Author: Robert

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For Wednesday, September 24, 2014
“A Way That Seems Right”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death (Prov. 14:12).

It’s a super-simple proverb that would probably only take a few minutes to memorize, but it communicates a profound truth. It’s entirely possible for us to travel a path that seems like the right way to go, but it’s end is death.

Today, I want us to observe two points from Proverbs 14:12. First, we can’t see the other side. Then, He tells me the other side.

We can’t see the other side. In Charleston, South Carolina, where I live, there are several huge bridges that connect various land masses. These bridges cross wetlands and rivers, and often stretch over considerable distance. Because of the great distance over which they span, the bridges are often somewhat “hilly.” By that I mean as you drive over the bridge you feel as thou you’re climbing a steep incline, then reaching the top and going down a steep incline. It’s a weird feeling as you get on the bridge over the water and you can’t see the other side of the bridge because the incline is so steep.

I think life is a lot like that. We often are unable to see what’s on the other side of the decisions that we make. We may have an idea of the way certain situations will play out, but we can’t ever be for sure, can we? It’s not uncommon for life to throw us a curve. This is at the core of what the Proverbs writer is saying: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” We don’t know the end because we can’t see exactly how things will play out.

We often get caught up in the pleasure of a situation. We do something because it feels good. Make no mistake about it: sin often feels good. In fact, it occurs to me that, if sin were not pleasurable, then what would be its appeal? Hebrews 11:25 says that Moses chose to “suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”

In addition to the pleasures of sin, it seems that pride often enters our path and leads us down the wrong way. In 1 Timothy 3:6, we are given an interesting detail about the devil. It seems that he was puffed up with pride. There are lots of interesting theories regarding this, but here’s my take away: pride is associated with Satan and sin. I don’t want any part of it.

The point is, without guidance, man pursues a host of “wrong-way” things. Just look at Ecclesiastes, where Solomon is searching for the point of life. He looks at life apart from God and searches for life’s meaning in pleasure, gain, honor, knowledge, and wealth. His conclusion is that everything is meaningless. The picture of life is clearer and the purpose of life is fulfilled only when we insert God into life’s equation. Which leads us to point number two.

He tells me the other side. No, we don’t have the ability to see into the future and to determine how our actions are going to affect us and those whom we love down the road. Without God, we wouldn’t know how to get away from the way that leads to destruction. But God has revealed His will to us. He has shown us the Way (John 14:6)!

Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” At the heart of wisdom is the willingness to listen and to learn. Jeremiah communicated the word of the LORD to whose who were in Babylonian captivity. He wrote them a letter which said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).

That same God is still in control. He looks at His creation who is in under the captivity of sin and He essentially says, “I have a way for you to have peace, a future, and hope.” In Romans six, Paul pointed this out:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:20-23).

Let’s wrap it up: Jesus mentioned the way that leads to death, or destruction, in Matthew 7:13-14. That’s the passage where Jesus talks about the narrow gate that leads to life and the broad gate that leads to death. Remember how the Lord said that many would go through that broad gate? Perhaps many who are walking that road think that they’re traveling down the right path.

Let’s thank God today for revealing to us His will that illuminates our path and shows us the end of our journey. Then, let’s realize the great responsibility that we have to help others to come to know Him and to be freed from the captivity of sin that leads to death.

Memory Verse: It’s important that we are ever-mindful of the coming judgment. John 12:48 reminds us that judgment day is coming:

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:48).

Sometime today: Look at Romans 12:1-2 and focus in on that phrase “by the renewing of your mind.” More on that tomorrow, the Lord willing.

Tomorrow is the one hundredth episode of The New You, and I want you to help me with something. When and where do you listen to The New You? Do you listen first thing in the morning as you make breakfast, or maybe on your commute each day? Do you save them up and binge-listen to the whole week’s worth of episodes on Fridays? How do you consume The New You podcast? Let me know on social media by using the hashtag #NewYou100.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014
“The Price of Lust”

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life (Prov. 7:21-23).

Lust is unquestionably one of Satan’s most powerful tools. He used it in on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he’s still using it today. John wrote: “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).

