What Mitt Romney Didn't Say

Here is what Mitt Romney said he believes about Jesus.

"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance."

Here is what Mitt Romney believes about Jesus that he did not say.

• That Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers
• That Jesus has not always existed but was created by the Father
• That Jesus was spirit and then became a God
• That Jesus and Lucifer contended for the right to be redeemer
• That Jesus was birthed by a physical act of God the Father and Mary
• That Jesus is a God and not part of the single triune Godhead
• That we can become a god like Jesus
• That Jesus did most of the atonement work in the Garden of Gethsemane and not on the cross
• That Jesus' work of atonement is not enough to bring salvation to lost souls but works must be added.
• That Jesus is not the judge of the quick and the dead but Joseph Smith must give his consent for entrance into heaven.

I do understand that among Christians there is to be a tolerance of non-essential beliefs but tolerance cannot be granted to a cult. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a cult.

Victory Over Sin, Part 3

Sin comes from one of two problems. Either you are unsaved and therefore incapable of getting victory over sin or you are saved and don't know the scriptures that you need to believe to strengthen your faith in the battle with a particular sin. If you are unsaved, you are a slave to sin and it will rule over you always. If you are saved and struggling with sin then I have ten solutions for you to get victory over sin in your life.

We have already looked at the first three. First, you must know that temptation is a common problem. Second, the root of all sin is lust. Third, your salvation did not get rid of the problem. Fourth, you must reckon yourself to be dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. Fifth, you must allow Christ to take control of your mind. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” There must be a determination on your part to serve the Lord. Paul said in Romans 7:25, “I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” The bottom line is that you must let the mind of the Master be the master of your mind.

Sixth, you must believe what the Bible says about forgiveness. Yes, we’re all sinners, but we can all be saved and forgiven by the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says that the “unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Yes, these sins are vile, but no sin is beyond forgiveness. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Believe what the Bible says in regard to God's forgiveness. You see, the Devil tries to guilt you over your sin and attempts to push you away from God. Guilt is from the Devil and is a tool to push us away from God and His people. Conviction is from God and is a tool to pull us to God and His people.

Seventh, the way to get victory over your sin is occupy your mind with pure thoughts. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.”

When I am doing counseling, I encourage those who are struggling with a sin-area in their lives to memorize five verses from the Bible that have to do with their sin and to quote them when they are tempted. I call this, “Quote Five and Stay Alive.” Just think about it; when Jesus was tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4. What did He do each and every time the Devil threw a temptation at Him? He quoted Scripture. He responded with, “It is written…” I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but I’m sure that if it worked for Jesus, it will work for you and me too.

Eighth, (this goes along with number seven) you must know the Scriptures (the Bible). If the Devil throws temptations at you and you don’t know what the Bible says about it; how can you quote it? You can’t quote what you don’t know. You’re a sitting duck my friend. You have nothing to hide behind!

Victory Over Sin, Part 2

In regards to victory over sin, last week we discussed a few things. First, sin comes from one of two problems. Either you are unsaved and therefore incapable of getting victory over sin or you are saved and don't know the scriptures that you need to believe to strengthen your faith in the battle with a particular sin. If you are unsaved, you are a slave to sin and it will rule over you always. If you are saved and struggling with sin then I have ten solutions for you.

First, you must know that temptation is a common problem. So, our root problem in this life is our lusts. James 1:14-16 confirms this when it says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

Second, the root of all sin is lust. The Bible says in James 1:14-16, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” James 4:2a says “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain.” Also, Proverbs 11:6 says “The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.”

I once heard radio personality Paul Harvey share this story of how an Eskimo kills a problematic wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. "First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. "Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the arctic night. So great becomes his craving for blood that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue, nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his OWN warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more--until the dawn finds him dead in the snow!" It is a fearful thing that people can be "consumed by their own lusts." Only God's grace keeps us from the wolf's fate.

Third, your salvation did not get rid of the problem. We see this clearly from the writings of Paul in Romans 7:15-24, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me…O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” No, your sin problem will not go away until you die or the Lord comes back. In the meantime, you must learn how to fight it and win. How do you fight it and win?

