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“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

That’s in our text for today, and anyone who has lived for awhile knows it to be true.

Of course that doesn’t mean that those with good morals can’t or don’t have a positive influence on those where morals are lacking. Fair enough. But many a godly people who have seen themselves as being the self-appointed ‘savior’ of folks who will ‘win then over’ have seen their heart, mind, and actions be perverted instead.

Of course we need to be the Light of Jesus to the dark world around us. But we should not deceive ourselves into thinking the dark world has little or no influence on us.

Our Scripture today tells us to “wake from [our] drunken stupor…and [not to] go on sinning.”

We need to be ever watching; ever cautious; ever vigilant. We need to remember that the enemies of the Devil, the world, and our own sinful nature seeks the downfall of our morals and, ultimately, our faith. We need to continually be fortified in the Word of God, the gathering of believers, the in the living of the Holy Spirit, in the good deeds of our lives, and in the saving Gospel of Jesus. We need to stand firm in our Scriptural beliefs and in our sanctified living around all.

We will never be the savior for those who are “bad company,” but we by our careful, consistent, living and sharing of the Savior Jesus, we can and will shine His light to those who need it.

It is through Christ all shall “be made alive.” When we focus of being and remaining in Him, knowing He is the one who saves, the Holy Spirit uses us to affect His will and change for others.

Watch yourselves, brothers and sisters! Focus yourselves on the Word; on the Holy Spirit; on the Gospel of Jesus! Stop sinning and placing yourselves in “bad company.” Be in HIS company and He will use you for His will and ways!

The Lord has saved you. Remain in Him and trust Him to be the savior of others.

“Thank You, Lord, for saving us. Forgive us when we try to save and instead fall into sin. Strengthen and uphold us in Jesus and let us share Your Light in Your way according to Your plan. In Jesus’ name; Amen.”

Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:21-34
• Psalm 103:1-13 {Confession & Absolution}

Resurrection of the dead isn’t as clear and mature of a teaching in the Old Testament. You see a bit more of it in the intertestamental period, but it’s not until the New Testament that you see this as a core Christian tenant and central aspect of the Faith.

Jesus affirms again and again the truth of the resurrection of the dead. And in His rising from the dead He places this doctrine as central and to who He is and what it will look like in the hereafter.

Many Christians act as if the resurrection and the hereafter isn’t really a thing. Or they just play lip-service and don’t take it to heart.

Our text clearly tells us that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” It says we are “false witnesses of God” if there’s no resurrection. It says if Christ has not been raised our “faith is empty” and we “are still in [our] sins.” That if Christ has not been raised then we are to be pitied as ones having no hope.

Those words are quite an endorsement of both the resurrection and its importance both in this life and in that to come.

Yet so many times Christians live as if this isn’t either true, important, or applicable to life. They live like there is no hope. They cling onto this life because they are unsure of what is to come. They fear the hereafter because they don’t really take to heart that there is one. But “Christ has been raised from the dead” and that is what gives us hope. Not just hope here, hope for what is to come. All that is to come. That there is a time to come. That what happens here is not the end of us. It is not the end of life. It is the beginning of new life. New creation. Full hope. All this because Christ has been raised from the dead is at the right hand of the father and goes and prepares a place for us that He might bring us to be where He is. Forever. With new life. With resurrected life. With full hope. With glorified bodies. Jesus came to suffer, to die, and to rise so that we would rise. He came to conquer death so that death wouldn’t be the end for us. We don’t know what our new, glorified, resurrected bodies will be like, but we know that it will be beautiful, incorruptible, perfect. We know that it will be in Him and be forever. And that’s a hope that we can take to the grave – and beyond. That’s something worth living for and not fearing dying for. Because that’s not permanent. Our time with God forever in resurrection is.

“Thank you, Lord, for conquering death and giving us resurrected hope forever. Help us to live in this life in that resurrected hope now because we have that to come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
• Psalm 1

It’s always kind of interesting when you come to a major realization that you weren’t expecting. Something big that was unforeseen. Something major out of the blue.

The disciples had to have a lot of those times. Time after time Jesus was making the unexpected happen. You would think that after a while they would get used to it and actually start expecting those types of things. Well, if that ever happened, we don’t see much evidence of it.

In today’s gospel lesson we get one of those situations where the unanticipated happens and it has a consequence beyond what was expected. It’s a familiar story that most of us probably know. It culminates in Jesus going out with some of the disciples to fish even though they had been there all night. Jesus tells Peter put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch and Peter, after explaining that they had already tried this all night with no results complies, taking Jesus at His word, almost resigned to the fact that he needs to do this because of his Teacher’s request, but he isn’t expecting anything different.

But what he gets is vastly different! Not because of the large number of fish that they end up catching, but the realization of why they caught that many of Who it really is that was with them. The fact that Jesus commands fish and waves and boats and weather and everything. The fact that this Jesus – Who is right there in the boat with them – is holy; and he isn’t. The unexpected realization and encounter with his own sinfulness and Jesus’ holiness. “Depart from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man,” he says. That was unexpected. We were just going out and doing some fishing and hanging out. “Depart from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.”

