30

Jump Start # 2069

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2069

Matthew 28:1 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.”

This is Easter weekend. The world pauses for just a moment to think about an empty grave in Jerusalem. The weekend is filled with eggs, candy, dressing up and family gatherings. For those early disciples, every Sunday was resurrection day. For the world, as soon as Sunday passes, it will return to the way it was with little change coming from a tomb that was emptied by God to save our sins.

But for those first disciples, that resurrection weekend was filled with all kinds of tears and emotions.

On Friday, Jesus was crucified. Everyone scattered. The heavy hand of Rome came crashing down. The disciples were in utter shock. Jesus who had changed the weather, cured lepers and seemed unstoppable was now at the hands of Roman soldiers. Jesus didn’t get out of this. He was brutally executed. It was not quick and merciful. It was slow and torturous. That night, I expect those disciples huddled in fear. Would someone turn them in? Would the doors burst open only to reveal more soldiers? The blood was everywhere. It was so terrible. Like a horrific crime or car accident, the hours following are lived retelling and reliving the horror over and over again. Talk would have turned to how terrible it was to be living as prisoners of Rome. If they could only break free from Roman dominance. If only the Messiah would come. He will restore our nation, they thought. He will make all things right. We will once again be the glory as we were long ago. Wasn’t Jesus supposed to be the Messiah? But now, he was dead. Tears filled their hearts as they sat in silence, thoughts swirling in their heads. How could this have happened?

On Saturday, the reality of Jesus being gone started to sink in. Is this all over? What are we supposed to do? Who will lead us? Are we supposed to go back home? Was that it? He had helped so many people but now he was dead. What are we gong to do? Should we go back to Galilee? Should we stay here? The emptiness and the pain of Jesus being gone was felt. Why did Judas turn Jesus in? What happened to Judas? It was so great being with Jesus. He always knew what to do. Remember the time he healed the man with the withered hand? Remember the time we were all stuffed in a house and some guys lowered a crippled man through the roof? And, do you remember Jesus telling that man to get up and to walk and he did. Remember the demon possessed man who ran at us, screaming and shouting. Remember the Lord demanding those demons to leave and they entered the hogs and they all jumped off the cliff. Remember? But now, there was just the loneliest of each other. Confusion. Uncertainty. That long, long Saturday. What do we do now?

On Sunday, early, while it was still dark, some went to the tomb. They rushed back with excited words that He was not there. What about the Roman soldiers? What about Pilate’s seal? What about the stone in front of the tomb? Others hurried to the tomb. It was empty. Grave clothes remained inside. What does all of this mean? If someone took him, why did they unwrap him? Were the Romans involved with this? Where would they have taken his body? The pain of Friday and the emptiness of Saturday are now filled with questions on Sunday. What does all of this mean? Some women claimed they saw him alive. Others have reported seeing him. And, then He appears. There He is. Alive. Resurrected. He’s back. But we saw you killed. There was no way you could have survived that. We saw them carry your body into the tomb. You were dead. But now, here you are. Sunday quickly turns into a day of excitement and joy. He is alive. He is with us.

As the Lord talks, they remember He had said this. He told them that He would be killed and then be raised on the third day. Now, it’s making sense. Now, they are starting to get it. Now, they are seeing Him as they never saw Him before. It’s one thing, quite remarkable, to raise the dead. But to raise yourself after you have died? Unbelievable. But it’s true.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday—for you and I, it’s the weekend. For those first disciples, it was shock, pain, emptiness, confusion and then celebration. He is alive. Rome couldn’t defeat Him. Pilate couldn’t defeat Him. The Jews couldn’t defeat Him. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. Jesus is alive.

You and I have our own Friday, Saturday, and Sunday moments in life. Grief, shock and pain. Emptiness of a loved one gone. The confusion of what to do next. But for believers, Sunday comes. Hope renewed. There is life after death. There is joy after sorrow. There is peace knowing that this life isn’t it. There is confidence in knowing that the best is yet to come.

Up from the grave He arose. Not just an Easter thought, but the exclamation point of the Bible. Not just a Sunday thing in April but the foundation of our belief. Every Sunday is resurrection day. Every Sunday is indeed, the Lord’s Day.

