Author: pastortravislv

I am a husband, and father of three, serving as pastor at Providence Reformed Church in Las Vegas, NV. We came here on July 1, 2015.

You Can’t Buy a Gift (Acts 8:18-20)

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Acts 8:18-20 – Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”
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The Simon in this account is a magician who had lived for a while thinking himself to be of some importance, that is, until the gospel reached his town. But when the followers of Jesus came to town, the people turned to Jesus. Even Simon believed, according to verse 13. Then Simon witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on people that came after the laying on of the apostles’ hands (something which uniquely happened in the Book of Acts when the gospel spread to a new people group). Simon, who was used to having the power and getting what he wanted, approached the apostles asking to buy from them this ability. But Peter, as we see above, responds to Simon with a very strong rebuke.

I wonder how many of us live our Christian lives looking for the next source of power. How many would offer money to buy a gift from God if we thought it might work? How many of us live as though we do buy gifts from God, not with money, but with good behavior or faithful service? How many feel that we buy favor from God every time we enter the church, sing a song, or drop an envelop into the offering basket?

How ever many of us do the things listed above, none of these things are acceptable. God never called us to seek after the thrill of spiritual experiences. He calls us to seek him, not to seek the power rush that his Holy Spirit can give us. And he most certainly can not be bought. God’s gifts are just that, gifts. You can not buy a gift from God. No amount of good behavior, money, worship, or obedience will ever earn you some sort of earthly favor from God. Good behavior certainly does not guarantee earthly comforts; just look at the fact that this account comes in the middle of tremendous persecution of the Jerusalem church. The Lord specifically warned us in Matthew 6 not to seek treasures and rewards on earth, but to seek the true treasure that is in heaven. Such a treasure is not bought with money.

The ultimate example of the evil that we see in Simon from this passage is present in the person who believes that their good behaviors will earn them access to heaven. Many, if not most, in the world today believe that their eternal destiny depends on how well their good deeds outweigh their bad. They are trying to buy the gift of eternal life by paying in a certain number of good works like church attendance, financial giving, charity work, kindness, etc. But God’s greatest gift, the gift of eternal life, is not for sale. Eternal life is a gift that can only be received by the one who humbly accepts it from Christ. We offer God nothing to earn it. We can not pay him back. To try to pay for it is, in fact, the most insulting thing that we could ever do, because it shows how little we think it to be worth.

Lord, I come to you this morning, and I ask that you forgive me for any time in my life that I have ever sought earthly gifts ahead of seeking you. I want to be in your presence, to know you and love you. I do not need earthly comforts for that. I pray that you will also forgive me for any time that I have had the audacity to believe that my giving of worship or money would ever buy for me worldly comforts. You did not design me for such trivialities. You designed me for eternity. I long for the eternal treasure of being in your presence. I know that I can not buy such a reward, for it is a gift from you. I will not try to earn your gifts. I will receive them from your gracious hand. Please, Lord, grant me the greatest gift of all, to be involved in the honoring of your name.

A Persecution for the Glory of God (Acts 8:1b, 4)

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Acts 8:1b, 4 – And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. . . . Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
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Upon the death of Stephen, a great persecution broke out that scattered the members of the Jerusalem church. While many might have assumed that such a persecution would weaken the cause of Christ, in reality, it strengthened the cause. When the followers of Jesus were driven out of Jerusalem, they took the gospel of Christ with them. They preached the gospel wherever they went, and thus fulfilled the words of Jesus from Acts 1:8. Jesus told his disciples, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The persecution of Acts 8 began the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth.

This entire event teaches us that God has a plan that is far beyond what we would ever imagine. So often, we hide from sharing the gospel because of our desire for human comforts. Here, God removed the comforts from the followers of Christ, and the church grew. God works in the face of persecution. He strengthens the faith of believers, and moves them to sacrifice greatly for the sake of the gospel. No, we might never choose this voluntarily, but God knows what is best. His ways are beyond our comprehension. His plans will not fail.

