Beloved, does it ever shock and disgust you when you see the way that people live their lives?  Do you ever just watch what’s going on around you and wonder how on earth people can live the way that they do?  Do you ever find yourself thinking something akin to this sentiment:  “I know I was lost in sin before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior, but even when I was lost I would never have done that!”  Some people just flat-out disgust us with who they are and what they do, right?  While we are not to judge others, it’s pretty hard not to clearly see how most people will be judged, right? 

Brothers and sisters, something inside of you agreed with at least some of the sentiments expressed up to this point, right?  Well, that’s a problem.  You see, beloved, there is a difference between being better and being better off.  As Christians we are better off, because we know in the long run our eternal disposition is secure in Christ Jesus.  That being said, we are not better than anyone else around us.  We are still flawed and imperfect, and we still fall short of living a life full of righteousness that constantly glorifies God and His blessed name.  We do ourselves no good when we embrace “relative righteousness” by attempting to feel better about ourselves by focusing on the shortcomings of others.  Remember the example that Jesus shared with us when He told us:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.’  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 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 every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” – Luke 18:10-14 (KJV)

Being honest with ourselves, can we all agree that we all too often live out this scenario in our lives, unwittingly playing the role of the Pharisee?  It’s time we take a hard look at ourselves and acknowledge the reality about who we really are.  Consider the following situation:

While preparing to entertain guests, you find that the first container of noodles you open is swarming with insects crawling around inside of the container.  Disgusted, you reach for your second container of noodles.  When you open it, you find that there are insects inside of the second container of noodles, as well, though there are not nearly as many.  What will you do?  Your guests will arrive within the hour, and you don’t have time to go to the store.  Will you use the noodles in the second container, because it is infested with far fewer insects?  No!  The presence of the insects on the noodles makes them cease to be an option for dinner, right?  In short, both containers of noodles are tainted which makes the contents not a viable option to end up on someone’s plate.  The solution?  It just became pizza night. 

Beloved, before partaking in “relative righteousness”, we must understand that it is a completely futile and sinful process.  It is sinful because when we embrace “relative righteousness” we are in fact judging others, and it compels us to embrace pride.  The futility is realized when we understand that one day we will stand before the Lord, and we will answer for ourselves.  When doing so, the Lord will not be swayed by what other people did or didn’t do.  We will have to account for our own actions/choices.  The Truth of the matter is expressed in the following two passages of Scripture, penned by the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul:

“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 (KJV)

“As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one:’” – Romans 3:10 (KJV)

Do you find those passages humbling?  You should, because they weren’t only true of the people living at the times that each of those passages were written.  Each of those passages is just as true of us today as they were on the very day that they were jotted down for the first time.   The Truth, precious one, is that the only kind of righteous that we (mankind) produce on our own is self-righteousness.  As you may have already surmised there is nothing truly righteous about self-righteousness.  If we ever get too full of ourselves, we need to compare our own righteousness to God’s righteousness rather than comparing ourselves to another human being.  What do we find when we compare our righteousness to God’s righteousness?  Well, beloved, there’s not really a comparison to make.  In reality, there are not degrees of righteousness.  We are either righteous, or we are not.  Sadly, on our own, not a single one of us is righteous.  Yet, we cannot spend eternity in God’s presence without being righteous.  We are only acceptable to the Lord God Almighty if we are presented to Him without blemish, and we have all been stained by sin.  This is bad news for mankind.  However, there is still hope for each and every single one of us.  The apostle Paul wrote of this blessed hope as follows:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  [it is] the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

While we can’t make ourselves righteous, there is One who can remove our stains and cover us with His righteousness.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He stands ready to cleanse all who trust in Him of the stains of our past sins, and He promises to clothe us with His righteousness so that we may be presented blameless to God the Father.  Whether a prostitute, a drug dealer, a thief, a liar, a murderer, a slanderer, or a “holier than thou” hypocrite, we all have the same need of cleansing from our past sins and the stains those sins have left on us. 

