Archive / Shane’s Posts

Identity Crisis & the Not So Good Man. Luke 18:18-30

Luke 18:18-30 ESV: “And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to […]

When Will Christ Return? Luke 17:20-37

The Return Of Christ And What We Need To Know Luke 17:20-37 ESV … Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by […]

How Do I Lead My Kids To Jesus? ~ Luke 18:15-17

Luke 18:15-17 ESV: Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Bringing Their Infants To Jesus: There are so many questions people have in regard to the salvation of children. Should they be baptized? Should they be dedicated? Should they receive communion? How early can they understand the redemptive story of the gospel in regard to self application? When can they have genuine saving faith? The Bible is not totally clear on the subject, but one thing is sure, we as parents are instructed to train our children in the […]

The Ultimate Fool!

THE ULTIMATE FOOL! (a conversation I just had with someone) The God who created you and the God that you will one day stand before, He is GOOD, JUST & TRUE. The Bible calls it a foolish thing to look at the creation of the world and to declare that there is no God. The evidence stares us in the face & yet so many of us refuse to acknowledge Him or His wonderful works. The Bible also says that the reason we refuse to acknowledge Him, is that we love our sin. I don’t care to win a debate about God, because it’s not up for debate, not for you and not for me. We have all broken His commands. We know in our hearts that lying is wrong, stealing, adultery, using God’s name in vain. Yet we have all done it knowing it was wrong. Jesus said that hating […]

Prayer Of The Damned – Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14 ESV .. “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” The temple was a place for prayer, anyone […]

The Cure Is Salvation – Luke 17:11-19

At this point in my life I really don’t care if anyone reads my blog posts, although it was not that long ago I found myself working really hard to get readers and subscribers. For what? So I could justify the countless hours that I spend researching the scriptures? Or so I could feel good when the odd person left a comment and told me how great it was? Vanity, vanity, vanity. It’s all vain and self seeking if those are the reasons. If all my research, writing, and efforts are not to bring glory to God alone I have wasted my time and heaped judgment upon myself, for this is all the reward I will ever get. Our hearts can be so deceptive at times, it’s nearly impossible to decipher what your own intentions really are, which is why David said in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and […]

The Only Sinners Prayer that Saves Souls – Luke 16:14-17

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? Maybe you’re wondering what this title is all about? What do I mean, “the only sinners prayer that saves souls”. Is that suggesting that there is a type of sinners prayer that does not save? It should be common sense that repeating a set of words at an altar call could no more save a soul than chanting “I’m warm, I’m warm, I’m warm” over and over after being dropped off buck-naked in the Arctic in 90 below temperatures could keep you from freezing. I grew up in the church and quite frankly it can be one of the most dangerous places to grow up. If the Gospel doesn’t take genuine roots at an appropriate age (and I don’t mean repeating a prayer when you’re 3 with your mom) but genuine repentance and faith in Christ, then you can grow up with the idea that you […]

Wasted Life on Wasted Wealth – Luke 16:1-13

Opening Thoughts: I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have heard Sunday talks on money, nor how many times it has been followed directly with a call to give. I think we have all been there, maybe some of you have even preached these messages with hopes that it would encourage more people to give. Perhaps some of you after hearing messages or a series of messages on this topic only caused you to clench your fist tighter around your hard earned cash. Whatever the case may be, if the heart of the issue is not dealt with, those listening and those preaching will both lose. The hope behind this post is not to show anyone up and not to point fingers at certain churches or people, but to speak to you from a heart of my own conviction, my own lack of giving and my own foolish […]

Size Doesn’t Matter! – Luke 17:5-6

What Pleases God? The Bible is very clear about faith being the only thing that pleases God. In fact it states that without faith it is impossible to please Him. Why is that? Faith in what? The answer is that it’s faith in Christ as the “Passover Lamb”. In the end of time Christ will come in Judgment bringing a swift end to all who trusted in their own good works as a means of salvation and to those who failed to depend on Him for His. Trusting in Christ as the “Passover Lamb” is to believe that although you have never pleased God, and as a result of your sin deserve His wrath, Jesus’ perfect life and selfless obedience to the cross trumps that; therefore, if you apply His blood to your life through faith in His finished work your sins will be remitted and you will be saved. In our text […]

Unworthy Servant – Luke 17:7-10

Servant Or Slave? Some would argue that it’s not at all a good nor reasonable thing to refer to a Christian as a slave of Christ. The word slave after all can invoke some rather negative feelings. What we associate with slavery is harsh masters, cruel conditions, poor treatment and regarding human life as an equivalent to that of an animal or perhaps even lower. Slaves were purchased and ripped away from their homes, carted off to far away lands and abused, they were purchased and used solely for the purpose of their master’s gain. Christ on the other hand is just the opposite. We were slaves to sin through our own evil and corrupt nature, like Adam and Eve we dove in head first lapping it up by the mouthful unknowingly, being shackled to its demands. Sin commanded us to do and we did. Sin abused us and we would grieve often times over the outcome and the consequences that ensued, […]