So, the next time circumstances come in your life that appear to be unreasonable, do not forget what God did with a body of believers who were forced to flee for their lives. Remember that God took what they had to perceive as a great evil, and he made it into the fulfillment of his commands. If he can do that with the first century church under tremendous persecution, he most certainly can accomplish his will in the midst of your struggles and difficulties.

Lord, I recognize that you are sovereign. You take all circumstances, even the ones that are beyond our imagining, and work them together for the glory of your name and the growth of your kingdom. No one, not even those who would attack and kill Christians, will ever be able to slow the growth of your church. You can use the hands of those who persecute us to drive us to the places where the gospel will spread. Lord, I ask that you will help me to remember that you are in control at times when my life seems out of control. I am always in your hands. Your plan is always in motion, and your will is always going to be done.

Treating God as Holy (Deut 32:49-52)

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Deuteronomy 32:49-52 – Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel..
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The judgment of God on Moses came very forcefully at the end of his life. After Moses led the people of Israel through their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, he was forbidden by God from entering the promised land. Moses was allowed to see the land from a distance, but he was not allowed to personally experience the blessing.

Moses’ sin that cost him so much came in the desert years before. He was angry with the people, and he struck a rock instead of speaking to it as he was commanded by God. Many who hear this as the reason Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land simply do not understand. “What’s the big deal,” they often ask. The big deal is this: Moses failed to obey God.

The Lord said that Moses would not enter the promised land, “because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.” God’s holiness is of utmost importance. For Moses to have a direct command from God which he chose not to obey exactly as it was given was for him to defame the holiness of God. God is holy, and we must obey him fully in order to honor that holiness.

We ought to be very thankful that God has not chosen to judge us all immediately for all the times that we have failed to treat him as holy in a worse way than did Moses in the desert that day. Each time we have a command of God that we choose to disobey, or that we choose to just fudge on a little bit, we do not honor him as holy. Each time we shrink back from telling the truth to save face, we fail to honor God’s holiness. How often have we treated the Lord of Glory as something less than holy, holy, holy? How often have we been graciously spared the judgment we deserve?

We must never forget that God is absolutely holy and wonderfully gracious. We must never let our understanding of his grace compromise how we reverence his holiness. The more we focus on the total purity and perfection of God, the more we will be challenged to obey him. So, let us remember that he is holy, and let us give ourselves to total obedience in honor of that holiness. Let us remember that 99% obedience is disobedience. Let us treat him as holy in public and in private—in every aspect of life.

Lord, I recognize from this passage that your holiness is of tremendous importance. I acknowledge here and now that I have not always treated you as holy in every situation. I thank you for having mercy on me, for not judging me right away when I deserved it. I ask that you will forgive me my failures, and help me to turn away from my sin. You are holy, and I want to treat you as such. Let me obey you, fear you, and honor you as I ought. Lead me to 100% obedience, that your name might be truly glorified in my life. May I never again be guilty of treating you as anything less than holy, holy, holy.

Die Well (Acts 7:59-60)

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Acts 7:59-60 – And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
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The death of Stephen, the first recorded Christian martyr, is an inspiring event. Stephen was brought before the Jewish teachers and asked if he was teaching against God’s law. Stephen began with Abraham, and told the Old Testament story through Solomon’s building of the temple. He showed the Jews that they had not obeyed God’s law, and they had overestimated the meaning of the temple. Stephen then explained to the Jews that they had killed the very messiah they awaited. When the crowds became angry with him, Stephen looked to the heavens, and God opened his eyes to see Jesus standing to receive him. Stephen told the crowds what he saw, and they considered it such a great blasphemy that they rushed him and put him to death.

The verses above are Stephen’s last words. What I find beautiful in them is that Stephen’s words are mirror images of the words of Jesus on the cross. He committed himself to God, and he asked that God forgive those putting him to death just like Jesus did. Without question, Stephen was given supernatural guidance by God to be able to speak like Christ. But with that said, the fact is that Stephen looked like Jesus in his death. He died well.

