Hallelujah What A Savior!

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Hallelujah What A Savior

I strongly suggest that today you get alone with the Lord and meditate on Isaiah 53. We will be webcasting our Good Friday Service beginning at 10:30 AM.

Philip Bliss traveled with D. L. Moody and wrote many wonderful hymns. This one, published in 1875, has been sung around the globe. In 1876, Bliss and his family were involved in a tragic train wreck. Reportedly, Bliss ran back into the train to rescue his dear wife, however they both died.

“Man of sorrows!” what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In MY PLACE condemned He stood —
Sealed MY pardon with HIS blood:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
FULL ATONEMENT! can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high;
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Ponder these words anew on this Good Friday, 2009. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 10; 1 Samuel 15-16; Luke 10:25-42

Great Quote: “A Gospel-centered life is the Christian Waltz. A waltz is a dance made up of three steps. Christians need to consider the Christian three step when it comes to growth. In the first step, we acknowledge our need as we see our sin in light of the Law. In the second step, we look to Christ to change us. In the third step, we fight against sin and fight to choose righteousness in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Repent! Believe! Fight!…Repent! Believe! Fight!…Repent! Believe! Fight! An emphasis on the love and grace of God lays the dance floor,or the foundation, for the waltz. Unless Christians are convinced of God’s love for them and His favor over them by virtue of their union with Christ, they will minimize their sin and engage in blame-shifting and excuse- making in order to feel justified before God. Unfortunately, many in the Church today teach believers a Two-step. The two-step is to simply repent and fight. They acknowledge their sin and proceed with new resolve to try harder to avoid sin. The problem with this approach is it bypasses the cross of Christ and the power of the resurrection.” Bob Flayhart

Overwhelmed with Life?

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Overwhelmed with Life?

“You were enriched in everything by Him.” 1 Corinthians 1:5

I have heard this statement from at least a dozen people today (Wednesday) both on the phone and in emails. I am not throwing anyone under the bus by name, but I think it is the cry of so many of us right now … “I am overwhelmed with life …”

Overwhelmed with the news. Just listening to the news wears me out. Think of all the shootings in just the past several weeks. We have heard now of at least 15 suicides in the Keswick circle of friends and acquaintances. This morning I read about the four people shot at a Catholic Retreat Center in California.

Overwhelmed with too much to do. I don’t know about you, but I feel like my “to do” list gets longer and I get less done each day. There are phone calls, emails, meetings, letters, faxes. There are people who demand answers to questions, advice on all sorts of issues, people seeking help. Add to that the tugs and pulls we all face with dealing with stuff outside of the job/ministry. Vacation seems like a great solution — until preparing to leave and then facing the pile upon your return.

Overwhelmed by what we want to accomplish and can’t. At least five of my closest friends shared today that they are struggling with having a consistent daily time with the Lord. The urgent seems to take precedent over the important. Fatigue is constant. And then there is the guilt associated with not doing the important.

Sound like your life? How do we correct this epidemic problem? I think it is time to step back and think about what is most important. We have talked about this over and over — our relationship with Jesus needs to be a number one priority. I remember one of Oswald Chambers devotionals reading this: “My priority needs to be Jesus first, Jesus second, Jesus third.”

If we are going to survive this thing called life, we have to be intentional about our personal quiet time. The purpose of this daily time is not to check it off your to-do list. It isn’t intended to be done legalistically with the fear that God will punish us for not having it. It is not intended to appease God so that He won’t test and try us.

The purpose of this daily time is for fellowship, for intimacy, for refreshment. It is a time for you and I to be “enriched in everything by Him!”

Hey — do you make a dental appointment and miss it? Do you make an appointment to play racquet ball and miss it? Think about the important meetings you schedule on your calendar. Do you miss the things you really want to do?

Then maybe you need to rethink, retool, recommit — put Jesus on your calendar first thing each day. Make him your FIRST appointment of the day. Don’t block out an hour if you are only able to do 15 minutes. For some of us 15 minutes consistently is better than saying we are going to give him one hour and never doing it.

