dangerous or wrong. But, if he’s a Christian, he can look forward to a  time of perfect freedom in heaven, for then he’ll always want to do what’s right  and good.

So, what did  Jesus mean by His statement recorded in John 8:31,32,36… “…and you  shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…free indeed”  ?

From what is a Christian free? Three  things: sin, self, Satan.

1)   Sin: We are free from the penalty of sin (II Cor. 5:21; I Pet.  2:24; Ro. 8:1), from the power of sin (Ro. 6:6,7,11,14) and one day will be free  from its presence (I Cor. 15: 44).  When  Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished,” He uttered the believer’s  “Declaration of Independence.” All who receive Christ as personal Savior appropriate  that freedom from guilt and the penalty of sin, for “In Him we have  redemption, even the forgiveness of sin” Col. 1:14).

2) Self:  Man without Christ is self-centered, in a  self-prison, ruled by the old sinful flesh. But Ro. 6:3-6 tells us we have been  crucified with Christ (cf Gal. 2:20), the old self is rendered inoperative in Christ, and we are no longer in bondage to  it.

3)  Satan: Finally, we are also set free from the dominance of Satan and  his kingdom of darkness and are transferred to the kingdom of God (Col.  1:13).  If you have invited Christ into your life, then, “Greater  is He that is in you than He that is in the world” (I Jn. 4:4), for  “Jesus took on human flesh that He might, through death, render  powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver  those who were in bondage to him” (Heb. 2:14,15).

Why is it then  that we Christians still struggle with sin and self and Satan?  And how can  we experience the freedom Jesus provided at the cross and through the  resurrection? One reason is that we abuse our freedom by seeing it as a “license  to sin.” But, according to Gal. 5:13-18, I Pet. 2:16 and Tit. 2:12,13, our  Christ-bought liberty is not to be used as an opportunity for fleshly indulgence  or as a covering for sin, but for love manifested in service. We are free, not  to do what we want to do, but what we ought to do. We are freed from sin so that  we can walk in newness of life (Ro. 5:1,19-21; 6:1,2,10-18). Freedom is not  cheap. It meant our Redeemer giving His very life . Let’s not abuse it. The  freedom of our nation was also costly and we must not take it for granted or  abuse it. As Woodrow Wilson put it, “Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence  is a practical document for the use of practical men–it is more than a  theory of government, it is a program for action!” The warning of abolitionist  Wendell Phillips is still a challenge to every American: “Eternal  vigilance is the price of liberty.”

Another reason we often do not experience freedom from sin, self and  Satan is that we fail to live in the grace by which we are saved (Gal. 3:1-5;  5:1-8).  We put ourselves back under the law and the bondage of sin. Christ  fulfilled the Law. We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Ro. 6:14;  8:1-8). To  continue expecting our eternal destiny to be based on our works  or performance is to discredit the finality of Christ’s death on the cross. It  is to discredit what Christ accomplished.  It’s blasphemy. Let’s accept  what Christ did as being sufficient and our position as being secure and use  that freedom to serve Christ, not self.

The Christian  is indeed free from the guilt and power of sin, free from the old sinful self,  and free from the wiles of Satan; but we are not to abuse that freedom by using  it as a license to sin or by placing ourselves back under the law instead of  living by grace. To bring our freedom into balance, we must remember what a  statesman said about our political freedom: “Those who expect to reap  the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”    Along with Christian freedom comes responsibility to God (I Cor.  6:19,20; II Cor. 5:15), to the unsaved (Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:18-20; I Cor.  9:19-23), and to our weaker brother in Christ (Ro. 14:13,19,21).  But, I  thought freedom meant independence, lack of restrictions and obligations, exempt  from control?  Well, herein lies a paradox–it is only as we become a slave  of God that we are really free!  You see, we have a sinful nature and when  we are free to do as we please, we end up in bondage to sin, self and Satan.  True freedom comes only when, first of all we trust Christ as Savior, and then  moment by moment abide in Him and in His Word to do His will. It is then that  the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to carry out its principles and  commands–and experience true freedom as it says in Jn. 8:31-36. Only as we  make a “Declaration of Dependence” do we experience freedom to become what God  wants us to be. “Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.”

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

What do the following people have in common: Kevin Durant, Clayton  Kershaw, Andrew Short, Michael McDowell, Jesse Williams, Paul Azinger, Wiley  Peterson, Cindy Klassen, Claudio Taffarel, Matt Forte, and Asafa  Powell?   They are all world-class athletes, believers in Jesus  Christ and have worked extremely hard at their sport. And, because of their  God-given abilities and discipline in training, they have had fantastic results  and have been a positive role model to their peers and before the public.

Asafa Powell is  a Jamaican sprinter specializing in the 100 meters. He has broken the 10-second  barrier nearly 70 times!

Matt Forte is a  running back for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.

Claudio  Taffarel was a goal keeper for the Brazilian soccer team. He helped lead his  team to the World Cup title in 1994.

Cindy Klassen  is a long track speed skater from Canada and a five-time medalist in the Winter  Olympics. She currently holds the world record in the 1,000 meter, 1,500 meter,  and the 3,000 meter.

Born in  Pocatello, Idaho, Wiley Peterson is one of the top bull riders in the  world.  If you visit his website, you will read this statement: “As much as  I enjoy riding bulls, I am much more passionate about my relationship with Jesus  Christ.”  Also on his website is Mt.16:25: “For whoever wishes  to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall  find it.”