We ought not to spend our time trying to convince ourselves and others that we are something that we are not.  Rather than memorizing chapter and verse of Scripture so that we can present ourselves as somehow more redeemed and refined than others, we should be studying chapter and verse of Scripture so that we can actually perform the will and the Word of God.  Through His Word to us, God tells us how we are to live life and how we are to share Him with others.  He gives us a blueprint to live our lives by.  Unfortunately, we all too often don’t use that blueprint to put our “house” in order.  We may go sit in a pew at church, feel good about the message being given, and act magnanimous by giving our tithe in the offering plate, but after we leave we continue to embrace the world in which we live.  Subsequently, even the most enthusiastic “Sunday Christians” turn into Satan’s soldiers the other 6 days of the week.  Beloved, the Word was not given to us so that we could be entertained; rather we are to share the Word and answer the call to action that the Word issues to us.  Consider the following passage from Scripture:     

“But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” – James 1:22-25 (KJV)

Beloved, whenever we start to brim with our self-righteousness, we need only remember the manner of man/woman that we have been.  We need to remember that we were completely impotent to save ourselves, and that it is only by the amazing grace of God that we have been saved.  We need to stop doing what “feels” right and start doing what God says is right.  Precious one, never trust your heart over God’s Word.  God’s Word is perfect, flawless, and good, but the heart of man is full of evil as Jesus pointed out when He said:

“And He said, ‘That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’” – Mark 7:20-23 (KJV)

Think about it, beloved.  Even self-righteousness is produced from within our own hearts.  It is the evil in the heart that fuels a “devoutly Christian” person to lead the choir on Sunday and carry on an extramarital affair (adultery) on Friday night.  It is the evil in our hearts that can propel us from being in a calm and placid state of mind to becoming a raving lunatic the moment someone else cuts us off in traffic when driving down the road.  Ask the Lord to purge your heart of the evil that resides therein.  Study and live His Word continually so that you don’t provide a welcome mat for evil to come back through the door of your heart once it has already been evicted by the Lord.  The only way to keep evil out of your heart is to let Jesus Christ into your heart.  Jesus will clean the place up, and evil will have no place to take root in you.

Precious one, whether you are a prostitute, a thief, a drug addict/dealer, a pathological liar, a homosexual, or any other type of person living a life of sin, I want you to know right now that there is hope for you.  You may have been the worst person you could possibly imagine, and the world may have already rejected you and written you off.  The world may have convinced you that you are worthless and a waste of life.  You have a choice to make.  Will you believe the world, or will you believe the Lord God Almighty? 

Do you deserve a better lot in life?  No.  Neither do I or any other person living on the face of this earth.  We have all lost our way and fallen short of being the people that God created us to be.  However, God is willing to help you become the person that He always intended for you to be.  The very Creator of the universe, the heavens, and earth made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save you.  Do you know that?  It’s true.  Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to earth and suffered the cross in order to pay the price for your sins so that you could be reconciled to God.  You could have never paid that price on your own.  Only Jesus could, because He is the only one who led an entirely perfect life on this earth without having even committed the slightest sin.  Don’t you want a fresh start?  Wouldn’t you like to be clean?  Are you tired of carrying all the baggage of your past sins around with you?  I know from personal experience that it gets far too burdensome to carry all the weight of our past mistakes/sins around with us.  The world may have written you off, but the Lord wants to write you into the Lamb’s Book of Life reserved for those who will spend all of eternity in His presence.  Let the Lord give you the rest that you have needed for so long.  Let Him remove the burdens that have been crushing you for years.  When the world tells you that you’re worthless, just remember the price that God paid to save you.  You are so precious in your heavenly Father’s eyes.  The Lord stands ready to receive you now.  He is calling out to you through the ages and is asking you to return to Him.  Be spiritually born-again in Christ Jesus, and have the new beginning that only the Lord can give you.  Does God want you in His eternal family?  Oh, yes!  Consider the following passage from Scripture: 

“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on His name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:10-13 (KJV)

Beloved, come home.  It’s not too late.  If it was too late for you, then why is the Lord knocking on the door of your heart right at this very moment?  Don’t believe the world and Satan when they try to tell you that God wants nothing to do with a sinner like you.  God wants to cleanse you and help you become the person he always intended for you to be.  God made you for a special purpose that only you can fulfill.  Ask Him to reveal that purpose to you and to equip you to fulfill that blessed cause for which you were created.

If you would like to once and for all align yourself with the Lord God Almighty and accept His gifts of forgiveness, salvation, deliverance, and eternal life, you can do so right now.  Just pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord, I know that only You can save me.  I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely and genuinely, you can know that you are now saved and that have been born-again as a child of God.  Your reward is in heaven now.  You have just claimed victory over death, as you now have eternal life assured in Christ Jesus.  Even though you have now given your life to the Lord, you will still face many trials in your life.  The difference is that now you can know that the Lord God Almighty is always with you, and through Him all things are possible.  You will never walk alone, precious one.  Every problem you have, or ever will have, just became manageable.  You are now equipped to overcome even the greatest adversity.  Always remember, if the Lord brings you to it, He will also bring you through it.  Welcome to the family!