By the way … if Jesus thought it was important enough for Him to spend time each day with His Father — should it not be a number one priority for us? Hmmmmmm …. Maybe we would be less overwhelmed if we allowed HIM to enrich us vs. all the other stuff that has done the job! Think about it. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 9; 1 Samuel 13-14; Luke 10:1-24

Great Quote: The tragedy is that many of us are living…desperate Christian life. Sunday comes and we get some strength, and then we lose some on Monday; a good deal is gone by Tuesday and we wonder whether we have anything left. On Wednesday it has all gone and then we exist. Or perhaps refreshment comes in some other way, some meeting we attend, some friends we meet…Now that is the old order of things, that is not the new. So our Lord goes on to put it like this: ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life’ (verses 13-14). He puts a well within us. We are not always drawing from somewhere outside. The well, the spring, goes on springing up from within into everlasting life. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dealing With Persistent Guilt (Part 3)

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Dealing With Persistent Guilt (Part 3)

” … but God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us …” Romans 5:8

Yesterday I shared some thoughts from Puritan writer Thomas Wilcox on what to do when persistent guilt rears its ugly head … Here are several other comments …

Shift your focus to the glory of Christ. If guilt still persists, remember that he pardons for his own name’s sake (Isaiah 43:25; Ezekiel 36:22; 1 John 2:12), because in pardoning us he’ll make us living monuments of the glory of the grace he purchased. It’s Christ’s own happiness to pardon, so he does. By embracing this truth, even the most desperate sinner’s conscience can rest absolutely assured.

Shift your focus off self-condemnation. When our conscience relentlessly condemns us, remember that Christ will have the last word. He is the judge of the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5) and only he can pronounce the final sentence. CHRIST is the judge — not our conscience. So never for a moment dare to take the judge’s place by proclaiming irreparable guilt when he proclaims hope, grace, and pardon. If we think our sin is too great to be pardoned, remember that Christ doesn’t agree.

Shift your focus on self-contempt. If we’re focused on hating ourselves, realize that we’re focused on ourselves and not on him. Self-contempt is a subtle form of self-centeredness, which is the opposite of Christ-centeredness. Unless our self-contempt makes us look more at the righteousness of Christ, and the cross of Christ and less at ourselves, the whole endeavor leads to death. Let our sin break our hearts, but not our hope in the gospel.

The greatness of Christ’s merit is known best by sinners in deep distress. The thirstier a man is, the more he’ll prize a cup of water; the more our sins break and burden us, the more we’ll treasure our Healer and Deliverer.

The second year after coming to America’s KESWICK, I developed pneumonia right before the summer season. I had a lot of time to think and pray. Ironically I was reading a book by Jerry Bridges. In that book he suggested that when we struggle with persistent guilt, we make a list of all the things that keep coming back to our minds. Write it all down and then burn the list! Destroy it. Remember what Christ did with it — He paid for it with His blood ONCE AND FOR ALL — he buried them in the deepest sea, and removed them as far as the east is from the west. Or as the late Corrie ten Boom said it … confess it, throw it in the lake and put up a sign that says, NO MORE FISHING!

What a great time of the year to thank Him for so great a sacrifice for our sins. Hallelujah, What A Savior. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 8; 1 Samuel 10-12; Luke 9:37-62

Great Quote: Perhaps you have been ensnared by a sinful habit that you will not abandon, and your guilt is so overwhelming you are ashamed to approach Christ. Whatever the reason for your broken intimacy with God, there is good news. Jesus waits to embrace you now in the arms of unconditional, divine love. Charles Stanley

Dealing With Persistent Guilt (Part 2)

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Dealing with Persistent Guilt (Part 2)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” — 1 John 2:1-2

I am writing to brothers (and some sisters) who have struggled with guilt for sins that they have committed in the past. Many of us have confessed our sin (1 John 1:9), the sins that Christ died for and paid for with His blood, and yet he hold on to the guilt. I have met people who are still holding on to sin that they committed 5, 10, 25 years ago.

I shared with you that I just read a powerful book by Dr. Jerry Bridges (The Bookends of the Christian Life … Crossway Publishers). In this book he shares from the writings of a 17th century Puritan, Thomas Wilcox about how to deal with persistent guilt:

* Shift your focus away from your sin and onto Christ: don’t persist in looking upon sin; look upon Christ instead, and don’t look away from him for a moment. When we see OUR guilt, if we don’t see CHRIST in the scene, away with it! In all our storms of conscience, we must look at CHRIST continually and exclusively.

* Shift your focus to Christ, our mediator. If we’re so discouraged we cannot pray, then we must see CHRIST praying for us (Romans 8:34), using His influence with the Father on our behalf. What better news could we ever want than to know JESUS CHRIST — the Son of God, co-creator of the universe — is addressing the Father on our behalf?