But the story doesn’t end there. The story ends with Jesus comforting Simon saying “Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!” Another unexpected twist! Another different – wonderful ending! It doesn’t end with Peter’s sinfulness. It ends with Jesus using Peter despite his sinfulness because of Jesus’ holiness.

God uses us too. Even when we’re unholy; when we’re sinful; when we’re far away: He makes the unexpected expected. Because of Jesus’ holiness, we are forgiven and no longer sinners. We are no longer stuck with an unfruitful bounty, but rather bountiful in His harvest, in His catch, and what He desires of us.

Jesus has saved us and forgiven us and now He uses us to share Him for unexpected results for everyone else. Praise the Lord!

Scriptures

• Luke 5:1-11
• Psalm 138

What would you be willing to give up? What is your level of commitment?

Most of us, if pressed, would say that we would die for Jesus and our faith (I hope!). That’s good. That’s as it should be. But sometimes there are other commitments – smaller than death – that we don’t seem able to, well, commit to; Work through; play through. They seem too much; be they financial requests, time commitments, or requests to volunteer. Or maybe they are helping someone out when it’s inconvenient.

In our Scriptures for today we hear about a young Christian, Timothy, who is “all in” on his commitment. This is someone who was – as an adult – circumcised in order to be a better witness of Jesus to the audience that he was going to.

That is a commitment! That’s putting yourself on the line; “out there” (literally)!

In our lesson from First Timothy we’re told to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, and gentleness.” We’re told to “fight the good fight of faith.” That’s not just in the big things, that’s not just our life and death situation, that’s for our living situation as well. It’s for the little things. It’s for all the things. It’s for the small commitments and the big. It’s “all in.” That’s what God wants of us – all of us: our heart, mind, soul, strength – everything. He wants us to be “all in” because Jesus was all in. He didn’t just come and give His life. He came and gave us living. He lived so we might live abundantly. He died so we might live forever. He desires and wants all of us because He gave all for us.

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being “all in” for us. Help us in our commitment to be all in for You in everything; for You and others. Amen.”

Scriptures

• Acts 16:1-5
• 1 Timothy 6:11-16

What rule book do you base your life upon? What do you use as the basis for the decisions that you make? What foundational tool do you use as the basis for right and wrong?

The answer for this is the Bible. Holy Scripture. The Word of God.

It is the only rule, source, and norm for our basis of right and wrong, good and bad, godly and ungodly, dos and don’ts. Everything else comes from the mind and aspirations of man. But the Bible is truly the Word of God.

Scripture testifies to this about itself. That might seem contradictory, but it’s not. Everyone has a foundation, and every other foundation is wanting; every other foundation is fallible; every other foundation changes with the times, with the culture, with attitudes and desires.

But God’s Word is the same as God — the same yesterday, today, and forever. God doesn’t change and His Word doesn’t change.

There may be some different applications depending upon the world, our environment, and the culture. But God’s Word remains the same.

It still tells us about God and His desires, His plan, His salvation. It still points us to the Messiah, to the Christ, to Jesus. It still tells us what is objectively right and wrong, not subjectively changing by what is desirable and undesirable.

God’s Word still saves, because God’s Word still tells us about the Savior. It tells us of our need for a savior because of sin and that this Savior died for that sin. It tells us about life that is to come and a new creation that awaits. It tells us about a future that is certain. What better foundation do you want as you live your life? There is no better!

“Thank you, Lord, for Your Word which is unchanging; which is edifying; which is helpful; which is loving; which is perfect; which is right. Help us to read it, to learn it, to live it, and to share it. Through faith in Jesus and in His name, Amen.”

Scriptures

• Nehemiah 8:1-3, Nehemiah 8:5-6, Nehemiah 8:8-10
• 2 Peter 1:20-21
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Psalm 19:1-14

Peter is a fun and interesting character. His mouth always seems to be getting him into trouble. But you have to look up to the guy for his boldness and his courage.

In our lessons for today, we hear about the confession of Peter. In one of the readings, he’s dragged before rulers and elders because He dared to heal someone in the name of Jesus. And he didn’t back down when they asked him “what happened.” He boldly pointed to the name of Jesus as the reason that a man was healed.

In the other lesson Jesus asked the disciples who the people say that He is and Peter is the one who steps up with an answer. The right answer. “

You are the Christ!”

In a parallel passage, we’re told that Peter wasn’t able to answer this because he was just that much smarter than everyone else,.but he was given that answer by God.

That’s pretty impressive!

We have all of Scripture and the Holy Spirit to be able to point us to Jesus as the Christ. And yet sometimes we fail to make that confession. If not in Word, then often in action. We fail to act like Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen, the Anointed one of God. We act in ways that put other people or other things or other ideologies in front of Jesus. We act in ways that don’t set him as Lord and Savior in our life; for all of the world. We have in mind our things instead of God’s things. We need to deny that and everything that puts us at odds with God and His ways; His plan; even if that means suffering.

We need to see – and share – Jesus as the Christ. We need to see in Jesus as the answer to everything that is needed – in our life and that of the world.

“God, thank you for showing us through the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the answer to all of our needs through the cross and empty tomb. Help us now to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him no matter what. Give us the boldness of Peter to step up and step out in faith. Because Jesus is everything. In His name, Amen.”

Scriptures

• Acts 4:8-13
• Mark 8:27-35