I want to thank you for joining us today.  Please join us for next week’s message as we continue the “Can You Handle the Truth” series.  I hope that you will enjoy this blessed day that the Lord has made!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May you live the rest of your life as a living sacrifice to the Lord God Almighty.  May the Lord continue to refine and perfect you until such time as He calls you home to spend eternity in His presence.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” – James 1:22-25 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ fill every area of your life.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“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 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ be with you forevermore.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on His name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:10-13 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ fill every area of your life.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“And He said, ‘That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’” – Mark 7:20-23 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one:’” – Romans 3:10 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ fill every area of your life.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  [it is] the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ fill every area of your life.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Brothers & sisters, today we are going to talk about the imposter church.  Who is the imposter church?  Well, beloved, the imposter church is any church that claims to be aligned with Jesus Christ but promotes false teaching that stands in opposition to the Word of God.  This is no small thing.  Many people will spend eternity in eternal torment, forever separated from God, as a result of having been led astray by the false teaching and flawed doctrines of an imposter church.  You see, precious one, when I talk about the imposter church I am speaking of apostate Christianity.  The word “apostate” means to fall away from the Truth.  We know who the Truth is, right?  The Bible warns us that apostate Christianity will be on the rise as we move closer to the Tribulation, and we are definitely seeing that prophecy play out in front of our eyes.  It is not possible to address all of the apostasy/flawed doctrines being perpetuated in these imposter churches by false teachers in one message. 

In today’s discussion we will highlight and discuss a few examples of the false teaching/flawed doctrine being pushed by these imposter churches.  I will be straightforward and unapologetic in sharing the Truth.  Should you be taken aback by the direct nature of our discussion I would ask you only to understand that while I am not trying to be cold or cruel, it is absolutely critical that I be abundantly clear.  Where the glorification of God and the eternal fate of great multitudes of people are involved, I see no point in “riding the fence” in order to not offend anyone or to keep from troubling someone’s comfort zone.  God loves you, and so do I.  With that said, it’s time for us to have a serious discussion.  Let’s begin.

Precious one, what is your source for growing in your relationship with the Lord and for seeking His will?  Do you have multiple sources?  Brothers & sisters, among your “sources” should be the personal study of the Word of God (Bible).  It is absolutely imperative that you study the Word of God on your own, rather than just having the Word fed to you by someone else.  If you don’t study the Word of God on your own how are you supposed to be equipped to effectively discern between God’s will and false teaching?  How can you know the truth if you don’t take the time to know the Truth?  Beloved, as the apostle Paul wrote:

“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.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)

Beloved, there are many churches that de-emphasize the importance of the personal study of Scripture, preferring instead that you would put your trust exclusively in their flawed and false doctrines/teaching.  Let me tell you now that any church that claims to speak with more authority than the Word of God is very much so an imposter church that is promoting apostasy.  Where does your church stand on this matter?  Who does your church recognize as the best resource for your edification and proper instruction in seeking and understanding the Lord’s will?  Have you asked your priest/pastor/reverend/deacon this question?  Beloved, you need to know the answer to this question.  The answer may just surprise you. 

For example, did you know that the Catholic Church claims to be the ultimate authority on spiritual matters and that it recognizes the Word of God (Bible) as a flawed secondary authority?  The Catholic Church absolutely embraces and advances this belief and propagates the notion that where the teaching/doctrine of the church (Catholic Church) differs from the Word of God you should accept what the church proposes as the truth.  Do you find that troubling?  You should.  Now some people will read that and be greatly defended.  They will deny that this is actually the position of the Catholic Church.  The only problem with this is that it is the Catholic Church itself that states its apostate position in black and white.  Look for yourself, precious one.  Does this mean that everyone that attends a Catholic church will end up separated from the Lord God Almighty for all of eternity?  Not at all.  There are many people who attend the Catholic Church that are in fact saved and that trust the Lord with their lives and their eternal disposition.  They will not be disappointed.  These folks put more trust into God’s Word than they do into the pulpit and the man-made doctrinal positions of the church, even though the actual Catholic Church hierarchy believes it should be the other way around.  Remember that you will meet many people in heaven that visited the Temple and sat under the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  The key is that when the Word was actually shared with them, they put more trust in the Word than they did in the Pharisaical church and its flawed, man-made doctrine.  I also want to point out that there are priests in the Catholic Church that you will meet in heaven for the exact same reason.  Even with the priesthood, there is a split with some embracing the Vatican as the ultimate authority, while others embrace the Lord God Almighty and His Word as the ultimate authority.     