Paul Azinger is a professional golfer with 17 titles. He was in  the top ten golfers in the world for 300 weeks from 1988-1994. He also captained  America’s victorious Ryder cup in 2008. Paul’s faith in Christ has helped  him battle through cancer.

Jesse  Williams is one of the best high jumpers in the world. He set a Pac-10  record at 7′ 5.75″ in 2005, breaking an 18-year old mark. He spends the majority  of his time traveling and competing as well as regularly speaking or interacting  with groups to share his faith in Christ.

Michael  McDowell is a NASCAR driver who knows what it is like to be driving a car at  more than 200 miles per hour, losing control, hitting a wall, and then tumbling  eight times. He walked away from the wreck knowing it wasn’t the day God chose  for him to die. But a few years earlier, McDowell wasn’t prepared to face the  impending reality of his own mortality. He faced the unexpected death of a  friend (Ron Huber) which was a reality check for him. He totally committed his  life to Christ and has been growing in his faith since then.

Andrew Short is  a Motocross  superstar. An experience at a church youth camp helped him  realize that God is always there and His love is unconditional. Andrew began  riding bikes when he was five and dreamed of one day racing professionally.  Through a lot of hard work and perseverance, he got the chance after graduating  from high school and is now living his dream. He also discovered that there’s a  void in everybody’s life that only Jesus Christ can fill. He loves competing but  finds his real fulfillment in his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Clayton Kershaw  is now in his third season pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is the  youngest pitcher (23 on March 19) to start in the season opener since Fernando  Valenzuela in 1983.  For new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, naming Kershaw  the Opening Day starter was an easy decision. As Mattingly said, “He has earned  the respect–the person he is, the work he has done, the advancement he’s  making.” His strong work ethic and commitment to Christ are clearly visible to  all around him and make it easy to understand why Col. 3:23 is his favorite  verse: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for  the Lord, not for human masters.” The strong work ethic isn’t  overlooked by his coaches and teammates.

NBA superstar  Kevin Durant is the youngest player to lead the league in scoring, and he won a  world championship playing for the United States last summer, but he leads a  quiet life as he seeks to walk closer with His Lord.  Kevin’s  teammates say “he is very humble yet has become the leader of his team and a lot  of guys follow his lead. He helps them get better with his actions and the way  he is. It just makes guys want to be around him.”  For Kevin, the concept  of appreciating life is deeply rooted in reality. On April 30, 2005, Durant’s  AAU coach Charles Craig was murdered in a gang-related case of mistaken  identity. Ever since he has worn the number 35 on his jersey in honor of Craig  who was 35 years old at the time of his death. Kevin grasped the concept that  tomorrow is not promised so he’s going to be as good as he can be today and if  he’s given tomorrow he’ll be better yet. Durant’s uncanny ability to remain  grounded and levelheaded can be traced to family and a solid understanding of  his Christian faith that was cultivated while attending private school. Now he  relies on regular chapel attendance during the season, a spiritual coach, and  his teammates as a means to a stronger walk with the Lord. Kevin says, “I’ve  just got to be thankful to the Lord for the gifts He’s given me. My gift back to  Him is to always be humble and to always try to work as hard as I  can.”

None of these  professional athletes has it all together or is perfect, but they do  demonstrate the work ethic that should characterize believers in every walk of  life, for as Clayton Kershaw’s favorite verse challenges us: “Whatever  you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human  masters” (Col. 3:23).  For these athletes, it has obviously paid  off in terms of their accomplishments and the respect given them by their  coaches, fans and peers.  But even more important, their lives have brought  glory to the name of Jesus Christ. How about you. No matter what your vocation  or role in life, do you do it with all your heart as unto the Lord?  You  should? And if you receive any human recognition for your achievements, be sure  to give the glory to the Lord.

Forever  His,

Pastor Dave

P.S.  If you have an interest in  sports and the testimonies of Christian Athletes, I highly recommend that your  subscribe to Sport’s Spectrum magazine (1-866-821-2971; www.SportsSpectrum.com).

We had some friends over one evening this past week to share a meal with  us. It was a warm, beautiful summer-like evening so we sat out on our deck  to eat and the sweet aroma from our lilac bushes was coming our way, brought by  a gentle breeze. What an enjoyable setting. A week earlier we loved to go  out into our little orchard and take in the beautiful aroma of our apple trees  which were in full bloom. It is a real treat this year, because last spring  we had only a few blossoms. This season, the trees are loaded with blooms  and smell so good.  And, of course we look forward to some fruit at the end  of the summer, whereas last year we got only two or three apples and a few  plums.

I was reminded  of the Apostle Paul’s second recorded letter to the Corinthians where he wrote  this: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in  Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him  in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who  are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from  death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (II Cor.  2:14-15).    The picture is of a Roman conqueror leading  his captives in triumph.  Those captured would be paraded along with the  conquering Roman officials and commanding officer in a chariot.  The  priests would walk behind swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense  burning in them.  To the conquerors the perfume from the censers was an  aroma of joy, of triumph, of life. To the captives (who would be executed), that  incense had the smell of death about it.  Paul gladly considered himself  one of Christ’s captives being led in triumph, to the glory of Christ.

