Author: Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

June 1, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

This last month we have been discussing the practice and purpose of personal and community “Spiritual Check-Up”. We’ve looked at common ways Satan blinds us, the doors we leave open to the enemy, and how we can keep those doors shut. Through these teachings, along with reading “The Christian in Complete Armour”, my attention has been keenly focused on our spiritual well-being, our enemy, and our need to fight.

Our Spiritual Well-Being…

We’ve looked at the following common ways Satan blinds us, hampering our spiritual well-being:

  • Spiritual Delusional Disorder (i.e., we can’t tell what’s real from what’s imagined)
  • Spiritual Switzerland (i.e., we look for a middle ground, a compromise, safety)
  • Comfort and Lethargy (i.e., we have too much to lose)
  • Isolation (i.e., we take our church community foregranted)
  • No Joy, Peace (i.e., we look for happiness in worldly things, rather than Joy and Peace in Christ)
  • Lack of Discipline (i.e., we are tired, don’t want to hold the hard line anymore)

Our Enemy…

We also looked at the doors we leave open, that our enemy exploits:

  • An uncontrolled tongue (Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 13:3, James 1:26, James 3:5-6)
  • An uncontrolled imagination (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
  • Fears (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 John 4:18, 2 Timothy 1:7)
  • Sinful Habits (Ephesians 4:26-27, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Mark 7:20-23)
  • Stubbornness (Proverbs 29:1, Psalms 81:11-12)
  • Emotional Hurt (Proverbs 15:13, Hebrews 12:3)
  • Anger (Psalms 37:8, Proverbs 14:29)
  • Rebellion (1st Samuel 15:23, Psalms 68:6)
  • Unforgiveness (Hebrews 12:15)

Our Need to Fight…

We can’t avoid the fight if we are Christian (2nd Timothy 3:12, Acts 14:22). The enemy is coming, whether we ask for it or not (Genesis 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8). Paul puts it this way,

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

First, this fight is addressed to a community: “my brethren… For we”. There is an aspect of fighting in which we are all in this together. None of us is exempt. We fight with and for our brothers and sisters.

Second, this is personal: “we wrestle”. As William Gurnall puts it,

“Wrestling is primarily a ‘one-on-one’ contest where one opponent singles out another and enters into an arena with him… Each wrestler exerts his whole force and strength against the other… Each contestant is the sole object of his challenger’s fury.”

“Wrestling is close combat… wrestlers grapple hand-to-hand… When Satan comes after you, he moves in close, takes hold of your very flesh and corrupt nature, and by this shakes you.”

Third, God gives us the tools to win: “be strong in the Lord… and the power of His Might”. But it’s on us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand...“

Are We Ready…?

If we are going to be any good at this, preparation is required. Let’s examine ourselves in light of the above:

  • Am I strong in the Lord… and the power of His might? (i.e., Does He come through victoriously for me in the battle… Or do I give in to my flesh?)
  • Do I put on the whole armor of God? (i.e., Do I read, study, and meditate on His word… Do I pray and seek to remember his directions, so I can quickly maneuver and react?)
  • Do I take up the whole armor of God? (i.e., Do I recall his truth when needed, to win arguments against Satan… to fend off the enemy’s temptations?)
  • Do I fight for and with “the brethren”? (i.e., Am I surrounding myself with able men and women who can train me… Am I leaning on them for advice and feedback… to be a better wrestler?)

If we are going to make it, we can’t be ignorant of our spiritual well-being, our enemy, and our need to fight.

The Christian in Complete Armour – William GurnallDownload

March 1, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

To be a Christian, one requirement is that we must repent (turn away) from sin. The need for people to repent is the first thing John the Baptist publically preached (Matt. 3:1-2). It is also the first thing Jesus publically preached (Matt. 4:17). Obviously, repentance is some sort of gate that everyone must pass through to become a Christian. And to repent (Greek: metanoeo) implies not just a behavioral change (i.e., what we say, what we do), but also a change of one’s mind (i.e., how we think).

I’m guessing most reading this (all 3 of you), already know the importance of repentance. It’s something we have to do regularly as Christians. I had to already make confession and repent this morning… to my wife and to God… and it’s still early. The question I am challenged with, and now challenge you with, is not the importance of our repentance, but the genuineness of our repentance.

