Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Aug 28th Thoughts About The Storm

Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 51 – 52; Proverbs 28

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 2 – 5; 1 John 5:14 – 15)

This morning our minds are all on Hurricane Irene. Here in southern New Jersey we have gone through the worst of the storm, and are begining the cleaning up process. I pray that all of you have (or will) fare well in the storm. Here are some thoughts that I have previously published from Matthew 14:30 regarding the storms that we face in life.

“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30)

The disciples were traveling by ship in the Sea of Galilee without the Lord. The Lord had stayed behind to get alone and pray. The Lord saw them through His omniscient eyes, and saw that they were struggling and frightened in a severe storm on the sea. He went to them, walking on the water. Peter sees the Lord walking on the water and he decides that he would like to try it as well. He asks the Lord’s permission to venture out on top of the waves. The Lord bids him to come, and he Peter does well for a short time until he loses his focus. While his eyes were on the Lord, he stayed afloat; but when he took his eyes off of the Lord and focused on the storm and the waves, he began to sink. Finally, he cries out to the Lord for help.

In the Christian life, there will be many storms. Some of these storms will be physical, some financial, some relational; but we will all go through the difficult days as we serve the Lord. Some of these storms will be self-inflicted, while others will be caused by others, and still others are beyond explanation. It really matters not where the blame lies as to the storm itself. The key to staying afloat in the storm, however, will be keeping our focus on the Lord Jesus. He allowed the storm in our lives for a purpose. It may be for our good; it may be for His glory; it may be for both. We need to trust the Lord and allow Him to see us through the storm.

I have seen this principle in action in recent days. When the storm first started, I spent most of my time trying to figure out how the storm originated. Who could I blame for the storm? Surely, it couldn’t be my fault, could it? After a while, though, God began to show me that this storm (and most other storms that I have experienced)  was at least partially my own doing. He also showed me that the purpose of the storm from my perspective was to teach me and grow me. I must confess, I wanted to sink. I wanted to just throw in the towel, blame everybody else for my troubles, and move on in bitterness. Instead, I have cried to the Lord for help. He has (and is) lifting me up, and is helping me to make my way back into the ship. I thank the Lord for his mercy, grace, and patience with me.

Aug 27th 2Timothy 1:7 – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 40-50, Proverbs 27, and Romans 14-1Corinthians 1.

Today’s Verse: 2Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Good morning! I started writing this while in the waiting room of my daughter’s doctor’s office in Philadelphia. On the TV is CNN reporting on a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the east coast. The earthquake was felt from Atlanta, Ga., all the way up to Toronto, Canada. The first thing that came to mind was what Jesus said in Matthew 24:7, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

According to 2Timothy1:7, which I had started to read in the doctor’s office, God hath not given us the spirit of fear. Earthquakes in various places are going to happen: Jesus said it would. This is all part of the end-times; we do not have to fear. Today we’re waiting on Irene, a hurricane that should start hammering NJ sometime tonight. But God hath not given us the spirit of fear. He gave us power, love, and a sound mind.

We have been given power. The power of the Holy Spirit living within us. Guiding us in the decisions we make (John 14:26). Sealing us till the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

Of love. We love God because He first loved us (1John 4:19; John 3:16).

And of a sound mind. I know that I have an appointed time to depart this earth. I also know that if I was on the east side of Route 9, I would have evacuated. That’s what our elected officials wanted. Those whom God has appointed. Here is a question. If you were given orders to evacuate, would you stay? “I’ll put my trust in God.” Remember what Joseph said to his brothers?

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:4-7)

God sent Joseph to preserve life. The official who gave the order to evacuate everyone east of Route 9 may not know it, but he is acting in the same capacity as Joseph, and was sent by God to preserve life.

And remember 2Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Peace. (Mark 4:39)

Aug 24th Is There Any Word From The Lord?

Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 37 – 40; Proverbs 24

(Second Milers also read – Romans 2 – 5; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)

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“Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” – (Jeremiah 37:17)

“Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.” (Jeremiah 38:4)

How would you like the job that God gave Jeremiah? He was sent to warn them of the imminent invasion from the King of Babylon. He told them that they needed to submit themselves to Nebuchadnezzar because this judgment was of God. He pleaded with Zedekiah, the King of Judah, and told him that if he would submit to Babylon that it would go well with him and his family and Jerusalem would not have to be destroyed; but he would not listen. So what did Zedekiah and the princes of Judah do? Did they say, “Thank you Jeremiah for loving us enough to tell us the Truth from God?” No they threw him in prison: a place so filthy that he sunk in the mire. The funny thing is that even though Zedekiah had Jeremiah put into prison, he would still secretly visit him and ask if there was “any word from the Lord?”.

