Pastor David Keuss - Hope without Compromise

Forgiveness. Part II. What is it to forgive from a generous heart and mind? Peter is a classic person in Scripture to ponder. Often given to being quick to act, Peter sometimes regrets actions. But also, Peter would have been wronged by others. Forgiving and being forgiven are a part of a healthy Christian life. Peter was one of the inner three disciples of Jesus, who had at the point of Matthew chapter eighteen heard much of Jesus' teaching. He has some interesting conversations with Jesus in general, but we encounter him asking Jesus on our topic, what is considered generous?  Have you ever sat at dinner and asked people if they could meet someone in Scripture, who would it be, and what would they ask? Talking to a relative over a meal, things of faith came up. She said she would love to sit down at dinner with Jesus. A few topics came to her mind that she would love to get solid answers. Us too, wouldn’t you love to be able to sit down with the Lord Jesus for a few hours to chat...

Forgiveness. Forgiveness gets a bad rap today. Sometimes it is unappealing because of the false views of what forgiveness entails. But know this, forgiveness is primarily an action between you and the Lord, you offer to others, since you have been forgiven. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew reveals this as a linchpin to regular Christian fellowship with God the Father. Forgiveness is explained by the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter six as a part of our regular walk with the Lord, not as a rare occurrence. As we go to God our Father, we forgive others. Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer as a model prayer, to cover key ground, but also as a reminder of things, like forgiveness. Given it is so important to regular Christian living, what motivates us to forgive? Consider how the prayer begins. "Our Father." Forgiving too is done; so as to show forth we belong to the Lord’s household of faith, through union with Jesus Christ our Savior.  Our identity reflects who God the Father is, i...

     A friend recently excitedly asked me about the Millennium as a belief among us as Christians. Is it in the Bible? What is it? It is found in Scripture, I shared in Revelation chapter 20. In fact, several times the 1000 year time is mentioned for emphasis.      We find this, chapter 20, verses 1 to 15 (NASB) from Jesus' closest disciple, and an apostle: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain  [ a ] in his hand.     And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years ;     and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.   Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgm...

      As you reflect on your 2024 goals and life for Jesus, consider using some of these helpful spiritual questions from Dr. Don Whitney, a professor of spiritual disciplines. He complied the list so as to guide a prayerful and Bible-based means of growing in Christian purity & holiness. These include, questions like the following highlights taken from the below article with the list: "14. What habit would you most like to establish this year? 15. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year? 16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it? 17. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year? 18. What’s one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year? 19. What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?" ...

       Parenting is built into the will of God for you. As a lesser covenant, yet still showing God's heart, we find in the Bible, this from the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 6:4 is instructive in parenting. From the NASB, the LORD said this, for parents: " Hear, O Israel! The  Lord  is our God, the  Lord  is one!   You shall love the  Lord  your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.   These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.   You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."        So in the New Testament, you find Paul the Apostle affirming this, as relevant to our time. The instruction is assumed that way to continue in thrust. Paul then goes beyond it and adds tips for how to use it well, rather than instruct poorly (E...

     In America in 2021, integrity is often hard to come by. Politicians promise one thing, and then the news reports what they miss and don't fulfill. But people don't trust the media either . A record 56% of Americans believe the media is intentionally misleading them. In other arenas, people promise love to another and then don't mean it. And employees may feel they are in demand, and do less (visit a restaurant in 2021). Other Americans accept benefits and insurance for being unemployed when they could be employed instead, but do not as a lifestyle choice. Even medical doctors are trusted less than they once were , even pre-Covid. And the list goes on. I'm sure any area tested except a minor few would show similar results. All of that is just illustrating a point.      Yet: Integrity matters, but it is elusive in our times. This means we as Christians, as living out our faith, must examine our own hearts and minds to ensure we are people of integrity (P...