Insincere Repentance

Reading the account of Moses before Pharoah in Exodus, we see several instances where Pharoah changed his mind and was willing to let Israel go to worship and serve God (Ex. 8:8, 25, 28; Ex. 9:27-28, Ex. 10:17-18). However, within hours or days, Pharoah again hardened his heart and reverted to his old ways (Ex. 8:15, 32; Ex. 9:34-35, Ex. 10:20). He had insincere repentance.

It’s easy to criticize Pharaoh as a villain in the Old Testament. But I wonder how many of us have done the same thing? Consider all the areas we are prone to sin… In our putting someone or something before God (i.e., idolatry), in our bitterness toward a believer or unbeliever, or in our lust or desire for someone or something. Perhaps we have recently repented in one of these areas. But did our repentance end up looking like Pharaoh’s? Did we turn back to our sin? Ultimately, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he perished for not truly repenting. What about us? Could we be awaiting the same fate?

Keeping with Repentance

I came across this in my reading this morning…

Many times people will confess that they have sinned without being truly repentant, especially when they experience difficulty, affliction, sickness, and hardship (c.f. Matt. 13:20–21). The test of genuine repentance is those fruits produced by the Spirit in our lives: godly sorrow leading to mortification of sin and increasing holiness of life (Luke 3:8; Rom. 8:12–13; 2 Cor. 7:9–10; Col. 3:1–17)

Gospel Transformation Study Bible

This caused me to pause. Is my repentance akin to the seed sown on the rocky soil? Whereas as soon as the next trial arises, my repentance is rescinded? Is my repentance just a cover for my sorrow… ultimately spiraling into a spiritual death? Or is my repentance genuine… freeing me from that sin, not to be undone a few hours or days later? To sum it up… is my life bearing the fruit, in keeping with repentance?

These are honest questions we need to ask ourselves.

The Holy Spirit

Pharaoh was sorry, because of the difficulties he experienced. But Pharoah was never totally surrendered to God. He didn’t really want to surrender to God’s will. He just wanted to have a sense of present ease. He wanted the bullets (i.e., flies, gnats) to stop flying around his head. He wanted calm. What about us? Are we just seeking present ease, calm from a difficult situation? Or do we really want to totally surrender to God’s will?

Perhaps the reason we struggle so much, and experience so little lasting peace, is because we aren’t fully surrendered to God’s will. If we were, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit produce the present and future fruit of repentance in our lives? Maybe we are so focused on the act of repentance, that we have overlooked our surrender to God’s will… Perhaps we are so focused on repenting… that we have neglected the source, the vine, that produces the fruit of repentance.

Remember, it is not us who has the power to keep us. That’s God’s work (Ps. 127:1). Ours is to surrender. Are we surrendered to Him? If we are, we will bear the fruit of genuine repentance.

December 1, 2021 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

The Struggle

One of the biggest struggles we face as Christians is ourselves… our flesh… our carnal nature.  We often see the world as our oyster.  We buy food, to feed our flesh.  We shop for clothes, to adorn our flesh.  We set up our homes, to comfort our flesh. We put together albums and videos, to commemorate our flesh.  We work jobs and earn money, to secure our flesh.  We engage in sex, to satisfy our flesh.  We have children, to propagate our flesh.  Let’s face it, the very bodies we live in are made of flesh.  Carnality is our default.  Combating Carnality seems hopeless.

If you find yourself in this struggle, you are not alone.  Paul highlights the struggle with his flesh concluding “that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing”.  Shortly after he exclaims “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Romans 7:18, 24)?  Concerning our carnal attachment to this world, John warns, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away…” (1 John 2:15-17).

Often we combat carnality with a worldly mindset. We establish rules, boundaries, budgets, and diets. None of these things are bad. In fact, some are quite beneficial.  But none of these things have the power to transport us out of our flesh and into the spirit… None of these things can lift us out of the muck of this world and into a heavenly land (Colossians 2:23).