The day that we live in is not much different. For the most part, people are not interested in the truth. They want preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. The televisions and radios are filled with these messengers who itch the ears. They are hirelings, not true preachers of the Truth. Now, to be honest, there aren’t too many preachers in America being thrown in a miry prison today for their preaching; but I believe that there are many that would like to put us there. It can get very discouraging sometimes, but we must remember that our reward comes not from those that we speak to, but from Whom we speak for. Remember, history bares witness that Jeremiah was right. Men wouldn’t acknowledge it right away, but God rewarded Jeremiah with his freedom and his home, not to mention the crowns in eternity. What happened to the guys that threw him in prison? They were all slain, except for King Zedekiah; but he had his eyes plucked out just after he saw his sons slain.

Preachers, keep preaching to us the Truth. As painful as it may be at times, we need you to tell us what we are not willing to admit to ourselves. It may seem like the people don’t care, but many of them are listening; some might even be listening secretly like Zedekiah was. Keep on delivering the Truth. The Word will not return void.

People, cheer on the man of God as he delivers the Word of God. He loves you and is trying to help you and your family to have the very best from God. Your question on your heart everyday ought to be “is there any word from the Lord?” When you read your Bible and when you go to church, you ought to be hungering for the Word and words of God.

Aug 20th Tolerance – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 23-25, Acts 18-20, Proverbs 20.

Good morning. I’m seeing more and more of these bumper stickers on cars. I want to get one. Then underneath it I’ll place another bumper sticker that says, “BUT…JOHN 14:6!” John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Because we live in the United States of America, the land of the free, you are free to worship whoever you like. You can worship the moon god, Allah; but Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. You can bow down to statues of Mary, saints, a fat bald guy, or some multi-armed figment of someone’s imagination; but Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. You can be a Mormon, and worship a Jesus who is satan’s brother, or for that matter you can even worship satan himself; but Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. You can worship plants, trees, and shrubbery; but Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. Why you are so free that you can even bow down before a mirror and worship yourself! But Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him.

As Christians, we tolerate other religions, why is it that they do not tolerate us? Because Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Romans 12: 1 says to make your bodies a living sacrifice, so why blow yourself up? How about those statues you bow down to? Leviticus 26:1-9 tells us: “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.”

HMMmmmm…. could that be why we are having so many problems in America? Maybe we should put the Real God first, and stop worshiping everything but Him, including ourselves. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6).

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and it’s amazing how much He has tolerated us.

Peace. (1John 5:12-13)

Aug 10th Stick With It

Today’s Passages – Isaiah 48 – 52; Proverbs 10

(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Memorize – Mark 11:24)

“The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:5-7)

The passage referenced above speaks of Christ, and what He endured when He went to the cross. Of course it is important to remember that Isaiah penned these words over 700 years before the time that Christ would suffer for our sins. When I read these verses I can’t help but be astonished at the determination of our Lord. Knowing full well what He would face, He determined to stay the course. He didn’t deviate to the right or to the left: He set [His] face like a flint. You could say that He was “bullheaded” when it came to the will of God.

I am embarrassed at how often I have wanted to quit the will of God. There have been many times that I have made decisions for the Lord; and then have turned back from fulfilling them. I am often only faithful to the will of God when the skies are clear and the weather is fair. I desire to be the type of person that first discovers what God wants from my life; and then determines to follow the course that God has charted, no matter what circumstances may arise. I have heard it said that every decision we make for the Lord will be tested. Now we need to be very careful about these decisions. Make sure that it is, in fact, God that is telling you to do it. Don’t get caught up with the emotional pressure that men can put on you; but once you know that it is God, obey Him and stay the course. Don’t quit when times get tough! It is my desire to pass the test; It is my desire to stick it out even when it makes no human sense to do so.

How about you? Have you gone back on anything that you determined at one time to be the will of God. The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29) God hasn’t changed His mind. Have you?

Aug 9th Ordained Works

Today’s Passages – Isaiah 44 – 47; Proverbs 9

(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Memorize – Mark 11:24)

“Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;” (Isaiah 45:1)

“For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.” (Isaiah 45:4)

“I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.”(Isaiah 45:13)

The prophecies of God are amazing. Isaiah wrote this book about 750 BC, which was during the reign of the Assyrian Empire. We know from history that Assyria would be conquered by the Babylonians; and then later the Babylonians would be overtaken by the Medes and Persians. Cyrus, was a Persian king that was “raised up” by God to release the Hebrew captives and make a proclamation to re-build the temple in Jerusalem. The fascinating thing about this is that Isaiah was writing about Cyrus, by name, hundreds of years before he was born. Consider this verse referring to Jeremiah:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

According to this verse and the verses from Isaiah, God knows us before we are even born, and ordains us for a specific purpose. Better than that though is the fact that God actually “forms” us for a specific purpose. God created Jeremiah to be a prophet. God created Cyrus to deliver the captives from Persia and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God created me to be the husband of Cindy Erickson; the father of my four children; and to be the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church. These are a partial list of what I was hand made and hand picked to do. God chose me before I was born to fulfill a purpose for Him.