I don’t want to belabor you with the statistics, but you need to hear some of them. Six out of ten websites are for pornography. One in five online searches made on a mobile device is for porn. Twenty four percent of smartphone users admit to having pornographic content stored on their device. Do you think Satan is still using lust to draw men and women away from God? Of course he is, and our culture is absolutely eating it up.

Lust has a price. “When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15).

Proverbs chapter seven is all about the price of lust. The writer begins by providing us a defense to withstand lust, then he identifies a bad decision that was made by a young man that ultimately led to his destruction.

The defense (Prov. 7:1-5). Do you want to learn how to withstand the temptation of lust? Here’s how you do it: internalize, practice, and treasure God’s commands. Proverbs is all about wisdom and understanding. We learn from Proverbs chapter one that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). Don’t be foolish. Instead, set up your defense by getting closer and closer to wisdom. “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin, that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words” (Prov. 7:4-5). Make the Word of God so much a part of your life that you know it as well as you know a member of your own family.

The only way you can really get to know anyone or anything is by spending time with them or with it. But is it worth all of that time and effort to build this defense against lust? As we further examine the price of lust, I think you will see that is most definitely is.

A bad decision (Prov. 7:6-21). The writer says that he looked out of his window and observed a young man walking down the street. That young man could have walked in any direction along the streets, but he chose “the path to her [the immoral woman’s] house” (Prov. 7:8). Here’s that bad decision.

Notice several things about this decision. First, it was made in darkness (Prov. 7:9). “He took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.” Second, notice her dress (Prov. 7:10). “There a woman met him with the attire of a harlot.” This situation doesn’t look good, does it? Do you think that this young man knew that she lived down this road? Whether he did or didn’t, he could certainly tell something about her from the way that she was dressed. Third, notice the draw (Prov. 7:13-21). She begins to entice him with her words. She kisses him and tells him that she has made preparations to receive him into her home – and into her bed. She assures him that her husband is not at home, and that he is not expected to be back anytime soon. She flatters him and seduces him, and he falls for every bit of it.

Destruction (Prov. 7:22-27). “Immediately he went after her,” the writer records. But he went in to his own destruction. Proverbs 7:23 says that “an arrow struck his liver.” This is likely figurative language. In their commentary, Keil and Delitzsch note that people in ancient times considered the liver to be “the organ in which sorrowful and painful affections [made] themselves felt.” Thus, this activity was like an arrow to the liver. He chose this path to his own destruction, dishonoring his name and ruining his spirituality. So, the writer says, “He did not know it would cost his life” (Prov. 7:23). That’s what lust does to us. It destroys us.

Let’s wrap it up: Are people today carried away with lust? Statistically speaking, it could be that someone listening to my voice now is carried away with it in one form or another. So I’m here today to remind you and me of who we are. We are Christians, we have been made new by Christ’s blood. You are the new you. So let’s act like it. God has given us a defense. Let’s exercise self-discipline, sober thinking, and scriptural deeds that will bring us ever closer to wisdom’s salvation.

Memory Verse: Judgment day is coming for us all. Fortunately, we have the standard by which we will be judged: God’s Word. Jesus identifies that source in this week’s memory verse, John 12:48:

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:48).

Sometime today: Read Proverbs 14:12 about the way that seems right. What way is he talking about? Where does it lead? More on that tomorrow, Lord willing.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This Thursday marks the one hundredth episode of The New You! I hope you’ll join me day after tomorrow for this special milestone.

Until then, thanks for listening to The New You. I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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Monday, September 22, 2014
“Trust in the Lord” (Prov. 3:5-6)

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths (Prov. 3:5-6).

Welcome to yet another week on The New You! This week, we are turning our attention to the Old Testament book of Proverbs. There are so many nuggets of wisdom to be found in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, and we begin with one of the most fundamental, yet profound of them all.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are introduced to the fact that there is our way and there is God’s way. The two often are at odds, aren’t they? The apostle Paul acknowledged this fact in Romans chapter seven:

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom. 7:22-24)

This was a constant struggle for Paul. He says, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom. 7:19). Can you relate? I know I can. The carnal, or fleshly, side of life is constantly at war with the spiritual side of life. Paul answers his question, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?,” in Romans 7:25: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The victory is found in Him (1 Cor. 15:57).