The Escape

How do we get out of our flesh?  How do we escape our earthly carnality?  We need some sort of portal… something that can transport us out of our flesh in this world… into the spirit in another world…  God gave us access to such a portal.  He gave us something that is made of earthly material (i.e., leather, paper, ink), which can be accessed by our flesh (i.e., our eyes, our mind), that can supernaturally transport us into another land, a spiritual world, a heavenly kingdom.  He gave us our bible… the word of God. 

The word of God pre-existed the world, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).  The word of God is eternal, “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the LORD endures forever…” (Isaiah 40:6-8, 1 Peter 1:24-25).  The word of God transports us to another land, so we can say with Paul, “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal…” (2 Corinthians 4:18).  The word of God is our portal out of this world… into the kingdom of heaven.

Look back at the current season of your life… the time you’ve invested, the money you’ve spent, the effort you’ve exerted. Is it primarily to satisfy your flesh, with the things of this world, and that which is transient? Or is it for that which is spiritual, the things of heaven, and that which is eternal? 

The Future

As you look to next year, how will you combat carnality?  What’s your plan?  Will you spend more or less time in God’s word?  What will your devotional life, your prayer time, your study, your meditation look like? 

What land will you be spending your time in?  Will it be an earthly kingdom or a heavenly kingdom?  Who will you become?  One who is carnal, blinded by the trappings of this world?  Or one who is spiritual, freed from the bondage to your flesh and its appetites.

It’s our choice. We have open access to both worlds… And our life will reflect which world we are in. Let us choose that land that is eternal, unfading, and full of God’s glory.

For Further Reading:

3 Things We Must Believe about God’s Word | Crossway Articles

October 1, 2021 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

The Bait

There was a recent blog post from Crossway titled “4 Ways to Fight Sexual Temptation”.  I had struggled with this issue heavily in the past… I am also keenly aware of how foolish it is to think myself beyond falling to this temptation in the future. So I was immediately intrigued.  Then I recalled several recent conversations with Christian brothers and sisters (some single, some dating, and some married), who had all revealed this was a real struggle for them as well.  The longer this email lingered in my inbox, the more tempting it bacame to click on it…  What did this blogger have to say… about such a secretive and sordid subject?

The Hook

After a few days… and further revelation of how treacherous this problem can become for those in the church… It was too much. I could wait no longer. Resistance was futile. I had to click and see what was behind the link “4 Ways to Fight Sexual Temptation.” 

4 Ways to Fight Sexual Temptation | Crossway Articles

The Catch

I was pleasantly surprised.  If you read it, I bet you were too.  Rarely do you come across something so concise on how to fight sexual temptation, yet filled with practical and down-to-earth solutions. 

But isn’t that often how God works?  His desire is to help us.  He doesn’t overcomplicate it.  Quite unlike our adversary, God’s bate is for our good. Taking His hook only leads us into spiritual well being. Perhaps it’s time to be pleasantly surprised… by what God has in store for us.

August 2, 2021 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

What is Received…

When we adopted our cats from the humane society, they were in a small cage with a water bowl, food dish, and litter tray. All they knew of life was being incarcerated in a cell, with the bare necessities to survive…

Today, they have an unlimited supply of ‘science diet’ duck mixed with salmon. On Saturdays, they get fancy feast tuna, white fish, or chicken in a creamy sauce with vegetables. During the week, they get to roll around in catnip, wear it, and lick it off themselves.

They also live in 900 square foot house, full of wide window sills to lay on, providing a 3D high-definition view of birds, bird feeders, birdhouses, trees, flowers, squirrels, rabbits, etc. While their masters are away, a laser turns on and flashes patterns across the floor for 15 minutes out of each hour… They also have dozens of toys to play with and cat-ghans (i.e. small afghans crocheted by Faye’s mom) to nap on.

They have received a lot, since their humble beginnings, in a confinement, with little to no creature comforts.

I wonder how many of us could make a parallel illustration in our own life? Have we stopped to consider what we have received from God…? Has not God given us more than we deserve… more than we need… sometimes more than we even hoped for…?

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:32

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory to virtue.”

2 Peter 1:3

“…God, who richly provides us all things to enjoy.”