Our purpose in life is to honor God in every area of life. We are to live for his glory, and we are to die for his glory. The more we know Jesus, the more we are filled with his word, the more our lives and our deaths can mirror our Lord’s. Let us make it a goal that in life and in death, we want to look like Jesus. Let us love and speak truth in our lives. Let us sacrifice our own rights for the benefits of others. Let us point others to the glory of God. And when it comes our time to die, let us continue to mirror Jesus. Let us point people to his death. Let us fully entrust our spirits to him, and seek that his name be honored above all.

Lord, you are the God who created me for yourself. You made me with the purpose of honoring you in all that I do. I pray that I will live to tell others of the glories of Jesus. Let me point others to the truth of the gospel as long as I have breath. Help me to live a life that looks as much like Jesus as it can. I also ask to die well. I ask that, when it comes my time to join you in eternity, I will point people to your glory. Let my death honor you for the sake of your glorious name and kingdom.

My Bible Reading Plan

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My Daily Reading Plan

For anyone who wonders, you can find a copy of my daily Bible reading plan at

http://bible.crosswalk.com

Simply click the “Bible-in-a-Year” link, and you will see the program that will allow you to do the reading on-line and chart your progress. I also have this reading plan in a Word document. If you would like it, email me and I will send it to you.

I’m currently reading in the English Standard Version (ESV), but would recommend the New American Standard Bible (NASB) as well. For those who feel that these literal translations are too difficult, you might try reading the New Living Translation (NLT).

Choose Life (Deut 30:19-20)

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Deuteronomy 30: 19-20 – I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
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Sometimes when we read the scriptures, the simplest statements strike most deeply. Here, as Moses nears the end of his last speeches before the nation of Israel, he sets things out as plain as can be. The people have a choice before them. They can choose life or death, blessing or a curse. They have before them a clear fork in the road, and God commands them to make their choice. There is no middle ground. There is no neutral position. There is no half-hearted answer to be had here. It is simple, all or nothing, true or false, yes or no.

This is the kind of choice that has never stopped being before the people of the world. Though this verse, in its context, is for Israel and their obedience to the old covenant, it applies so well to everything around us today. God sets before every person a decision to be made. We all must respond to Jesus. We all must say what it is we will do with him. Will we believe him or reject him? Will we trust him or deny him? Will we serve him, or serve ourselves? Will we receive from God a blessing or a curse? There is no middle ground. There is no half-hearted decision to be made. It is all or nothing, life or death, heaven or hell.

If, for some reason, you are reading this blog and you have not placed your faith in Jesus for the salvation of your soul, let me urge you to do that today. Jesus is God’s very own Son. He came to earth as a man, and he lived an absolutely perfect life with no sin before God. He died on the cross, and in his death, paid the penalty for the sin of all who believe in him. He rose from the grave, proving to all that God was satisfied by the work that Jesus did. Now, the question stands before you as it stands before all people: What will you do with Jesus? Today, I set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you may live. Choose Jesus, and let his death on the cross pay for your sins. Choose Jesus, and be forgiven of all the wrong you will ever do, past, present, or future. Then thank God, because you would never choose Jesus without God first choosing you.

Lord Jesus, I know that you are perfect and holy. You are God the Son, who died to pay the penalty for my sin. I know that I am a sinner, and I deserve to be eternally condemned for my sin. I thank you that Jesus paid the full price for my sin. I trust myself to Christ’s finished work on the cross. I trust in Christ’s promise of grace for all who believe in him. I believe in you, Lord Jesus, and I ask you to forgive me all my sins. I yield my life to you, and ask that you will do with me anything that will honor you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are faithful, and that you will not cast away any whom the Father gives you. I thank you, God, for working your grace in my life when my heart was too dead to respond to you on its own. May your name be honored in my life forever.

Frighteningly Faithful (Deut. 28)

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In Deuteronomy 28, God outlines a great blessing for Israel if they simply obey his commands and a great curse if they refuse to obey him. The details that are found in that curse are gruesome, and accurate. Knowing a little about the history of Israel, we can see that what God predicted, he brought about. God did not promise Israel anything that he did not do. They disobeyed his commands, and he punished them in just the ways that he claimed he would. God was perfectly faithful to the covenant.