That Sunday encounter for those first disciples put a fire in their belly. They now knew. No one could silence them. Arrest them. Imprison them. They would never be quiet again. They knew. They believed. They were changed. It’s that same fire that we need in our bellies today.

Up from the grave He arose…

Roger

29

Jump Start # 2068

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2068

Joshua 24:24 “The people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice.’”

We finished a study of Joshua last evening in our Bible class. Great study. The last chapter is a powerful reminder of how God chose Israel, led Israel, blessed Israel and protected Israel. Joshua then puts before the people a decision, a choice. Who are you going to serve? Three times the nation replies, ‘We will serve the Lord.’

 

The choice of words in this last section is impressive. Joshua doesn’t ask, “Who do you believe?” The question is, ‘Who will you serve?’ Serving God is repeated over and over in this final chapter. We serve God is what the people proclaim. Joshua declared, ‘As for me and my house, we will SERVE the Lord.’

 

Folks don’t talk like that today. We don’t hear people saying, “I serve the Lord.” And, maybe that’s something that has gotten away from us and has gotten us into the messy places we are in. Sunday, there will be many CEO’s at church. Across the country CEO’s from all corners of life will make it to church services. These are not corporate CEO’s. No, rather these are CHRISTMAS and EASTER ONLY people, C.E.O. You’ll see them at Easter. The church house will be filled. I’m glad that they are there. But for many, you won’t see them again until Christmas time. Twice a year, when the world gets religious, these folks come. But the rest of the year, they are no where to be found. What a contrast to Joshua and his nation declaring we will SERVE the Lord.

 

Those words are opposite of where we are as a society today. Folks want to be served. They will ask, ‘what do you have for me?’ ‘What programs are there for me?’ ‘What do I get out of it?’ Me. Me. Me. Joshua was thinking about what can I do for the Lord. How can I serve the Lord? That concept sprinkles in the New Testament as Paul often referred to himself as a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. I serve the Lord. Servants of Christ. It’s not, I serve my church. It’s not, I serve my ministry. I serve the Lord.

 

Is that how you describe your walk with God?

 

What is interesting in this concept is that God first served us. That’s part of Joshua’s point in running through the history with the nation. God led. God fought. God gave. God did. He was active. He was in their lives. He took care of them. He served. In the New Testament, Jesus said that He did not come to be served, but to serve. The greatest, the Lord said, among you is the servant. The spirit of serving is often missing. To be a servant seems degrading. The very mention of slavery brings talk of things that are wrong. We push our kids to be bosses. Work for yourself. Control your own destiny. The thoughts of serving seems beneath many. Yet, we are seeing that it is the essential element of faith. We will serve the Lord.

 

First, we serve, because God first served us. We can never outdo God. We can never equal what God has done for us.

 

Second, the focus of the servant is to please his master. In this case, we serve the Lord. Joshua’s words are to get Israel to be faithful to God, obedient to God and to leave idolatry alone. What is it that God wants? That’s what the servant thinks about. It’s not about what do I want to do. You are not serving yourself. We will serve the Lord. God wants us to follow His word. God wants us to be faithful to Him. God wants us to be dependent, loyal and trust Him. God wants us to please Him.

 

This very thought will keep us within the boundaries of the Scriptures. It will keep a church from becoming everything else but a church. Worship will be patterned after what one finds in the N.T. The church will be governed, not by a democracy, but as God has shown in Scriptures. The function, purpose and work of the church will follow what’s in the Bible. We serve the Lord. When we leave this premise and purpose, and we stop serving the Lord, the door is open. Bring in the food. Bring in the comedy. Bring in the movies. Offer every service known to man. Take care of taxes, cars, dogs and social agendas. The focus evolves and is always fluid and changing. Leadership roles take on newer definitions. Promotional teams are hired to attract people. Big is in and keeping people happy becomes the focus. The simple Gospel message is shelved. Bring in authors, athletes and business men to tell their success stories. Have on staff people who can manage addictions, anger and dysfunction. The church becomes a happy place to be but it no longer serves the Lord. The servant is to please his master.