1 Timothy 6:17

What is Returned…

When we come home, our cats are jostling for the window closest to the door, meowing as if in great pain until we enter. When we come in, they rub up against us, then roll over so we can pet their bellies. When we sit down, they snuggle on us and close their eyes purring. When we say ‘bedtime’, they race up the stairs and jump into the bed. One forces himself between Faye and I, throwing his back against me, pushing off of Faye with his feet. The other wraps herself around Faye’s head on the pillow… If we sleep too late or are too still, one will paw at our faces and the other will meow an alarm, to see if we are ok. When we get up, they plop down the stairs in front of us, while we are half asleep. They know they are likely to get stepped on, but they don’t care… They just want to be close…

I wonder how many of us could make a parallel illustration in our own life? Have we stopped to consider how we return our affection and thankfulness to God? Maybe this illustration is not as easy to identify in our lives…

Here is what scripture says about thanking God,

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Psalm 34:8

“Give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”

Psalm 107:21

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

But often our thankfulness is more like a parent telling a child to write thank you cards. The child may oblige out of duty but has little heartfelt desire to do so…

Thankfulness…

What does heartfelt affection and thankfulness really look like?

Much like our cats’.

When we wake up, we would desire intimacy with Him, meditating over the His Word. When He seems distant to us, we would search for Him in earnest prayer and pleading. When there is an opportunity to gather for worship, or service, to hear His voice, we would run to the door to meet Him. When we retire in the evening, our hearts and thoughts would push up against His…

Does that describe our appreciation… for our Master?

As David exclaimed,

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

Psalm 9:1-2

It’s time to give Him thanks… with our whole heart…

June 1, 2021 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

Imagine sitting down in a lawn chair in a beautiful backyard on a temperature-less afternoon. You have the best job in the world… doing what you love every day. You come home to a beautiful house and property that you wouldn’t trade with anyone. You are married to the spouse of your dreams. You are healthy and have money in the bank. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the squirrels are playing, and the rabbits are resting in the cool of the pines. You lack nothing. You have everything you could ever want… and much, much more…

Yet there I was… miserable. Not because of any external circumstance. Not because of any known sin I needed to repent of. I was just sitting there… sad and frustrated. I didn’t know why or at what. It didn’t make any sense. And then it did…

The Problem

The bible says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). Often we think the cause of our problems is outside of ourselves. If we could only have that job, or own this property, or be married to that person, or be this healthy, or have that much money, or go to this kind of church… then our problems would… well… be negligible…

Yet Solomon availed himself of all these and more (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). He was King, built a magnificent palace, married anyone he wanted, was healthy and wise, was the world’s wealthiest, and was the chosen head of God’s people, with their full support. He writes, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:10). Yet in the next verse concluded, “Indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

Do we know this Christian? Will we concede that no career, no person, no church, no external circumstance can fix what is wrong with us? Can we just admit it? “The problem is me… I’m the problem!”

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9

The Solution

If the problem is me… how do we solve it? Just because we can say, “I know… I need to change…” doesn’t help matters. We don’t have the ability to change. Paul said, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19). We can’t change ourselves. It’s impossible! That’s the point. Romans 7 ends with “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?“

Thankfully, Paul continues on in the next verses to give us the solution. He tells us the answer to our problems is “through Jesus Christ” (Romans 7:25) in the form of the “Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2). Through Jesus Christ’s death, we can now have His Spirit, His vitality, His mental disposition, His power, His life… We don’t have to be us. We can be Him, completely changed from the inside out.

But even as Christians, we are never free from the conflict between our flesh, and His Spirit. “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other” (Galatians 5:17). The Holy Spirit is not pushy. We must continually choose to go His way, to be led by Him, to live according to His will. We can experience his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. But these results will only come by killing our flesh… with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:16-25). They cannot both survive…

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:8

We must surrender all…

Imagine

Imagine sitting down in a wet camp chair. It’s cold. You are a long way from snuggling up in your warm home. You brought your tent and are committed to camping, though it has all the potential of being a miserable night. And your spouse isn’t too excited about the idea either. A lot of your friends have already bowed out of this adventure (and for good reason). Then you realize you forgot your pot for heating your coffee in the morning… And on top of that, all the food items you brought are cold serve (i.e. salads, nuts).

Yet there I was… perfectly content. Not because the weather was going to change. Nor because of any external circumstances. I was just sitting there… so thankful and so blessed. It really didn’t make any sense. And then it did…