Who will you trust, beloved?  Will you put your complete trust in God and His unerring Word, or will you choose to put your trust in the Vatican?  If you put your trust in God you are putting your trust in God and His blessed Word you are putting your trust in the One with an unblemished track record.  God has never abandoned nor forsaken those who trust in Him, and His Word has a flawless prophetical track record.  Furthermore, His Word has healed the broken-hearted, the lame, the blind, the mute, the deaf, given hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak, and has even raised the dead to life.  The Word of God has been with us all throughout the history of mankind, first in the Spirit and later in the flesh during the 33 years that Jesus spent living on the earth.  The Word of God has proven timeless and has been a constant we have always been able to count on, even though we live in an ever-changing world.  As the apostle Paul wrote:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.“ – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

On the other hand, you can put your trust in the Vatican and the Catholic Church, first and foremost.  By doing so, you will be putting your trust in an institution that has been around for ~ 2,000 years and counts the following among its accomplishments:

• Abandonment of the Jewish people during the Holocaust when over 6 million Jews were killed during the reign of Adolf Hitler
• Setting up saints to be worshipped and prayed to, rather than praying solely to the one true God in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.  You will not find in the Word of God where we are instructed to pray to Elijah, Moses, Abraham, etc. 
• Epidemic sexual abuse scandals involving the priesthood and children
• A papal history of sexual/political/spiritual indiscretions & deceptions (study the Borgia reign as a prime example)
• A penchant for “modernizing” its doctrines, and changing positions, over time in order to stay “relevant” and maintain a sizeable congregation.  Sound reasonable?  Do you think God changed during those times?  (Hint:  He didn’t.  God is God.  He is always relevant.)

So, who do you choose to believe?  You can’t wholeheartedly believe both, because God and the Catholic church stand in contrast to one another on too many things.  Consider the following passages from Scripture:

“But be not ye called Rabbi:  for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.  And call no [man] your father upon the earth:  for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters:  for one is your Master, [even] Christ.” – Matthew 23:8-10 (KJV)

“For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” – 1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

Let me ask you a question.  How are members of the congregation in the Catholic Church supposed to address a member of the clergy?  Let’s make this one multiple choice, with choices as follows:

• “Excuse me, Bob, but I had a question about today’s mass…” or,
• “Excuse me, sir, but I had a question about today’s mass…” or,
• “Excuse me, father, but I had a question about today’s mass…”

We all know that the Catholic Church considers the proper way to address a priest is to address him by referring to him as “father”, right?  That’s a problem.  In the first of the two passages above (Matthew 23:8-10) Jesus points out that we are not to refer to anyone in this manner, except for our Heavenly Father.  There is nothing about this passage that indicates that Jesus is merely speaking symbolically.  The Catholic Church also perpetuates the belief that the pope and, by extension, your priest are the intermediaries/mediators between you and God.  This is why you are expected to attend confession so that the priest can intercede on your behalf after judging how many “Hail Mary’s” you need to perform.  Yet, Jesus is our Mediator as is clearly stated in that second passage from Scripture (1 Timothy 2:5).  Again, there is nothing about 1 Timothy 2:5 that suggests symbolism.  Jesus is actually the one Mediator between God and mankind.  Remember that when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple that covered the Holy of Holies was torn asunder.  That was both a symbolic and meaningful sign that through Jesus we had direct access to God.  Why was this important?  Well, beloved, the priesthood had up to that point shown that they were unable and unwilling to be faithful mediators between God and man.  Through Jesus, we have a Mediator without evenly a slight checkered past.  Again, I will invoke the following passage from Scripture that we inspired by God and penned by the apostle Paul:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.“ – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

Now, we have spoken extensively about the Catholic church thus far, but there are also many other churches and congregations that claim Jesus Christ in one breath, while opposing Him in the next breath and in their actions, teachings, and doctrines.  Apostate Christianity will only continue to increase as we move farther and farther along into the “End Times”. 