 

Third, servants understand that the master comes first. In the literal world of servants and slaves, the master is fed before the servant. The master is taken care of before the servant. In the spiritual realm, it’s pleasing God first. It’s taking care of God first. It’s putting God first. Worship, first, is about praising God the way He wants to be praised. The servant doesn’t say, “I would like to have…” Those words don’t come from the mouth of one who is a servant. Teaching God’s word accurately and carefully is what a servant does. Helping people connect to God is what a servant does. The master comes first in the world of servants.

 

Fourth, the servant realizes how blessed he is. There is no thought of an uprising. There is no thought of changing roles with the master. There is no thought of running away. No one has treated the servant as well as our master has. That’s Joshua’s point to the nation. Who are you going to serve is asked after a brief run down of all the things God has done for them. The gods of the Amorites hadn’t done anything. The gods beyond the river certainly were useless. The gods their fathers once followed had not been there for them. Who brought Egypt to it’s knees? Who fed Israel in the wilderness? Who took care of Jericho? Who gave Israel established cities, with homes already built, roads already paved, gardens and vineyards already planted? Once they counted their blessings, they knew that they needed to serve the Lord.

 

That’s where we are. Who has forgiven us? Who has kept His promises to us? Who has prepared a place for us? Who has answered our prayers? There is only one answer. We will serve the Lord.

 

I think it would do well if we asked people ’Do you serve the Lord?’ more than, “Do you believe in God?” Someone wants to become a Christian, ask, “Do you plan to serve the Lord?” Someone wants to be part of the church, “Do you plan to serve the Lord?” When asked, ‘what’s your church all about?’ The answer, “We serve the Lord.”

 

We will serve the Lord. That’s a great thought. A lot of trouble and a lot of indifference would be cast to the side of the road if we each decided to simply serve the Lord. And maybe, just maybe, the CEO crowd, would stick around for another month and start serving as well.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 2067

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2067

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Recently, my wife and I went to an Eagles concert in Indianapolis. Amazing. Those guys are old but good. Ever since, I’ve been listening to an Eagles station on Iheart. As I was driving yesterday, the song, “Lyin’ Eyes,’ came on. That’s such a catchy song. It’s not a good song. The music is fine, the words are the story of an adulterous affair. ‘You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes,’ is sung over and over at the end of the song. As the ballad unfolds about this cheating woman, there is one line that brings us to our verse today. The Eagles sing, “She wonders how it ever got this crazy…”

How did it get to this point? How did I sink so low? Lying to her husband, to go meet someone on the other side of town. The wonderful thing about the song is that it doesn’t justify, glorify or try to assume what the adulterous woman was doing was good. She knows all along it’s wrong. Her life is filled with deception. “She wonders how it ever got this crazy…”

Sin will do that. It knocks the stuffin’ out of reason and common sense. It becomes a downward cycle and anyone that still has any conscience about them wonders, “how it ever got so crazy.”

Consider some places we see this:

First, there is the person who is addicted to drugs. It started off as a curiosity. Playing around with some friends. But soon the person is hooked. They are addicted. They have to have more. And, they begin doing things that they never thought possible. They steal the identity of someone in the family to get money. They literally steal from family members. They wonder, “how it ever got so crazy.”

Second, there are friends, life long friends who have traveled through the ups and downs of life. But a misunderstanding took place. Words were said. Pride refuses to admit wrong or apologize. Now, they have nothing to do with each other. Others have tried to intercede but it never works. They wonder “how it ever got this crazy.”

Third, a preacher begins working with a congregation. The eldership loves him and has high hopes. Things start well. But before long, something is misunderstood. Feelings are hurt. Trust is shattered. Now, they are suspicious of each other. The preacher feels the elders are out to get him. The elders try to read between the lines of every word the preacher preaches. Tensions swell. They find it hard to be civil and even remain in the same room with each other. They wonder, “how it ever got this crazy.”