And so we’re back to where we began. There are two choices: my way or God’s way. The key is learning to want what God wants for me, that is, to be more godly in heart and in actions. So the Proverbs writer tells us the key to living a life that is in touch with the spiritual side. Listen to it again:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths (Prov. 3:5-6).

Three words jump off the page in Proverbs 3:5-6: refuge, rest, and route.

The first word is REFUGE. The writer says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” That word “trust” means to hide for refuge, to rely on. I’m to do this with all of my heart, or mind. Stop and consider for a minute exactly what that entails. Pause the podcast if you need to. Rely on God with all of your heart. That means recognizing that God’s way is best. That means accepting whatever is God’s answer to your prayer. That means trusting that His commands are given with your best interest in mind. In short, it means going to God for refuge. He is our Shelter. He is our strength.

The second word is REST. The proverb continues: “And lean not on your own understanding.” That word “lean” means rest. The point is that we shouldn’t take rest in what we think is best. But, you know what, that’s exactly what we do! We justify in our minds why something is right even though the Bible says it’s wrong. We convince ourselves that we have it all figured out. We’ve deceived ourselves. Have you ever thought you knew something, only to find out that you didn’t actually know that thing? Don’t rely on yourself to guide you through the most important decisions of your life – and, for that matter, your eternity. “Lean not on your own understanding.”

The third word is ROUTE. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Twice in Proverbs 3:6 we find the idea of a path, or a route. First, he says, “in all your ways” and that word “ways” actually refers to a path. It’s figurative language, referring to the paths of life, your conduct. Then, the very last word in this verse deals with a route: “He shall direct your paths.” This word “paths” refers to a thoroughfare, a route between two places.

The wise man says that, when we trust in God, He will direct (or, make smooth) your journey. Sure, Christians still have “bumps in the road.” Some might argue that there is no such thing as “smooth sailing” through life. I can see that from some perspectives. Yet, the Christian perspective is the one that can sing: “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul.”

Let’s wrap it up: We must understand that life is all about a series of choices between two ultimate decisions: God’s way or the other way. What is the other way? We could call it Satan’s way; we could call it man’s way; we could call it by a host of other names. Really, though, if it isn’t God’s way it doesn’t really matter, does it? So trust God, not yourself. Acknowledge His paths and enjoy the security, strength, and hope that is found in Him.

Memory Verse: Speaking of that choice between right and wrong, Jesus directs back to God’s way with reference to the judgment day in this week’s memory verse. John 12:48 is this week’s verse to memorize:

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:48).

Sometime today: Take a look at Proverbs 7. What was it that cost the man his life? Tomorrow’s edition of The New You is all about the price of lust.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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Friday, September 19, 2014
“Will I Be Faithful Ten Years From Now?”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also (2 Tim 1:4-5)

Today, I want to ask you a question that will prompt you to look in to the future. I know you’re neither a time traveler nor a prophet, but do the best you can. Here’s the question: Will you be faithful ten years from now?

I look at someone like Timothy here in 2 Timothy 1:5 and I see an individual who was faithful. Paul commends him for his “genuine faith.” That’s what I want, and I imagine that is what you want, too: a genuine, real-deal kind of faith.

So what about it? Will you be faithful – with a real-deal kind of faith – ten years from right now? Let’s notice two observations in answering this question.

First, time in life is not guaranteed. When I asked you the question, you may have thought something like this: “Well that’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it? I mean, how do you know that we’ll still be around in ten years?” It’s a fair question. In fact, the Bible warns us about becoming so arrogant that we fail to remember that we are not in control. In James 4:13-17, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we “do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Time in life is not guaranteed. So what if you die within the next ten years? When you die, will you be “found in Him” (as Philippians 3:9 puts it)? What if you are still alive? Will you be faithful?

In the second place, let’s consider that you cannot live off of someone else’s faith. Being faithful to God means that you must have your own faith. That’s what Timothy had. Paul mentioned that Timothy had learned about faith from his mother and his grandmother, but Timothy was not “mooching” off of his parents. He wasn’t trying to get into heaven on someone else’s coat tails. His faith was “genuine.” The word means not hypocritical. As I said earlier, it was the real deal. So what about you? Will you be faithful in ten years, the Lord willing? Will you have a faith that is yours, or are you trying to pretend that a mere exposure to someone else’s faith is enough to get you by?

Let’s wrap it up: What kind of faith do you have? Do you have enough faith in God to weather the storms that life will bring? Is your faith strong enough to look beyond the mortality of life right on into eternity? After all, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). And is your faith yours? Have you studied the Bible for yourself so that you are confident in what you believe and practice?

If you have a real-deal kind of faith, a faith that is dedicated to the Lord and to obeying Him, then I can tell you the answer to today’s question. Will you be faithful ten years from now? Of course you will. You believe Jesus’ exhortation and promise in Revelation 2:10: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Memory Verse: Having a clean heart and a steadfast spirit will contribute to your continued faithfulness before God. Let’s look once more this week at Psalm 51:10.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Over the weekend: Be sure to worship God on Sunday, the Lord’s day. Assemble with God’s people in your area and worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Need help locating a place to worship? Check out the interactive map (available from our friends at In Search of the Lord’s Way) that will help you find a congregation of God’s people in your area! Just go to thelightnetwork.tv/worship.

Before we go: The Light Network is planning a special campaign for the month of October that will raise awareness about Domestic Violence. Next month, most of our programming will be devoted to domestic violence awareness and what we can do to offer a Biblical response to this terrible problem. Please take a minute or two to check out what we have planned and please spread the word with a friend. For more information, go to http://thelightnetwork.tv/stopviolence.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

Lord willing, I will release the one hundredth episode of The New You next week! I’m really excited about this milestone. I have a few things I want to share with you then, so be sure to tune in next week!

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield, and I’ll meet you right here on Monday for another edition of The New You. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday, September 18, 2014
“Involvement: Your Piece of the Puzzle”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:15-16).

There are several times in the New Testament that the church is referred to as the body of Christ. Perhaps the most notable of those passages is 1 Corinthians 12 where the Holy Spirit elaborates upon that illustration. Interestingly, it is only within the context of illustrating the church as the body of Christ when Christians are called “members.” We are not “members” of the church in the sense that one may be a member of a country club. Instead, we are members of the body of Christ, that is, we are literally the body parts of Jesus today! This sheds a whole new light on the part that you and I play in the overall work of the church. That part that you play individually in the church is exactly what Paul is referring to in today’s text, Ephesians 4:16.

First, notice the IMPORTANCE of each member. Paul says that the body is “joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.” Each member of the body is important! The amazing plan of God is evidenced in the New Testament church. Jesus Christ has called us out of the world and into His body, forming a group of people who are diverse. But this diversity doesn’t harm the body of Christ. Quite the opposite. Each member brings talents and skills – all of which have been given by God. Paul put it this way in 1 Cor. 12:18-21:

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Each member of the body of Christ – that is, each Christian – is important.

Second, notice the INDEPENDENCE of each member. Back to our text in Ephesians 4:16, we read that ever part of the body works effectively to do its share. There is certainly a sense of community and togetherness that we find in the church. At the same time, though, there is also a sense of independence in the Lord’s church. Here’s what I mean: it’s up to you to fulfill your role in the Lord’s church, and it’s up to me to fulfill mine. So what are your talents? With what has God blessed you that you can plug into His pattern and plan and bring Him glory? Remember that the work of the church falls into three categories: evangelism, edification, and benevolence. As long as you use the skills that you have to bring God glory in a way that is in accordance with His plan, you are fulfilling your role in the church and are, as an independent, contributing to the collective work of the church. Remember: on judgment day, you and I will be judged individually for what we have done in our lives (2 Cor. 5:10).

Third, notice the INTERDEPENDENCE of each member. As I just mentioned, there is an independent part of the Lord’s work, and there is also an interdependence that we have on one another. The latter part of Ephesians 4:16 says that when each of us does our part independently, that “causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” And so we work. We work for the Lord because the night is coming when no man can work (Mat. 9:37-38). We work to bring glory to God (Mat. 5:16). We work to reach lost souls (Mat. 28:19-20).

As we work, we are helping the body as a whole to grow, to be nourished, and to be edified.

Let’s wrap it up: I like the words of the familiar hymn:

We’re part of a family that’s been born again; Part of a family whose love knows no end;

For Jesus has saved us and made us His own; Now we’re part of a family that’s on its way home.

And sometimes we laugh together, sometimes we cry;

Sometimes we share together heart-aches and sighs.

Sometimes we dream together of how it will be

When we all get to heaven – God’s family!

I’m so happy to be a part of that family! What a blessing to be a member of the body of Christ! I’m afraid that we have too many Christians who are just occupying pews instead of getting busy for the Lord. Find your place in Lord’s service and do your part to further His cause and to edify His body.

Memory Verse: How’s it coming with this week’s memory verse? Let’s look once again at Psalm 51:10:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Sometime today: Look at 2 Timothy 1:3-5 and look especially at Timothy’s “genuine faith.” Tomorrow, I want you and me to ask ourselves this question: “Will I be faithful ten years from now?” Hope you’ll join me then.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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For Wednesday, September 17, 2014
“When Christians Sin”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin (Psa. 51:1-2)

What happens when Christians sin? You know, as Christians we are to go about walking in the light as God is in the light (1 John 1:7). But we’re still imperfect human beings. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). I like Psalm 51 because it details for us the process through which people of God should go through when they falter, and it shows them that it is possible to get back up and to keep on going.

Today, I want to share seven points with you from Psalm 51 that are about when Christians sin. I ran across this outline several years ago, and I’m not even sure where it originated, but I think it’ll be helpful to you just as it has been helpful to me.

First, sin makes you feel dirty. In Psalm 51, David recognizes his need for cleansing. You see that in verses one, two, and seven when he asks God to blot out his transgressions, cleanse him from his sin, and wash him so that he can be whiter than snow. When we, who are supposed to be walking in the light, participate in darkness, we should feel dirty, shouldn’t we? There should be a feeling of guilt associated with it as a type of spiritual gauge to indicate that we’re in a bad place, and that we need to return to God.

Second, sin dominates your mind. David says, “my sin is always before me” (Psa. 51:3). He can’t get it off of his mind. Have you ever been there? No matter how hard you try to just go about life and forget about it, that sin keeps popping back into your mind. You try to avoid it or pretend it doesn’t exist, but it’s there. You may try to justify it in your mind, but you can’t just write it off. Your conscience knows better. David’s been there, too.

Third, sin depresses your heart. David is depressed as he understands that sin has always surrounded him. He was born into a world of sin (verse five). He feels broken (verse eight), and ashamed (verse nine).

Fourth, sin defiles your spirit. Not only did David feel dirty, he knew that, spiritually speaking, he was dirty until God forgave and cleansed him. So he begs God to create in him a clean heart (verse ten). Further, he begs the Father not to cast him from His presence (verse eleven). He longs to be restored to the joys that he once knew (verse twelve). He feels the separation that sin causes.

Fifth, sin destroys your influence. Verse thirteen is interesting: “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” When will he teach those transgressors? After he has been made clean and restored (going back to verses eleven and twelve). David understands that, so long as this sin continues to stain his soul, he is no position to attempt to influence others for the Lord.

Sixth, sin distracts your service. In verses fourteen through seventeen, David mentions that the guilt of sin caused his tongue not to sing aloud of God’s righteousness. His lips were shut from praising God. That’s exactly what sin does to us, isn’t it? When we are participating in deeds of darkness, we are distracted from our God-given purpose here on earth.

Finally, sin dishonors God. David recognized that sin – even sins against others – are always sins against God. The Lord would have been righteous in condemning David because of what David had done (as David says at the end of verse four). God wanted David to internalize the truth (verse six), to apply truth’s wisdom to his life and to live it. Sin takes us away from the truth that God has given us. Sin is the transgression of that law (1 John 3:4). Sin dishonors God.