Now, if you think that sounds a bit apocalyptic, you need to understand that the “End Times” started with Jesus’ time here on earth.  We live our everyday lives operating under an earthly concept and perception of time.  However, God acts in His own time, which is very different than the concept of time that we operate under.  As the apostle Peter wrote:

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” – 2 Peter 3:8 (KJV)

Beloved, whether we have 5 more minutes before the Rapture of Christ’s church and the beginning of the Tribulation on earth, or whether we have another 500 or 5,000 years before that takes place is irrelevant.  Neither you, I, nor anyone else can predict when that will take place.  Anyone who claims to be able to predict that time is either a liar or is a touch insane.  Jesus told us that only God knows the appointed hour when He said:

The point is that with every passing moment, we move one moment closer to either being with God or being eternally separated from God.  Will you put your trust for salvation in the pulpit and in the man-made doctrine of your church, or will you trust Jesus for your salvation?  One choice leads to bitter disappointment and eternal torment, while the other choice leads to eternal life spent in the very presence of the Lord God Almighty without pain, suffering, sadness, or strife.  I pray that you would choose wisely and that you would position yourself to do so by personally studying God’s Word.  You see, beloved, when you don’t personally study His Word, you set yourself up to fall for the deceptive teachings and tactics of the enemy.  Ignorance of the Truth will not be an acceptable defense when we come before the Lord to be judged and to answer for our lives here on earth.  It won’t be enough to say, “But they told me this is what I was supposed to do.  I didn’t know better.”  Too many people have given their lives so that the Word could be available to us.  If we choose not to study the Word, the responsibility for our ignorance lies with us.

I was watching a program the other night where a very popular and well-known pastor of a mega-church was being interviewed by one of the most well-known daytime personalities on television.  The pastor was asked whether he thought that homosexuality was a sin.  After hedging, he apologetically answered that he thought that God’s Word made very clear that this is actually a sin and that it is wrong.  Within seconds of that statement, he professed belief that homosexuals can be saved, just like anyone else.  After all, no one’s perfect, right?  To most people, this pastor’s response would seem very reasonable, tolerant, and accommodating.  Honestly, I was both outraged, while also feeling like I wanted to shower.  It is false teaching like this “pastor” was sharing that will help lead great multitudes of people farther away from God, as it encourages a “just be happy with who you are”, feel-good sense of self.  Interestingly, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah felt pretty good about themselves and who they were as they indulged their lusts, as well.  They felt very good about themselves and the debauchery they had embraced, until they met their tragic end. 

Beloved, I do not want you to think I hate gay people.  I do not.  On the contrary, the Lord has given me a heart and the compassion to love people from all walks of life.  However, everyone I love will not receive salvation.  Do I believe that I will meet people in heaven that engaged in homosexuality on earth?  Yes and no.  Yes, there will be people that at some point lived lives of homosexuality on earth.  However, those same people will also have renounced that lifestyle and stopped embracing their fleshly desires once they had given their lives to the Lord.  At the point that we give our lives to the Lord, we are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.  Spiritually, the sinner that has always been tied in bondage to a life of sin dies, and we are spiritually “born-again” in Christ.  At that point, we stop living for ourselves, and we subject ourselves to fulfill His will rather than our own.  Do you disagree?  Think about it for a moment.

Saul of Tarsus was eerily proficient at rounding up Christians and bringing them before the authorities to be persecuted for spreading the Gospel.  He was pretty ruthless.  Of course, that all changed on the road to Damascus when the Lord appeared to him and made clear that what he was doing was wrong.  Shortly thereafter, Saul came to accept Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.  The Lord renamed Saul so that he would be known as Paul from that time forward.  Why did He do this?  Well, the Saul of Tarsus that was committed to persecuting Christians ceased to exist once he accepted Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.  Paul recognized that he had been leading a life of sin, and he genuinely repented of that life he had led to that point.  He then became a new creation in Christ, and Jesus gave him a new name (Paul) which symbolized his new life.  He did not then proceed to round up all the Christians in Damascus that he could find in order to return them to Jerusalem for persecution.  Had he done that he would have not really been different from before in any meaningful way, right?  Instead, he committed his life to the Lord and began doing the Lord’s will.  The rest is history; as the apostle Paul went on to spread the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile, alike, in his attempts to share Christ with as many people as would be willing to hear.