Fourth, a person comes to believe in Christ and is baptized. He loves singing hymns to God. His Bible is marked full of notes and he has come to learn so much about the Lord. But along this journey something happened. A prayer wasn’t answered the way he felt like it should have been. A tragedy took place. A job was lost. The person questions God’s love. His faith wavers and weakens. For a while he still attends, but he finds no joy in singing. He finds the sermons to be empty promises. Eventually, he walks away from God. He’s finished. He no longer believes. He wonders, “how it ever got this crazy.”

We often find ourselves on the cycle of sin, moving away from what we once held dear. Those things didn’t just happen overnight. How did it ever get this crazy? There’s answers to that question.

First, a person isn’t paying attention to their soul. That’s how sin snares us. We see the pleasure and the fun and we don’t see the consequences. We don’t see the depth that sin will drag us to. Is it any wonder that the New Testament gives us those obvious warnings. Words such as: beware, be alert, watch, each remind us that we need to keep our eyes on the road and not be looking around.

Second, a person gets lazy and selfish. They feel empty and feel that they deserve whatever wrong they are pursuing. They have forgotten that they have denied themselves. They have taken their eyes off of the cross. We expect others to apologize. We expect others to take the first step. We sit back doing nothing, just waiting and waiting. And as we wait, we get content with the way things are.

Third, a person stopped following Christ. They stopped thinking pure thoughts. They stopped being holy. They stopped forgiving. They stopped treating others the way that they would like to be treated. And once they stopped following Jesus, they started sinking into the world of sin. Deeper and deeper they sank. They have thoughts that they never had before. They are doing things that they simply cannot believe that they are doing. How did it ever get so crazy? They pushed Christ out of their life.

The wages of sin is death. Death of our relationship with God. Death of our relationship with what is right and good. Death of our fellowship with God’s children. The person who says, “what I am doing isn’t hurting anyone,” not only doesn’t know the Bible, but he is fooling himself. Sin kills. Sin kills all that is good and right. And, sin can carry us so deep that we wonder if we can ever come back up to the surface. Many believe that it’s too late for them. There’s no hope. So they surrender to sin and it takes them even deeper.

God can and will forgive. Turn around and surround yourself with God’s people and God’s word. Fill your heart with goodness. You ought to drop to your knees and ask God to forgive you. You need to go and apologize to those you have wounded and trashed. You need to make things right as best as you can. You need new friends, a new path and a new purpose.

She wonders how it ever got this crazy…too bad she didn’t think about that before she made her wrong choices. Too bad she allowed her self to sink so low. Too bad this song is the anthem of so many lives today. Marriages destroyed by affairs. Friendships ruined by refusing to forgive. Relationships strained by hurtful words. Down, down, down many have sunk. Miserable. Lost. Empty. Realizing you’ve hurt those you love. And, now stuck and feeling like you are unable to stop even if you wanted to. This is the life of sin. This is death. Controlled by Satan. Addicted to lying and deception. Certainly not the way one expected life to turn out.

Jesus came to give us life and to give it abundantly. Freedom from sin and Satan. A life of hope, joy and purpose. Come unto Me, the Lord said, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Weary…she wonders how it ever got this crazy.

Roger

27

Jump Start # 2066

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2066

Proverbs 15:28 “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”

Pondering—thinking things out and thinking things through. Thoughtful. Careful. Planned. Calculated. Not just saying whatever comes to mind. Not winging things. That’s the idea behind this verse. It’s been on my mind because I have an important discussion coming up with someone. It’s not a moral issue. It’s not even a spiritual issue. It’s about life and it will be difficult. I fall asleep every night thinking about how to approach what needs to be said. I rehearse conversations and anticipate what reactions will be. I’m pondering. I don’t have a good feeling about this.

 

This is what ought to go through our minds prior to having important and valuable discussions with others. You go in with a plan. You think things out. You anticipate how you feel the other person will receive your words. You pray. You apply that Golden Rule. You sprinkle love all over your words. Careful. Kind. Calculated. Pondered. That is the key to having difficult discussions.

 

Here is why this is so important.

 

To be a parent, you must parent. Free range chickens may work on the farm, but that’s no way to raise kids. They will test you, try you and wear you out. They will say things and make choices that are not thought out. They don’t see what you see. They do not think about consequences, tomorrow or how these things will impact the rest of the family. They often do not see the connection between what they are doing and the spiritual side of life. So, your teenager is dating someone who you see has all kinds of red flags. It’s time for a discussion. It won’t be easy. Ponder first. Your college student wants to quit college. However, he doesn’t have any other plans other than playing video games and forming a band. Time for a discussion. Ponder first. Your teen wants permission to get a tattoo. Time for a discussion. Ponder first.

 

Too often, we leave the pondering part off. Our child says something, are we are ready to push the buttons and fire the rockets in response. Instead of a discussion, it becomes a shouting match. Instead of reason, it’s a Mexican standoff, and a battle of the wills. In those moments, the teen walks away angry because you do not understand and you walk away angry because you wonder how he could be such an idiot. The issue at hand simmers but it’s never settled. At the next major battle, this one will surface again. Ponder.

 

To be spiritually connected within a congregation means we have to help one another. The Galatians were told, ‘You who are spiritual restore such a one.’ In James, we are to confess our faults to one another. In Jude, we are to snatch some from the fire. This means as we care for each other, there will be moments in which we have to have discussions with one another. You may see someone beginning to slip. It’s time for a discussion. Someone seeks your advice. Discussion time. And, in this, it is important to ponder what to say. Even when asked a question, think it out. We are reminded to be slow to speak and quick to hear. How will my answer be received? Is it spoken in love? Am I threatening? Is this how I would want someone to talk to me? Ponder. The point of helping someone is to help them. You don’t want to destroy them.

 

Leaders among God’s people must especially excel in this pondering business. They are constantly meeting and having discussions. They are seeing people on all levels of this spiritual journey. They are meeting with some who will soon be disciplined. They are meeting with some who are discouraged. They are meeting with some who are angry. They are meeting with some who have been hurt. They are meeting with some who are young in faith and they don’t understand. Pondering. It’s never a “one size-fits all” formula. Each person brings their own past, issues and difficulties. Each must be handled with care and love. Ponder.

 

To share the Gospel of Christ, you must reach out and have discussions with others. There is that person in the family. There is that co-worker. You see them. You know them. You care about them. So, you want to invite them. You want to answer their questions. You want to engage them in a discussion about the Bible. Ponder first. Don’t jump in and see what will happen. Usually, that approach is disastrous. Think about where the person is spiritually. Ponder what would touch their heart and make them think. You must begin where they are. Inviting someone to church services may not be the first nor the best thing to do for some. Opening the Bible may not be the first nor the best thing to do for some. Do they even believe in God? Do they believe that the Bible is God’s word? Have they had a bad experience with religion? Have they been told that they are going to Hell? Ponder. Give thought. Be careful. Calculate. Think things out. You may want to get advice from someone who has done this before. You may want to find some material that would be helpful. But in all of this, you are giving thought, praying and coming in with a plan.

 

When we don’t ponder, we tend to get ourselves into trouble with our mouths. We say things that we shouldn’t. We talk too much. We overwhelm a person with too much information. And, much too often, we make things worse because of what we failed to think out. Open doors can close quickly if one isn’t careful with what they say. Hurt feelings can become worse if one isn’t careful with what they say. That teen may close his ears from now on to everything you say because one isn’t careful with what they say.

 

So, you go to sleep each night, thinking about the discussion. You put yourself in their shoes. You think about how they will react. You pray. You think. You plan. You ponder. I have found that often the discussion turns out much better than I figured. I also have found, pondering helps temper your words and you don’t feel caught off guard because you have thought things through.

 

Looking at examples in the Bible, especially Jesus, always helps us to see the right way to do things.

 

Ponder. The more we ponder, the less we put our feet in our mouths. The more we ponder, the less we have to apologize for saying things that shouldn’t have been said. The more we ponder, the better things will be.

 

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 2065

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2065

1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.”

I was reading about Jonathan Edwards, the revivalist preacher who is well known for his famous “sinners in the hands of an angry God” sermon. Edwards was well known, the Billy Graham of his day. He died in 1758, before the U.S. officially became an independent country. His estate was valued at 900 English pounds at his death. Among his items were over 1,000 sermons and 30 manuscripts. Those were given the appraised value of a total of six pounds, only pennies for each sermon. It’s hard not to read that and wonder what about all my sermons, decades of bulletin articles, and class material? Just what is a sermon worth?

That’s an interesting question. According to our verse, the world places little or no value upon those things. The message of the Cross is foolish to a world that is perishing and values happiness more than holiness. Murder mysteries, scandalous novels and stories about aliens have more interests and more value to the world than boxes of sermons. The world considers it foolish to believe that a man died and rose again. The world believes it’s foolish to think that God came to earth. Remove God from our thinking and we remove accountability, responsibility and sin. No God, no sin. No God, no fear. So, a box of old sermons would simply not be worth very much on the auction block these days.

But, what is a sermon worth? There are hours of study, writing, and developing a sermon. Every preacher has his own way and his own style. Some memorize their sermon and they have no notes before them. Others, have just a 3×5 card with just a few words on it. Others take full outlines to the pulpit. What’s a sermon worth?

Here are some thoughts:

For the person who finds forgiveness in Jesus Christ, there can be no value placed upon that sermon. That sermon served as the avenue in which he came to learn and know the Lord. That sermon changed his life.

For the person who was moved to forgive someone who had hurt him, that sermon served as a bridge that restored a relationship and offered peace that is found in Christ. That sermon reminded and showed him how God has forgiven him. That sermon warned him that if we can’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us.

For the person who realized that his neglect was hurting his marriage and his family, a sermon about the home, can bring lasting changes. A dad becomes more involved with the family. A mom stops nagging. The kids become more respectful and helpful. The home becomes a wonderful oasis and a godly example of what God wants.

Sermons have the potential to change thinking, behavior and even relationships. The power is not in the words of the preacher, but in the Bible. Showing, proving and building truths, a sermon can move us from sleepy laziness to become powerful examples of Christ. Most of us have a favorite preacher and most of us have a favorite sermon. We like a specific sermon because it opened our eyes and through those words we saw the love of God and the wonderful plan He has for us.

I was watching a show about pop singers Don Henley of the Eagles and Billy Joel discussing how they write songs. It’s a journey and a process. Getting ideas comes from all kinds of places and people. It’s similar to sermons. How do preachers write sermons? How do they do it every week? Where do they get their ideas? From the Bible. From life. From seeing what’s going on in the world. From questions people ask. And, week after week, the preacher thinks, studies, writes and tries to find the best way and the best words to impress upon an audience the will of God. He preaches, not to strangers, but to friends and family. He pours his heart out because he wants the best from them. And, as he preaches, he listens to himself. The preacher is a work in progress, like all of us are. He is on a journey, just like the rest of us. He has good days and days that are not so good. He has to be reminded, encouraged and warned, just like the rest of us. Things effect his moods. He gets tired. He gets grumpy. He gets lazy. The preacher is no different than the rest of us and the preacher needs the sermons just the same as the rest of us.

What’s a sermon worth? To the world, sermons are worthless. To those who walk with God, sermons are valuable tools that have restored lives, opened eyes, convicted hearts and committed dedication to the true God above. The modern church has replaced doctrine with drama. Comedy, skits, and casualness has replaced reverence, seriousness and a dedication to God’s word. Folks today do not know the Bible. Too many preachers today have changed their roles into activists, psychologists and playground supervisors. Back to the Bible we need to be. More Bible, not less. More understanding of what God wants, and less about what we want. More about holy lives and less about happy lives. More about the soul and less about the physical side of life. The modern pulpit has turned God into our servant and has changed Heaven into a fantasy land where every person gets what they’ve always dreamed about. Sounds exciting, but is it Biblical? Is it true? Modern churches are more concerned about filling the pews than they are filling the heart with God. Popular preachers, just as Joel Osteen, can fill stadiums with his smiles and happy messages, while admitting that he never uses the word “sin.” God does.

What’s a sermon worth? If it’s true to God’s word, it’s priceless.

Roger