Without trying to sound morbid, it is important that we recognize that the justice of God is just as true a part of his character as his mercy. God will always be true to his word, and he will always punish all human sin. No sin, not a single one, will ever go unpunished. Either it will be punished in Jesus’ death on the cross, or it will be carried out on the individual sinner who has refused the grace of Christ. God promises hell to all who do not have their names written in “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Only those who have received Jesus by grace through faith have their names written in that book of those who are forgiven graciously by God.

Yes, the passage in Deuteronomy 28 is a sad one to read. It is frightening and ugly, but it is honest. God takes our sinful disobedience very seriously. We must remember that, when we talk about sinning before God, we are talking about life and death issues. When we talk about receiving or not receiving Jesus, we are talking about the difference in heaven and hell.

Still some have a difficult time believing that God would ever punish sins as he describes in Deuteronomy 28, or as he describes in many of the texts on hell. Let us remember that God is true to his word. We certainly want to believe that the promises of heaven are true. We do not want to ever even entertain the notion that God would not faithfully give all the blessing he has promised to give. However, if we want to trust in that, we must also trust in the truth of God’s wrath over sin and his promised judgment. You can not choose to believe God faithful in one area but not in another. God is totally faithful, and that includes judgment and grace.

Lord, I recognize that you are totally faithful, totally gracious, and totally just. You will do all that you promise. While the judgments of Deuteronomy 28 are frightening to behold, they remind us of your justice and your faithfulness. You promised to punish disobedience in a particular way, and you carried out your word faithfully. You most certainly will also keep all your promises for blessing to those who are forgiven by you in Christ and who faithfully serve you. Lord, I pray that you will help me to remember your great faithfulness, and that this faithfulness extends to your justice as well as your blessings. Help me to take your word even more seriously today, as I remember that you always do what you say. Praise you for being a just God who keeps his word.

Jesus is Risen (Acts 5:29-32)

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Acts 5:29-31 – But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
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Jesus lives! He is risen! Peter and the disciples were able to stand confidently in the presence of the religious opposition, because they knew that Jesus is alive. The Jews, via the Romans, killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree. Jesus, in his death, was cursed by God, though he deserved no such curse. He allowed this to happen, however, in order to redeem us from the curse that should have fallen on us. Paul writes, concerning this, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). No mere mortal could ever live again after suffering the curse for sin, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). But Jesus lives, proving that he fully paid the price for our sins and has conquered death.

We, like the disciples are witnesses to these truths. We are witnesses, not with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of our hearts. We know that Jesus is risen because the Holy Spirit of God has convinced us that Jesus is risen. We trust in God, and we believe his word to be true.

Lord Jesus, I praise you for rising from the dead. You defeated sin, not by ignoring it, but by paying the price for the consequences of our sin. You rose from the grave, and showed the entire world that you are superior even to death. You are the risen Lord, and I worship you. My entire faith and my entire soul rests in the fact that you live again, and that you paid the price for my sins—a price I could never pay.

The Danger of Applause (Acts 5:1-5)

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Acts 5:1-5 – But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
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This is one of those passages that begs the “why” question. Why, exactly, did God choose to judge this man and strike him dead for his sin, and what exactly is that sin? Some have said that Ananias was guilty of greed. He truly was greedy, but that is not the sin that brought his death. He is also guilty of deception (at least intended), though he did not really manage to deceive anyone, especially not God. Peter points out his deception, but I still am not sure that I think the deception is at the root of his sin. I think there is a hint that it is not just lying that is in view here, because Peter asks him why he did this.

Ananias was totally free to keep or sell the property as he saw fit, and no one was going to judge him for it. He could have given as much or as little of the proceeds to the church as he wanted, and no one would have judged him for it. Ananias, however, lied about the amount he got in the sale. He wanted to look to others like he was giving 100% of the proceeds from his sale, but he really gave less. What could motivate this lie? It is the desire to look good in the eyes of others. Ananias wanted to be praised, to be thought of as a good guy, to be worshipped.