In his first  letter to the Corinthians, the apostle spoke of Christ’s triumph over sin and  death, saying, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your  victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power  of sin is the law; but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our  Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,  always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain  in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:54-58).  Our Creator became our  Redeemer through coming to earth, taking on a human body, and suffering the  death on a cruel cross, but rising again from the dead. In doing so, He defeated  Satan (Gen. 3:15 cf Heb. 2:9,14,15), conquered death ( I Cor. 15:20-26),  and took the guilt of our sin (I Pet. 2:24; II Cor. 5:21).  So, when we, by  faith, put our trust in Christ as our personal Deliverer (Savior), we enter  into His triumph, and can say with Paul, “In all these things we  overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither  death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things  to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things, shall  be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Ro. 8:37-39).  AMEN!!  When our heart is captured by  the love of God and we believe in Jesus Christ and His atoning work at  Calvary, we join the triumphal march of the saints of God, the soldiers of  the cross. We become part of the body of Christ, the Church. And when we  abide in Christ, our life becomes that “sweet aroma of the knowledge  of Him in every place.”  Everywhere we go, we represent the triumph of  Christ to those around. To those who respond and trust in Him, it will be the  aroma of life; and to those who reject Him it will be an aroma of  death.

What kind of  “fragrance” is coming from your life?  Is it the sweet aroma of Christ  in you, or is it the stench of the works of the old, sinful, rotten flesh?  Is  your life directing people toward faith in Christ or driving them away from  Him? Are you marching in the triumph of the victory of Christ  over Satan, and sin, and death? In Acts 4:13 we read concerning the  testimony of a couple of Jesus’ disciples, “Now as  they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they  were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize  them as HAVING BEEN WITH JESUS.”  How about  you? Do those around you recognize you as “having been with Jesus” or  “belonging to Jesus”?  As believers, remember, that we  are “ambassadors for Christ” and represent Him to the  world around us. So, how do you smell?

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

This past Sunday was our last at Three Lakes Community Bible Church,  having been there since it began some 37 years ago, growing out of a home Bible  study which my Father-in-law, Pastor Clarence Kutz taught for  Rocky Mountain Bible Mission.  I had left my engineering job at  Hyster company in Portland, Oregon in March of 1974, having just recently  received my five-year pin. God had been really at work in our lives and we had a  passion to become involved in full-time Christian ministry. It was an exciting,  frightening experience to leave a good job and begin a whole new adventure of  being missionaries for a rural mission and having to raise financial  support.

We moved back  to Montana where we had grown up to work for Rocky Mountain Bible Mission and  apprentice under Kathy’s dad who had retired from his pastorate at Faith Bible  Church in Libby to become one of the first missionaries with RMBM.  One of  Pastor Kutz’s Bible studies was held near Troy on the Bull Lake Road by Milnor  and Savage Lakes. He taught the adults in the living room of a trailer  house while Mrs. Kutz and Kathy held a children’s class in a bedroom, and I had  a youth group in the shop. One night the group decided they really needed to  begin a church so they took an offering that very night and got the ball  rolling, with property next door being donated and Three Lakes Community Bible  Church began.

By late summer  of 1975, Pastor Kutz was diagnosed as having a rapidly progressive leukemia and  he went to be with the Lord in October. Before he died, he directed our crew as  we set forms for the church basement, so he was literally in on the foundation  of Three Lakes, but now, all of a sudden, I was a pastor. I had gone to Montana  State University to become an engineer, not a pastor, but as I looked back over  the past half a century, I could see how God was preparing me all along the way  for the ministry to which He called me.  I was overwhelmed to think that I  had to fill in for Pastor Kutz, who was a fantastic Bible teacher and gifted  pastor. But I realized that “God’s commands are His enablings,” and that He  would be with me each step of the way, and if I would depend on Him, “He and I”  could do this!

For the next  nearly four decades, several hundred people would come and go at Three Lakes,  and a Bible camp was started, along with a Christian school and an AWANA  ministry. Many would receive Christ and lots were baptized and a number have  gone on into full-time Christian vocational work and most to serve God  effectively and faithfully in their vocations.

This Sunday a  number of past members were able to join us for a “Celebration Sunday” to praise  God for what He has done over these 37 years, and as we stepped down as pastor  of Three Lakes.  It was so exciting to see a cross-section of the history  of the church represented by those who came and to hear what God is doing in  their lives now. I even had some of my original youth group with us to  celebrate, one of whom is now a pastor’s wife. Our theme was very appropriate:  “To God be the Glory” for truly, “great things He has  done.”  We were privileged to have Kathy’s brothers Ray and Larry (from the  Seattle area) with us to give a challenge to the church and to us. They have  both been instrumental in helping our church get established and prosper, so it  was very appropriate that they have part in our celebration.

The person who  was overseeing the plans for the celebration called to ask me if I had a “life’s  verse” that she could put on the powerpoint presentation. I have always been  reluctant to pick out just one verse as a “life’s verse,” because I have so  many, but as I reflected on what God has done in our lives and how I became the  pastor at Three Lakes, I chose Prov. 16:9: “The mind of man plans His  way, but the LORD directs his steps.”   Pastoring a church  was definitely not what I had planned for my life, but it was what God purposed.  A similar verse is found in Prov. 20:24: “Man’s steps are ordained by  the LORD, how then can man understand his way?”  I like how it is  worded in the Living Bible: “Since the LORD is directing  our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the  way?”