Fourth, you must reckon yourself to be dead. Romans 6:11-14 says, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Dead men don’t get offended! Dead men don’t gossip! Dead men don’t sin! Remember that, as far as God is concerned, you are physically a "dead man."

Victory Over Sin, Part 1

A sign was seen in west Texas with a ranchers name signed in blood red paint at the bottom which read, “STOP. I know you're thinking about crossing this gate. What you should know is that if the Coyotes, Cactus, Mesquite, Heat, Dust or Rattlers don't get you, I will.” That sign reminds me of sin in our life. No matter how hard we try sometimes to avoid it; it just seems to always be there. That brings me to a question, “How can we get the victory over sin in our life?”

Before we continue, we must first understand that sin comes from one of two problems. Either you are unsaved and therefore incapable of getting victory over sin or you are saved and don't know the scriptures that you need to believe to strengthen your faith in the battle with a particular sin.

First, if you are unsaved, you are incapable of getting victory over your sin. You are a slave to sin and it will rule over you always. Romans 6:16 tells us, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Second, if you are saved and struggling with sin then I have ten solutions for you.

First, you must know that temptation is a common problem. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13a, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…” All of us are tempted. We are all tempted in the same way. What way is that? The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

If you look in Genesis 3, Eve was tempted with the “lust of the flesh” in that she did see that the fruit was good for food. She was also tempted with the “lust of the eyes” in that she did think that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. Also, she was tempted with the “pride of life” in that she desired to be to be wise like God. If you study the Temptation of Christ in Matthew 4, you will see that the exact thing happened. Jesus was indeed tempted with the “lust of the flesh”, “lust of the eyes”, and “the pride of life” in each of the temptations that the Devil threw at him.

However, the great news is that even though we are all tempted in the same ways to sin; is that we can have the victory of it. The rest of 1 Corinthians 10:13b says, “…but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” In other words, God is faithful and will never allow you to be tempted so far that you can not resist. He will always give you a way out. No, there is never an excuse for sin. That’s why it is so condemning. We all have the ability to get victory over our temptations and the sin that follows. Paul said in Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” In truth, if we all stayed in the Spirit all the time we would never sin. That is why God holds us accountable for our sin. We all have a choice as to whether or not we are going to heed and succumb to the temptations of the Devil or take the way out that God promises to give us.

So, our root problem in this life is our lusts. James 1:14-16 confirms this when it says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

Tomorrow

Tomorrow promises to be a good day at Borderland. We have two very special things happening at once. First, it will be Bob Haines' birthday. He will be 89! He has been a pillar in our church for many years and is loved by all. Secondly, it will be Zeek Avelar's ordination. This has been coming for quite some time now. We have watched him grow in his walk with the Lord for years. I know that he will go on to do great things for the Kingdom of God. His plans are to go on to Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California in August. We are praying that the Lord will provide the money for him. As a side note, Aaron Armstrong is also heading off to Bible College at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Peru. They both will be missed but blessed I'm sure!

Charles Spurgeon Quote

"It is absolutely necessary to the preaching of the gospel of Christ that men be warned as to what will happen if they continue in their sins...You are too delicate to tell the man that he is ill! You hope to heal the sick without their knowing it. You therefore flatter them; and what happens? They laugh at you; they dance upon their own graves. At last they die! Your delicacy is cruelty; your flatteries are poisons; you are a murderer. Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in Hell?" Charles Spurgeon

Back Home

What a whirlwind trip! We had a great time just hanging out with my brother-in-law in San Antonio. It was freezing though. Then we headed to Andrews for a few days to hang with the Armstrong family and took advantage of the time and went to John Armstrong's wedding in Lubbock. Lubbock is a beautiful city. We were pleasantly surprised, but it was cold! We then returned to Andrews where I had the privilege of teaching at Calvary Baptist Church. Great church with great people. It was still cold though. Then we headed to Kerrville and Fredericksburg for a day and tried to do a little sightseeing and shopping but everything was closed for New Years. I guess will have to go back again soon and try it again. That's no problem with me.