* Shift your focus to Christ crucified, risen, and ascended. When guilt persists, remember where JESUS is and he’s been. He has been upon the cross, where he spoiled all that can ruin us. He’s now upon the throne of heaven, as our advocate and mediator. His state in glory doesn’t make him neglectful or scornful of the guilty sinners he died to redeem. He has the same heart now in heaven as he had upon the cross.

I will share more tomorrow on this topic. Remember the words to Horatio Spafford’s hymn, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL?

My sin, Oh the bless of glorious soul,
MY SIN — NOT IN PART BUT THE WHOLE–
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it NO MORE!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.

Are you weighed down from guilt of past sins? Get down on your knees, and go to the cross. Preach the Gospel to yourself, and thank Him that HE TOOK YOUR SIN and YOU BEAR IT NO MORE! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 7: 1 Samuel 7-9; Luke 9:18-36

Great Quote: Do little things as though they were great, because of the majesty of Jesus Christ who does them in us, and who lives our life: and do the greatest things as though they were little and easy, because of His omnipotence. Blaise Pascal

Check out this week’s STEWARDSHIP INSIGHT from George. It will encourage your heart: http://keswickgeorge.blogspot.com/

More on Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

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More on Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit …” Ephesians 1:3

I am still learning about the concept of preaching the gospel to myself daily. It is a fascinating journey and one that I pray you will go on with me. The gospel is certainly at the core of the events that we will celebrate this week as we reflect on Christ’s death on the cross, his burial, and his glorious resurrection.

Dr. Jerry Bridges reminded me in his new book, The Bookends of the Christian Life (Crossway) the gospel is for sinners. Are you a sinner? Do you do battle with sin in your life? Then the gospel is for YOU. On his deathbed at age 82, John Newtown, the composer of Amazing Grace, declared, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!”

Dr. Bridges suggests that we consider the promises of God as we preach the gospel daily to ourselves. Here is his suggested pattern:

Every Day: God, be merciful to me, the sinner! (Like 18:13 NASB)

Sunday: But he was wounded for MY transgressions of _____________; he was crushed for MY iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought ME peace, and with His stripes I am healed. Like a sheep, I have gone astray; I have turned to my own way; and the Lord has laid on Him MY iniquity. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Monday: He will again have compassion on ME; he will tread MY iniquities of ____________ under foot. You will cast MY sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)

Tuesday: Blessed am I, whose lawless deeds of ________________ are forgiven, and MY sins are covered; blessed am I against whom the Lord will not count MY sin. (Romans 4:7-8)

Wednesday: There is therefore now no condemnation for _____________ for me, as one who is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Thursday: And I, who was dead in MY trespasses of ____________________ and the uncircumcision of MY flesh, having forgiven ME ALL MY transgressions, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against ME with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Friday: As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove MY transgressions of _______________ from ME. (Psalm 103:12)

Saturday: Though MY sins of _______________ are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18

Every day: Christ’s work for ME is finished! (John 19:30)

Start today — preach the Gospel to yourself. Will you join me? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK and a “gospel-learner!”

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 6; 1 Samuel 4-6; Luke 9:1-17

Great Quote: When Christ entered into Jerusalem the people spread garments in the way: when He enters into our hearts, we pull off our own righteousness,and not only lay it under Christ’s feet but even trample upon it ourselves. Augustus Toplady

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Palm Sunday

“And those who went before and those who were followed shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in he name of the Lord …” Mark 11:9

THE FIRST PALM SUNDAY
Did you ever wish that you had been
With the crowd that Palm Sunday morn
When people shouted their “Hosannas”
And no one was forlorn?

To see Jesus coming to Jerusalem
Upon a borrowed Jenny
If He then had some enemies,
They surly were not many.

No one tried to stop him
As He threw the merchants out.
The only negative thing that was said
Was when the children began to shout.

Yet in four short days it seems
His popularity was all gone.
They held his trial so early
He was condemned just before dawn.

Now when you are tempted to fear people
Or to value what they think or say,
Remember how soon they can change
All in a single day.

Trust the one who changes not
For He is a faithful friend,
And He is the only one
On whom you can depend.