So maybe the Lord has lead you to surrender to ministry. Wonderful! Congratulations.  If so, that is a great calling, to aspire to be an overseer, 1st Timothy chapter 3. Paul commends that. Next steps? Often today a person will go to a Bible college or seminary to get doctrinal, leadership, and evangelism foundations.  But there is a dilemma: where? A large number of schools exist for theological education, but there are some top choices.  While talking to a wider group of friends lately, I've had some ask, "where should they go for a Bible degree or seminary?" It's a fair question. But posing it is easier than answering it, due to the mixed theological environment today among professors and administrators.  It is much harder than it once was, to keep track of a "good choice" of seminary/Bible college.  When you are asked that today, in mid-2021, the answer may differ from even five years ago. The rise of CRT, identity politics, and changing denominational o...

Just a quick reminder. It was once said by famed Christian missionary J. Hudson Taylor, "Not a great faith we need, but faith in a great God." Amen.

     Recently, I came across when looking for a sermon illustration, a story of the Top 10 worst NFL fumble situations in history. The article covers some classics. Here is that article . An example many remember is the 2006 fumble of quarterback Tony Romo with the Dallas Cowboys. A divisional round was very close and the game was within just one point. That is when Romo fumbled the ball from a snap and the Giants benefited from it. Oops. This is not to pick on Romo, he had lots of great plays too (most will admit). But he didn't always measure up, despite the practice, coaching, and need to do so. People are like that before a completely holy and perfect God (Romans 3:10; 23). The wages or earnings of people, it is spiritual death, Romans 6:23. But there is good news. It's all about Jesus, not you.       What I find wonderful to remember for the Christian person, is you cannot fumble your salvation if you have placed saving faith in Jesus Christ. When...

 As you are taking in your weekend, remember that in these crazy times we all live in, it is good to rest and find refuge in the LORD. According to Proverbs 18:10, there is a promise for that. Are you doing this? Return to it, if not, and God will receive you!

 A recent set of polling data of the United States found that church membership (and other religious groups) is at the lowest it has been in decades. A significant drop in membership occurred from the 1998-2000 range to today. Over two decades a supermajority (around 70-73%) claiming membership in a church, synagogue, etc., went to less than half the article reports (47%).  Now the research is more broad than say a George Barna poll that is more focused on evangelical churches. However, the hard work of the people at Gallup is still useful to gauge what is happening in our culture and our time. Most of us in sharing the Gospel individually and in church life, are not completely surprised by the following poll data: The article may be found at:  https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx This speaks to several factors as Gallup also reports. They mention the rise of the "Nones," persons who claim no religious membership or pr...

        For any of those keeping track for various reasons, the United Methodist Church has seen a lot of changes due to Covid and rule changes. Friends of mine who are in the UMC explained that a split was likely in 2020. However, once the lockdowns started impacting everyone the meetings were put off for a long-time. Now they are changing rules and anticipating long-distance voting on issues.        A link to some of the info is here:  https://religionnews.com/2021/03/22/united-methodist-bishops-cancel-virtual-special-session-of-general-conference/ .         In general, it appears they are in a holding pattern, which might then impact their decision to stay united as a denomination or not, in theory. In such a polarized world, that may not be possible though. But the excess time the UMC has gained, could give perspective on some votes or issues. It certainly allows any renewal movement more time to think and ponder...

        When it comes to international missions, many are serving on the front lines the message of hope in Jesus and the love of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16; Acts 1:8). The IMB shared an update on Twitter, of this work, which included during this unusual global time, helping show the love of Jesus:         https://www.imb.org/2021/03/22/childrens-lives-spared-food-delivery/   Those near these at work were grateful for the care of Southern Baptists who gave towards neighbors they may never meet. This goes to show you there are so many impacts of giving to support missions work.

        This article from Religion News Service reports 4 in 10 may be ready and willing to attend Easter Worship Services this year, 2021. They report many are growing more comfortable being in Worship once again.  Click here:  https://religionnews.com/2021/03/22/poll-four-in-10-us-christians-plan-to-attend-in-person-easter-services/        The readiness to be in Worship this year is still substantially lower than in a normal year, without a pandemic they report.

        When you go to work, it may feel like it is definitely not in God's presence some days. Certainly not every or perhaps most workplaces do not feel like God's presence. However, we do serve the Lord wherever we are, for His purposes, Acts 17:22-33 as Paul explained to the Athenians at Mars Hill (a place you can still visit today in Athens).         When you set about serving the Lord, even in a challenging environment, there are times it is clearly God's will (without denying there are places that you should not be). Take the situation of the people of Israel who lived in Jerusalem around the time of Haggai the prophet. They had come back to the Promised Land to settle it and rebuild the Temple. They set up their own homes. But they didn't get far enough along to reestablish their habit of worship and the worship center, the Temple there. They only had a foundation and a makeshift altar. That wasn't the plan, to stop there.  ...

       The Lord is interested in helping you to get back on track. It's no secret many in our time have fallen out of their walk with the Lord. But in the Bible, we see a picture of hope in return to walking with the Lord. There's a picture of this in Israel's return to the Promised Land. In the Old Testament prophet Haggai, we find an amazing picture of God's mercy and long-suffering with the Israelites who returned to the Promised Land. Some 20 years earlier or so, they had returned from the lands of the East to the area of Judea, and specifically to Jerusalem. What made this significant is the blessing to rebuild the Temple, that went with it. The Persian King Darius continued to endorse that plan.        What's amazing is that Israel returned to the Land, but did not initiate building the Temple once again beyond just the foundation work. The building structure of the Temple remained undone. Generations before, they had all built the first Tem...

      This weekend has had a lesser known holiday attached to it, Reformation Day. Reformation Day remembers the recovery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While it would be hard for many today to imagine, there was a time when access to the Bible itself was limited. In the time of Martin Luther, many did not read the Bible (1483-1546). Even monks who did, often did so only for initiation for a time and then would not read it again. Common church members were often prevented from having the Bible in their native tongue. Untold millions lived under such a neglect of the Word of God.     In time it came about that certain key figures rediscovered the Scripture. They risked their life and safety to read it, translate it, and distribute it in common language. They spent much time in it themselves. From this came the findings of people like Martin Luther. He realized that despite his many good deeds, and religious observations, and trusting other good people, yet God wo...

       W hen you think about life in 2020, it may seem at times given the troubles of the world or cultural issues that you have no impact. Nothing could be further from the truth for a believer in Jesus Christ. While we must not minimize the church congregation, the body of Christ, we also must not underestimate what God can do through you.         Take the example of the prophet Elijah in the Bible. He was exhausted, beaten down by a hostile cultural situation, a nation that had turned from the Lord, and a spiritual battle between invisible forces in Israel at the time, Elijah was worn out. But the prophet was helped, and he talked to God, in a very honest, but helpful way. He went in prayer, he made the effort to talk. In that conversation, the Lord let Elijah know not only is He God, and He's at work, but to Elijah's surprise the prophet was not alone. Others were faithful in Israel too. Elijah is reequipped, encouraged, and se...

       When it comes to the Christian life, a lot of people try to pit certainty versus faith, as though you could. But that is not God's calling upon you or me. In fact, we must see that God gives us certainty various ways, that go with faith. As St. Augustine helpfully said long ago, "Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand." So we find something of a reminder in Luke's Gospel, chapter one on this.        Here's what Luke says in chapter one: " Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,   just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.   With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,   so that you may know the certainty of the things...

       What should we make of 2020? It started out fairly normal. Now we get news that is shocking on a regular basis. It's in an environment like this that the Christian person needs to have an anchor for the soul. We need to make sure we are grounded in God's unchanging promises of His Word, which is power for us. There is power in God's Word and in the name of Jesus.        We're told in 2nd Timothy 1:7 this great truth to reflect on and believe: "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." Paul while writing to his assistant and fellow Christian brother Timothy, called him back to basics. Paul was likely imprisoned in Rome at this time, and Timothy was facing internal hardships in the area he lived. Namely, many were no longer as friendly to the Christian witness or Christian meetings as they had previously been. It is in that environment where Timothy may get discouraged. Paul says don't go there. R...