First Baptist Church of St. George Island

Many of us have experienced this phenomenon.  Everywhere we turn in life, seems to be painful; to hurt.  The cause, however, may be due to one specific area of hurt that is radiating into every other area of our life.  That hurt may be an active and unconfessed sin, a harbored guilt, or an unreleased grudge.

Like a cancer, that hurt will contaminate the whole of the life, unless it is, completely, removed.      The Spirit of God is the “great physician” that uses the scalpel of love and grace, to remove such a hurt.

Ps. 9:13; 25:19; 43:1

                                                                                                                        In Christ, Mike Whaley

One can be duped by something that is legitimate, when it is used to entice or lure them into a trap for the destruction of the prey that has been fooled.  Such techniques are, frequently, used to convince people to purchase merchandise that they either do not need or cannot afford, using persuasive arguments that sound attractive.  Most advertising, today, is designed with this concept of drawing in a potential buyer, at its core.

Satan was the first to use, and perfect, the “cheese and trap” technique of trapping prey.  He pointed out to Eve how tantalizing and alluring the fruit on that tree appeared.  He played upon the “bait” of doubt and ego by saying, “surely, you shall not die,” implying that God just did not want Eve to have knowledge.  And, yes, she “took the cheese,” and the trap “was sprung.”  Eve was aught, for she had surrendered to the temptation to rebel against God’s instruction.

Temptations to oppose God, are presented by Satan, with various forms of attractive, or “cheese,” to entice one to indulge in conduct, and activities, forbidden by God’s law.  A believer must resist the attractiveness, false logic, or rationalization to engage in God prohibited activities.  Peter writes (II Peter 2:9) that the “Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation.  “We must claim His power, and submit to it, to overcome temptation.  In Him, is victory over temptation and sin.

Duet. 4:19; James 1:13-16; 4:1-3

                                                                                                                                  In Christ, Mike Whaley

Inanimate objects, generally, have a single purpose, for the most part.  And that function is for the benefit not of the object itself.

 As the redeemed, and a part of the kingdom of God, we, too, have been assigned a purpose; a divine purpose.  That purpose is that we are to be a benefit to others.  For the lost we bring the benefit of eternal life, as we witness.  For the bereaved, we share God’s peace and comfort, in times personal separation.  As life’s difficulties and trials confront and consume others, as they always will, we, in His knowledge and experience, can lead to the strength that exceeds humanity and is without limit.

 Yes, in our salvation, comes the duty to be a benefit to others.  We are not “to hide our light under a bushel” – Christianity is an active calling.

Matt. 20:25-27; I Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11-13

However, if a driver is stopped by the police for driving at a speed of eighty(80) miles per hour, within this zone designated for a maximum speed of, only, sixty(60) miles per hours, that driver has been caught in violation of an established standard.  On the other hand, if that officer stopped a driver for driving, at that same speed, on a highway that had no posted allowable speed, the driver could assert that he had not been placed on notice of what constituted a violation of the law, and therefore, he could not be condemned for that which was, to him, was unknown.

So, the purpose of the law, then, is to reveal the standard of acceptable conduct and to define what constitutes a violation, or sin, under that law.  God, from the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, established certain standards of conduct for His creation.  Since that time, the laws and perimeters, of acceptable behavior and character within His will, have been set out through His prophets, through the model of Jesus’ life, the Ten Commandments, and the teachings of scripture, as inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Mankind, through the gift of free will, is not forced to comply with the laws of God but, disobedience (being out of fellowship with God) has the consequence of punishment.  One, like the freeway driver, can violate the standards but, when confronted, will be accountable.

But, more importantly, obedience in our salvation, should be the result of reciprocal love and, perhaps, more importantly, obedience is a form of worship and thanksgiving.  Is our worship, in obedience, taking place as it should?  Are we displaying our gratitude, for our redemption, through “walking in the newness of the likeness of Christ?”  Or are we moving down life’s highway according to our own will, oblivious or in rebellion to, the restrictions and constrictions of God.

 We cannot be in His will, if we are exceeding the “limits” of the guidelines of righteous living.

Romans 7:7; James 2:10

                                                                                                                                                In Christ, Mike Whaley

 What God calls for in the first commandment, is exclusivity.  He demands that there be no competition for the allegiance, efforts, and talents of one who claims redemption, through His grace.  Because of His mercy, whose mercy was not due, God has every right to require such exclusive commitment.

 Ex. 20:3-5; Deut. 6:4

            Mankind, in rebellion, had been consumed and overrun by sin. From sin that strangled, and from which there was no hope of escape.

            But, on the cross, God dug a spiritual hole so large that He could collect the sins of the entire world-past, present, and future.  He gathered all of that sin and Jesus bore the wrath for sin, that its consequence would be removed from the lives of the redeemed.  As we read, in II Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him, who had no sin, to be sin for us.”

            He removed it, “as far as the east is from the west,” that there is hope in Him who “taketh away the sins of the world.”

Ps. 103:12; John 1:29

                                                                                                                         In Christ, Mike Whaley

            Without the intervention of that doctor, my friend would have had, at the least, a weak and crooked leg, or at the worst, a totally useless leg.  Thankfully, someone who understood the problem, healed the brokenness.

            God has given all of us the scalpel of His Word, in order to identify what has broken our relationship with Him.  In addition, it is the cross that removes the cause, and it is the Spirit of God, that is like a steel plate that brings, and holds, together, that which had been broken.  Therefore, new and sustainable strength is acquired.  This is possible because of the redemptive power of the cross.

Romans 14:19; II Cor. 5:18: Eph. 4:1-3

            Writing for the majority’s opinion, Chief Justice Marshall, penned, “A pardon rejected, is no pardon at all.  Unless the recipient of the pardon accepts the pardon, then the pardon cannot be applied.”  A pardon, thus, has two sides: the offeror and the offeree.  And, unless the offeree accepts that which is offered, the pardon cannot be mandated.

            On the cross of Calvary, God was satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the payment for sin.  Therefore, He offered a pardon to all who “would accept that pardon.”  But, there is not a pardon for one who does not accept it.

Ps. 1:23-33; I Tim. 1:18-20

Hos. 13:14; I Cor. 15:55; I Peter 2:24

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In Christ, Mike Whaley

There is a story that I heard that is a confidence builder to all believers.  The impact of this story, when fully absorbed, should so empower a Christian to a level of boldness and discipleship.  Below is that inspiring account.

We, as the body of Christ, can rejoice in the knowledge that, on Calvary’s cross, Jesus took the ‘stinger” out of death.  No longer, for the redeemed, is death a point of fear.  All it can do is make a noise, as the world promotes its lack of hope.  For us, death has not sting.  Therefore, with no fear of death, we can be bold and aggressive.

Hos. 13:14; I Cor. 15:55; I Peter 2:24

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In Christ, Mike Whaley