God has chosen you for a purpose as well. He has created you and custom designed you to fulfill His will. What is that purpose? Have you discovered it yet? Max Lucado calls this purpose your “sweet spot”; it’s the thing that you were made for. God formed you, and ordained you; and He even knew your name before you were even born. Amazing! Happy people are the people who have found God’s will for their lives and are fulfilling it.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – (Ephesians 2:10)

Aug 8th God Forgives and Forgets – Do You?

Today’s Passages – Isaiah 41 – 43; Proverbs 8

(Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10; Memorize – Mark 11:24)

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” – (Isaiah 43:25)

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” – (Isaiah 1:18)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:12)

The verses listed above are very encouraging to me. Each of these Scriptures speak of God’s forgiveness primarily to the people of Israel; but in a broader context, they apply to all who have “called upon the name of the Lord”. It is certainly a wonderful truth that God forgives our sin. Of course, forgiveness is only possible through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Him. However, God goes beyond just forgiving us: He forgets our sins as well. To forgive is one thing, but to forget is another level entirely. The phrase “blotteth out” has the idea that the record of our sin has been completely expunged (removed).

Now let’s try to apply this wonderful attribute of God to our own relationships. We are supposed to be like God, aren’t we? If we are saved we are being conformed to the image of Christ, and we have God on the inside of us transforming us to be like Him. If all that be true, then we should be able to forget like God forgets. We say that we forgive someone who has wronged us, but we often replay mentally (or re-tell verbally) the act that was committed against us. In other words, the act has not been blotted out completely in our minds. We store the thing that was forgiven in a special compartment where we can retrieve it again in case we need it. We often pull it back out when a new violation is committed. We are keeping score in our minds. God does not do this. He removes the record altogether. Real forgiveness will lead us to blot out the act altogether; not that their will be no consciousness of the act; but it will not be allowed to be dredged back up again for some future judgment against the offender.

I have one more thought. God does not only forgive sin, and erase the record; but He also refuses to record any future violations. It is like getting a completely free pass from the penalty of your sins. Don’t believe me?

Aug 7th (No Title)

Today’s Passages -Isaiah 37 – 40; Proverbs 7

(Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Memorize – Mark 11:24)

Aug 6th The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 33-36, Proverbs 6, and John 5-6.

Today’s Passage: Proverbs 6:16-23: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Good morning. Sorry I’m late, but I just found out something: I can not get on to the administration part of this website using the updated version of Internet Explorer. I had to get on using Google Chrome. That was a little easier than casting the demons out of my computer. Praise the Lord, there will be no computers in heaven, only Books! And in the Book of Proverbs (how was that for a transition), chapter 6, we have a few verses that would make me cringe. That is until I got saved. Verses 16 through 19 was me. I could give you an instance in my life for each of these 7 abominations. And before you start judging me, you should take inventory of your own life because we all have sinned. So until you are perfect, you had better put down your rocks and leave.

What I want to focus in on is verses 20-23. Our Heavenly Father gave us His Word, the Bible, or, as Dr. Kent Hovind would say: “Biblical Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” The Bible is where your godly, earthly father and mother got their commands and the law. Listening and obeying what the Bible says affects us three ways according to verse 22…

1) When thou goest, it shall lead thee…

King david wrote in Psalm 119:105-106: “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.”

The Bible was King David’s lamp that would light his path, and show him the direction he should go.

2) When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee…

You can get a better nights sleep if you know your salvation is secure. Jesus said in John chapter 6, verses 37-40: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” And in 1John 5:12, the Bible says, “ He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” If you have Jesus, then Jesus has you and will in no wise cast you out: your salvation is secure.

3) When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee..

Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” And also 2Timothy 3:15-17: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” And God the Holy Ghost will teach you and bring to light the Scripture (see John 14:26). The Bible is God’s Word to us and God uses the Holy Ghost to bring His Words to life and speak to you: He indwells every believer.

Not a believer yet? Not 100% sure of your salvation? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Peace. (John 3:16, Romans 10:13).

Aug 5th All Talk

Today’s Passages – Isaiah 29 – 32; Proverbs 5

(Second Milers also read – John 3 – 4; Memorize – Matthew 7:7 – 8 )

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” – (Isaiah 29:13)

“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” – (Mark 7:6-7)

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – (2 Timothy 3:5 )

I find these verses to apply very well to the Christianity that is prevalent today. People know about God, and they claim to be followers of God; but in truth they know very little about God. Oftentimes their concept of God is really a figment of their own imagination, not at all based upon the truth of the Word of God. Oftentimes these people will view true Bible believers as being narrow minded. Though I don’t claim to know everything about God, and I certainly am not perfect in my fellowship with Him, I recognize that the God of the Bible is a holy, omnipotent God who not only is loving, but also is just.

If you want to find out what God is really like, you will have to look to the Word of God; and if you want to worship Him, you must meet Him on His terms. He is God.