Let’s wrap it up: This has been a brief look at David’s grieving process over sin. Can you relate? I know I can. Sin makes you feel dirty. It dominates your mind. It depresses your heart and defiles your spirit. Sin destroys your influence, distracts your service, and it dishonors God.

The good news is that God has made provisions for us when we falter. We have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous, who Himself is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1-2). This certainly does not give us a license to sin. No, we shouldn’t continue in sin just so that grace may abound (Rom. 6:1). But this does show us that God is a loving, forgiving, gracious God who loves us and who wants us to be saved.

Memory Verse: Psalm 51 is an incredibly relatable psalm to the human experience because all have sinned. That’s why I want us to internalize Psalm 51:10 this week.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Sometime today: Read Ephesians 4:14-16, and focus especially in on verse sixteen. Tomorrow I want us to talk about involvement in the church, and I believe Ephesians 4:16 has a lot to say about that topic. Hope you’ll join me tomorrow, the Lord willing, on The New You.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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For Tuesday, September 16, 2014
“The Christian Worldview”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences (2 Cor. 5:7-11).

Today, I want us to talk about world views. A worldview is a system of beliefs; it is what we believe about the nature of reality. It underlies everything that we think, say, or do. In his book Building a Christian Worldview, Vol. 1: God, Man, & Knowledge, W. Andrew Hoffecker states that everyone has a worldview.

Underlying all that we think, say, or do are basic assumptions that form what we call a “worldview.” A person’s worldview is the collection of all his presuppositions or convictions about reality, which present his total outlook on life. Nobody is without such fundamental beliefs, yet many people go through life unaware of their presuppositions. Operating at the unconscious level, their presuppositions remain unidentified and unexamined. The result is that people generally fail to recognize how their world views govern every dimension of their lives.

Your worldview will determine how you answer life’s big questions. Questions relating to human origin, human destiny, the existence of God, ethics, morality, truth, and eternity are all answered through the lens of your worldview. That’s why this idea of a worldview is so important.

Of course, the Christian worldview is based on the fact that the Bible is God’s inspired Word. As such, it is entirely and absolutely true, just as Jesus said in John 17:17. Consequently, secular world views clash with the Christian worldview. The Bible made it clear that this would be the case. Peter said that some people would “think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you” (1 Pet. 4:4). John wrote, “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).

But what does the Christian worldview look like? That is, what are the fundamental principles that comprise the worldview that you and I are to possess as Christians? I would like to offer you ten passages of Scripture that are fundamental to the Christian worldview.

First, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The fact that God exists is certainly fundamental to our worldview.

Second, John 3:16. You know what that one says, I’m sure. This verse is crucial to our worldview because it establishes Christ as the Savior of the world per God’s plan for man’s redemption.

Third and fourth would be 2 Peter 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which tell us that the Bible is God’s Word and that God has given  us everything that we need for life and godliness.

Fifth, Hebrews 9:27, which says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Judgment day is coming for everyone.

Numbers six, seven, and eight on this list are Ecclesiastes 12:13, Matthew 7:21, and Matthew 22:37-39. These three verses establish the necessity of obedience to God. We must apply all of the teachings of God’s inspired Word.

Ninth, Romans 1:16. Here, Paul says that only the gospel of Christ can save a lost soul. One must hear and obey that message.

Finally, 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith shapes our entire outlook on life. Paul says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” And that helps me to understand that this world is temporary, that earthly gain really means nothing (as Jesus said in Mat. 16:26), and that what really matters is getting to heaven (Phil. 1:21).

Let’s wrap it up: Statistics indicate that seventy six percent (76%) of Americans claim to be Christians, but only nine percent (9%) hold a Christian worldview. In the pages of the New Testament, Jesus asks us this challenging question: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Let’s be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

Memory Verse: Part of living in accordance with the Christian worldview, or, to state it another way, part of living for Jesus includes being transformed in our minds. That’s exactly what David was asking God for in Psalm 51:10:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Sometime today: Read all of Psalm 51 and reflect on the teachings found there. What should Christians do when they sin? What do they feel? I think that we can see some amazingly personal parallels with our lives as we look into the fifty-first psalm. More on that tomorrow.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!

