“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll” (Revelation 22:18-19).

It’s nothing new for people to want to either add to what God has said or to take away sections of the Bible. This was a temptation at the very beginnings of the church. That’s why God warns us not to do so.

I want to highlight two things about these verses:
1. God takes his word seriously – God has given to the church everything we need to thrive and mature as followers of Jesus through his word. God expects us to keep his word with no deviations or subtractions. The word of God is to be our absolute guide.
2. There have always been sections of the Bible that people have had trouble with. That’s the reason why people either add to what is already there, or they want to strike what is disagreeable to them.

So, here is the guideline for how followers of Jesus Christ are to deal with God’s word – If you believe that God told you something that contradicts what is already said in scripture or what is not in scripture…you can absolutely know…THAT AIN’T FROM GOD!!!

The Bible is our standard. The Bible is our guide. The Bible is our truth. That’s what it means to be a follower of God. There is no other way to know what God wants and desires apart from God’s word.

So, good job church, for reading God’s word every day. Blessings!

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Confidence in what we hope for…
Assurance about what we do not see…

See, that’s the problem with faith!!!

My confidence is in what I know. My assurance comes from what I see.

That’s why faith is so hard.

Before we launch a massive capital campaign that will absolutely stretch the Little Church, I want to know where the $12,000,000 to $15,000,000 is going to come from! Before we launch into a massive building project, I want some assurances that we will grow and fill the space that we are building.

I want more than hope. I want a sure thing.

But, that’s not faith. No faith is required for a sure thing. It’s precisely when we can’t see the end results that faith is required.

What Phillip Yancey writes about faith is helpful. He writes, “faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”

God is in this thing. God is leading the Little Church. God’s got this. And, when it comes down to it, that’s all we need to know.

“They will look on the one they have pierced” (John 19:37b).

One of my favorite bible stories as a child was the story of Peter walking on the water. Besides Jesus no one other than Peter knows what it’s like to walk on water. As you all know, Peter was walking on the water but as soon as he took his focus off of Jesus and on the waves and the storm around him he began to sink. Jesus needed to rescue him.

I love that story. Because that’s how life sometimes feels. Everything is going well and then a phone call, an email, a note, an encounter and all hell breaks loose. And we begin sinking.

That’s the way faith works. When our focus becomes anything other than Jesus, we begin sinking.

Jesus is our only and our absolute hope. The great reformer Martin Luther said, “When I look at myself, I don’t see how I can be saved. But when I look at Christ, I don’t see how I can be lost.”

I love that.

“They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Life is hard? Look at Christ.
Life is difficult? Look at Christ.
Life is confusing? Look at Christ.
Life is painful? Look at Christ.

The One hanging on the cross is none other than the Son of God who is there on your behalf. There is nothing under heaven which Christ would not do to ensure your place in God’s kingdom.

Look at Christ.