He said we should not be ashamed
Even if we have to stand alone,
Then He will not be ashamed of us
When we stand before God’s throne. George H. VanSandt 3/23/97

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 5; 1 Samuel 1-3; Luke 8:26-56

Great Quote: Praying gives sense, brings wisdom, and broadens and strengthens the mind. The prayer closet is a perfect schoolteacher and schoolhouse for the preacher. Thought is not only brightened and clarified in prayer, but thought is born in prayer. We can learn more in an hour praying, when praying indeed, than from many hours of rigorous study. Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds

Joy is Paradoxical

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Joy Is Paradoxical

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Someone once said, “Believers are weird.” We are. We are a peculiar people — God said so! Part of our uniqueness is that our lives are full of paradoxes that just don’t make sense to the regular Joe.

Joy is one of those paradox’s. Think about it … despite the trials and testings we find ourselves facing, Christians have joy! Does that make logical sense? Not to someone who doesn’t know the Lord.

How does someone in the midst of some of the most severe trials proclaim, “The joy of the Lord is my strength?” Have does someone stand at the graveside of a family member or friend and declare, “Despite the loss, it gives me great joy to know _____________ is at home with the Lord!”

How is it that despite the crazy times we are living in, we can declare — “Consider it all joy …” Christians arene’t the weird ones (well … ). The world just can’t figure it out — but apart from being IN CHRIST, you can’t have joy in the midst of pain and suffering.

I don’t know what you are facing, but my guess is that if you are really honest, you have experienced His peace, His comfort, and His joy. Revel in that joy today no matter what you are facing. Somehow He is going to use this for HIS glory and your good. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 4; Ruth 1-4; Luke 8:1-25

Great Quote: “We must remember that God will never drag us along the path of true-hearted discipleship. This would greatly lack the moral excellency which characterizes all the ways of God. He does not drag, but draws us along the path which leads to ineffable blessedness in Himself; and if we do see that it is for our real advantage to break through all the barriers of nature, in order to respond to Gods’ call, we forsake our own mercies. But alas! our hearts little enter into this. We begin to calculate about the sacrifices, the hindrances, and the difficulties, instead of bounding along the path, in eagerness of soul, as knowing and loving the One whose call has sounded in our ears”. C H Macintosh

No Condemnation

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No Condemnation

“There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

I’ve met them. You’ve met them. It might be you. Are you bogged down with unnecessary guilt because of sin that has already been paid for by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross?

Have you confessed that sin, claiming 1 John 1:9, but find yourself still stuck wondering if He really forgave you?

Here are some questions from Dr. Jerry Bridges book, The Bookends of the Christian Life, for you to ask yourself to determine if you are suffering from persistent guilt:

1. Am I painfully preoccupied with a habitual sin?
2. Am I discouraged or depressed by my failure to measure up?
3. Do I frequently experience anxiety that something’s about to go wrong?
4. Does it appear God can use others but not me?
5. Is there something in my past that I just can’t seem to get over?
6. Do I fear that my past will come back to haunt me?
7. Do my difficult circumstances seem like God’s judgment for my sin?
8. Do I steer clear of intimate relationships or small group discussions?
9. When I sin, do I get a vague sense that somehow there’ll be a price to pay?
10. Do I seldom think of the cross.

Dr. Bridges says that “persistent guild sometime incapacitates a believer … We must go back to the cross — only the life and death of Christ offers a legitimate path to freedom from a guilty conscience — legitimate because it was a real, lived-in-the-flesh, finished righteousness, applies to us FOREVER.”

Charles Wesley penned these words in his powerful hymn, AND CAN IT BE?

NO CONDEMNATION now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine;
Alive in Him, my living head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Amazing love! how can it be!
That thou my God, shouldst die for me?

Rejoice today that IN CHRIST there is NO CONDEMNATION! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 3: Judges 19-21; Luke 7:31-50

Great quote: Never put a question mark where God puts a period. Lyle Petty

Let Go Of Anxiety

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Let Go of Anxiety

” … let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the VICTORY.” Deuteronomy 20:3b,4

We have had an unusual January – March financially. The Lord has provided in amazing ways — ways that boggle the mind. This week we have faced the first major crunch of the new year. I found myself yesterday starting to get anxious and uptight about the past due bills and payroll.

