John

Confess and Repent

July 3, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Christians have been far too passive in our acceptance of the sins in our society. In too many instances, we have not only capitulated to evil but have even joined the chorus of the culture in singing the praises of man’s ideology. Instead of coming out from among them (2 Corinthians 6:15-18), we march arm in arm to show our unity. Darkness has no fellowship with light (2 Corinthians 6:14).

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It never has, and never will. So why are we so intent on pretending the two can coexist? God hates sin and will pour out His wrath on those who engage in it. If Jesus is our Lord, we will abstain from sin and keep ourselves pure before our holy God and King. We will repent and call others to do the same.

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Defeat Sin

June 12, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

I read a quote from John Macarthur that said, “Our ability to avoid and defeat sin comes not from imagining Christ in our circumstances but from obeying His explicit commands and following the example of His life in Scripture. Knowing what Jesus said about sin is key to overcoming it.” That’s profound.

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When we are facing temptations and decisions, are we so saturated in the Word of God that we instinctively know what to do because His Word is flowing through us? Are the commands of Christ so ingrained in us we choose His ways no matter what circumstances we found ourselves in? If we are determined to live a Christ-like life, we must dedicate ourselves to the study of His Word so we are equipped to know what to do in any situation.
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Choosing Divine Love

June 8, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 John 2:15. It is a beautiful verse with a sobering warning. Put simply, we cannot say we love God if we love the things of this world. Every day, this verse is at the forefront of my mind. It is the lens through which I see the world. To my regret, I still fail far too often to heed the warning. I have yet to learn to keep from loving the things of this world.

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One upside of how evil this world is becoming is that it is becoming far more difficult to love anything about it! Still, the battle goes on every day in the life of every follower of Jesus. There is no excuse for embracing the things of this world for those of us who claim Jesus as Lord. The choice could not be more clear: we either love Jesus or we love the things of this world.

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Sober-Minded and Alert

May 22, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

As we discussed in Prepare for Persecution, the first step in preparing for persecution, according to 1 Peter 5:8-9, is to be sober-minded and alert. This probably conjures up some ideas in your mind, but what are some practical things we can do to cultivate this in our lives? Remaining vigilant is a discipline that needs to be honed and strengthened over time.

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We don’t wake up one day and suddenly live with greater focus and attention. The first thing we need to do is understand the signs of this age and recognize the urgency of these times in which we find ourselves. Most of us have never had to worry about persecution and cannot grasp the reality or inevitability of it. Let me state it plainly. Persecution is coming; Jesus promises it will (John 16:33).

Prepare for Persecution

May 18, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

What is certain, but not being preached from many pulpits today, is that persecution is coming. Why pastors are not preparing their flocks for the coming trouble is beyond me. I listen to sermons from various churches constantly as I seek to learn and understand more about God and His Word. What I’m not hearing from most pulpits (thankfully, there are a few exceptions) is an urgency to repent and prepare for what is coming.

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There is no talk of how to prepare for persecution, and resources on the topic seem scarce. But Jesus told us the world will persecute us because of His name (John 15:20-21; Matthew 24:9). Because most of us live in places where persecution has not been a reality in our lives, we’ve become lazy, blind to the signs of this age (Matthew 24:3-31), and so comfortable in this world that we are ill-prepared for the coming persecution.