Beloved, if a pathological liar claims do you have given his or her life to Christ; do you expect him or her to continue living the life of a pathological liar?  Of course not!  You would begin to expect the Truth from him or her, right?  If a murderers, rapists, whores, thieves, and drug dealers repent and give their lives to the Lord, can they be saved?  Yes, they can.  Can they then continue to indulge in their lives of sin that they led in the past?  No.  You see, beloved, if our lives remain unchanged after we have claim to have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we are not truly saved.  If we are still killing, raping, whoring, stealing, and dealing drugs then nothing has really changed, right?  We are clearly communicating through our actions that while we want Jesus to be Lord of our salvation, we wish ourselves to continue to be lord over our own lives.  Precious one, it just doesn’t work that way.  There is no “half way” aspect to being saved.  We either accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of every area of our lives and surrender our will to His, or make a shallow statement of faith that is really a lie while continuing to embrace a life of sin.  To continue to live a life of homosexuality after having claimed to have given your life to Christ shows that you are continuing to esteem the fleshly pleasures of sin more than the spiritual treasures of Christ.  To continue to indulge in the same sinful behavior shows complete and utter contempt for God and His will.  Satan gave up his place in God’s kingdom in order to attempt to satisfy his own will rather than God’s will.  We know how that is slated to turn out, right?

Nonetheless, there are many churches that not only have adopted a stance that accepts homosexuality as a viable choice for a “Christian” life, but many of these same churches have attempted to validate that stance by allowing members of their clergy to live openly homosexual lives.  The bottom line is this:  These churches are enabling people to lead lives that serve self and Satan, while giving lip service to the ways and the will of the Lord.  Many people have rationalized different justifications for condoning this rather than recognizing it for the hypocrisy and disobedience to God that it represents.  Ignorance of the opposition to God and His will that such acts represent is completely willful ignorance.  This problem is merely growing, but it has been around for quite some time.  Consider the following passage from Scripture:

 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.  Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” – Romans 1:24-28 (KJV)

Man wanting to do what he finds convenient, rather than seeking God’s will, has been part of our history since Adam and Eve.  It’s not a good part of our history to beam about.  Whether speaking of homosexuality, stealing, lying, or any other sin you could think of we have always looked for ways to continue to embrace our personal desires/lusts rather than seeking to selflessly commit our lives to the Lord.  We have no problem glorifying God on Sunday morning by singing songs and offering our prayers for Him to bless us in whatever way we see fit.  However, we can’t be inconvenienced to be separated from our personal passions/lusts in order to actually seek and perform His will.  Whether it be personal indiscretions, or institutional indiscretions implemented through flawed teaching and flawed doctrine put for by apostate/imposter churches, Jesus spoke very accurately of mankind when He said:

 “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.’  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups:  and many other such like things ye do.’  And He said unto them, ‘Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.’” – Mark 7:6-9 (KJV)

Many apostate churches/false teachers have been sharing a message that pursuit and achievement of material wealth is evidence of God’s blessing and acceptance of your life.  This, of course, infers that those who live in material poverty do not have their spiritual houses in order and are somehow not as blessed of God.  Such teaching is absolutely apostasy, and is baseless in Scripture.  Does God bless some of us to receive significant material wealth?  Yes, he does, but there are others that He blesses just as much in ways that do not deal with material wealth.  Frankly, the Lord often blesses someone who doesn’t have two nickels with wealth that many people overflowing with worldly wealth could never imagine.  The Lord blesses us in various ways, but that is not the point.  Jesus led a life on earth that was extremely poverty-filled in terms of material wealth.  Jesus didn’t walk around in designer clothes, nor did he have a 20,000 acre ranch, nor did he have an earthly investment portfolio that was bursting at the seams.  That being said, Jesus had wealth that all of the kings of the earth combined could not approach.  During the course of the television interview I made reference to earlier, the same pastor claimed that his church was so big that he thought it really did need to be run as a business in order to make it work properly and to be a good steward of the Lord.  I wonder if the money-changers and those selling doves in the Temple justified themselves the same way before Jesus knocked over their tables and kicked them out.  Beloved, there is nothing wrong with having personal material wealth, especially if God has blessed you with it.  The problem comes when you ardently pursue that wealth in order to validate your own life.  Such a pursuit shows where a person’s true treasure resides.  No amount of false teaching will change the Word of God on this matter and the fact that we are to serve the one true God rather than our personal finances.  As Jesus said in the following passage from Scripture:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  The light of the body is the eye:  if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!  No man can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” – Matthew 6:19-24 (KJV)

Now, precious one, after reading that passage from Scripture do you really think that Jesus is validating the aforementioned pastor’s message of validating one’s faith by counting God’s blessings through material pursuit and accumulation. 