Since I didn’t take the typical path to becoming a  pastor by going to Bible school and/or seminary, I had to really dig into  the Word on my own and lean heavily upon the Lord, but I discovered the same  truth that Paul expressed in his letter to the Philippian believers:  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil.  4:13).  I also clung to Paul’s statement in II Cor. 3:5:  “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming  from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”  There were  times along the way that I tried to handle things on my own, in my own strength  and wisdom, and have the failures to prove it! But, I also discovered the  truth of which King David wrote:  “The steps of a man are established by the LORD; and He delights in  his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the LORD is the  One who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen  the righteous forsaken…” (Psa. 37:23-25).

Is it wrong for us to plan? Was it wrong for me to go to school for an  engineering degree?  No, but when we do plan we need to acknowledge that  God can and will have the final say. We need to heed the admonition given in  James 4:13-15: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go  to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make  profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just  a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead,  you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or  that.'”  When people ask us what our plans are now, we do have  some, but we must be quick to add, “Lord willing, this is what we will  do!”  And what is that?  We plan to focus on some personal evangelism  in the area with folks with whom we have built relationships over the years. We  plan to continue teaching Bible studies, to hopefully write and publish a few  books, to fill in for vacationing pastors on occasion, to build picture frames  for my flower and scenery pictures, and to see more of the kids and grandkids.  We also have lots of yard and a big garden to take care of and I teach tennis  lessons during the summer. All of this, of course, is prefaced by: “The  Lord willing.”

Anyway, we find ourselves in a situation much like we faced 37 years  ago when I resigned my job at Hyster and suddenly had no income and a lot of  unknown ahead of us. It is an exciting, frightening time. But we have definitely  learned that God is faithful and we are putting our trust in Him. We do covet  your prayers for His continued daily direction and open doors of ministry. As  Christians we don’t retire, we just switch from one ministry to another until He  takes us home.

To God Be The Glory,

Pastor  Dave

Well, May 21, 2011 has come and gone and we are still here and the world  wasn’t destroyed as predicted by Harold Camping of Family Radio.   His prediction was based on his estimated time for Noah’s flood as May  21, 4990 B.C. (Gen. 7:10-11) and Peter’s statement “with the Lord one day  is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day” (II Pet.  3:8). Harold Camping taught that May 21, 1988 was “the end of the church  age and the first day of a 23-year period of Great Tribulation during which  Satan has been employed by God to officially rule all of the churches as well as  the whole world.”

I’m sure you  have heard the proverb, “Those who don’t learn from history are destined to  repeat it,” and history is full of unfulfilled predictions of the return of  Christ and the end of the world. Harold Camping’s is just one of a long list of  predictions which failed to come true. Here are just a few of the failed  predictions of the second coming of Christ and/or the end of the world as we  know it.

1)  The  Anabaptists of the early 16th century believed that the millennium would begin  in 1533 with the New Jerusalem located in Munster, a province of Ireland.

2)  The Lutheran  Church believed the gospel would be preached to all nations by 1590 and that  Christ would return by 1635.

3)   William Miller (who founded the Seventh-Day Adventism) predicted the second  coming of Christ for Mar. 21, 1844, then April 18, then Oct. 22. The lack of  fulfillment of these predictions was named The Great Disappointment.  They explained away the failed predictions by saying that Jesus at that  time began what they call His “Investigative Judgment” in heaven, observing mankind to see who is “worthy”  of eternal life.

4)  Russian  Mennonite minister Claas Epp, Jr predicted that Christ would return on Mar. 8,  1889.

5)  Charles Taze  Russell, first president of the Watchtower Society, and founder of the  Jehovah’s Witnesses, calculated 1874 as the year of Christ’s Second  Coming. When Christ didn’t appear, he claimed that He returned invisibly. He also  predicted that God would begin to destroy non-Jehovah Witness churches and  millions of         their members in  1918.

6)  J.F.  Rutherford, who succeeded Russel, predicted that the Millennial Reign would  begin in 1925, with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David resurrected as “princes.” He  predicted that Armageddon would begin in 1975. In 1974, Jehovah’s Witnesses were  encouraged to sell their homes and property and spend their last days in full-time preaching.

7)  Joseph  Smith, founder of The Latter Day Saints (Mormonism), made several predictions  concerning the return of Jesus.

8)  The  Assemblies of God in The Weekly Evangel predicted that WWI was the  commencement of Armageddon and Christ would come back before the war  ended.

9)  Calvary  Chapel charismatic Pastor Chuck Smith several years ago published the book  End Times in which he predicted Christ would return before 1981, based  on Israel’s becoming a nation on May 14, 1988 as “the budding of the fig tree” and  a pre-Tribulation rapture.  This same viewpoint was published by the  popular pastor-author Hal Lindsey in The Late Great Planet Earth.

10)  Ed  Wisenant, also basing his calculations on Israel’s becoming a nation again in  1948 and the prophecy of the budding of the fig tree and a generation being 40 years, predicted that Christ would come in 1988.  He wrote a book titled  88 Reasons Why Christ Must Come In 1988. He sent copies to pastors all  across the United States.

11)  Most  recently, Harold Camping, on Family Radio, predicted that the world  would be destroyed on May 21, 2011. Billboards were placed around the nation and letters and postcards were mailed to folks all across the nation to warn them of  the coming judgment and how he had arrived at this date.

But, it is now  May 23rd, and we are still here, and the world hasn’t been destroyed.  How  sad that folks don’t believe what Jesus said when He predicted the judgment on  the heavens and the earth (Mt. 24:35). He said: “But of the day and hour  no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father  alone…Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is  coming” (Mt. 24:36,42).  As your read through the New Testament  letters, it becomes clear that God has wanted believers to expect the return of  Christ at any time and live accordingly, but not to set dates and then try to  explain away their failed predictions. It is a cause of embarrassment to the  church and causes damage to the cause of Christianity. The fact remains that His  Word clearly teaches that Jesus will return to catch away the Church (I Cor.  15:51,52; I Thes. 4:13-18; II Thes.  2:1) and then, after the 7-year  Tribulation period, will come back to earth to reign for 1,000 years. This  really will happen because that is what God’s Word teaches, but we waste our  time and energy trying to figure out when and we cause the world to mock and  laugh when our predictions fail.  No wonder, as Peter wrote, “…In  the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own  lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the  fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of  creation” (II Pet. 3:3-4).  Peter continues, however,  saying, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the  heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with  intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these  things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in  holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the  coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by  burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!  But according to  His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which  righteousness dwells” (vv. 10-13).

We are to live with the awareness that Christ could come at any time,  but not quit working and ministering to sit around and wait. Jesus told us to  “occupy until He comes” (Lk. 19:13 KJV), i.e., we are to stay  busy serving Him and doing our job until He returns.  And meanwhile we need  to heed the Apostle Paul’s admonition to “Be diligent  to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to  be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15).  Don’t “Scripture pluck” by taking verses out of their context to make  them say what you want. And remember, “God didn’t give us the Bible to satisfy  our curiosity, but to transform our lives.”

“Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God  and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Tit. 2:13)

Pastor Dave

We had another “God Sighting” this past week here in Libby, Montana.  Caleb, a senior in Libby High School and the son of some Christian friends of  ours, sustained a serious neck injury during shop class and began bleeding  profusely as the result of a lodged metal fragment. Some classmates, who had  been trained in first aid,  gave him immediate assistance by applying  direct pressure to the wound and holding him down, keeping him talking and  responsive until medical help could arrive. The amazing part of the story is  that at the school that very moment were some policemen and paramedics who were  there to put on a demonstration of the dangers of drinking and  driving. One paramedic, who wasn’t initially going to be part of the  program, had just returned from a training session on neck injuries! She  was not only at the school at the time of the accident, but had an  ambulance available to her and, after initial medical treatment, Caleb  was transported to our local hospital where a team of doctors was able to stitch  up Caleb’s wound, excited that they had “dodged a bullet!”

But then, as  they took Caleb off the ventilator, he coughed and there was blood. They  knew that there had to be some internal bleeding that they had not been able to  detect and decided to air-flight him to Spokane, where a surgeon, without having  to crack his chest (as they initially expected would have to take place) was  able to find the bleeder and repair it. This all happened last Wednesday  morning, May 3rd, and Caleb went back to school today (Monday, May 9th)!   He will be awhile healing, and won’t be able to compete in track where he was  having a fantastic season, but, Praise God, he is still here. God is not  finished with him yet, and I’m sure has special plans for his life.

Could God have  prevented this accident from happening. Sure!  God is sovereign and  all-powerful. When the Lord told Abraham that despite their old age, he and  his wife would have a child,  his wife laughed  but “the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying,  ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ ‘Is anything too difficult  for the LORD?'” (Gen. 18:13,14).  God is able to do whatever  He purposes to do. In speaking to Isaiah, God said, “My purpose will be  established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure…Truly I have spoken;  truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it” (Isa.  46:10,11).  Yes, God could have prevented Caleb’s serious,  life-threatening injury. It wasn’t His purpose to do so, but what He did do, was  have policemen and an  Advanced Life Support worker on the scene when it  happened. Had she not been there he may not have made it until medical help  arrived. And the fact that the paramedic had just returned from a course on  treating neck injuries. Coincidence?  From man’s viewpoint, possibly, by  not from the Christian’s perspective. There are no “happenstances.” God is in  control and has things worked out well in advance to carry out His purpose. I’m  reminded of what the Psalmist wrote in Psa. 46:1,2: “God is our refuge  and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not  fear….”  There are times that God will send His guardian angels  to protect us from harm, and other times He sets up a “support team” to minister  to us during our times of trial. It’s His call, but He is always there.  He  wastes nothing. It is all “His Story!”

On Feb. 22, 1982, our  family was returning from a mid-week Bible study at church when an oncoming  car skidded on the ice and we collided. Though the woman and her pregnant  daughter in that car flew threw the air and landed upside down by the railroad  track, they escaped unharmed!  My wife and I and our two children suffered  some non-life-threatening injuries and our car was demolished. Could God have  prevented the accident?  Most definitely. But He had a different purpose.  What He did do was set up the scene for support. Some ling fishermen on the  Kootenai River “just happened” to be down below us when the accident took place.  They heard the crash, saw the lights twirling through the air and thought that  their pickups, parked along the highway, had been hit. They came rushing up to  the scene. One “happened to have” flares in his pickup and set them  out to prevent anyone else from crashing into our vehicle.  And, one of the  fisherman was the salesman who had sold us our car!  He said. “Well,  guess I’ll need to find you another car!” (Which he did.).  The first  vehicle that came along before the ambulances arrived was a gal who had “just  happened” to be visiting in the area and had stopped by our Bible study that  night. She took our children in her car, where she “just happened” to have a  sleeping bag to keep the children warm while we waited for the ambulance. God is  so Good!  He is definitely “A very present help in trouble.   Therefore we will not fear…” We know that the “just happens” in our  lives are evidences of our loving and sovereign heavenly Father at work.

Do pray for Caleb, not only that he will heal quickly and completely,  but that he will also let God accomplish His purpose in his life. Pray to for  his classmates who were with him at the time of the accident as it was very  traumatic for them. Pray that God will work in their hearts as well. Pray too  for Caleb’s folks. It has been a difficult last few days for them and they have  incurred some very large medical expenses. Pray that their response to all this  will be a testimony to all involved and to those watching.

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

The big news today, of course, is that the list of “Most Wanted  Terrorists” has been updated, for number one on the list, Osama Bin Ladin, was  removed, having been killed by U.S. forces in Abbatabod, Pakistan, where he had  built a million-dollar secured compound. For some ten years, U.S. forces, have  been searching for this leader of the Al Queda terrorist forces. While it is  great news to most of the world, especially the western world, the reality is  that the list of “Most Wanted” will just be updated, with someone else moving  into Bin Ladin’s spot.  Until Jesus returns to earth and sets up His  millennial reign, there will not be peace on earth, no matter how many  terrorists and ruthless dictators are removed.  As you look back over  history, it is strewn with “Bin Ladins” and will continue to be, with the final  one referred to in Scripture as “the man of lawlessness,” (II  Thes. 2:3) or the “Antichrist” (I Jn. 2:18) whose coming was  prophesied in Daniel’s vision where he is described this way: “The  fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from  all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and  crust it. …And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the  saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and  in law…” (Dan. 7:23,25). He is mentioned again in the panoramic  prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel recorded in Dan. 9:24-27, where we  read: “Seventy weeks (of seven years each) have been  decreed for your people (the Jews) and your holy city  (Jerusalem)….and the people of the prince who is to come  (the Antichrist) will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And  its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations  are determined. And he (the Antichrist) will make a firm  covenant with the many for one week (to protect Israel), but in  the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering  (in the rebuilt Temple); and on the wing of abominations will  come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is  decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”  The  prince, the Antichrist, who will make a pact with many (of the Jewish  people) at the beginning of the Tribulation period, will, in the middle of the  week (3 1/2 years later) break his covenant and desecrate the Temple by  demanding worship of himself in it (cf Mt. 24:15 and II Thes. 2:4).

This final  world dictator-terrorist is referred to in the prophecy given to the Apostle  John on the Isle of Patmos as “a beast coming up out of the sea  (probably a reference to Gentile nations)….and the dragon  (Satan  cf Rev. 12:9) gave him his power and his throne  and great authority” (Rev. 13:1,2).  Jesus, in His Olivet  Discourse (Mt. 24-25), in answer to the disciples’ question: “…what  will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Mt. 24:3),  spoke of this period of which Daniel had prophesied, the 70th week (of  seven years) of his 70-week (490 years) prophecy for the Jews, and spoke of the  time when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt Temple by setting up his image  and demanding that the world worship him as “the abomination of  desolation” (Mt. 24:15). Jesus went on to say, “For then there  will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the  world until now, nor ever shall be” (v. 21).  So, the world has  not seen the last, nor even the worst “Osama Bin Ladin!”

The good news  is that “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…..the Son of  Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and  they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and  great glory. and He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they  will gather together His elect  (the Jews) from the four  winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (Mt. 24:29-31).  In  the book of Revelation, John describes this same event, writing: “And I  saw heaven opened; and behold a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called  Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war…And from His  mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will  rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath  of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written,  ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ …And I saw the beast and the kings of the  earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the  horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false  prophet who performed signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had  received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; and these two  were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest  were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the  horse…” (Rev. 19:11-21).

Many are celebrating today because of the demise of Osama Bin Ladin,  but others will just take his place until the Lord comes.  We will continue  to have “wars and rumors of wars” (Mt. 24:6).  But, praise  the Lord, because of His suffering and death, as our sin-bearer, and His  resurrection, He gained the victory over death and over all the forces of  evil, and “Is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after  angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (I Pet. 3:22).  The Apostle Paul also wrote of this victory in the great “resurrection  chapter” (I Cor. 15), saying: “Then comes the end, when He delivers  up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule  and all authority and power. He must reign until He has put all His enemies  under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (I Cor.  15:24-27).   So, as believers,  as we await the return of Christ, we will continue to face a spiritual battle,  but we fight not for victory, but from victory. The victory  has already been won, and one day–soon–Christ will return for His church, and  then return to reign, and we won’t need to keep a list of “most wanted” any  longer!

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

One of the strongest evidences for the resurrection of Jesus  Christ–apart from the statements of Scripture–is the changed lives of the  disciples and all since that time who have trusted in the Biblical account of  the death, burial and resurrection and received Christ as their personal Savior.  German theologian Wofhart Panneberg once emphatically declared, “The evidence  for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for  two things: It is a very unusual event, and second, if you believe it happened,  you have to change the way you live.” Quite a challenging statement. If we  really believe Jesus rose again, that belief mandates a change of life. But, it  isn’t just believing that it happened that changes you; it is actually that the  resurrected Christ, through the Holy Spirit, comes to live in you and becomes  your new life.

One small  detail of the account of the resurrection and the days that followed is recorded  by Mark and then mentioned also by the apostle Paul. We read in Mk. 16:6,7 that  the angel said to the women at the tomb, “Do not be amazed; you are  looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not  here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples  AND PETER…”   Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians,  also wrote an entire chapter concerning the resurrection, and included the same  detail, saying: “…He was raised on the third day according to the  Scriptures, and appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. After that He  appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…” (I Cor.  15:4,5).  The disciples had to be devastated at the events of the  arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial, but none more so than Peter, who, during  the trial, had three times denied even knowing His Lord. Peter must have  been so miserable. His impetuous personality was such that he thought he could  handle any situation on his own. He had boldly declared that “Even  though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (Mt.  26:33).  Jesus knew what was going on in Peter and after the  resurrection made a point of spending time with him privately, and I’m sure  forgiving him for his denials.

Peter went on  to become a bold witness for Christ and a spokesman for the early church. He  preached the sermon at Pentecost when some 3,000 Jews got saved. The basis of  his message?  The resurrection of Jesus Christ!  He said,  “This Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of  God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. And  God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was  impossible for Him to be held in its power….This Jesus God raised up again, to  which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:23,24,32).  Then Peter added  this important fact: “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of  God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has  poured forth this which you both see and hear” (v. 33).  Before  Jesus ascended back to heaven “He commanded them (the disciples)  not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised…but you  shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My  witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the  remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:4,8).

The secret of  Peter’s changed life, the secret of the changed lives of all the disciples and  of everyone who since has been “born again” is that the Holy Spirit comes to  live within; and through Him, Christ lives in us. As the apostle Paul said,  “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but  Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me”  (Gal. 2:20). He wrote in his letter to the Philippian believers,  “I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me”  (Phil. 4:13).  To the Colossians he wrote, “And for this  purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works  within me” (Col. 1:29). When we come to Christ for salvation, our  lives are changed because Christ comes to live in us. The power that raised  Jesus from the dead is the same power that is now at work in us. No wonder Paul  said, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old  things passed away; behold, new things have come” (II Cor. 5:17).   In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul wrote: “For if while  we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,  much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Ro.  5:10).  We were saved from sin’s penalty by the Christ’s  sacrificial death on our behalf (II Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 2:24), but we are saved  from the power of sin by His resurrected life which He now lives within us. That  is the secret of a changed life.

Are you  experiencing a new life in Christ?  It is available to all who call upon  Him. Paul wrote: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and  believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved”  (Ro. 10:9).  And “If we have become united with Him in the  likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His  resurrection” (Ro. 6:5).  We can “walk in newness of life”  (Ro. 6:4).

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

I had a graveside service this past Thursday for Beverly James, age 72.  She and her husband and four children moved to Pipe Creek near Libby in 1960.  Eight more children were born here. A couple, Lou and Nora May Auge, who  had been saved in Libby during the mid 1950’s at a Youth For Christ rally began  going up to the James’ home on Sunday afternoons to conduct a Sunday school.  They took their three daughters with them. Also joining in was a sister of  Beverly’s, Roberta Sichting, and her children, so they had a pretty good-sized  group!  One day, Nora May went up to visit with Beverly and shared the plan  of salvation.  Beverly trusted Christ for eternal life.

It was about  then that we moved back from Oregon to join Rocky Mountain Bible Mission and  work in Northwest Montana under my wife’s dad, Pastor Clarence Kutz. The Kutzes  had moved to Libby at the invitation of the Auges and others, to begin a church  which initially met in the Auges’ home. The group soon grew and rented the  Grange Hall and then purchased property to build Faith Bible Church. When Pastor  Kutz retired from Faith Bible, he joined RMBM and I came to be an apprentice  under him. We had Bible studies throughout the area and I had a youth group near  Troy and one with Pipe Creek and Faith Bible young people. So, I had several  Jameses and Sichtings in the youth group. One of the James girls, Brenda, went  on to join RMBM and has worked with them now for more than 30  years!  We also conducted vacation Bible schools up Pipe Creek, usually at  the James’ home or in their cow pasture!

Oh, there was  also a RMBM church started up Pipe Creek which held services for several years  during which a number of other folks in the area received Christ. The church  eventually had to close and the James family went in town to a baptist church,  where David, the dad, who then had cancer, also received Christ before he  died. So he and his wife have now been reunited in heaven, and it is largely due  to the faithfulness of a Libby logger (who spent most of his working career as a  sawyer in the woods) and his wife taking the time to conduct a Sunday afternoon  Bible class in a home up Pipe Creek. Lou Auge is also in heaven and I’m  sure was excited to see Beverly James. Nora May is still with us and she a  couple of her daughters were at the graveside service.

I will have to  say that I too am grateful to the Auges, because they are indirectly responsible  for my meeting my wife, since it was Lou and Nora May who were instrumental in  getting the Kutzes here to start Faith Bible Church, where I met Kathy!

I’m reminded  of something that the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth. He  said, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and  stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of  stewards that one be found trustworthy (faithful)” (I Cor. 4:1,2).   God primarily uses just plain, ordinary folks to do a very  extraordinary work. All He requires is faithfulness. The Greek word, “pistos,”  that Paul used means “trustworthy, faithful, sure, true.” Earlier in his  letter, Paul wrote this: “For consider your calling, brethren, that  there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many  noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and  God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are  strong, and the base things of the world, and the despised, God has chosen, the  things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man  should boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to  us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that just as it is written, let Him who boasts, boast in the LORD” (I Cor.  1:26-31).

You don’t have to be a Bible school or seminary graduate to be  effective for Christ. You just need to be available and faithful, and have a  love for God, His Word, and for the souls of people. I praise the Lord for folks  like the Auges. They were new Christians, excited about the Lord, and were  willing to faithfully share Him with others. As a result, we see a lot of fruit  from their labors. May their tribe increase!

Never underestimate the importance and value of ministering to others, even if it is  just one family. Don’t forget what Jesus did with one sack lunch–He fed  thousands of people, with twelve baskets of leftovers!  Just be willing to  offer to Him what you have and watch what He can do with it. Just be faithful.  It is His job to produce the fruit.

So, what are you  doing for Jesus?  What do you have that you can offer for Him to use?

Forever Grateful,

Pastor  Dave

Can baseballs fly?  No, but they can sail for more  than 400 feet for a towering homerun off the bat of a major league baseball  slugger. The distance depends on the speed of the pitch, the trajectory and  speed of the bat, and the spin of the ball.

How about  bumblebees? With their big bodies and tiny wings, it doesn’t seem possible that  they can fly. And their wings do not have an airfoil design like the wings of an  airplane to create lift. They are tiny, rough flat wings.  But those tiny  wings, which work similarly to helicopter blades, move in small amplitude  oscillations at approximately 2000 beats per second!  The thorax of the bee  vibrates like a plucked rubber band. The buzz you hear is not from the beating  of their wings but the result of the bee vibrating its flight muscles. On a cool  day, bumblebees have to warm up their bodies considerably to get airborne.  The rapid oscillations of the wing move a large volume of air and enable the  amazing insect to carry out its “flight of the bumblebee.”

How about  you–can you fly? If you step off the roof of a building, unless you can  flap your arms at more than 200 beats per second, there is a law of physics called  gravity that pulls you toward the ground at an increasing rate of speed. Air resistance will slow you down slightly, but not quite enough!  But, if you are a world class long jumper, you can “fly through the air” for thirty feet  before hitting ground again–but not from a standing start. You have to have  sprinter’s speed and enter the pit at full speed.

How did the  Wright brothers manage to get their “flying machine” to soar through the air?  They didn’t eradicate the law of gravity, they rendered it inoperative by the  operation of a higher law called the law of aerodynamics. If that higher law  stops working, or the engine stalls, the plane will crash because the first law  still exists. Move forward a few years from the Wright brothers’ first flight  with their simple airplane to a large modern commercial airliner, say a Boeing  747-8 which can carry up to 467 passengers, take off with 64,055 gals of fuel at  a take-off weight of 975,000 pounds and cruise at 35,000 feet at 550-567  mph!  How can something that huge and heavy even get off the ground, let  alone soar through the air at Mach .8 to .85?  Well, it has to do with the  design of the plane and its wings and 66,500 lbs thrust from its engines utilizing the law of aerodynamics which counteracts the law of gravity, enabling the plane to fly above the earth.

The Apostle  Paul was struggling with another law, like gravity, which was pulling him down.  He describes it for us in his letter to the Romans. He wrote: “For that which I am doing I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer  am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good  dwells in me, that is in my flesh (old sinful nature); for the  wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I  wish, I do not do; but I practice the evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing  the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which  dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law  of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my  members.  Wretched man  that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Ro.  7:15-24).

With the fall in the Garden of Eden, the nature of man became sinful,  and every offspring of Adam (including all of us, except Christ, who was virgin  born) has inherited a sinful, Adamic nature that is in rebellion against  God.  It is constantly trying to pull us down spiritually and to sin against God. Paul refers to this indwelling bent to evil as his “flesh.”   When we trust Christ for eternal life and are born again, we receive a new  nature, a divine nature (II Pet. 1:4), but the old sinful nature is not removed,  so we face an inward battle for control. Paul describes that battle here in  Romans 7 and also in his letter to the believers in Galatia, where he  writes: “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the  Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that  you may not do the things that you please” (Gal. 5:17).

So, just as the law of gravity isn’t suspended so that a player can hit a  homerun, or a bumblebee or an airplane can fly, neither is the old nature  removed (not until the rapture) so we can live without sinning. But, similar to how the law of aerodynamics can counteract the law of gravity, God gave us the  answer to Paul’s question, “Who will set me free from the body of this  death?”  Paul goes on to say, “Thanks be to God through  Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving  the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of  death. For what the Law (of Moses) could not do, weak as it was through  the flesh, God did; sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to  the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Ro. 7:25-8:4).  He gave  the same answer in his letter to the churches in Galatia (Asia Minor). After  describing the conflict between the flesh and the indwelling Spirit, he wrote:  “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Gal. 5:18  cf v. 16) “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire  of the flesh”.

Although we  will battle against the flesh until God takes us home, victory is always  available, for we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to lift us above the pull of the old nature. As we spend time getting to know God’s Word, letting it “richly dwell within us” (Col. 3:16), and then depending  upon Christ and not our own strength and wisdom, we will find that “The  law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin  and of death” (Ro. 8:2), and “in all these things we  overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (v. 37).

Forever His,

Pastor  Dave