Once we see that Ananias was guilty of the sin of lying to get attention and glory from others, we can see how easy it might have been for any of us to fail in exactly the same way. If we are all honest, we all want others to praise us. We love the pats on the back and the compliments about a job well done. We want people to think we are spiritual, and we will, at times, willingly let them think that we are better than we are. However, when we do that, we are guilty of the very same sin for which God struck Ananias and his wife dead.

Let us learn never to seek the praise of men, especially not above doing the will of God. Let us learn to temper how much we allow ourselves to love the accolades that others give us. We are not made by God to be praised by men. We are made by God to direct people’s attention to his glory. When we live to receive glory, we steal the glory that ought to be God’s, and that is a grievous sin—clear from the consequences of Ananias’ failure. When we live to direct glory to God, he will reward us by giving us the greatest compliment imaginable, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Dear Lord, I confess to you that it is far too tempting to me to long for the accolades of men. Seeking the praise of others is sin, pure and simple, and it is not acceptable. I pray that you will convict me of sin the very moment I am tempted to seek glory for myself instead of directing all glory to you. Focus my heart on the one compliment that truly matters, the reward of being in your holy presence forever.

Order and Separation (Deut. 22:9-11)

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Deuteronomy 22:9-11 – You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together. You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
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This section of commands in Deuteronomy is something very easy to pass over. These regulations for Israel seem trivial to us today, and so when we read them, we either find ourselves confused as to why God would give such a command, or we just breeze past them to get to the next “interesting” thing.

I have a theory as to why God would have given these commands, but I want to preface before giving it. It is a mistake to believe that we must understand the reason why God gave us any of his commands. We have no right to demand that a holy God tell us the reasoning behind his commands. He is the Lord, and we are his creation. We are to obey him, regardless of whether or not we can figure out what motivated him to command what he commands.

With that said, I find it interesting to see this short passage in the scriptures. God tells his people not to plant two kinds of seed in the same field, plow with two different kinds of animals, or wear clothing of two kinds of materials. It is my understanding that the people of the land of Canaan commonly did these things. The life of the Canaanite was very chaotic and disorderly. But the life of a child of God is to look different. Could it be that God wanted it to be clearly visible to anyone who walked past an Israelite or his home that these people were different? Could it be that God wanted the lives of the Israelites to display order in the face of the Canaanites’ chaotic messes? Could it be that God wanted to teach holiness, the separation of the sacred and the common, by telling his followers not to mix their seeds, their animals, or their garment materials? Could it be that the tassels on the garments were to let people know, from a mile away, that they were about to meet a person who is one of God’s chosen people?

If my little theory is correct—a theory that did not originate with me I assure you—, then there is a principle by which we ought to live to be found here. While I do not believe that God forbids Christians from wearing a 50/50 cotton and polyester blend, I do believe that there are two things that must be present in the life of a believer: order and separation. Our lives should be ordered, disciplined, and organized. Such order flies directly in the face of the chaos of the world around us. Our homes, our desks, our cars ought to look different than those of the world, and not simply because we slap a little fishy sticker somewhere. Our lives should demonstrate that order that points to the glory of our God and his delight in order over chaos.

Our lives also ought to demonstrate separation. What I mean by this is that our lives ought not mirror the world. We should not let ourselves be drawn in by something like the world’s sense of fashion. The world, by its very nature, teaches us to go against the standards of righteousness and holiness. Our world tells women, in their style of dress, to do whatever they can do to draw attention to their bodies. God would have his followers be modest, drawing attention to his glory instead of their shape. The world tells us that many things which God calls abominable are actually good sources of comedy. God calls sin exactly what it is, and sent his Son to die to pay the price for it. God wants his children’s lives, in every aspect, to seem different than those of the lost world.

So, how does your life look? Can someone look at you and see that you are a child of God? Do the things you say sound like a child of God? Does the way you dress show modesty, humility, and God-honoring taste? Does the way that you drive demonstrate the values of the world or of the Savior? Does your home display order or Chaos?

Perhaps this section in Deuteronomy 22 is a little obscure, but it has value for us today. Take time to pray, asking God how you can make your life better reflect that you are his follower.