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Monday, September 15, 2014
“Absolute Truth”

 

 

 

 

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Pilate therefore said to [Jesus], “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38a)

Now there’s a question that many people are asking today in one form or another. I think the search for truth is common to all of mankind. Unfortunately, some people are being fed the wrong answers by our culture.

We live in an age of relativity. Our culture says that there is no such thing as an absolute truth, that is, truth that is true regardless of any other circumstances. Instead, truth is alleged to be relative. The New American Oxford Dictionary defines “relative” as that which is “considered in relation or in proportion to something else; existing or possessing a specified characteristic only in comparison to something else; not absolute.”

It is that relative mindset that causes people to say things like, “There are no absolutes.” Or, “No one really knows what the truth is.” Or, “It’s wrong for you to impose your morals on me.” Essentially, our culture claims that everyone can believe whatever they want.

As you know, this view of relativity is impacting our modern religious culture. In their book Surveying the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs, George Gallup, Jr and D. Michael Lindsay say that

[m]ore Americans are moving toward an interpretation of the Bible as a book of fables, history, and moral precepts. …Attempts at demythologizing the Bible that have been ongoing in the academy for years seem to be moving more and more from the classroom to the pews…. As recently as 1963, two persons in three viewed the Bible as the actual word of God, to be taken literally, word for word. Today, only one person in three still holds to that interpretation (1999, p. 36).

Gallup and Lindsay indicate, as you may have noticed in that quote, that much of this relative view of truth – especially of Scripture – is advocated in the classroom. Research indicates that 51.6% of college professors believe the Bible is “an ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts.” By contrast, 6.1% of college professors believe the Bible is the “actual word of God.”

But the Bible is much different from the relative myth that culture claims it to be. It claims to be inspired of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible says that every word is Scripture (cf. 2 Pet. 3:15-16). Of course, it’s one thing to claim to be something, and another thing entirely to actually be able to back up those claims. Consider the Bible for a moment. It was written over a period of 1500 to 1600 years by around forty human writers. These writers came from all kinds of backgrounds. They were kings and they were shepherds, they were tax collectors and doctors. Amazingly, their writings align perfectly! There is no contradiction in the whole thing! Further, consider the fact that the Bible is not a science book, but scientific advancements have proven the Bible to be accurate in its claims (for example, the fact that the earth is round, Isaiah 40:22, or the paths of the seas, Psalm 8:8). The Bible is not a history book, and yet its history is continually proven to be accurate as archaeologists uncover ancient civilizations that are mentioned in God’s Word.

Time doesn’t permit us to look at very many of these examples, but these help us to see the validity – yea, the truthfulness – of the Bible! It claims to be inspired and it’s clear that it is actually is! How else could that many human writers who came from varying backgrounds and who lived hundreds of years apart all agree on one message?

Yes, the Bible is inspired. In fact, 1 Corinthians two teaches that the Bible is verbally inspired. That is, as the inspired writers recorded what they were told to record, they weren’t merely taking “dictation.” God adapted His inspiring activity to the individual level; to the temperament, vocabulary, and stylistic idiosyncrasies of each writer. So, Paul says that the Holy Spirit communicated to him spiritual things with spiritual words (1 Cor. 2:13).

It’s no wonder, then, that Peter wrote these words:

“All flesh is as grass,

And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you (1 Pet. 1:24-25).

Let’s wrap it up: Religious truth is not relative; it is absolute. Therefore, we cannot accept our culture’s doctrine that teaches that you’re ok and I’m ok as long as we agree that we interpret that truth differently. No, it doesn’t work that way. God has given us the Bible and He expects us to follow it.

Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” but Jesus had already answered that question during His ministry: “[God’s] word is truth” (John 17:17).

Memory Verse: This week we return to the Psalms in the Old Testament for our memory verse. Psalm 51 is a beautiful, heart-felt psalm about sorrow for sin and forgiveness in God’s sight. Let’s memorize Psalm 51:10 this week.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Sometime today: Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:11 and think about this question: How does 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:11 relate to the Christian worldview? More on that tomorrow, the Lord willing.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.

I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!