In my quiet time on Wednesday, the above verse appeared in the passage I was reading in my One Year Bibl (ESV). It jumped off the page — LET NOT YOUR HEART FAINT — DO NOT FEAR OR PANIC …

The Lord KNEW that this is right where I (was) am! Praise God is the One who goes out to fight FOR me and will give me the VICTORY!

Listen to the words of Fenelon as he writes about letting go of our anxiety:

Let you anxiety flow away like a stream. What evidence you concoct for the imaginary situations! God permits you, despite your excellent sense, to be blind to what is right in front of you. You think you see clearly what does not exist at all! God will be glorified in your life if you yield to Him. Never make important decisions in a state of distress, as you just are not able to see clearly.

When you are calm and collected, you will find the will of God more clearly known. Turn toward devotion and simplicity. Listen to God and be deaf to yourself (I can sure talk to myself!). When you are in a place of calm and quiet rest, do all that you sense within your spirit.

To suppose you are level-headed when you are in the agony of distress is to set yourself up to make a mistake. Any experienced counselor will tell you not to make decisions until you regain your peace and re-enter inward prayer. NEVER trust yourself when you are suffering greatly because your nature is so unreasonable and upset.

You say that I am trying to prevent you from doing what you should. God forbid! I do not want to encourage you or stop you. I only want you to please God. It is a s clear as day that you will fail to do what GOD want if you act when your old nature is feeling deeply wounded to the point of despair. Would you do something only to make yourself happy even it if went against God’s will? God forbid!

Wait until you are not feeling so hurt, fearful or sad. Be open to every alternative that God might suggest. Sacrifice everything for His sake. — The Seeking Heart — by Fenelon

Not bad advice from a man who lived over 400+ years ago! I needed to hear this. What about you? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 2; Judges 16-18; Luke 7:1-30

Great Quote: If you serve others for the reward of gaining their admiration and gratitude, then your reward will be fleeting and ultimately dissatisfying. If you serve others for the reward of bringing pleasure to your Father God’s heart as you work side by side with him, then you will gain eternal rewards. Anonymous

My Redeemer is Faithful and True (Part 2)

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My Redeemer is Faithful and True (Part 2)

First of all, I apologize that we are having so much trouble with the Freedom Fighter emails. Please be assured that we are still writing them daily. I would encourage you to check the blog or read them off my page of Facebook.

Today I received word that my dear friend and brother in Christ, Bobby Michaels, went home to be with Jesus while being prepped for his open heart surgery. His heart stopped prior to the procedure and they worked on him for 45 minutes.

Watching Bobby, Lee, Jeff and Rachel go through this experience has been a painful reminder of what we experienced during Lindsay’s illness and homegoing this time last year. In fact next weekend is the one year anniversary of her first open heart surgery.

Grief is not easily understood. We have learned so much this year about the grieving process. We have experienced the waves and rolls of grief, and by God’s grace, He has seen us through. We’ve had people “try” to give us all kinds of advice — people who think we are grieving too much, too publicly, not grieving enough to not grieving enough publicly. People have told us that we should be past the crying and be moving on in the process.

We have learned that grief was experienced by Jesus — the Son of God. He cried when His best friend, Lazarus died. We have learned that tears are often the means that God uses to provide comfort — His comfort. In fact, He said, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

We have learned the sometimes the best way to encourage someone who has lost a loved one is to simply shut up and just let the person know, “Hey, I don’t know what to say — but I can pray for you.” Sometimes just a hug, a card, and email saying, “We care …” can mean so much.

We have also been blessed to still hear stories of how Lindsay’s life is still touching people’s lives. Her blog is now over 65,000 hits. Just this past weekend, one of Laura’s friends was baptised. In her testimony she shared that she received Christ because of what she learned as Laura and Jon went through with Lindsay. Lindsay’s sickness had such an impact on her life.

Bobby touched hundreds of thousands of lives. The final chapter of the influence of his life has yet to be written. Only eternity will reveal the impact of his life and testimony.

Lee, Rachel and Jeff — we love you and pray for you. Thanks for sharing Bobby with countless millions around the world. Thank you for allowing Bobby to share JESUS with millions of people globally. May you experience God’s peace, and know in your heart of hearts that YOUR Redeemer … is Faithful and True.

If you’d like to encourage Lee and the kids, respond to this email and we will forward it to them. Thanks to our FF family for praying for the family. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 1; Judges 13-15; Luke 6:27-29

Great Quote: Sin hath the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages. Thomas Watson