Brothers & sisters, there is no need to “modernize” the Bible in order to make it relevant in our lives today.  Beloved, God had us in mind when each book of the Bible was written.  The Bible is our opportunity to get to know Him better, and it also should help us see ourselves.  What do I mean by that?   Well, precious one, the human experience has really changed over the course of creation in regards to the temptations, challenges, adversity, successes, and failures that we face both physically and spiritually.  Yes, technology, modes of transportation, dining options and many other amenities have changed, but mankind’s foibles, strengths, and weaknesses have remained constant throughout. 

Study the Word of God, beloved.  Get to know the Lord better by reading His love letter (Bible) to you.  He gave it for you to do exactly that.  Always know, precious one, that the Truth is the Truth.  We can accept the Truth, misinterpret the Truth (purposely or unwittingly), deny the Truth, or oppose the Truth.  The one thing we can’t do is change the Truth.  The Truth will always remain and will not be changed or altered in any way.  His name is Jesus, and He wants you to know Him today.  He has provided you with the means to get to know Him directly, as well as through your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Take the opportunity He has blessed you with by studying His Word (Bible), and communicating with Him through prayer.  In order to avoid falling under false teaching, you need to know Him.  You may have been introduced to Him by someone else, but you can only come to truly know Him by spending time with Him.  Doing so will help ensure that you do not get led down a path that leads to an eternity separated from Him.  If you were the only one that needed saving, He would have still suffered the cross in order to save you.  Know that you are loved by the Lord God Almighty.  He is knocking on the door of your heart.  Please let Him in and give Him free reign.  You’ll love what He does with the place!

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that You paid for my salvation with Your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, You conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  I now lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely then you are now a born-again child of God.  This very moment is the first moment of your new life that you will live for Jesus.  Your sins of the past have been forgiven you, and God has removed the record of iniquities from you as far as the east is from the west.  Praise God!  Welcome to the family!  Though you will still face much adversity in this life, you will never again face it alone.  I would encourage you to commit yourself to your relationship with the Lord by studying His Word every day (Bible), seeking fellowship with your newfound brothers and sisters in Christ (Christians), and communicating frequently with the Lord (prayer).

Brothers & sisters, beware of false teachers.  They are not short in number, and they are getting more recruits and adherents all the time.  Take care to make sure that you don’t unwittingly become a false teacher yourself.  The Lord doesn’t see the modification of His Word as any small thing.  Consider what the Lord had to say in this passage from Scripture from the book of Revelation:

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.” – Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)

Beloved, the imposter church will continue to grow as this broken world falls further and further away from the Lord.  Take care to not become a member of the apostate church by studying the Scriptures for yourself.  Ask the Lord to bless you with understanding and to sow His Word into your heart.  If you do so sincerely, He will fulfill your request.  Know that there is only one Way to salvation, and His name is Jesus (Hebrews 14:6).  Any church that professes that you can be saved with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is not a church that you want anything to do with.

I want to thank you for joining us for today’s message.  The Daily Dose will be on hiatus for the week of 1/16/2012 through 1/22/2012.  We will resume posting the daily passages on Monday, January 23^rd, leading up to the next message in this series on Sunday, January 29.  I hope you will be able to join us for the next message in this series, titled “Can You Handle the Truth (Part 5) – The Truth About Us”.  I believe this message will be a blessing to your heart.

If ever I can be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can either email me @ revjasont@gmail.com, you can leave a message in the “Comments” section below, or you can call me anytime @ 520-288-9261.  If you don’t reach me live, please leave me a voice mail.  I will return your call as soon as possible.  It is always a blessing to hear from you.

Enjoy this blessed day that the Lord has made.  Bless and praise His name at every opportunity, and share Him just as freely as you have received Him with all that you encounter!  Truly blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May your heart and mind always stay focused on Jesus who is the only One that can keep you from stumbling and who alone is able to present you blameless to the Father.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“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.’  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups:  and many other such like things ye do.’  And He said unto them, ‘Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.’” – Mark 7:6-9 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May the perfect peace of Jesus Christ be with you forevermore.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Here is today’s passage from Scripture:

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.” – Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at revjasont @ gmail.com, or you can call me @ 520-288-9261.  I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.  May your mind and heart always remain stayed on the Lord.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger